Investing Classroom: Income earned on funds

Funds lesson 1.4: Income earned on investments within a tax-efficient account such as an ISA is exempt from tax

Morningstar | 16-11-09 | E-mail Article

Thus far, we have lauded funds' virtues: They don't require a large up-front investment; they're professionally managed; they're easy to buy and sell; and if you shop carefully, you can limit how much you have to pay to own them.

Fund managers must distribute any income that their securities generate. Bond funds typically pay out yields, but so do some stock funds if the stocks they own pay dividends.

As you may recall, when paying out income, funds multiply the number of units you own by the per-unit distribution amount. You'll receive a cheque in the mail for the total amount of the distribution. Or, if you choose to reinvest all distributions, the fund will instead use the money to buy more units of the fund for you. After the distribution is made, the fund's net asset value will drop by the same amount as the distribution. Income payment dates are specified in the fund’s prospectus and are usually six-monthly, although some funds pay quarterly or very occasionally on a monthly basis.

Income earned on investments within a tax-efficient account such as an Individual Savings Account (ISA) is exempt from income tax. But tax credits on any dividends which arise within a fund held in an ISA can no longer be reclaimed.

In the UK, investors don’t have to pay tax on any gains made in a fund at the individual stock level. But you will have to consider the tax position when you sell any or all of your holding in a fund. Tax-efficient vehicles such as ISAs help here--any fund held in an ISA is exempt from capital gains, though once you withdraw assets from the account you can’t pay them back in at a later date. The government's web site, Directgov, provides additional information on saving and investing with ISAs.

ISAs are available from banks, building societies and a variety of other providers. The maximum annual deposit for 2009/10 is £7,200 for those aged under 50 and £10,200 for those 50 and over. This higher allowance came into effect for over-50s in early October 2009 but will apply to all from April 1, 2010.

At present, the maximum cash ISA is £3,600, or £5,100 for those 50 or over (again, this higher allowance will apply to all in the next financial year). 16-17 year olds can invest up to £3,600 (£5,100 from April 2010) in a cash ISA only.

For more information on ISAs and how to use them, check out Morningstar's ISA page.

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