How much can I save in an ISA this tax year?
For the 2024/25 tax year, the ISA allowance is £20,000.
However, some types of ISA have different limits.
Lifetime ISA (LISA) allowance
Eligible savers can deposit up to £4,000 per tax year into a LISA. This forms part of the overall £20,000 ISA allowance, so if you save £4,000 into a LISA, you could still save the remaining £16,000 of your ISA allowance into different types of ISAs.
Junior ISA (JISA) allowance
The JISA is only available to anyone under the age of 18 and the allowance is £9,000 per tax year. If you're aged 16 or 17, you can apply to open this account yourself. If you’re under 16, the account must be opened by a Registered Contact and the £9,000 allowance doesn't affect their overall £20,000 allowance.
How does my ISA allowance work?
One good thing about the ISA allowance is you can choose how to make the most of your tax-free savings. You can spread your allowance across different types of ISAs to help meet the various needs you might have.
For example, you could pay £4,000 into your LISA (the maximum you can save each year into a LISA), £10,000 into Cash ISAs and £6,000 into a Stocks and Shares ISA – all of which would make up your £20,000 allowance. Tax rules may change in the future.
It's important to remember that the ISA allowance is a total. You don't get a new allowance for each account.
Can I open more than one ISA of the same type?
Previously, you could only spread your allowance across the different types of ISAs. And if you were saving into the same type, you’d have to stick with one provider every year.
From the start of the 2024/25 tax year, if you're aged 18 or over, you can now open the same type of ISA under as many providers as you like. If you were 16 or 17 and had a Cash ISA on or before 6 April 2024, you'll still be able to pay into one Cash ISA each tax year.
For example, if you have a Cash ISA with one provider and spot a better offer elsewhere, you can open another ISA with another provider and pay into that one as well, provided you don't exceed the ISA allowance for that tax year.
You are only allowed to pay into one LISA each tax year, providing you have not exceeded your overall ISA allowance for the tax year.
When does my ISA allowance reset?
Your ISA allowance resets at the start of each new tax year on 6 April.
If you’re looking to top up your ISA before the allowance renews, make sure you do it before the last payment deadline for the current tax year's ISA subscriptions.
Does withdrawing money from an ISA affect my allowance?
With a flexible ISA, you can withdraw and replace your money without affecting your tax-free allowance. You just have to make sure your payments are put back into the same account and in the same tax year as the withdrawal. For example, if you have already paid £10,000 into your ISA during the current tax year, you can withdraw £5,000 and still pay in another £15,000 before you reach your annual £20,000 limit. See our Flexible ISAs page for more info.
However, if your ISA isn't flexible, you can only deposit £20,000 in total during the course of the tax year. If you withdraw from a non-flexible ISA, you sacrifice the tax-free allowance on those funds. For example, if you have already paid £10,000 into your ISA during the current tax year, and you withdraw £5,000, you can only pay in another £10,000 as you will have reached your annual £20,000 limit.
If you are thinking about withdrawing from a LISA there's a few things to consider first. You can withdraw from your LISA after 12 months from your first payment in to buy a house with a purchase price of up to £450k. For any other withdrawals before the age of 60, a 25% government withdrawal charge applies, meaning you’d get back less than you paid in.
You can only withdraw from a JISA once you turn 18.
Do ISA transfers count towards my allowance?
If you’re thinking about transferring money from previous year's ISAs to a different provider or type of ISA, here’s what you need to know about how it affects your annual allowance:
When you move money from one ISA to another through an ISA transfer, the money stays tax-free and won't count towards this tax year's ISA allowance – even if your ISA is non-flexible.
Moving ISAs vs withdrawing: An ISA transfer is different from making a withdrawal from one ISA and paying into another, as you could lose the tax-free status of your savings if you withdraw them and pay it to another ISA.
The rules are a little different for transfers into LISAs. If you transfer the previous tax year’s savings into a LISA from a different type of ISA, it will count towards the annual LISA allowance. You can read more about this on our ISA Transfer page.
What happens if I go over my allowance?
Since it was introduced back in 1999, the ISA allowance has never been reduced, but it’s always important to check to make sure you’re not going over the limit.
If you do think you’ve paid in more than you’re allowed, contact your ISA provider straight away. You should also get in touch with HMRC to let them know.
Accidents happen, but it’s always important to set the record straight as soon as you can.
What happens to my allowance when I die?
If you have a spouse or civil partner, they will inherit an extra ISA allowance equal to the value of any ISA savings you had. This allows them to increase the amount they save tax-free in ISAs, even if you leave the funds in your ISAs to someone else. This allowance is called the Additional Permitted Subscription allowance.
To find out how it works, see our Additional Permitted Subscription page.