The LISA Playground

Toreefah!Mustaan!

Your savings might have a little surprise. Pick your name and see what happens.

A Lifetime ISA is a savings account where eligible savers get a 25% government bonus.

🌷 Explore Toreefah’s LISA🍷 Explore Mustaan’s LISA

Two separate savers · two separate simulations

Example: one person’s LISA

2026/27

£4,000

paid in during one tax year

+ £1,000 government bonus

That’s a balance of

£5,000

£4,000 of their own savings + £1,000 from the government.

Illustrative example before interest or investment returns.

LISA explained

Wait, the government adds money to your savings? 👀

Yes! A Lifetime ISA, or LISA, is a special UK savings or investment account designed to help eligible people buy their first home or save for later life.

Save up to £4,000

You can contribute up to £4,000 into your Lifetime ISA each UK tax year.

Get a 25% government bonus

For every £4 you contribute, the government adds £1 — up to £1,000 per person per tax year.

Grow your money

A Cash LISA earns interest. A Stocks & Shares LISA could grow — but its value can also fall.

Use it towards your first home

If you meet the conditions, your savings and bonus can help towards your first property.

One rule to remember…

The bonus isn’t free money without strings: a 25% charge normally applies if you withdraw for a reason that doesn’t qualify — and that can mean getting back less than you paid in. See how that works.

👀 Is the Lifetime ISA being replaced? A new First Time Buyer ISA is planned — you can still open a LISA under current rules.Read the update →

The simulator

✨ Pick a Simulator and Start Playing

Two separate simulators, each with its own settings and results. Changing one never affects the other.

🌸 Toreefah’s LISA

£15,598

How would you like to save?

£

Paid at the start of each tax year in your simulation → £1,000 bonus a year

✨ Let’s See Where Toreefah’s Savings Could Take You

Savings duration

2 years

24 months · projected purchase date 10 Oct 2028

Account type

%

These are assumptions for your simulation, not live rates or offers from a provider. Actual rates vary and can change; investments can fall.

Falls in the 2026/27 tax year. UK tax years run 6 April → 5 April, and each person’s £4,000 allowance resets every 6 April.

🏡 Toreefah’s Projected LISA Balance

£15,598

Projected balance after 2 years

Assumes 3% illustrative AER. An estimate, not a guarantee.

💰 Personal contributions

£12,000

🎁 Government bonuses

£3,000

📈 Interest

£598

Usable for a qualifying first home at the end date

£15,598

At least 12 months have passed since the first payment ✓

Projected milestones

  • 🌷 £1,000 ✓
  • 🎁 £5,000 ✓
  • 🌟 £10,000 ✓
  • 🏡 £20,000
  • 🔑 £30,000
  • ✨ Deposit target ✓

✨ You’ve reached your selected deposit savings target — in this projection! (simulated, not real money)

💡 Little Things Worth Knowing

  • Toreefah reaches the maximum eligible LISA contribution for a tax year — that’s the full £1,000 government bonus.
  • Because the start date isn’t in April, the projection spans an extra tax year — and each tax year brings a fresh £4,000 allowance.
  • The projection covers the selected deposit. Remember other buying costs, and that a deposit doesn’t guarantee a mortgage.

📈 Watch Toreefah’s Money Grow

See how your savings, government bonuses and potential interest build over time.

Toreefah’s simulation

Contributions Bonuses Growth Losses

Jump to a checkpoint (same plan, continued)

By Sep 2027 the projected balance could be £10,219

📅 Toreefah’s Savings, Step by Step

Bonuses shown when earned; we assume they’re credited about a month later. Unused allowance can’t be carried forward.

PeriodContributionsGovernment bonusInterest / growthClosing balance

🎁 Look What the Government Adds!

You save. The government tops it up. Let’s see what that actually looks like.

£
You contribute
£4,000
Government adds
£1,000
Total
£5,000

The bonus is 25% of eligible contributions only — never on interest, investment gains or earlier bonuses. Providers usually claim it monthly, so it typically arrives a few weeks later; timing varies. This reflects current rules.

Deposit planner

🏡 Toreefah’s House Deposit Planner

How close could Toreefah’s own LISA get to a first-home deposit?

£

Deposit percentage

£

Money outside this LISA — no government bonus on this.

Required deposit
£12,500
Usable LISA savings
£15,598
Other savings
£0
Surplus
£3,098

Deposit target reached! ✨

£15,598 saved towards a £12,500 deposit · £0 remaining. One step closer to the keys. 🔑

When could this deposit target be reached?

With the current plan, around 10 May 2028 (19 months), respecting the £4,000 limits and the 12-month rule.

✨ What If You Saved a Little More?

Tap a scenario to load it into Toreefah’s simulator only — then tweak away.

🌷

The Gentle Starter

£100 a month

Year 1 paid in
£1,200
Year 1 bonus
£300
After 1 yr
£1,524
After 2 yrs
£3,093
After 3 yrs
£4,709
After 5 yrs
£8,089
After 10 yrs
£17,465

🌟

The Steady Saver

£200 a month

Year 1 paid in
£2,400
Year 1 bonus
£600
After 1 yr
£3,047
After 2 yrs
£6,185
After 3 yrs
£9,418
After 5 yrs
£16,177
After 10 yrs
£34,931

🎁

The Maximum Bonus

£4,000 per tax year

Year 1 paid in
£8,000
Year 1 bonus
£2,000
After 1 yr
£10,219
After 2 yrs
£15,598
After 3 yrs
£21,138
After 5 yrs
£32,721
After 10 yrs
£64,860

🌸

The Halfway Plan

£2,000 per tax year

Year 1 paid in
£4,000
Year 1 bonus
£1,000
After 1 yr
£5,110
After 2 yrs
£7,799
After 3 yrs
£10,569
After 5 yrs
£16,361
After 10 yrs
£32,430

✨

The Custom Plan

Pick a different amount for every tax year.

Figures use Toreefah’s current start date and growth assumptions. Estimates, not guarantees.

💰 Cash LISA or Stocks & Shares LISA?

Both offer the government bonus, but your money can behave very differently.

Cash Lifetime ISA

Works like a savings account. Contributions get the bonus and the balance earns interest, at a rate that depends on the provider and can change. It doesn’t move with the stock market — but inflation can reduce what it buys.

Potential advantages

  • Generally more predictable than investing
  • Easier to plan around for shorter goals
  • May suit buying in the relatively near future

Things to consider

  • Interest rates can change
  • Inflation can reduce the real value
  • Normal LISA withdrawal rules still apply

Stocks & Shares Lifetime ISA

Contributions and bonuses are invested. They could grow over time, but can also fall — potentially leaving you with less than you paid in. Fees reduce returns.

Potential advantages

  • Potential for higher long-term growth
  • Can suit longer horizons and an appropriate attitude to risk
  • Bonuses can also be invested, depending on provider

Things to consider

  • Values can rise or fall; returns aren’t guaranteed
  • A market fall close to buying could be particularly problematic
  • Investment fees and provider charges can apply

Same contributions, two account types — Toreefah’s plan

Uses this person’s plan and duration from the simulator. Constant-rate returns are a simplified illustration, not a forecast.

%
%
%

Cash LISA

£15,598

Interest £598

Stocks & Shares LISA (hypothetical)

£15,896

Growth after fees £896

In this illustration the investment account ends £298 higher. Real markets don’t move in straight lines — a Stocks & Shares LISA won’t necessarily outperform cash.

⚠️ What Happens If You Need Your Money Back?

Before opening a LISA, there’s one rule you really need to understand.

A 25% charge normally applies when you withdraw for a non-qualifying reason. It’s on the whole amount withdrawn — bonus and growth included — so you can lose some of your own money.

  1. Personal contributions£4,000
  2. Government bonus£1,000
  3. Total savings£5,000
  4. Withdrawal charge (25%)−£1,250
  5. Amount received£3,750
£
Charge
£1,250
You’d receive
£3,750

Withdrawals normally without the charge

  • Buying a qualifying first home
  • From age 60
  • Qualifying terminal illness

Conditions apply.

GOV.UK withdrawal rules

🌷 Is a Lifetime ISA Worth Considering?

Five quick questions. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere.

Are you aged 18 to 39 and eligible to open one?

Are you saving towards your first home?

Do you expect your property to cost £450,000 or less under current rules?

Could you leave the money in the account until it qualifies for withdrawal?

Would you still have accessible emergency savings outside your LISA?

👀 Is the Lifetime ISA Being Replaced?

Policy information last reviewed: 10 October 2026

The situation

The UK government plans to introduce a new First Time Buyer ISA that will eventually be offered instead of the Lifetime ISA for new accounts. A consultation was published on 23 June 2026 and closed on 18 August 2026. As at 10 October 2026, no confirmed launch date has been announced.

Can someone still open a LISA?

Yes, under the current rules. The government has confirmed Lifetime ISAs can continue to be opened until the replacement becomes available.

Existing LISA holders

The government has stated existing holders will be able to keep using their accounts under the existing rules.

The proposed First Time Buyer ISA

It’s intended to focus on first homes. The consultation proposed paying the bonus when savings are used to buy a first home, rather than during saving — avoiding the current 25% withdrawal charge. Final limits, bonus rules, price caps and start date are not confirmed.

This simulator always uses the current LISA rules. Proposals are not final legislation.

HM Treasury GOV.UK Lifetime ISA

Important rules

The rules worth knowing 📋

Short answers to the questions that matter most.

📚 Want to Check the Official Rules?

This website is an independent educational simulation. It is not a Lifetime ISA provider and does not provide regulated financial advice. Calculations are illustrative, actual returns may differ, and the rules can change. Please check official guidance or speak to a qualified adviser before making decisions.

Toreefah’s projected balance£15,598