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UK ISA Guide

What is an ISA? | Who can open an ISA? | Tax advantages | Mini v Maxi
Investment rules | Charges | CAT standards | Key points

CAT Standards

The Government's voluntary CAT standard code sets out benchmarks for fair Charges, easy Access and decent Terms of financial products.

You should remember that even if an ISA is described as meeting the CAT standards it does not mean that it is in any way 'Government approved' or necessarily right for you.

For a cash mini ISA to be eligible for a CAT mark, the following must apply:

Charges - No one-off or regular charges of any kind. However there may be charges for replacement items such as duplicate statements.
Access - Minimum transaction size to be no greater than £10. Withdrawals within seven 'working' days or less.
Terms - Interest rate to be no lower than 2 percentage points below the base rate. Any upward interest rate changes must reflect base rate movements within a 'calendar' month. Downward changes may be slower. There must be no other conditions imposed such as limits on frequency of withdrawals.

For a stocks and shares ISA to be eligible for a CAT mark, the following must apply:

Charges - Maximum charge of 1% per annum of net asset value. Single pricing with no other charges except for stamp duty or brokers commission.
Access - Minimum saving of not more than £500 per year or £50 per month.
Terms - Authorised unit trust, OEIC or investment trust with gearing of not more than 10% and no split share classes. Fund must invest at least 50% in EU listed shares or securities which satisfy the ISA regulations.