Free first-time buyer calculator
Lifetime ISA Calculator
See what your monthly saving plus the 25% government bonus could add up to by the time you buy.
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Explore the Lifetime ISA bonus
The government adds 25% to Lifetime ISA savings, on up to £4,000 each tax year. See what that could add up to by the time you buy.
Key rules: you must open the account between 18 and 39, it must be open at least 12 months before you use it, the home must cost £450,000 or less, and taking money out for anything other than a first home or later life usually costs a 25% withdrawal charge.
Check the full rules on GOV.UK ->Live estimate
Updates as you typeYour pot by moving day
Estimated pot
£12,000
Contributions plus the 25% bonus, on top of your current balance. Interest and growth are not included.
You put in
£9,600
Government adds
£2,400
Estimate only. This is not a mortgage offer, affordability assessment, eligibility decision or recommendation.
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How the Lifetime ISA bonus works
A Lifetime ISA (LISA) is a government scheme for first-time buyers and retirement savers. You can pay in up to £4,000 each tax year, and the government adds a 25% bonus on top — up to £1,000 a year. The bonus is paid monthly, so it starts working soon after you save.
This calculator applies those rules to your own numbers: your monthly saving, how many years you have before buying, and anything already in the account. It caps contributions at the £4,000 yearly limit and shows how much of your final pot comes from the bonus. It deliberately leaves out interest and investment growth, because rates differ between providers and Solvado does not compare or recommend providers.
The account must be open at least 12 months before you use it for a home, the property must cost £450,000 or less, and you must be a first-time buyer living in it as your only home. The full rules are on GOV.UK.
Common questions
How much is the Lifetime ISA bonus?
The government adds 25% to what you pay in, on contributions of up to £4,000 each tax year. That makes the maximum bonus £1,000 a year. The bonus is claimed by your provider and usually lands in the account monthly, and you can keep receiving it on new contributions until you turn 50.
Who can open a Lifetime ISA?
You need to be between 18 and 39 when you open the account — your first payment must go in before your 40th birthday. After that you can keep contributing until you are 50.
Can I use a Lifetime ISA to buy any home?
No. To withdraw without a charge, the home must be your first (you have never owned property in the UK or abroad), cost £450,000 or less, be in the UK, and be somewhere you will live rather than rent out. The account also needs to have been open for at least 12 months.
What happens if I take the money out for something else?
Withdrawals that are not for a qualifying first home or for later life (from age 60) usually pay a 25% government charge. Because of how the maths works, that charge can leave you with less than you paid in — GOV.UK sets out the details.
Does this calculator include interest or investment growth?
No. It shows the scheme arithmetic only: your contributions, the yearly cap and the 25% bonus. Cash LISAs pay interest and stocks-and-shares LISAs can rise or fall, but both depend on the provider and product you choose, which this education site does not compare or recommend.
Keep learning
Plain-English guides that pair well with this tool: