The clock resets on 6 April and if you haven’t used your ISA allowance by then, you lose it. There’s no carryover, no second chance. This isn’t about unnecessary urgency, but about making the most of a tax-free opportunity.
ISAs shield your money from income tax and capital gains tax, as well as dividend tax. If you have savings or investments, letting that allowance go to waste makes little sense.
WHAT’S THE LIMIT?
You can put up to £20,000 into an ISA each tax year. That’s the cap across all types including cash ISAs, stocks and shares ISAs, innovative finance ISAs, and lifetime ISAs. Once the new tax year begins, any unused allowance vanishes. You don’t get to backfill it later.
WHY IT MATTERS
Every pound inside an ISA grows free of tax. Outside an ISA, your savings and investments can be hit by the taxes income, capital gains and dividends, but the ISA allowance is one of the few legal tax shelters available to everyone.
Using it each year builds long-term benefits, even if you’re not investing the full £20,000.
CASH ISA OR STOCKS AND SHARES ISA?
If you’re holding cash, a cash ISA keeps it safe from tax while earning interest. But with inflation outpacing most savings rates, your money might not grow much. A stocks and shares ISA carries risk but offers the potential for higher returns. The right choice depends on your time frame and risk tolerance.
THINK LONG-TERM, NOT JUST YEAR TO YEAR
The real power of the ISA allowance comes from compounding over time. Regularly maxing out your ISA means shielding more of your wealth from tax, year after year. Over decades, this can make a huge difference, especially if you’re investing. A well-managed stock and shares ISA could grow significantly, and because withdrawals aren’t taxed, you keep every penny.
Even if you can’t put in the full £20,000, contributing what you can each year builds a habit, and that habit can add up to real financial security in the long run.
DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE
Technically, you have until 5 April. In practice, leaving it late risks missing out due to processing delays. Banks and investment platforms get flooded with last-minute deposits during this time, so if you know you’ll use your allowance then it’s better to act sooner rather than scramble along with the other slowcoaches on deadline day.
The ISA allowance is a use-it-or-lose-it deal, so if you’re serious about minimising tax on your savings and investment goals, making use of it should become a routine. Whether you save in cash or invest, the key is not letting the opportunity slip by. When the new tax year starts, that £20,000 allowance refreshes, but the old one is gone for good.
If you want to learn more about using your ISA allowance before you lose it on April 6, get in touch with Integritas Financial Planners today.
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