Help to Save Bonus Calculator United Kingdom

What the help to save calculator does

The calculator estimates the government bonus you can earn on a UK Help to Save account over the full four-year scheme. Enter the amount you plan to pay in each month, and it works out how much you will have saved and how large a bonus those deposits earn on top.

Help to Save is for people on lower incomes, and its main attraction is a bonus paid by the government rather than interest. The bonus is based on the highest balance you reach rather than a simple total, which makes it easy to underestimate what the scheme is worth. The tool turns your monthly deposit into the savings and bonus you can expect.

How Help to Save works

An account runs for four years, and you can pay in up to £50 each month. The scheme pays two bonuses: the first at the end of the second year and the second at the end of the fourth.

Each bonus is based on the highest balance the account reaches, not the balance on the day the bonus is paid. Withdrawing money can therefore reduce a future bonus, because it lowers the peak your balance can build from. Saving steadily and leaving the money in place gets the most from the scheme.

How the bonus is calculated

The first bonus is 50% of the highest balance reached in the first two years. The second bonus is 50% of the amount by which the highest balance in years three and four exceeds the first period’s peak.

With a steady monthly deposit, the balance climbs every month, so the highest balance in each two-year window is easy to work out. Saving £50 a month gives a peak of £1,200 after two years and a first bonus of £600; by the end of year four the peak is £2,400, so the second bonus is 50% of the extra £1,200, another £600. In total you save £2,400, receive £1,200 in bonuses and finish with £3,600.

Why saving the maximum matters

Because the bonus is a percentage of what you save, the more you pay in, up to the cap, the larger the bonus. Paying in the full £50 every month gives the biggest bonus the scheme allows.

If your budget does not stretch to £50, the calculator still shows the bonus on a smaller amount. Even a modest regular deposit earns a bonus that a standard savings account would struggle to match.

What you need to enter

• The amount you plan to pay in each month.

The calculator assumes you keep the money in the account and pay in the same amount every month. If your real deposits vary, treat the result as a best case that assumes you reach and keep each peak balance.

Reading your result

The output shows your total government bonus, the total you save over four years and your final balance. Showing the bonus separately makes clear how much of the final balance is your own money and how much is the government top-up.

Measured against what you put in, the bonus is a 50% return over four years, far more than typical savings interest, which is why the scheme is worth considering for anyone eligible.

When to use this tool

• To see how much bonus a Help to Save account could earn you.
• To compare paying in the maximum with a smaller monthly amount.
• To set a realistic four-year savings goal.
• To understand the value of the scheme before opening an account.

The government sets the eligibility rules and bonus terms, so check the official guidance to confirm you qualify before opening an account.

Getting the most from the scheme

Avoiding withdrawals matters most. Once you take money out, later deposits first have to rebuild the balance to its previous peak before they add anything to the next bonus. Treat the account as money you will not touch until the scheme ends.

If your budget only allows a smaller deposit for a while, saving something is still far better than nothing, because every pound held in the account counts towards the balance the bonus is based on.

This is general information only and not financial advice.

About This Help to Save Calculator

Use this Help to save calculator to get an instant, accurate estimate. The figures follow official GOV.UK guidance and every rate and threshold is kept up to date for 2026. Adjust the inputs above to match your situation, or browse all our calculators to plan your next step.