Take stock of your savings

Simple tax-efficient investments with a first direct Stocks and Shares ISA.

Our Stocks and Shares ISA works just like regular Sharedealing, but you can use your annual ISA allowance of £20,000, which could reduce the amount of tax you pay.

online trading fees are £10.50 for the first 9 trades each calendar quarter, then £7.95
transfer your existing cash ISAs and Stocks and Shares ISAs to us (this can take up to 6 weeks)
trade online or over the phone.

You'll need a first direct Shares Account before you can open a Stocks and Shares ISA, which has a quarterly account fee of £10.50. Don't forget, we - and all Stocks and Shares ISA providers - have to send ISA subscription details to HMRC so they can make sure no one goes over their limit.

Please see our full details of all our Sharedealing rates and charges here [PDF].
There are changes to the ISA regulations from the 6 April 2024. For more information read our ISA reform FAQs (PDF).

The value of investments (and any income received from them) can rise and fall, and you may not get back some or all of what you invested. For some investments, exchange rate fluctuations will have greater impact to the value of shares depending on their level of exposure to overseas markets.

Any investment should be considered as a medium to long-term investment, so should be held for at least 5 years.

The value of the tax benefits depends on your individual circumstances and tax rules may change at any time in the future.

The information on this page definitely isn't advice – we don't give financial advice. If you need any, you should speak to an independent qualified financial advisor.

If you apply without receiving advice, you should understand that we’re not required to assess the suitability or appropriateness of funds for you. So you won't be protected by the FCA's rules on assessing appropriateness. If you have any doubts about any investments, please speak to an independent qualified financial advisor.

The below might not be the most interesting, but it’s definitely important you have a read before applying.

The UK FSCS Information Sheet and Exclusions List is relevant to cash balances maintained within the product account.
You can find general information about financial products and managing your money on the Money Advice Service Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first]™ website.

FAQs

Who can open a first direct Stocks and Shares ISA?

A Stocks and Shares ISA can be opened by individuals aged 18 or over, who are a resident in the UK or working overseas as a Crown employee – or married/in a civil partnership to someone who is. You must also be able to provide your National Insurance number or confirm you’re not eligible to apply for one.

You must also not have subscribed to a first direct or HSBC Stocks and Shares ISA in this current tax year. But you can have one Cash and one Stocks and Shares ISA with first direct or HSBC per tax year.

What are the tax advantages of a Stocks and Shares ISA?

How many ISAs can I have and how much can I put in?

You can have different ISAs from multiple providers at the same time, but you must stay within the total annual allowance limit of £20,000 across them all.

However, you can only have one of each type of ISA with first direct or HSBC, such as a Cash ISA and Stocks and Share ISA. Make sure you check the terms of the product you want to open, to fully understand what’s allowed.

How are my dividends paid?

Do I receive interest on cash held within my first direct Stocks and Shares ISA?

What happens to the money if I sell some shares within my ISA but haven't decided what to buy next?

Transferring other ISAs to first direct

If you have existing ISAs with other providers, it's easy to transfer them all to us to have them conveniently in one place.

Simply complete our ISA transfer form. Once we receive your form we'll speak to your current ISA manager and get the ball rolling.

If your current ISA contains investments that aren't traded by us, you'll need to sell them and transfer the cash, instead of the stock. Either way, everything must pass directly from your current ISA manager to us - they must not leave the ISA if you want to continue taking advantage of the tax benefits.

As a result of the transfer being made in cash, there may be a loss of income or interest whilst the transfer is in process.

Please note the transfer process can take up to six weeks.

Take stock of your savings

What you need to know

What are the benefits?

Important information

Are you eligible?

Before you apply

Ready to apply?