Can Someone Else Pay Into My ISA?

Wondering if a family member can help you top up your individual savings account (ISA)?

With strict HMRC (His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) standards and different types of ISAs to consider, it’s easy to feel unsure—and a simple mistake could mean missing out on tax-free growth or breaking contribution limits.

In this article, we explain how someone can support your ISA savings the right way, including what’s allowed, what isn’t, and a simple workaround many people use.

Read also: Best Cash ISAs

ISAs—individual savings accounts—are savings or investment accounts for UK residents or Crown servants and their partners, with no tax on interest, dividends, or gains.

Each tax year, you can put up to £20,000 into ISAs, which can be split between numerous account types.

You can deposit up to £20,000 into a cash, stocks and shares, or innovative finance ISA, but other accounts have different limits. Junior ISAs allow up to £9,000 per year, while lifetime ISAs have an annual contribution limit of £4,000.

As a general rule, no, someone else can’t directly pay into your ISA. The only exception is a junior ISA, which allows anyone to contribute, provided there is an allowance remaining.

For all other ISAs, HMRC requires that contributions come from your own money, via a debit card, an individual bank account, or a joint bank account in your name.

However, while joint ISA accounts aren’t currently available, there are ways for others to support your savings. If someone wants to contribute, they can send money to another bank account for you to transfer, indirectly paying into your ISA.

While you can’t pay into someone’s ISA directly, you can give them money to add themselves. The ISA limit still applies to the account holder, and gifting money won’t affect your allowance.

That said, it’s worth noting that Moneybox currently allows lifetime ISA gifts. Up to four people can each directly deposit up to £500 per tax year into another’s LISA.

As of April 2025, there doesn’t appear to be any other providers that allow direct contributions.

Now that we’ve looked at who can pay into your ISA and how it works, it’s time to explore the different types available. Each comes with its own rules, benefits, and purpose—so the right choice depends on your goals, whether that’s buying a home, saving for retirement, or putting money aside for a child’s future.

A cash ISA offers a stable, tax-free way to grow your savings. Any UK resident or Crown servant (and their spouse or civil partner) over 18 can open one, with no upper age limit.

There are two main types of cash ISA: easy-access and fixed-rate.

Ideal for those who prefer security over investment risk, easy-access cash ISAs let you withdraw funds without penalties. However, variable interest rates can change in response to economic conditions.

Fixed-rate cash ISAs lock in your money for a set term with a guaranteed rate, but you’ll often need to deposit funds within a few weeks, and early access can come with penalties.

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Unlike savings accounts that earn interest, stocks and shares ISAs invest your money in the stock market. That means your balance can go up or down, but long-term investing (usually 5+ years) helps smooth out market dips.

These ISAs often offer similar services but with different investment options, such as shares in companies or exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Before opening one, decide if you want to manage your investments yourself or let professionals handle them for you.

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Lifetime ISAs are designed for buying your first home or saving for retirement. Withdraw for any other reason, and you'll face a penalty.

LISAs offer a generous government bonus of up to £1,000 per year, plus competitive interest rates.

You can open either a cash or stocks and shares lifetime ISA, but only one new LISA per tax year, with a maximum contribution of £4,000 annually.

LISAs are available only to those aged 18–39, so individuals aged 40 and above may want to explore ISAs more suitable for older people. Features

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An IFISA lets you earn tax-free interest by lending money to individuals or businesses via peer-to-peer or crowdfunding platforms.

While it offers the chance for higher returns, IFISAs do come with higher risk, as funds aren’t typically FSCS-protected.

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Junior ISAs let parents or guardians save for a child’s future, with options in cash or stocks and shares. The child must be a UK resident, under 18 years old, and not have a Child Trust Fund.

JISAs have a £9,000 annual limit, and anyone can contribute—but only a parent or guardian can open the account. Funds are then locked until the child reaches age 18, at which point the JISA becomes an adult ISA under their control.

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ISAs have different annual allowances. Here’s a breakdown of each:

Here are the main allowance rules to note:

Yes. While you can’t transfer money directly into their ISA, you can give money to another person to deposit. The exception is a Moneybox LISA, which allows direct lifetime ISA gifts of up to £2,000 a year, and junior ISAs, which anyone can contribute to.

Not directly, but they can give you the money, and you can pay this into your ISA yourself.

Yes. You can gift anyone money to put into their ISA, as long as they deposit the money into the account themselves.