Eligible deposits with offshore banks are protected by a relevant compensation scheme. Read our or FSCS guide that explains more.
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The main selling point of offshore savings accounts is that you don’t need to be a UK resident to have one, as well as being able to choose which currency you’d like to save in. However, the rates tend to be lower than on ‘normal’ savings accounts, so for anyone resident in the UK who isn’t planning to leave anytime soon and doesn’t have frequent business dealings overseas, there’s not much incentive to open one of these accounts.
That said, if you’d like to have some cash savings in Euros or US dollars, there are several offshore accounts that can offer this. As with UK-based savings accounts, you have a choice between easy access, giving some notice or putting the funds aside in a fixed rate bond.
An offshore savings account is a savings account that is based outside the UK but usually still open to UK residents or expats. These accounts may be suitable for Brits living abroad or frequently travelling across different countries and currencies.
You don’t need a lot of money to open an offshore savings account. You do, however, need to adhere to either a British citizenship requirement (for expat accounts) or specific resident requirement, with some accounts open to Isle of Man, Channel Island and Gibraltar residents, or even UK residents.
While most of these accounts will ask for a minimum deposit of £5,000 or £10,000, there are some that can be opened with just a single pound. Again, whether such an account would be worth opening over a regular ‘onshore’ savings account would depend on your residency status and needs. Always compare offshore savings accounts with onshore equivalents as well as each other to help ensure you’re making the best possible choice.
As with any savings account, different providers will offer different means of opening and operating their accounts. Some of the offshore providers are subsidiaries of the bigger UK banks and building societies, and these will likely have more account management options. You won’t need to book a trip abroad to open such an account, with many accounts being able to be opened by post, telephone or online.
While the opening requirements will differ between providers, they will all ask for proof of identity and proof of address, and will require you to be at least 18 years old. Some will have additional requirements, such as asking you to prove that you can afford to keep the account funded, although these kinds of requirements are more common with offshore bank accounts for everyday use (which tend to come with large fees).
Unlike what you might think based on the news, the money in offshore savings accounts is not tax-free. For UK tax purposes, the same personal savings allowance is applied to any savings held in an offshore account, which means that basic rate taxpayers can earn the first £1,000 in savings interest per year without having to worry about taxation.
Anything above this will need to be declared through a self-assessment form with HMRC as income. While this means you would then have to pay some tax, there could be a welcome delay – depending on when you open an account and when the tax year ends – that allows you to add some more savings interest before taxation gets applied.
Remember that you may have to pay tax in the country you are residing in as well, so make sure you have everything sorted out fair and square – you don’t want to get into trouble with any government or pay double tax when you don’t need to. Given the numbers likely involved in all of this, you may even want to get professional advice so you can be sure you’re always declaring and paying the right amount for taxation.
Offshore providers are not covered by the UK’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme which protects £85,000 of your savings per banking institution no matter what happens. However, there will be comparable compensation schemes, such as the Isle of Man’s Depositors’ Compensation Scheme, which protects up to £50,000 per individual depositor. Check with the provider as to whether you will be protected by an alternative deposit protection scheme, depending on where the bank is located.