National Savings Certificates
DescriptionNational Savings Certificates were first offered to the British people in 1916 - to quote the advertising slogan 'The Post Office offers you three ways in which your savings can be made of great use to the nation with full security for the repayment of your money'.
Today National Savings Certificates are still a very safe investment - the certifcates are fully backed by HM Treasury. Two types of National Savings Certificate are currently available, Fixed Interest, and Index Linked.
For the Fixed Interest Certificates:
Term 2 or 5 yearsMin investment per issue £100, max £15000Rates guaranteed for term. Lower rates if cashed in early. Zero rate if cashed in during first year.For the Indexed Interest Certificates:
Term 3 or 5 yearsMin investment per issue £100, max £15000Rates indexed linked to RPI (Retail Price Index), plus guaranteed extra %. Lower rates if cashed in early. Zero rate if cashed in during first year.National Savings Certificates are completely tax-free, so making them attractive to higher-rate taxpayers, and (to a lesser extent) to normal rate taxpayers.