Your Sharesave — here’s how an EQi Flexible ISA can work for you

What happens if my shares are worth more than £20,000 at maturity?

This is not uncommon — and your EQi account is set up to handle it.

If your shares are worth more than the annual ISA allowance:

• You can choose to transfer up to your available ISA allowance into your EQi Flexible Shares ISA
• EQi will transfer any remaining shares into your linked EQi Dealing Account

Both accounts are part of your EQi setup, making it easy to view and manage all your shares in one place.

Can you provide me with an example if I have already used some of my ISA allowance this year?

If your Sharesave shares are worth £30,000 when your scheme matures and you've already used £5,000 of your ISA allowance elsewhere during the tax year, you can choose to transfer up to £15,000 of shares into your EQi Flexible ISA through the ESP Portal. This must be completed within 90 days of exercising your share options.

EQi will then transfer the remaining shares into your linked EQi Dealing Account for you.

Example: using an EQi Flexible ISA

Jay has saved £11,000 through Sharesave.

He chooses to buy his company shares at the discounted price offered at the start of the scheme. At maturity, the shares are worth £30,000.

To help protect his gains from Capital Gains Tax, Jay chooses to transfer his shares into an EQi Flexible Stocks & Shares ISA.

To keep his Sharesave tax advantages, Jay needs to start transferring his shares into his EQi ISA within 90 days of buying them.

EQi transfers up to £20,000 into his ISA (the maximum annual ISA allowance), with the remaining £10,000 of shares held in his linked EQi Dealing account.

Because the ISA is flexible, Jay may be able to move more of his shares into his ISA later in the same tax year, within the rules.

For example, if he sells some of the shares held in his ISA and withdraws the proceeds, this can create space that may allow additional shares from his Dealing account to be moved into his ISA — provided this is done within the 90-day time limit.

Can I transfer more of my Sharesave shares into my ISA later?

If your Sharesave shares are worth more than your available ISA allowance, the excess  shares may be held in your linked EQi Dealing Account.

Because the EQi Stocks & Shares ISA is flexible, you can transfer additional Sharesave shares into your EQi Flexible ISA  in the same tax year, provided you remain within the ISA allowance rules and the 90-day Sharesave transfer period.

Can you provide me with an example of how I could move more of my Sharesave shares into my ISA later?

If your Sharesave shares are worth £30,000 when your scheme matures and you have not used any of your ISA allowance during the current tax year, you could choose to transfer £20,000 of shares into your EQi Flexible ISA  through the ESP Portal.

The remaining £10,000 of shares would be transferred into your linked EQi Dealing Account.

Later in the same tax year, if you sell shares held in your EQi Flexible ISA and withdraw the cash, this may allow you to transfer additional Sharesave shares from your Dealing Account into your EQi Flexible ISA, provided you remain within ISA rules and the 90-day Sharesave transfer period.

Can I switch my Sharesave shares into a fund?

Yes. Once your Sharesave shares have been transferred into your EQi Flexible ISA, you can choose to sell some or all of your shares and invest the proceeds in other eligible investments available through EQi, including funds.

To help you get started, you can explore our Find Funds page and our Funds to Get You Started range.

Looking ahead: keep the momentum going

For many people, Sharesave maturity is a chance to build on their saving habits and think about what comes next.

A Stocks & Shares ISA gives you a straightforward way to invest beyond your company shares — whether through regular contributions or one-off payments.

Over time, this can give your money the potential to grow, rather than sit as cash.