UK ISA Types

5 HMRC-recognised Individual Savings Account wrappers (Cash ISA, Stocks & Shares ISA, Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, and Innovative Finance ISA), each with distinct rules, eligibility, and tax treatment. The overall £20,000 annual allowance is shared across the adult wrappers; the Lifetime ISA sub-limit and Junior ISA carry their own caps.

Cash ISA

Allowance: £20,000 · Risk: low

Emergency fund, short-term savings, capital preservation

Stocks & Shares ISA

Allowance: £20,000 · Risk: medium-high

Long-term goals (5y+), retirement, wealth building

Lifetime ISA

Allowance: £4,000 · Risk: varies

First-home buyers under £450k cap (18-39), retirement supplement under 50

Junior ISA

Allowance: £9,000 · Risk: varies

Long-horizon savings for child

Innovative Finance ISA

Allowance: £20,000 · Risk: high

Sophisticated investors, small allocation
Compiled from official public sources by the publisher.

Download the HMRC ISA wrapper statistics extract cited on this page: hmrc-isa-wrapper-statistics.csv (Open Government Licence v3.0).

Every allowance, limit, and rate on PlainISA is rendered from the current gov.uk ISA rules and the HMRC ISA Managers Guidance Notes as recorded in our database, and no number is typed in by an editor. Each wrapper card links to one isa_types row in our rules database; allowances and eligibility refresh when gov.uk or HMRC guidance changes. Read our editorial standards and corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Our database was last rebuilt on 15 August 2026.

Primary statutory sources: gov.uk’s Individual Savings Accounts guidance and HMRC’s ISA Managers Guidance Notes. Historical context is checked against HMRC’s annual ISA statistics.

PlainISA publishes ISA reference data and projection tools for information only. It is not financial advice and not a personal recommendation, projections are illustrations rather than forecasts, and tax rules and allowances change, so check the current position on gov.uk or with an FCA-authorised adviser before you act. Appropriate use.