Tax-Free Savings Allowance Tracker

Who this is for

Keep a running count of your tax-free allowance. Every payment into an ISA or other tax-advantaged account goes on a line, transfers that do not use the allowance are ticked out, and the sheet shows what is used and what is left of the limit you enter.

Savers who pay into more than one tax-free or tax-advantaged account in the same tax year, such as a cash ISA and a stocks and shares ISA, and anyone who tops up through the year rather than in one go.

What this helps you track

• Every payment into a tax-free account, with its date and provider
• Transfers between providers kept apart from new money
• How much of your yearly allowance is used after each payment
• What is left before you reach the limit you entered
• Payments into an account that carries its own sub-limit

How to use it

1. Write the tax year with its start and end dates and the yearly allowance as your tax authority or provider states it; the sheet supplies no figure.
2. If one account has its own lower limit inside the allowance, write that sub-limit and the account it applies to.
3. Add a line for every payment in, regular monthly payments included: the date, the account and provider, and the amount.
4. Tick Transfer only for money moved from another tax-free account that your provider confirms does not use this year's allowance.
5. Used, Left and the summary are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add each counted payment to the running total and take it from the allowance.
6. Start a fresh sheet each tax year; the browser version saves in your own browser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How much is the yearly allowance?

It is set by the tax authority where you live and can change from year to year, so the sheet does not give one. Check the current figure on your government's website or with your provider and write it at the top.

Why are some transfers not counted?

Moving money that is already in a tax-free account to another provider is often treated as a transfer rather than a new payment, but the rules vary. Tick Transfer only when your provider confirms it does not use this year's allowance.

What is the sub-limit for?

Some accounts carry their own lower cap inside the overall allowance. Write that cap at the top and tick Sub-limit on payments into that account; the summary shows how much of it is used and how much is left.

Does interest or growth use up the allowance?

In most schemes the limit applies to the money you put in, not to interest or growth earned inside the account, but check the rules for your own account. The interest and dividend income record logs what the accounts earn.

What if I take money out?

Whether a withdrawal can be paid back in without using more allowance depends on the account, so the sheet does not net it off. Ask your provider; if a repayment counts, record it as a normal payment.