ISAs
NB - Legislation relating to Individual Savings Accounts is subject to change.
Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) were introduced in 1999 and replaced PEPs and TESSAs. They are available to all UK residents over 18 years of age, 16 years of age for the Cash ISAs. They benefit all taxpayers, as any income or capital gains received from investments held within an ISA do not have to be declared to the tax man.
ISAs can invest in cash or longer term investments like stocks and shares (including unit trusts, investment trusts, Open Ended Investment Companies, some fixed interest securities, or any share quoted on a stock exchange recognised by the Inland Revenue.)
In April 2008, the old Mini and Maxi ISA's disappeared and investors now have a choice between a Cash ISA and Stocks and Shares ISA. At the same time, PEPs became Stocks and Shares ISAs and maturing TESSAs became Cash ISA’s.
Investment Limits
- The annual investment allowance is £10,200. Up to £5,100 of that allowance can be saved in cash with one provider. The rest can be invested in stocks and shares with either the same or a different provider.
- You can invest in two separate ISAs each tax year – a cash ISA and a stocks and shares ISA.
- You can transfer money saved in a cash ISA to a stocks and shares ISA – but you can't transfer money the other way.
Cash ISAs - Cash ISAs are widely available with different interest rates. It is a good idea to shop around for the best Cash ISA rates. It is important however to understand the conditions attached to those rates, for instance access may be restricted in order to achieve that particular rate. The limit for a cash ISA is £5,100.
Stocks & Shares ISA- Your entire ISA allowance can be in stocks and shares. However if you hold a Cash ISA which you have taken out in the same tax year, you will be restricted to the difference between the overall ISA limit and what you have deposited in the Cash ISA. The Stocks & Shares ISA is one account and managed by one provider.
ISAs
Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) are available to all UK residents over 18 yrs of age. They benefit all taxpayers, especially those paying the higher rate. Unfortunately, they are not quite as easy to understand as they should be. Here goes:
They're the latest Government scheme to stop the taxman getting his hands on your savings, replacing PEPs and TESSAs, but if you have one of these don’t worry, you can keep your existing PEPs indefinitely and TESSAs until maturity.
You can invest via a number of components within an ISA; cash, stocks and shares to include unit/investment trusts, Open Ended Investment Companies (OEICs), Gilts (bought with at least 5 years until maturity), or any share quoted on a stock exchange recognised by the Inland Revenue.
If you have a maturing TESSA you can invest the original capital (without accrued interest) into a special TESSA only ISA. This will not effect your ISA allowance in the given year.
You can invest a maximum of £7,000 into an ISA. You can choose to do this by having up to two mini ISAs- Mini Cash and Mini Share or by putting the entire £7000 into one Maxi ISA. You cannot run a Mini and a Maxi ISA together and you cannot have two Mini ISAs of the same type, i.e. two Mini Cash ISAs.
The Mini ISA
If you choose this option you can have a maximum of £3000 in a Mini Cash ISA and £4000 in a Mini Share ISA . The division of holdings is inflexible. However, you can have each Mini ISA with different providers and are therefore free to shop around for the best Cash ISA rates.
The Maxi ISA
The main differentiator is the flexibility in the division of holdings. There is no upper limit on share holdings (up to £7000) and therefore your entire holdings can be in stocks and shares. However the upper limit is still £3000 in cash. The Maxi ISA is one account and managed by one provider therefore you would have to have the cash ISA rates offered by this provider. Maxi ISAs are generally the best option for those who want the major part of their holdings to be in stocks and shares.
See Also:
Self Select ISAs
NB - Legislation relating to Individual Savings Accounts is subject to change.
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