Lifetime ISA
Eligibility, the government bonus, the withdrawal charge and using a Lifetime ISA for a first home.
For information only, not financial advice.
Guides on the Lifetime ISA: who can open one, how the government bonus works, what happens if you take money out for a reason the rules do not allow, and how it fits with buying a first home or saving for later life.
Quick answers
How much can be paid into a Lifetime ISA, and what bonus is added?
Up to £4,000 a year can be paid in, and the government adds a bonus of 25% of what is paid in, up to £1,000 a year. Lifetime ISA payments count towards the overall £20,000 allowance.
Who can open a Lifetime ISA?
A Lifetime ISA can be opened between the ages of 18 and 39, and payments can continue until age 50. A withdrawal for a reason the rules do not allow can carry a charge: the guides below set out the rules and worked examples.
Rules data last checked against gov.uk on 26 September 2026. For information only, not financial advice.
Tools for this topic
Guides
- Lifetime ISA Eligibility: Who Can Open One?
Who can open a Lifetime ISA: the age window, UK residence, how many accounts, and the extra conditions for using one towards a first home.
- What Are the Benefits of a Lifetime ISA?
What a Lifetime ISA offers, including the government bonus, who can open one, and the limits and withdrawal charge that come with it.
- Lifetime ISA Contribution Limits: How Much Can You Pay In?
How much can be paid into a Lifetime ISA each tax year, how the government bonus is worked out, and how the limit sits within the ISA allowance.
- Lifetime ISA Savings: How the Bonus Adds Up
How the Lifetime ISA bonus adds up over time, with worked examples of payments, bonus and withdrawal charge. Assumed figures, not forecasts.
- Lifetime ISA Investment Options: Cash or Stocks and Shares?
Cash and stocks and shares Lifetime ISAs compared: what each can hold, the risks, a worked example and questions to ask a provider.
- Using a Lifetime ISA for a First Home: What Are the Rules?
How a Lifetime ISA can be used towards a first home: the conditions, how the money is paid, and a worked example of the bonus on a deposit.
- ISA Rules for First-Time Buyers: What Applies?
Which ISAs first-time buyers can use: the Lifetime ISA conditions, buying with a partner, and how a Help to Buy ISA fits in.
- Lifetime ISA Withdrawal Rules: When Is There a Charge?
When money can leave a Lifetime ISA without a withdrawal charge, how the charge is worked out, and what gov.uk says about transfers and death.
- Lifetime ISA Withdrawal Charge: Worked Examples
Step-by-step worked examples of the Lifetime ISA withdrawal charge, showing how much is paid out after an early withdrawal and when no charge applies.
- What Happens If You Take Money Out of a Lifetime ISA?
What a Lifetime ISA withdrawal can cost, the charge-free reasons, how timing and provider process can matter, and what to ask before taking money out.
- Lifetime ISA vs stocks and shares ISA: the differences
Lifetime ISA vs stocks and shares ISA: the 25% bonus and 25% withdrawal charge, age limits, the £450,000 first-home price cap and the £20,000 ISA allowance.
- Can You Have a Lifetime ISA and a Pension?
What gov.uk says about a Lifetime ISA, workplace pensions and private pensions, and how they differ on paying in, tax and taking money out.
See also the ISA rules at a glance, the ISA glossary and all topics.