A General Investment Account (GIA) is an account which allows you to hold investments outside of tax wrappers, such as ISAs or pensions. There is no limit to how much you can invest in a GIA. There are also no restrictions on when you can access the money invested.

With a GIA, you only pay capital gains tax (CGT) and dividend tax on profits above your allowances. The amount you’ll be taxed depends on the size of your gains, and your current income tax band.

In the 2023/24 tax year, you have a CGT allowance of £6,000 and a dividend allowance of £1,000. At present, Gather does not offer any dividend paying investment options. For more information on CGT, visit https://www.gov.uk/capital-gains-tax