The Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) is a generous tax relief that allows for the total amount of qualifying expenditure on plant and machinery to be deducted from pre-tax profits. The maximum amount that can be claimed for the AIA is limited to a £1 million annual cap on qualifying purchases.

The AIA can be claimed by an individual, partnership or company carrying on a trade, profession or vocation, a UK non-residential property business or a furnished holiday let. Only partnerships or trusts with a mixture of individuals and companies in the business structure are unable to qualify for AIA.

The AIA is available for most assets purchased by a business, such as machines and tools, vans, lorries, diggers, office equipment, building fixtures and computers. The AIA does not apply to business cars, items you owned for another reason before you started using them in your business or items given to you or your business.

A claim for AIA must be made in the period the item was bought. This date is defined as the date when a contract was signed, if payment is due within 4 months of the contract being signed. If not, the actual payment date if it is due more than 4 months later.