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What you need to know before the end of the tax year

The current tax year ends on 5 April 2024.

See how to maximise your allowances from your savings to your pension pot and get your head around some key tax terms.

Remember that tax rules can change, and any benefits will depend on your circumstances.

How to make the most of your tax allowances

Use your ISA allowance before it’s gone

In the current tax year, you can save up to £20,000 in a tax-efficient individual savings account (ISA). You can save money in one ISA or split it between a cash ISA and a stocks & shares ISA. Other types of ISAs are available, each with different limits and restrictions.

From 6 April 2024, you’ll be allowed to pay into more than one ISA of the same type in each tax year instead of being limited to paying into just one ISA of each type per tax year.

If you already have an HSBC ISA but didn’t make payments in the previous tax year, you’ll need to reactivate it before you can pay in any more money.

Find out how to:

You can check to see if you're still eligible for a Global Investment Centre stocks & shares ISA.

An InvestDirect stocks & shares ISA requires a new application each tax year.

Depending on the type of ISA you have, it may take a few working days to reactivate it, so please allow plenty of time.

Make the most of your child trust fund or junior ISA allowance

If you hold a Junior ISA or a child trust fund for a child, you can save up to £9,000 in the current tax year without being liable to pay any UK income tax or capital gains tax on any income or gains arising.

Maximise your pension contribution

Most people can add up to £60,000 to their pension pot each year, tax-free – or up to 100% of their earnings if they earn under £60,000 a year. This means the total sum of any personal contributions, employer contributions, and tax relief can’t usually exceed the £60,000 pension annual allowance. 

If you haven’t reached this limit, you may want to consider adding more to your pension from your pre-tax income. However, you might not be able to access this money until you’re at least 55 years old (or 57 from 2028). Find out more from MoneyHelper about tax relief on pension contributions.

You might also be interested in how much you need to retire and how workplace pensions work.

Remember your capital gains tax allowance

As of the 2023/2024 tax year, the capital gains tax allowance is £6,000. However, this will drop to £3,000 for the 2024/2025 tax year and to £1,000 for the 2025/2026 tax year. 

In the current tax year, you can sell investments, property, and other assets without having to pay any tax on the first £6,000 worth of gains. 

You can’t carry over any unused capital gains tax allowance to the next tax year. If you want to sell assets that would make you more than £6,000 in profit, it might be worth staggering the sale over 2 tax years.

Tax terminology

What is a tax code?

A tax code lets your employer or pension provider know how much income tax you need to pay. Check your tax code is correct online or by calling HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)).

What is emergency tax?

If your employer or pension provider doesn’t have a tax code from HMRC, it has to apply an emergency tax code. If this happens, you might have more tax deducted from your earnings or pension than necessary.

But don’t worry, emergency tax codes are temporary. Your employer or pension provider should receive a tax code from HMRC quickly.

What are tax credits?

Tax credits are extra funds given by the government. There are two types:

  • Working tax credits
  • Child tax credits

Find out if you should be receiving tax credits by contacting HMRC.

What is national insurance?

National insurance is a tax on earnings and self-employed profits. 

If you earn more than £242 a week from your employer and you're over 16 years old, you’ll need to pay national insurance (NI) contributions. 

If you’re self-employed, you’ll no longer have to pay class 2 NI contributions in 2024/2025.

If you have profits of more than £12,570, you’ll have to pay class 4 NI contributions – but the rate will be cut from 9% to 8% in April 2024.

These contributions support initiatives, such as the state pension, maternity pay, and the jobseeker’s allowance.

How do I get a certificate of interest?

If you need a certificate of interest (tax certificate) to complete your tax self-assessment, please send us a secure e-message in online banking or by using chat in the mobile banking app.

The certification of interest confirms the total amount of credit interest paid into an account over the tax year.

Once we receive your request, we’ll post this to you within 7 working days.

This article was last updated: 05/03/2024, 04:53