Savings For Good

Community Investment Tax Relief (CITR) Base Rate Tracker Account

Make a positive difference to communities across the UK. Use your savings to inspire changes and reduce your income tax liability while your savings make an impact in communities.

*The savings interest payable tracks 3.25% below the prevailing Bank of England base rate for the duration of the account being open, but will not fall below 0.00% if the base rate falls below 3.25%. Currently this results in 1.50% gross / 1.51% AER interest being paid. Gross is the interest rate without tax deducted. AER stands for Annual Equivalent Rate and illustrates what the interest rate would be if interest was paid and compounded once each year.

**Please refer to our CITR Base Rate Tracker – Scheme Details & Summary Box for full details and worked examples of potential returns to savers. Minimum and maximum returns for each income tax banding are shown below along with those for corporation tax payers. These examples below are based on the current Bank of England base rate of 4.75%.

Basic rate tax: 4.69% to 6.19% (subject to an individual’s utilisation of their personal savings allowance)

Higher rate tax: 6.25% to 7.75% (subject to an individual’s utilisation of their personal savings allowance)

Additional rate tax: 6.82% to 8.32% (no personal savings allowance)

Corporation tax: 5.00% to 6.50% (Main rate of 25% used)

UK tax legislation, which may be subject to change, may have an impact on your personal tax position.

Your eligible deposits with The Charity Bank Limited are protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the UK’s deposit guarantee scheme. Any deposits you hold above the limit are unlikely to be covered. View and download the Charity Bank Deposit Guarantee Scheme: Information Sheet here. For further information visit www.fscs.org.uk.

Summary

The way we offer CITR accounts has changed.

Key changes;

  • One application to open an account that covers tax relief and savings interest.
  • 75% of total funds placed into a CITR account are eligible for tax relief.
  • 100% of the total funds place into a CITR account are eligible to receive savings interest.
  • The savings interest payable tracks 3.25% below the prevailing Bank of England base rate for the duration of the account being open.
  • Minimum investment £5,000. Maximum without pre-approval £500,000.
What’s the same;
  • Available to individuals aged over 16-years old who are tax resident in the UK.
  • CITR capacity is limited and offered on a first come first served basis.
  • Funds need to be invested for minimum 5 years to obtain maximum tax relief.
  • Savers can claim Income Tax relief of up to 5.00% of the eligible amount saved each tax year, starting with the year in which the investment is made and the four subsequent tax years thereafter. This gives a total tax relief of up to 25% of the amount saved.

Key benefits

Access

Available to individuals who are tax resident in the UK. Open an account with a minimum £5,000.

Return

Your savings will benefit from interest tracking 3.25% below base rate and 5.00% income tax relief from the tax year of investment and four subsequent tax years.

Social Impact

Your money will be used to support charities and social enterprises.

Summary Box

CITR Period:

Five Years.

Minimum initial deposit:

£5,000.

Maximum deposit:

£500,000 (dependent on available CITR capacity).

Number of account holders:

One, due to this being a tax relief product.

Paying money in:

Initial deposit(s) can be made by cheque or electronic transfer from your nominated account only. From the day we confirm your account is open you have 14-calendar days to fund it with one or multiple deposits up to a maximum account balance of £500,000 or in excess of this limit if pre-approved by us. If your account is not funded to the minimum account balance of £5,000 within this period, it will be closed, and any funds returned to you. No further payments permitted once the funding period has ended.

Payment of interest:

Interest will be paid gross. If the total amount of interest you receive in any tax year exceeds any Personal Savings Allowance to which you’re entitled, you may have tax to pay at the applicable rate. This would need to be paid directly to HMRC. For more information, please visit gov.uk and search for ‘Personal Savings Allowance’.

How we calculate interest:

Interest is calculated daily and added to your account quarterly in March, June, September and December and on closure of your account. There is no bonus interest payable.

What would the estimated balance be after 12 months based on a £5,000 deposit and a £100,000 deposit?

Based on an interest rate of 1.50% gross / 1.51% AER (4.75% base rate), the estimated balance on a £5,000 deposit after 12 months would be £5,075.42. The estimated balance on a £100,000 deposit after 12 months would be £101,508.46. These illustrative examples assume no withdrawals, no changes to the Bank of England base rate over the period and interest is paid and compounded quarterly. (The illustrative examples do not take into account the individual circumstances of a saver.) Please note savings interest would form part of the overall return for savers and needs to be factored alongside tax relief as shown in our ‘worked examples’.

Withdrawals:

To obtain maximum tax relief the funds must be held in an account for a period of 5-years. No withdrawals are permitted for the first 3 years. Up to 25% can be withdrawn in Year 4 and up to 50% withdrawn in Year 5, upon 91 days written notice. Any funds being withdrawn must be credited to your nominated account.

How does the Income Tax benefit work?
For example if a saver put £15,000 into a CITR Base Rate Tracker Account on 18th April 2024. The eligible amount for each tax year for which relief may be claimed is £11,250 (75% of £15,000), which would means tax relief of £562.50 (5% of £11,250) may be claimed for the tax year 2024/25 (the tax year in which the saving was made) and for each of the four subsequent tax years. (UK tax legislation, which may be subject to change, may have an impact on your personal tax position.) Please note tax relief would form part of the overall return for savers and needs to be factored alongside any savings interest as shown in our ‘worked examples’.
Managing your account:

All accounts are operated by post. We can answer any questions directly by email or over the phone. Currently we do not offer online services once your account is open.

What happens upon the expiry of the tax relief certificate?

We shall write to you ahead of the certificates’ expiry date with options available to you at the time.

Homes for Good

Glasgow, Scotland

“We talked to a few lenders when we were starting up. Charity Bank was the most enthusiastic and really believed in what we wanted to do. Charity Bank has been a 100% supportive partner from the start and I know I can just pick up the phone if I want any advice.”

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Aspatria Dreamscheme

Cumbria. England

“Without this loan, we couldn’t have bought the building so wouldn’t be able to deliver some of our community programmes. It’s great to know that the interest we’re paying means that Charity Bank can help other organisations like us.”

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Head2Head

Oxted, England

“I had tremendous support from the team at Charity Bank. They held our hands, coached us and guided us through the process. They were friendly and on our side. Without Charity Bank, our dream would have floundered. They bent over backwards to make sure that we got our home, our base. I am so grateful.”

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Adrenaline Alley

Corby, England

“Without the Charity Bank loan, we would not have been able to grow and develop in the same way. Owning the site has given us the freedom to quickly adapt to trends, which is vital within the urban sports industry. We’ve also been able to make some significant improvements, such as building a two-storey café, diversifying our revenue income and ensuring sustainability.”

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Lady in pink jumper talking to Nicola at Head2Head Theatre

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Talk to our UK based Savings Team about your needs.

[email protected]
01732 441944

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