How to close your Help to Buy: ISA

To claim the government bonus, you need to:

• be a first-time buyer
• have your Help to Buy: ISA open for at least 3 months
• have at least £1,600 in the account
• be buying a property up to £250,000 outside London, or £450,000 within certain areas of London

For shared or joint purchases, this means the full purchase price of the property – not just the cost of your share. Learn about the Help to Buy scheme rules (opens in a new window).

The bonus is 25% of the amount saved in your Help to Buy: ISA – up to £12,000. So the maximum bonus is £3,000. How much you get depends on what your balance is when you close the account.

Your conveyancer needs to claim the bonus before you complete the purchase. The latest date to claim is 1 December 2030.

The bonus needs to be included with the money you transfer on completion.

You can’t use the bonus to pay for:

• the deposit you put down on the property
• solicitor or estate agent fees, or similar costs of buying a home

Log in to the Internet Bank (opens in a new window), then choose:

1. Help to Buy: ISA
2. Other account services
3. Close account
4. How you'd like to receive the money from your account
5. Request closure

1. Visit your nearest branch (opens in a new window).
2. Bring your Help to Buy: ISA passbook and some ID, like your passport or driving licence.
3. Ask to close the account – which we can do by cash or cheque.

Once your Help to Buy: ISA is closed, we’ll send you a closure statement by post within 7 days. Your conveyancer can then use it to claim your government bonus – as long as you’re eligible.

Your closure statement is valid for 12 months. If your completion is delayed, your conveyancer can apply for a purchase failing note.