If you haven’t used up your Individual Savings Account (ISA) allowance for 2016/17, you have until 5 April to do so.
Saving into an ISA is a great way of making your savings work harder. Whether you’re looking to supplement your retirement income, build up funds for a property purchase or you simply want a ‘rainy day’ nest egg, ISAs offer an array of tax-efficient savings options. But with the tax-year end fast approaching, the clock is ticking for you to use your full 2016/17 ISA allowance of £15,240.
Why is it so important to use up your allowance? Here are some great reasons:
Your ISA is tax-efficient
Unlike some other investments, your returns are not subject to tax. That means every extra pound you save (within your allowance) will be sheltered from the taxman. This tax year, you can invest up to £15,240 tax-free.
You can’t ‘carry over’ your ISA allowance
You cannot carry any unused ISA allowance over to the following tax year unlike some other personal allowances (such as your pension annual allowance). That makes it doubly important to invest your full allowance, if you can afford to. You also have the freedom to take money out and put it back in later in the same tax year, without losing any of your tax-free entitlement. That means you needn’t worry about missing out on lost interest if you need to make a short-term raid on your savings, but can afford to replace it later.
The miracle of compound interest
Maximising your ISA savings can deliver huge benefits over the longer term. For instance, assume you invested the current maximum allowance of £15,240 in a Cash ISA, every year, for 25 years. Even if your investment grows at a modest 2.5% each year, your investment would have grown to £555,841.15.
Inheriting an ISA
Before April 2015, any savings held in an ISA automatically lost their tax-free status on the death of the ISA holder. Since April 2015, however, the Additional Permitted Subscription allows the spouse / partner to retain the tax benefits in the form of a one-off ISA allowance equal to the value of the ISA at the date of the holder’s death. For example, if your partner had £40,000 in ISA savings including interest, your ISA allowance for that tax year would be £55,240 (the value of your partner’s savings and your own ISA allowance for the 2016/17 tax year).
The tax efficiency of ISAs is based on current rules. The current tax situation may not be maintained. The benefit of the tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances. The value of your stocks and shares ISA and any income from it may fall as well as rise. You may not get back the amount you originally invested.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0
Contact us for more information or advice about the different kinds of ISA investments. We will help you to make the best choice for you and your family.