Watch out! Just £5,000 in UK shares could mean you owe the taxman

Watch out! Just £5,000 in UK shares could mean you owe the taxman
From 6 April 2024, the annual dividend allowance fell from £1,000 to a measly £500.
Alex Campbell
Published
April 12, 2024

With UK-listed companies trading at attractive valuations with chunky dividend yields, it won’t take a five- or six-figure portfolio to start running up a tax bill if you’re not investing in a tax-efficient account.

The top 20 FTSE 100 dividend stocks average a 6.8% annual yield

A £7,500 portfolio with an overall yield of 6.8% would generate dividends of just over £500 per year, meaning that you’d likely have to file a tax return. 

The top five dividend stocks average a massive 8.9% annual yield

If you had a £6,000 portfolio equally weighted amongst the five stocks with the highest dividend yields, the portfolio would generate more than £530 in dividends each year. Bear in mind, this is just over half the size of the average annual subscription to a stocks and shares ISA in the UK*.

21 out of 100 FTSE 100 companies yield over 5%

The average annual subscription to a stocks and shares ISA is £8,690*. A portfolio of this size equally weighted amongst these 21 shares would generate you around £580 in dividend, requiring you to file a tax return and pay dividend income tax for the 2024/25 tax year.

The below table shows the 21 FTSE 100 stocks which return annual dividend yield of more than 5%

Some stocks, such as Phoenix Group (£PHNX) and British American Tobacco (£BATS) deliver more than £500 in dividends from holdings of around £5,000.

Company Share price (p) Dividend per share (p) Dividend yield Number of shares Value of dividends Value of shares
Phoenix Group 529.20 52.65 9.95% 950 £500.18 £5,027.40
British American Tobacco 2,376.00 235.52 9.91% 213 £501.65 £5,060.88
Imperial Brands 1,734.00 146.82 8.47% 343 £503.59 £5,947.62
M&G 238.80 19.70 8.25% 2,539 £500.18 £6,063.13
Legal & General 256.20 20.34 7.94% 2,460 £500.36 £6,302.52
HSBC 624.90 48.42 7.75% 1,034 £500.69 £6,461.47
BT Group 107.60 7.70 7.16% 6,503 £500.73 £6,997.23
Rio Tinto 4,997.00 345.31 6.91% 145 £500.70 £7,245.65
Taylor Wimpey 140.65 9.58 6.81% 5,223 £500.36 £7,346.15
Aviva 494.50 33.40 6.75% 1,503 £502.00 £7,432.34
NatWest 261.10 17.00 6.51% 2,944 £500.48 £7,686.78
Landsec 651.00 39.50 6.07% 1,270 £501.65 £8,267.70
Barratt Developments 474.50 27.90 5.88% 1,794 £500.53 £8,512.53
Schroders 377.30 21.50 5.70% 2,328 £500.52 £8,783.54
National Grid 1,066.50 57.00 5.34% 878 £500.46 £9,363.87
WPP 742.00 39.40 5.31% 1,270 £500.38 £9,423.40
Kingfisher 233.60 12.40 5.31% 4,033 £500.09 £9,421.09
Burberry 1,183.50 62.80 5.31% 797 £500.52 £9,432.50
Lloyds 52.18 2.76 5.29% 18,116 £500.00 £9,452.93
Smiths 349.70 18.00 5.15% 2,780 £500.40 £9,721.66
Sainsbury 256.80 13.10 5.10% 3,817 £500.03 £9,802.06


Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns. Share prices and dividend yields are correct as of Friday 22 March 2024. If a company has announced a cut or increase to its dividend, the new figure is quoted. HSBC and Rio Tinto dividend per share converted to GBP at a rate of $1:£0.79381. Source: Refinitiv.

The capital gains allowance has been halved, too

To top it all off, the capital gains allowance has been halved from £6,000 to just £3,000.

Before 6 April 2024, you didn’t have to pay tax on any gains you made below £6,000. This tax-free amount has dropped to just £3,000, meaning more of your gains will now be taxed at between 10% to 20% depending on your tax rate.

Tax wrap your investments

If there was ever an extra incentive to open and use up your annual ISA allowance, this would be it.

With tax allowances being reduced (both on capital gains and UK dividend income), this means the threshold to file a tax return can creep up on many who might feel that their earnings are modest by a number of measures. So, if and when you want to sell some stocks, there’s a risk you could breach the CGT-free threshold and end up owing a tidy sum to the taxman.

Taxpayer rate CGT on gains over £3,000 Tax on UK dividends over £500
Basic 10% 8.75%
Higher 20% 33.75%
Additional 20% 39.35%

ISAs are about investing for the long-term, and are a tax-efficient way to invest

Consider this: if you bought 100 Amazon shares in December 2013 it would have cost you around £1,200. Fast forward to today and you want to sell those shares, you’d net yourself a tidy £13,470.

Well, only if you bought them inside a stocks and shares ISA. If those Amazon shares were held in a regular GIA, you’d need to pay £925 in capital gains tax (or £1,850 if you’re a higher rate taxpayer).

Remember, ISAs are for long-term investing. Sheltering your investments early is important to minimise your tax liabilities later.

💡 A stocks and shares ISA is available with our Standard and Plus plans. Compare our plans here.


Amazon (AMZN) 5 year past performance table

Year Percentage gain/loss
2023 74.70%
2022 -49.64%
2021 6.95%
2020 67.89%
2019 23.31%


Source: investing.com

* The average subscription to a stocks and shares ISA was £9,432 for the 2020/21 tax year and £8,690 for the 2021/22 tax year. These are the most recent statistics from HMRC (released in June 2023).

Important information

When you invest, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns. 

Freetrade does not give investment advice and you are responsible for making your own investment decisions. If you are unsure about what is right for you, you should seek independent advice.

ISA eligibility rules apply. Tax treatment depends on personal circumstances and current rules may change.

Important Information

This should not be read as personal investment advice and individual investors should make their own decisions or seek independent advice.

When you invest, your capital is at risk. The value of your portfolio, and any income you receive, can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

Eligibility to invest into an ISA and the value of tax savings depends on personal circumstances and all tax rules may change.

Freetrade is a trading name of Freetrade Limited, which is a member firm of the London Stock Exchange and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales (no. 09797821).

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