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. 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.
This article has been reproduced by kind permission of Indicator – FL Memo Ltd. For details of their tax-saving products please visit www.indicator-flm.co.uk or call 01233 653500.