Bed and ISA transactions allow you to sell existing investments and use the proceeds to open or top up an ISA account. You can then buy the same investments back, choose other investments or simply hold the cash within your ISA.
Reasons to carry out a Bed and ISA
Bed and ISA transactions let you take advantage of your tax-free ISA allowance even if you don’t have any new money to invest. In an ISA any interest from cash savings and income from dividends are free from income tax, and your investment gains are safeguarded from capital gains tax.
Capital gains tax with a Bed and ISA
When you sell your investments to begin your Bed and ISA transaction you may have to pay capital gains tax if your gains for the current year exceed the annual allowance (the £12,300 limit was reduced on 6 April 2023 to £6,000, and then further reduced to £3,000 on 6 April 2024). If you make a loss, this could offset any other capital gains you have made this year or in the future.
How to get started
Bestinvest clients can carry out a Bed and ISA by following three easy steps:
Sell
Sell the existing investments in your Investment Account up to the value you would like to move into your ISA, making sure you won’t exceed your ISA limit.
Transfer
Once the cash is visible in your Investment Account (usually 3-4 days) go to the Manage cash tab and select 'Transfer cash'. You can then choose how much cash to transfer across to your ISA. Alternatively, you can call our team on 020 7189 2400 and ask them to transfer the cash from your Investment Account to your ISA.
Reinvest
Log in to your account the following day and you can reinvest the cash into the investments of your choice.
Open an ISA first
You’ll need to open a Bestinvest Stocks & Shares ISA before you can carry out a Bed and ISA transaction.
Speak to an expert about ISAs
Speak to our experts for more information on ISAs or to find out about our Stocks & Shares ISA.
