How much passive income could a £20,000 ISA return?

How much passive income could an ISA return? Well, the maximum yearly deposit on a Stocks and Shares ISA is £20,000. All contributions up to that amount in a single tax year are free of capital gains or dividend taxes. Such tax advantages have led to many calling it the best investment wrapper worldwide.

It’s also becoming increasingly common knowledge that the stock market has offered the best rate of return over the last century or so. So what could an investor expect from a £20,000 ISA today? How much money could that make in the future? What kind of passive income might we be looking at?

Please note that tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in future. The content in this article is provided for information purposes only. It is not intended to be, neither does it constitute, any form of tax advice. Readers are responsible for carrying out their own due diligence and for obtaining professional advice before making any investment decisions.

The markets

Stock markets like the London Stock Exchange can be a dangerous place. Stocks, especially those of smaller and newer companies, can go up and down like a roller coaster. Some green investors try to get rich quick. Maybe they double their money. Maybe they lose it all the next day.

The true winners in investing are those who take a more balanced approach. Build up cash while earning. This is the accumulation phase. Withdraw at a sensible rate when the money is needed for passive income or retirement or anything else. This is the income phase.

One approach is to use dividends paid out by stocks as an income. Many target a 5% withdrawal rate here. On that front, a £20,000 ISA returns £1,000 each year. That’s no small amount of cash, but it’s not enough to retire on. This is why building up a nest egg by saving and reinvesting is a good idea first.

Test of time

The dream stock for anyone’s ISA is one that pays dividends and has room for growth too. Lloyds (LSE: LLOY) has fit this category in recent years. The FTSE 100 bank pays a 3.74% dividend yield at present. That dividend payment is set to rise around 14% next year. The shares have doubled since 2024 too.

The good times have come after a fallow period for the banking sector. Banking stocks like Lloyds made for pretty poor investments after 2008, not helped by low interest rates, which impact the margins they make in borrowing and lending. Timing plays a big role in investing too.

Banking has one of the longest track records of any business sector. Lloyds was formed before the birth of Napoleon! This is one reason why I think the post-recession years were more of an exception than the rule. Looking at the projections for borrowing costs in the next 10 years suggests banks will perform strongly too.

Is Lloyds one of those ideal stocks for ISA that can pay big dividends and offer share price appreciation too? Only time will tell. But for my part, I think it’s a stock to consider.

The post How much passive income could a £20,000 ISA return? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

More reading

• Prediction: £10,000 in Lloyds shares will deliver a £1,073 dividend income in 2026 and 2027
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John Fieldsend has positions in Lloyds Banking Group Plc. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Lloyds Banking Group Plc. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

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