Tax-free savings newsletter 20 — January 2026
Published 28 January 2026
© Crown copyright 2026
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-free-savings-newsletter-20/tax-free-savings-newsletter-20-january-2026
1. Lifetime ISA
In tax-free savings newsletter 19, we told you the government will consult on introducing a new, first time buyer only product that will provide the bonus when a person uses it to buy a house, removing the need for a withdrawal charge and giving savers flexibility in case their circumstances change.
We later amended that newsletter to highlight that it will remain possible to open a Lifetime Individual Savings Account (ISA) until the new product becomes available, and for account holders to continue to save into their Lifetime ISA, in line with the existing rules indefinitely.
2. Lifetime ISA subscriptions
The opening date of a Lifetime ISA is the date the first subscription is made to the account and not the date the investor registers for the account. A lifetime ISA will only be considered as opened if you have received a valid subscription from the investor.
Where you have received a valid subscription from the investor and created the Lifetime ISA account using the LISA service, you should claim the bonus for the subscription. This applies even if the investor has only subscribed £1.
3. ISA reporting service
The initial publication of the ISA Returns application programming interface specification took place at the end of November. You will need to register for a Developer Hub account to access the full specification.
Alongside this we have published a list of data items you will need to submit in your ISA returns on the ISA returns landing page. These are relevant whether you plan to use the application programming interface or file upload method to submit your return. You do not need to register to access this file.
4. ISA reporting service — user research
We’re looking for organisations to take part in user research throughout February and March to help shape the future of the new ISA reporting service.
If your organisation is involved in ISA processes (including submitting ISA returns), whether regularly or occasionally, we’d love to hear from you.
By joining a user research session, you’ll have the opportunity to:
- share your experiences and challenges
- help ensure the new ISA service meets your organisational needs
If you’re interested in taking part, or would like to find out more, please get in touch at aimee.fulton@digital.hmrc.gov.uk
These sessions are separate from the ISA Reporting Service collaboration forums. If you would like to work with us and receive invitations to, and outputs from, the forums, please email isadigitalisation@hmrc.gov.uk.