We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Student Loan/Grant "Loophole"?

Hi

I think I have found a good way to save money for my children but wondered if anyone could shoot me down before I do this.

I have been saving in ISAs for years and have a tidy sum put away. We also have 3 children about to go to university who I am sure will eat into it in a big way.

I have been looking at student finance and it appears as though the grant they are eligible for does not have to be repaid but depends on my income. Based on my income of about £35k after tax they qualify for about £1000 each per year as a grant.

However if my income was only £25k they would each qualify for a grant of over £3000 per year. My understanding is that if I paid £10k into a pension SIPP each year they are at university it would bring my taxable income down to £25k and increase their grants. We can't afford ordinarily to do this but we could if we started spending our ISAs to compensate. It is basically transferring our ISAs into a SIPP. I would get tax relief on the contribution to the SIPP and could then start taking the money back from the SIPP once the children have finished University. With 3 children averaging 3 years each at Uni it means they get £27k in non-repayable grants as opposed to £9k between them.

Is this ok/legal/doable.

Comments

This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 352.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.6K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 454.3K Spending & Discounts
  • 245.3K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 601K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.5K Life & Family
  • 259.1K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.7K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.