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The difference between AER, gross rate and net rate

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Ella Mower

Senior Content Writer
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At a glance

  • The amount of interest paid by an account can be shown as the Annual Equivalent Rate (AER), the gross rate and/or the net rate
  • The Annual Equivalent Rate (AER) enables you to easily compare one savings account with another
  • Savings accounts will typically pay interest gross, without tax or other charges being deducted.

Whether you currently hold or are looking to open a savings account, you’ll most likely encounter the terms Annual Equivalent Rate (AER), gross rate and net rate.

While these are three ways of expressing the amount of interest paid by an account, you may not be familiar with the differences between each of these concepts and their uses.

What is AER?

The Annual Equivalent Rate (AER) shows how much interest you’ll earn over the course of the year, taking into consideration any compounding interest, bonuses and charges. As such, it’s commonly used to compare one account with another.

Our lump sum and monthly savings calculators use the AER to work out the returns you could get on your savings.

Compare the best savings rates

Our dedicated savings and ISA charts display interest using the Annual Equivalent Rate (AER), making it easy for you to find and compare the best rates.

What is gross interest rate?

Meanwhile, the gross rate is the amount of interest you’ll receive before any tax or other charges are deducted.

Any interest accrued on your savings is typically paid gross, with the basic taxpayer able to earn up to £1,000 in interest before needing to pay tax under the Personal Savings Allowance (PSA).

What is net interest rate?

As for the net rate, this is how much you’ll earn after subtracting any tax or charges. This is seen less often now, with banks and building societies paying interest before tax is deducted.

What's the difference?

This comparison table highlights some of the key differences and uses of the AER, gross rate and net rate:

 

AER

Gross rate

Net rate

Does this interest rate take into account any income tax I may need to pay?

No

No

Yes

Can I use this rate to easily compare an account that pays monthly interest with an account that pays yearly interest?

Yes

No

No

Can I use this interest rate to compare a normal savings account with a cash ISA?

No, as the AER doesn’t take into account any income tax you may have to pay.

Yes, but keep in mind if you breach your Personal Savings Allowance you’ll need to pay tax on some of the interest earned with a normal savings account, meaning it won’t necessarily be a fair comparison.

Possibly, as if you pay tax on your savings you could compare the net rate on a normal savings account with the gross rate on a cash ISA.

However, this won’t work if one account has an introductory bonus of less than a year or pays interest at a different frequency (e.g. monthly or yearly).

What if the savings account offers an introductory bonus – does the rate include this?

Yes

Yes

Yes

If the introductory bonus lasts less than one year, does the rate show what happens when this ends?

Yes, as the AER shows the rate of interest you’d earn if you kept your savings in the account for a full year.

Where the introductory bonus lasts for less than a year, this, and any period after the bonus finishes, is taken into consideration.

No, as the gross rate only shows what you would earn at the outset, which includes the bonus.

No, as the net rate only shows what you would earn at the outset, which includes the bonus.

Does the rate show what the real return on my savings is, after inflation?

No

No

No

Disclaimer: This information is intended solely to provide guidance and is not financial advice. Moneyfacts will not be liable for any loss arising from your use or reliance on this information. If you are in any doubt, Moneyfacts recommends you obtain independent financial advice.

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Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will never contact you by phone to sell you any financial product. Any calls like this are not from Moneyfacts. Emails sent by Moneyfactscompare.co.uk will always be from news@moneyfacts-news.co.uk. Be ScamSmart.