Shareholders - frequently asked questions
Set out below are some frequently asked questions (FAQs), shareholder forms and leaflets and other useful information. Please click on the links to download the documents. If you can’t find the answer to your query and you are an ordinary shareholder, please contact Equiniti.
If you are an American Depositary Receipt (ADR) holder, please contact Bank of New York Mellon.
Our Registrar is Equiniti who can be contacted on the contact details available on the Shareholder contacts page.
As our Registrar, Equiniti are there to answer any queries about your shareholding and to help with the following matters:
- Updating your personal details such as your name or address
- Replacement dividend cheque(s)
- Replacement share certificate(s)
- To check how many shares you currently hold
- Merge your shareholding if you have more than one account
- Register to have your dividends directly into you bank/building society account
- Elect to receive your dividends as additional shares by joining the National Grid scrip dividend scheme
- Changing your communication preferences
- Share transfers and share dealing
- If a shareholder has died
You can manage your shareholding online via Equiniti’s Shareview Portfolio. It is free to use, secure, easy to administer, and allows you to:
- Update your details online including your address details and dividend payment instructions
- Elect to receive certain shareholder communications electronically
- Send your general meeting voting instructions in advance of shareholder meetings
- View information about and join the National Grid plc scrip dividend scheme
- Add a range of shareholdings and investments you have (including those with other registrars) to monitor their value all in one place
- Buy and sell shares easily
It only takes a few minutes to register, just have your 11 digit Shareholder Reference Number to hand.
You will be sent a PIN number to complete registration. Please register at www.shareview.co.uk.
Please contact our Registrar, Equiniti, on the contact details available on the Shareholder contacts page.
If you are unable to find your share certificate and need a replacement please contact Equiniti on the contact details available on the Shareholder contacts page.
Please note that an administration fee and, depending on the value of the shares, a letter of indemnity and accompanying cover fee may be required.
For more information please visit the Equiniti website.
Please contact our Registrar, Equiniti, on the contact details available on the Shareholder contacts page.
Please contact our Registrar, Equiniti, on the contact details available on the Shareholder contacts page.
For more information please visit the Equiniti website.
Please see our Ordinary Shares and ADRs Dividends pages for dividend information. For details of dividend history please see the dividend calculator page.
Dividends paid on or after 6 April 2016 will no longer be accompanied by a 10% tax credit. Instead this will be replaced by a tax free dividend allowance which will apply to the first £5,000 (£2,000 from 2018/19 tax year) of a person's dividend income in the UK. If you have any doubts about how this change impacts your tax position, please refer to the government's guidance (www.gov.uk/tax-on-dividends) or speak to a professional tax advisor.
For dividends paid prior to the 5 April 2016 you will have received a dividend tax voucher that stated the amount of tax credit paid on each dividend. From 6 April 2016, your dividend tax voucher was replaced with a dividend confirmation. Please contact our Registrar, Equiniti, if you have any questions regarding your dividend confirmation.
Yes, you can.
The advantages of having your dividends paid directly into your bank or building society account are:
- Your dividend reaches your account on the payment day
- It is more secure – cheques do sometimes get lost in the post
- No more trips to the bank
If you would like to take advantage of this secure and convenient way of receiving your dividends, please visit the Equiniti website, or contact Equiniti on the contact details available on the Shareholder contacts page.
Please contact our Registrar, Equiniti, on the contact details available on the Shareholder contacts page.
Please note that depending on the value of the missing cheque you may need to pay a fee.
Please contact our Registrar, Equiniti, on the contact details available on the Shareholder contacts page.
You can find the Company’s share price on our Share Price Calculator page.
Have you received unsolicited investment advice?
Shareholders are advised to be wary of any unsolicited advice or offers, whether over the telephone, through the post or by email. If you receive any such unsolicited communication please check the company or person contacting you is properly authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) before getting involved.
You can report calls from unauthorised firms to the FCA by calling 0800 111 6768 or email [email protected].
For more information visit the FCA website www.fca.org.uk/consumers/scams or read the FCA Beware of share fraud leaflet.
ADRs - frequently asked questions
Below are frequently asked questions about ADRs.
ADRs (American Depositary Receipts) are negotiable U.S securities, issued by a depositary bank, typically representing a non U.S company. ADRs trade freely in local markets, and can be listed in on local stock markets, such as NYSE or NASDAQ.
An American Depositary Share (ADS) is a share, evidenced by an ADR that represents a specified number of underlying shares held in custody in the issuer's home market. The terms ADR and ADS are often used interchangeably. National Grid ADSs, each representing 5 Ordinary Shares, are traded on the NYSE Stock Market under the “NGG” symbol.
Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) is the depositary for National Grid ADRs. For enquires about buying, selling or managing ADRs contact BNY Mellon on:
Tel: 1-800-466-7215 (from outside the US: 1-201-680-6825)
Online: www.adrbnymellon.com
Email: [email protected]
Mail: The Bank of New York Mellon Depositary Receipts, PO BOX 30170, College Station, Texas, 77842-3178
ADR holders are generally entitled to the same rights as the underlying shareholders, subject to the terms specified on the ADR certificate and in the Deposit Agreement on file with the SEC.
Holders of ADSs are entitled to vote by supplying their Voting Instructions to the Depositary or its Nominee, who will vote the Ordinary Shares underlying their ADSs in accordance with their instructions.
National Grid publishes its annual reports and results documents online. It will file its Annual Report on Form 20-F (which corresponds to the 10-K for a US Corporation) with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US, and other material market sensitive information as required on Form 6-K. If a shareholder would like a hard copy annual report they can request one from BNY by:
Tel: 1-800-466-7215 (from outside the US: 1-201-680-6825)
Online: www.adrbnymellon.com
Email: [email protected]
Mail: The Bank of New York Mellon Depositary Reciepts, PO BOX 30170, College Station, Texas, 77842-3178
Dividends are paid at the same time as ordinary shares. The interim dividend is usually declared in November and paid in January, and the final dividend is usually declared in May and paid in August. Details can be found on the ADRs dividend page.
ADR holders are eligible for all dividends or other entitlements attaching to the underlying shares of National Grid Plc and receive all cash dividends in US dollars. A scrip option may be available, allowing shareholders to accumulate more ADRs.
National Grid can issue a fee of up to $0.05 per ADR to be charged for any cash distribution made to ADS holders, including cash dividends, in line with common market practice in order to cover costs associated with the management of the ADR programme.
ADS holders who receive a cash dividend will be charged a fee, which will be deducted by the Depositary from interim and final cash dividends prior to distribution.
ADRs are used by non-domestic holders to remove impediments relating to settlements, currency, tax conventions and differing market practices. They are quoted in US dollars and traded in the same way you would trade a US domestic stock, so can be a practical and convenient alternative to holding ordinary shares.
CSN - frequently asked questions
Below are frequently asked questions about CSN.
National Grid and Equiniti, our share registrar, have made arrangements for Equiniti Financial Services Limited to provide a nominee service to its shareholders, known as a Corporate Sponsored Nominee (CSN). The CSN is a convenient way to hold your shares electronically. Transferring shares into the CSN is free.
Through the CSN, you can:
- Eliminate the risk of losing your share certificate and having to pay a replacement fee.
- Trade your shares through Equiniti Financial Services Limited, settlement on the sale of shares held electronically is quicker and cheaper than certificated share dealing.
- Receive four statements a year where assets are held on your behalf which will be made available online at www.shareview.co.uk.
- Receive less unwanted mail and advertising material. Your name and address will not appear on proper purpose requests to view the share register as the holding will be held electronically via the CSN.
You will still receive any dividends that are due to you and have the opportunity to instruct the provider of the CSN how you wish to vote at any General Meeting of the Company and to request to attend and vote at any General Meetings of the Company.
If you hold shares in National Grid plc and you are a resident in an eligible country, you can transfer your shares into the CSN.
To join the CSN, please download the CSN Transfer Form, as well as a copy of the latest CSN Terms and Conditions, from www.shareview.co.uk/info/csn, and follow the instructions on the Transfer Form.
There is no fee for transferring shares into the CSN. If you do not have all your share certificate(s) to cover the number of shares you are transferring into the CSN, please contact Equiniti to obtain a Letter of Indemnity for any missing share certificates before completing the Transfer Form. A charge may apply and details will be provided by Equiniti as part of the request. Once you receive the Letter of Indemnity form, complete and send this along with your completed Transfer Form, valid share certificate(s) and relevant Letter of Indemnity fee to Equiniti.
For further information, including any applicable fees, please visit the ‘Report a lost share certificate’ page under ‘Manage My Shares’ on www.shareview.co.uk.
If you do not already hold shares in the CSN, a new holding will be created for you and an opening statement issued to you within 10 working days of the shares being received into the CSN. This will contain your new Shareholder Reference which you will need when trading your shares or contacting Equiniti Financial Services Limited.
On a quarterly basis, a statement will be made available to you electronically via your Shareview Portfolio. Further details on registering for a Shareview Portfolio will be available on your Opening Statement or by visiting the Shareview FAQ page.
Please note that if you have any specific instructions registered on your certificated shareholding such as bank details for your dividend, election for the Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP), or having elected to receive hard copy shareholder documentation, these instructions will not transfer over to your CSN account. You will need to provide new instructions for your shares held in the CSN.
You can buy and sell your shares held in the CSN via your Shareview Portfolio at www.shareview.co.uk. Visit www.shareview.co.uk/dealing to view the full details including Equiniti Financial Service Limited’s standard dealing rates and the Equiniti Dealing Service Terms and Conditions.
You can also buy and sell shares through a financial adviser or stockbroker, bank or building society. Please note the commission charges for buying and selling shares vary between the different organisations. To do so you will need to transfer your shares out of the CSN.
See ‘Can I transfer shares out of the Corporate Sponsored Nominee (CSN)?’ in the Shareview Dealing FAQs for more information.
EQ Boost FAQs
With EQ Boost you can use your dividend cash value to purchase uplifted retail vouchers from a wide range of UK retailers* including:
- The White Company;
- Costa Coffee;
- lastminute.com;
- Tesco; and
- M&S.
You can update your dividend election to EQ Boost via your Shareview Portfolio and your future dividends will be paid into your EQ Boost account ready for you to choose your e-vouchers.The e-voucher purchased will always be greater than the original cash value, giving the dividend a ‘Boost’.
To find out how to boost your dividends visit www.shareview.info/eqboost.
*Retailers mentioned can be chosen from any on the list of those available.
You can apply for EQ Boost online via your Shareview Portfolio at www.shareview.co.uk. Follow the link from 'My Investments' to view your holdings summary, access the Dividend Election page for your holding and follow the instructions onscreen to complete the application.
Useful shareholder forms and leaflets
Visit help.shareview.co.uk for information regarding your shareholding, from here you will also be able to email a query securely and access a range of Shareholder forms.
Material interests in shares and shareholder analysis
Information showing our major shareholders (material interests in shares) and a table showing a brief analysis of shareholder numbers and shareholdings as at 31 March for each financial year can be found in the Company's Annual Report and Accounts.
Capital Gains Tax
Events that have affected National Grid shareholders since the privatisation of British Gas in 1986 and the distribution of National Grid Group shares in 1995/1996.
