ISA allowance history: every tax year since 1999
ISAs began on 6 April 1999 with a £7,000 limit, and the overall ISA limit has been £20,000 a year since 2017 to 2018. The table below gives the overall and Cash ISA limit for every tax year, with a source for each.
The short answer
- £7,000 was the limit when ISAs began on 6 April 1999. The overall limit reached £20,000 in 2017 to 2018 and is still £20,000 for 2026 to 2027.
- The Cash ISA limit was half the overall limit from 2008 to 2009 until 1 July 2014. Since then it has matched the overall limit.
- A cut of the Cash ISA limit to £12,000 for savers 64 or under, planned from 6 April 2027, was cancelled in the Budget on 28 October 2026. The limit stays £20,000.
- HMRC's table starts in 2008 to 2009. Earlier years come from the ISA Regulations 1998 and the regulations that amended them, each cited by number.
ISA limits by tax year
ISAs were introduced on 6 April 1999, replacing the earlier Personal Equity Plans (PEPs) and Tax-Exempt Special Savings Accounts (TESSAs), according to HMRC. Each tax year starts on 6 April. The table gives the overall adult ISA limit and the Cash ISA limit for each one.
Where a year shows two figures joined by “then”, the limit changed during that tax year. HMRC is the source from 2008 to 2009 onwards. Before that the figures come from the ISA Regulations 1998 and the regulations that amended them, and each row names the one it comes from. Until 5 April 2008 an ISA was set up as a maxi-account or as separate mini-accounts, and the figures for those years are maxi-account limits.
| Tax year | Overall ISA limit | Cash ISA limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 to 2000 | £7,000 | £3,000 | ISAs began on 6 April 1999. The £7,000 is the maxi-account limit, of which no more than £3,000 could go into a cash component and no more than £1,000 into an insurance component. A cash mini-account was limited to £3,000. Source: Regulation 4 as made. |
| 2000 to 2001 | £7,000 | £3,000 | The 1999 to 2000 maxi-account and cash limits stayed the same. Source: SI 2000/809. |
| 2001 to 2002 | £7,000 | £3,000 | Same limits. Source: SI 2001/908. |
| 2002 to 2003 | £7,000 | £3,000 | Same limits. Source: SI 2001/908. |
| 2003 to 2004 | £7,000 | £3,000 | Same limits. Source: SI 2001/908. |
| 2004 to 2005 | £7,000 | £3,000 | Same limits. Source: SI 2001/908. |
| 2005 to 2006 | £7,000 | £3,000 | Same limits. Source: SI 2001/908. |
| 2006 to 2007 | £7,000 | £3,000 | Same limits, extended to 5 April 2010 by SI 2005/2561. Source: SI 2005/2561, Regulation 4 on 1 June 2006. |
| 2007 to 2008 | £7,000 | £3,000 | Same limits. The last tax year of maxi-accounts and mini-accounts. Source: SI 2005/2561, SI 2007/2119. |
| 2008 to 2009 | £7,200 | £3,600 | New rules and higher limits from 6 April 2008: up to £3,600 could go into a cash account within the £7,200 overall limit. Source: HMRC, SI 2007/2119. |
| 2009 to 2010 | £7,200 then £10,200 | £3,600 then £5,100 | The limit rose during the year. From 6 October 2009, savers aged 50 or over, or due to be 50 by 5 April 2010, could pay in £10,200 overall and £5,100 in cash. Source: HMRC, SI 2009/1550. |
| 2010 to 2011 | £10,200 | £5,100 | From 6 April 2010 the £10,200 and £5,100 limits applied to all ISA investors, except 16 and 17 year olds, who could pay into Cash ISAs only. Source: HMRC, SI 2009/1550. |
| 2011 to 2012 | £10,680 | £5,340 | Junior ISAs became available on 1 November 2011. Their limits are in the Junior ISA table below. Source: HMRC. |
| 2012 to 2013 | £11,280 | £5,640 | Source: HMRC. |
| 2013 to 2014 | £11,520 | £5,760 | Source: HMRC. |
| 2014 to 2015 | £11,880 then £15,000 | £5,940 then £15,000 | From 1 July 2014 all ISAs became New ISAs (NISAs) and the limit rose to £15,000 in cash, stocks and shares or any combination. Before then the stocks and shares limit was £11,880 and the cash limit £5,940. Source: HMRC, SI 2014/1450. |
| 2015 to 2016 | £15,240 | £15,240 | The Help to Buy ISA launched on 1 December 2015. Source: HMRC. |
| 2016 to 2017 | £15,240 | £15,240 | Source: HMRC. |
| 2017 to 2018 | £20,000 | £20,000 | The limit rose to £20,000. HMRC says the Lifetime ISA became available in April 2017. Source: HMRC. |
| 2018 to 2019 | £20,000 | £20,000 | Source: HMRC. |
| 2019 to 2020 | £20,000 | £20,000 | The Help to Buy ISA closed to new accounts on 30 November 2019. Source: HMRC. |
| 2020 to 2021 | £20,000 | £20,000 | Source: HMRC. |
| 2021 to 2022 | £20,000 | £20,000 | Source: HMRC. |
| 2022 to 2023 | £20,000 | £20,000 | Source: HMRC. |
| 2023 to 2024 | £20,000 | £20,000 | Source: HMRC. |
| 2024 to 2025 | £20,000 | £20,000 | Source: HMRC. |
| 2025 to 2026 | £20,000 | £20,000 | Source: HMRC. |
| 2026 to 2027 | £20,000 | £20,000 | The current tax year. Source: HMRC. |
| 2027 to 2028 | £20,000 | £20,000 | Planned cut to £12,000 for savers aged 64 or under cancelled in the Budget on 28 October 2026. Regulations due November 2026. Source: HM Treasury Budget 2026. See also: Cash ISA limit, ISA changes 2027. |
What is the ISA allowance now?
The overall ISA limit is £20,000 for 2026 to 2027, and HMRC’s table shows the same figure for the Cash ISA limit. The overall limit has been £20,000 every year since 2017 to 2018. The ISA allowance guide explains how the £20,000 splits across ISA types.
ISA limits now, and from April 2027
- Overall ISA limit, 2026 to 2027
- £20,000
- Cash ISA limit from 6 April 2027
- £20,000
- Planned cut to £12,000 cancelled
- Junior ISA limit, 2026 to 2027
- £9,000
- Lifetime ISA limit, 2026 to 2027
- £4,000
- A year, plus a 25% government top-up
From 6 April 2027 the overall limit stays at £20,000, and so does the Cash ISA limit: a planned cut to £12,000 for savers aged 64 or under at the end of the tax year was cancelled in the Budget on 28 October 2026. See the Cash ISA limit and every ISA change after the Budget.
How did the Cash ISA limit change?
The Cash ISA limit has had three shapes since 1999, with a fourth planned and cancelled.
- 1999 to 2008: part of the limit. No more than £3,000 of the £7,000 maxi-account limit could go into a cash component.
- 2008 to 2009 until 1 July 2014: half. In HMRC’s figures for these years the Cash ISA limit is exactly half the overall limit, for example £3,600 of £7,200 in 2008 to 2009 and £5,940 of £11,880 before 1 July 2014.
- From 1 July 2014: all of it. All ISAs became New ISAs, and the £15,000 limit could be subscribed in cash, stocks and shares or any combination. The Cash ISA limit has matched the overall limit in every year since.
- A lower, separate limit was planned, then cancelled. The government planned from 6 April 2027 to let savers aged 64 or under pay at most £12,000 a year into Cash ISAs. The Budget on 28 October 2026 cancelled it, so the limit stays £20,000.
What have the Junior ISA limits been?
HMRC publishes the Junior ISA limit in a separate table from the adult limits. Junior ISAs have been available since 1 November 2011. HMRC shows the same figure for the overall limit and the cash limit in every year, so one column covers both.
| Tax year | Junior ISA limit |
|---|---|
| 2011 to 2012 | £3,600 |
| 2012 to 2013 | £3,600 |
| 2013 to 2014 | £3,720 |
| 2014 to 2015 | £3,840 then £4,000 |
| 2015 to 2016 and 2016 to 2017 | £4,080 |
| 2017 to 2018 | £4,128 |
| 2018 to 2019 | £4,260 |
| 2019 to 2020 | £4,368 |
| 2020 to 2021 through 2026 to 2027 | £9,000 |
HMRC shows two figures for 2014 to 2015 because the Junior ISA limit rose from £3,840 to £4,000 on 1 July 2014, according to SI 2014/1450. The limit is £9,000 for 2026 to 2027. See Junior ISAs.
What about the Lifetime ISA and Help to Buy ISA?
HMRC says the Lifetime ISA became available in April 2017, with a limit of up to £4,000 a year and a 25% government top-up. The limit is still £4,000 a year for 2026 to 2027. See Lifetime ISAs.
The Help to Buy ISA launched on 1 December 2015 and closed to new accounts on 30 November 2019. See the Help to Buy ISA guide.
Where do the figures come from?
From 2008 to 2009 onwards, the figures are HMRC’s. The adult limits are in Table 1 and the Junior ISA limits in Table 2 of section 3.7 of Annual savings statistics: background and methodology, published in September 2026. The 2014 detail is from section 6.1 of the same note. HMRC’s adult table starts in 2008 to 2009.
Before 2008 to 2009, the figures come from regulation 4 of the ISA Regulations 1998 and the regulations that amended it. The Regulations as made set lower limits for later years, but amending regulations changed them before they took effect, so those figures are not in the table. The table names the instrument for each of those rows. These are the instruments in date order, and the last three also back up HMRC’s figures from 2008 to 2009 onwards:
- Regulation 4 as made: the limits for 1999 to 2000.
- SI 2000/809, in force 6 April 2000: kept the 1999 to 2000 limits for 2000 to 2001.
- SI 2001/908, in force 6 April 2001: applied the same limits to each year up to 2005 to 2006.
- SI 2005/2561, in force 6 October 2005: extended the limits to 5 April 2010. Regulation 4 as in force on 1 June 2006 shows the result.
- SI 2007/2119, in force 6 April 2008: replaced the maxi-account and mini-account structure and set the £7,200 overall limit, with up to £3,600 in cash.
- SI 2009/1550, in force 6 October 2009: set the higher limits for savers aged 50 or over from that date and, apart from 16 and 17 year olds, for all ISA investors from 6 April 2010.
- SI 2014/1450, in force 1 July 2014: set the £15,000 adult limit and raised the Junior ISA limit from £3,840 to £4,000.
Questions people ask
What was the ISA allowance in 1999?
£7,000. For 1999 to 2000 the limit for a maxi-account was £7,000, of which no more than £3,000 could go into a cash component and no more than £1,000 into an insurance component. A cash mini-account was limited to £3,000. These figures are from regulation 4 of the ISA Regulations 1998 as made.
When did the ISA allowance become £20,000?
In 2017 to 2018. HMRC's table shows £20,000 for every tax year since then, including 2026 to 2027, after £15,240 in 2015 to 2016 and 2016 to 2017. See the ISA allowance guide for how the £20,000 works today.
When could the whole ISA allowance go into cash?
From 1 July 2014. HMRC says all ISAs became New ISAs from that date and the limit rose to £15,000, which could be subscribed in cash, stocks and shares or any combination. Before then the Cash ISA limit was lower than the overall limit in every year in the table.
Will the Cash ISA limit change in 2027?
No. A cut to £12,000 for savers aged 64 or under at the end of the tax year was planned from 6 April 2027, but the Budget on 28 October 2026 cancelled it. The Cash ISA limit and the overall limit both stay at £20,000. See the Cash ISA limit.
Why does the table show two figures for some years?
For 2009 to 2010 and 2014 to 2015 the limit changed during the tax year, and HMRC's table shows the old and new figures. In 2014 to 2015 the change took effect on 1 July 2014. In 2009 to 2010 the higher limit applied from 6 October 2009 to savers aged 50 or over, or due to be 50 by 5 April 2010.
Sources
- 1 Annual savings statistics: background and methodology (HMRC, September 2026) (gov.uk)
- 2 The Individual Savings Account Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/1870), regulation 4 as made (legislation.gov.uk)
- 3 The Individual Savings Account (Amendment) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/809) (legislation.gov.uk)
- 4 The Individual Savings Account (Amendment) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/908) (legislation.gov.uk)
- 5 The Individual Savings Account (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/2561) (legislation.gov.uk)
- 6 The Individual Savings Account Regulations 1998, regulation 4 as in force on 1 June 2006 (legislation.gov.uk) (legislation.gov.uk)
- 7 The Individual Savings Account (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2119) (legislation.gov.uk)
- 8 The Individual Savings Account (Amendment) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/1550) (legislation.gov.uk)
- 9 The Individual Savings Account (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/1450) (legislation.gov.uk)
- 10 Cash ISA limit reduction: tax information and impact note (HMRC, 17 September 2026) (gov.uk)