HMRC issues reminder of saving scheme
Help to Save (HTS) has been around for five years. In a recent press release, HMRC has revealed the level of bonus payments paid out to participants and encouraged others to look at using the scheme. So how does it work?
In the press release, HMRC confirmed that £146 million in bonus payments have been received by savers since the HTS scheme launched in 2018. Over 450,000 people have a HTS account.
The scheme is available to those on lower incomes, and pays an attractive 50% bonus, subject to a maximum of £1,200 over four years.
You could be eligible to open a HTS account if you are receiving:
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit and are entitled to Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit and they (with their partner, if it is a joint claim) had take-home pay of £722.45 or more in their last monthly assessment period.
Once the account is open, you can deposit between £1 and £50 each month, with the government topping up the deposits in the second and fourth years. It is possible to accumulate £2,400 in qualifying savings to attain the maximum bonus of £1,200.
HMRC has also produced a helpful video with further information on HTS.
Related Topics
-
HMRC and Companies House to scrap free filing services
From April 2026 companies won’t be able to file their tax returns and accounts using the HMRC and Companies House free-to-use service. What steps should companies take ahead of the deadline?
-
Annual accounting: how are interest and late payment penalties calculated?
If you use the annual accounting scheme, you will submit one return each year instead of four or twelve. What are the potential traps if you don’t meet the scheme conditions?
-
Is basis period reform really over and done with?
You heaved a sigh of relief after submitting your 2023/24 self-assessment tax return, especially as it meant the fiddly basis period calculations were behind you. But why might it be to your advantage to revisit them?