What if my deceased spouse or civil partner had an ISA?
If the deceased’s date of death is before 6 April 2018, any cash ISAs held will be closed and funds transferred to a new Personal Estate account opened in the name of the deceased. If they died on or after the 6 April 2018, any cash ISAs will remain open until the deceased’s personal representatives close the ISA as part of their administration of the estate or for a maximum of 3 years from the date of death, whichever is the earlier
What is an Additional Permitted Subscription?
Since 6 April 2015, you have been entitled to make use of the ISA benefits that your deceased spouse or civil partner had built up in any ISAs they had, if they passed away on or after 3 December 2014.
This isn’t the same as inheriting the actual money in the ISA – this will go to whoever is nominated in their Will. You are entitled to add an amount, through additional ISA subscriptions, up to the total your deceased spouse or civil partner held in their ISA account, to your own ISA.
So, if your spouse or civil partner had an ISA with a total balance of £50,000, you’ll be allowed to add up to this amount to your ISA, plus your own annual ISA allowance.
The new subscription amount that you’re entitled to make use of – so, here, the £50,000 – is known as your ‘Additional Permitted Subscription allowance’ or ‘APS allowance’. In the case of cash ISAs, you have three years to use this allowance, but an additional time period applies if completion of the administration of the estate takes longer.
The APS allowance is limited to the value of your spouse or civil partner’s ISA(s) as at their date of death if this is before 6 April 2018.
If their date of death is on or after 6 April 2018, you also have the option to wait until the ISA(s) is closed and then claim an APS allowance equal to the value of their ISA(s) at the point of closure. This will usually be higher as we continue to pay tax-free interest into the ISA(s).
How can I access this benefit?
You can’t take advantage of this benefit automatically. You’ll need to complete one of the forms below and post it to the address given so that a new ISA can be opened for you.
To open a new ISA with us using an inherited APS allowance, please read ISA terms and conditions, interest rates and other important information and complete the Cash ISA Application Form – using the Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) Allowance PDF form. Please note that once you've subscribed, all future subscriptions under the APS allowance must be made to the same ISA manager.
To transfer an APS allowance to a new Barclays ISA from one held elsewhere, please complete the Additional Permitted Subscriptions (APS) Allowance Transfer Request PDF form. The Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) allowance can only be transferred once, and only where no subscriptions have been made under that APS allowance.
To make further deposits up to the maximum of your APS allowance, please complete the Further Additional Permitted Subscriptions (APS)(made by a surviving spouse or civil partner) PDF form.
If you don’t bank with us, take the form to a branch and we’ll help arrange this for you.
You’ll also need to bring these documents with you:
- Proof of your ID, for example, full passport or identity card; and
- Proof of your addresses for the past three years, for example, a recent utility bill
Please provide the following details of the deceased:
- Their full name
- Their address
- Their National Insurance number, if known, or confirmation that they didn’t have a permanent one; and
- Their date of birth and date of death
Learn more about obtaining additional ISA allowances following the death of your spouse or civil partner. If you’d like further help or information, please call us on 0345 744 5445*^ or come and see us in branch.
How can I check the amount of this benefit?
If you want to know more about your Additional Permitted Subscription (APS) Allowance, you can contact us using this form and we’ll write back to you confirming your Allowance.
Please note that this information relates to cash ISAs held within Barclays Bank UK PLC only. If you require information about any ISAs your spouse or civil partner held with other institutions, including those held within other areas of the Barclays Group, please contact these institutions directly.