No longer eligible for government bonus

apolloc

Hi there,
I’ve had a Help to buy ISA for a few years now. But back in 2018 I had some financial difficulty so I had to dip into it a few times. Even though I have managed to recover that money since and I now have more than the required £12k for the full government bonus, I have been informed that I am not eligible for it anymore. What can I do?
Thx

eskbanker

What specifically has been given as the reason why you're not eligible?  Withdrawing from one is permitted without jeopardising bonus entitlement, so it can't just be that....

alibean121

Is the property you’re buying too expensive? Or you’re not a first time buyer? Not going to live in the property?

As long as the money is currently in the HTB ISA you’re probably ok to get the bonus. House price cap of £250k outside London can be a bit of a killer though. Depending on where you live, that might not buy very much!

molerat

According to the MSE article ( and Nationwide FAQ) you should still be eligible for the bonus on the amount in the account at the time of purchase even if you have made withdrawals.  Who has told you that you do not qualify and for what reason ?

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/savings/help-to-buy-isa/

You can take the money out whenever you want, even if you're not buying a property - but you won't get the bonus

If you decide not to buy your first home (or to buy one costing more than the qualifying amount) you won't lose the money in your Help to Buy ISA. You can take cash out whenever you want – you just miss out on the bonus. It'll still be tax-free and you'll still get the interest you're due.

The rules also allow you to make partial withdrawals, while keeping the Help to Buy ISA open (though withdrawal rules will depend on your provider). You won't be eligible for the bonus on the amount withdrawn, but you can still keep contributing afterwards and will still get the bonus on whatever is in the account when you use it for a deposit.

apolloc

Thank you everyone. I only made partial withdrawals back then. And since I have only been topping up the H2B ISA since then, I should still be eligible for the gvt. bonus. But the employee at the HSBC call centre told me I had lost my eligibility. 

eskbanker

apolloc said:

Thank you everyone. I only made partial withdrawals back then. And since I have only been topping up the H2B ISA since then, I should still be eligible for the gvt. bonus. But the employee at the HSBC call centre told me I had lost my eligibility. 

Same question as above still applies:

eskbanker said:

What specifically has been given as the reason why you're not eligible?  Withdrawing from one is permitted without jeopardising bonus entitlement, so it can't just be that....

apolloc

@eskbanker they did not give me another reason. I also did nothing else with the account, other than the partial withdrawals. I am also not in the process of buying a house yet, so house price is not a factor in this specific question. I think that the employee at the call centre didn’t understand very well my question and that they were inexperienced.