Structural rankings · 2026/27

UK ISA wrapper rankings

Provider-neutral orderings of the five HMRC-recognised wrappers by statutory allowance, government bonus, and withdrawal mechanic, not by product rates or platforms.

Tax-year pot map · 2026/27

How the statutory pots nest

Adult wrappers share one £20,000 cap. The Lifetime ISA’s £4,000 sits inside that pot; Junior ISA is a separate child pot and does not consume adult room.

Adult shared cap £20,000

Max LISA first → £16,000 left for Cash, Stocks & Shares, and IFISA in the same tax year.

Separate child pot

£9,000

Junior ISA per child, additive to every adult’s £20,000. Not drawn inside the adult bar.

Junior ISA rules →
  1. 1= Cash ISA £20,000 Tied at adult cap
  2. 1= Stocks & Shares ISA £20,000 Tied at adult cap
  3. 1= Innovative Finance ISA £20,000 Tied at adult cap
  4. 4 Junior ISA £9,000 Separate child pot
  5. 5 Lifetime ISA £4,000 Sub-limit inside adult cap

Annual allowance by ISA wrapper

2026/27 tax year, overall cap £20,000 shared across Cash/S&S/LISA/IFISA

1. Cash ISA£20,0002. S&S ISA£20,0003. IFISA£20,0004. Junior ISA£9,0005. Lifetime ISA£4,000

Source: HMRC ISA Manager Guidance

Maximum annual government bonus by wrapper

25% LISA bonus on £4,000 contribution = £1,000/year

Lifetime ISA£1,000Cash ISA£0S&S ISA£0Junior ISA£0IFISA£0

Source: gov.uk Lifetime ISA

Available rankings

01By annual allowance size2026/27: Cash, S&S, and IFISA lead at £20,000; Lifetime caps at £4,000 inside the shared pot.02By government bonus valueOnly the Lifetime ISA pays a direct HMRC top-up (25%, max £1,000/year).03By withdrawal flexibilityFlexible Cash ISAs allow same-year replace; LISA charges 25% on non-qualifying withdrawals.

ISA wrappers

How rankings are ordered

Allowance size is ordinal by statutory cap (ties alphabetical). Bonus value is ordinal by maximum annual HMRC bonus (LISA is the only non-zero). Flexibility ranks five operational dimensions: same-year replacement, partial-withdrawal mechanic, settlement timing, qualifying-purpose constraints, and penalty quantum. We do not rank providers, funds, or platforms, see methodology and the LISA net-loss arithmetic note for bonus-vs-penalty asymmetry.

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. This hub orders the same published wrapper records by statutory allowance, maximum annual bonus, and five named withdrawal-operation dimensions; it does not rank providers or products. 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.