An ERS return is a compulsory annual filing submitted to HMRC by companies that award shares or options (i.e. employment related securities) to their employees. The purpose of an ERS return is to report any share-related events that took place in the previous tax year (from 6 April to the following 5 April) for each scheme you’ve registered with HMRC. If no action was taken or there are no outstanding qualifying options, you simply need to file a ‘nil’ return.