Over the last year UK savers have finally been in a position to earn some interest on their savings, but how tax on interest income work, and how can you maximise the tax free element of what you receive? 🤔
If you meet certain criteria or have flexibility in how you structure your income, then you can potentially enjoy up to £18,570 of your income completely tax-free!! 🥳
This isn’t a trick or a some sort of get rich quick scheme but a straightforward guide to utilising tax rules on your savings interest to your advantage. 🌟
Tax On Interest Income?
Most UK residents are entitled to earn some amount of interest on their savings without paying any income tax 🎉
This might come as a nice surprise, especially with recent hikes in interest rates.
If you’re clever about how you manage your finances, particularly if you run your own limited company, you might find yourself better off by tweaking your salary and dividend pay-outs, as dividends are taxed after ‘earned income’, which includes income from employment, self employment and interest 😎
So, how does it work?
1. Personal Allowance:
Every taxpayer in the UK has a basic personal allowance of £12,570 — this is the amount of income you can earn each year without having to pay any tax on it.
However, high earners be aware; this allowance reduces once you start earning above a certain threshold. 📉
2. Starting Rate for Savings:
The little known but incredibly beneficial starting rate for savings can be up to £5,000 annually!! 🤯
This rate is available if your other earned income is less than £12,570 per year
It’s like a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered by eligible savers! 🗝️💎
3. Personal Savings Allowance:
As if the first two weren’t enough, on top of these, your personal savings allowance kicks in 🥳
This varies according to your tax bracket:
– Basic rate taxpayers: £1,000 of savings income tax-free 🏦
– Higher rate taxpayers: £500 of savings income tax-free 💷
– Additional rate taxpayers: Sadly, no allowance here 🚫
So how about we look at a worked example to help you make sense of the numbers 👇🏽
- Paddy earns £16,000 a year through his employment
- And he also has a wee bit of savings stashed away in his rainy day fund, on which this year he earned a whopping £2,000 of interest – well done Paddy 🙌🏽
- So we subtract his personal allowance from his wages leaving £3,430 (£16,000-£12,570)
- This means he only has £1,570 of his starting rate for savings left (£5,000 starting rate for savings less the amount over his personal allowance he has earned which is £3,430)
- So he has £430 of interest still to be dealt with (£2,000 interest income less £1,570 starting rate for savings)
- But we haven’t yet looked at his personal savings allowance, which as a basic rate taxpayer is £1,000, which means that the full £430 remaining interest is covered, making all that £2,000 interest tax-free!
What About Interest in Joint Accounts?
For couples, it’s straightforward: interest earned on joint accounts is split 50/50. It doesn’t matter who deposited more; the tax treatment is the same for both parties, ensuring fairness and simplicity. 💑
Reporting Your Interest Income
Most of the time, if your income is straightforward (e.g., from salary or pension), HMRC will adjust your tax code to account for any tax due on your savings automatically.
Banks and building now societies report your interest income directly to HMRC, simplifying your life.
No self-assessment tax return? No problem, unless your interest exceeds £10,000, in which case, registering for self-assessment becomes necessary. 📊📝
Conclusion: Take Control of Your Savings!
Understanding and applying these tax allowances could significantly increase your income from savings, especially in a time of rising interest rates.
If you think these tips might help, or if you have more complex financial arrangements, don’t hesitate to contact the IN Team for tailored advice. 🚀
For more detail, check out HMRC’s guidance on the subject: https://www.gov.uk/apply-tax-free-interest-on-savings
