The Help to Buy: ISA closed to new accounts at midnight on 30 November 2019. If you have already opened a Help to Buy: ISA (or did so before 30 November 2019) you will be able to continue saving into your account until November 2029.

If you are saving to buy your first home and save money into a Help to Buy: ISA the Government will boost your savings by 25%. So, for every £200 you save, you receive a government bonus of £50. The maximum government bonus you can receive is £3,000.

Requesting Bonuses

Bonuses can continue to be requested and paid up to 1st December 2030. As per the scheme rules, a bonus can be claimed up to 3 months prior to the property completion date Therefore the final date a bonus could be paid from the Help to Buy ISA scheme is 1st March 2031.

Lenders have reported an increase in urgent bonus requests (to be paid within 1 working day). An urgent bonus request should only be used in exceptional circumstances and where the bonus could not be requested with 5 working days’ notice as is stated in the scheme rules.

You may use funds from your Help to Buy: ISA or Lifetime ISA (LISA), however a first time buyer is only able to use the 25% Government bonus from one of these accounts.

Before submitting bonus requests for the Help to Buy: ISA, you must not have utilised the LISA bonus towards your property purchase, otherwise this is a breach of the scheme rules.

For further details please visit https://www.helptobuy.gov.uk/help-to-buy-isa/how-does-it-work/

For advice on buying and selling property and other residential property matters, contact Gemma.