What is an ISA?

With an Individual Savings Account (ISA), you don’t pay tax on the interest you earn.

What's on this page?


What are the different types of ISAs?

YBS only offer Cash ISAs, but there are four types of ISAs to choose from:

  • Cash ISAs
  • Stocks and Shares ISAs
  • Innovative Finance ISAs
  • Lifetime ISAs

How much can I pay into an ISA each year?

Each tax year you’re given an annual ISA allowance – this is the maximum amount you’re allowed to pay in.  For the 
2023/24
tax year it's
£20,000
. You can split your allowance across the different types of ISAs, but you can only pay into one account of each type. 

How do Cash ISAs work?

  • Cash ISAs are available to UK residents aged 16 and over. Crown employees based overseas and their spouses are also able to open a cash ISA.
  • Using your annual ISA allowance, you can only pay into one Cash ISA each tax year.
  • Interest is paid annually or monthly, depending on the account you choose. 
  • As long as your money stays in an ISA, you won’t pay tax on the interest. Find out more about ISA transfers.

Fixed Rate Cash ISAs

Fixed rate Cash ISAs tend to give you a better interest rate, but you’ll need to keep your money in the account for a set amount of time. The interest rate is fixed, so you’re guaranteed to earn that rate.

Variable Rate Cash ISAs

Variable rate Cash ISAs give you more access to your money, but the interest rate can go up or down.

All of our variable rate Cash ISAs are flexible. This means that you can withdraw money from your ISA account and pay it back in later, without affecting your annual ISA allowance – as long as it’s done in the same tax year.

What happens if I don't use all of my allowance?

As soon as the tax year ends, your allowance for that tax year ends as well. If you haven’t used all of your allowance, it can’t be rolled over to the next tax year.

Does my ISA allowance affect my Personal Savings Allowance?

The Personal Savings Allowance is the amount of interest you can earn on your savings each year without paying tax. The tax-free interest you earn in an ISA doesn’t count towards your Personal Savings Allowance.

Find out more about the Personal Savings Allowance. 
The content on this page is for reference and does not constitute financial advice. For impartial financial advice, try MoneyHelper.

Other accounts

Why not take a look at our other types of savings accounts?

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