Dividend Allowance 2026/27: £500 Explained with Examples
Every UK taxpayer gets a £500 dividend allowance for 2026/27. This is the amount of dividend income you can receive each year free from dividend tax. This guide explains exactly how it works, who it applies to, and how to use it effectively.
Last updated for the 2026/27 tax year.
What the £500 dividend allowance means
The dividend allowance is not a deduction from income. It is a nil-rate band that sits within your income bands. The first £500 of dividend income each tax year is charged at 0% rather than at 8.75%, 33.75% or 39.35%.
The £500 uses up some of your basic-rate or higher-rate band rather than reducing your income. For most people this technical point doesn't matter — £500 of dividends simply go untaxed. But for calculations involving several income sources, where the allowance sits within the bands does make a difference.
Who gets the dividend allowance?
Every UK taxpayer gets the £500 allowance regardless of tax band. Basic-rate, higher-rate and additional-rate taxpayers all get the same £500. The cash saving differs: a basic-rate taxpayer saves £43.75 (8.75% × £500), a higher-rate taxpayer saves £168.75 (33.75% × £500), and an additional-rate taxpayer saves £196.75 (39.35% × £500).
The allowance is per individual, not per couple. A married couple each has their own £500, so between them they can receive £1,000 of dividends free from dividend tax.
Worked examples
Example 1, Basic-rate taxpayer, £800 of dividends:
- Total dividends: £800
- Dividend allowance: £500, no tax
- Taxable dividends: £300
- Dividend tax at 8.75%: £300 × 8.75% = £26.25
- Self Assessment required (dividends exceed £500)
Example 2, Higher-rate taxpayer, £5,000 of dividends, salary £60,000:
- Salary of £60,000 already exceeds the basic-rate limit (£50,270)
- All dividends fall in the higher-rate band
- Dividend allowance: £500, no tax
- Taxable dividends: £4,500
- Dividend tax at 33.75%: £4,500 × 33.75% = £1,519
Example 3, Director, £12,570 salary, £500 dividends:
- Total dividends: £500, exactly equal to the allowance
- Dividend tax: £0
- Self Assessment required? No, dividends do not exceed £500
History of the dividend allowance
| Tax year | Allowance |
|---|---|
| 2016/17 to 2017/18 | £5,000 |
| 2018/19 to 2022/23 | £2,000 |
| 2023/24 | £1,000 |
| 2024/25 onwards (including 2026/27) | £500 |
The £500 allowance is not indexed to inflation and has no automatic review date.
ISA dividends and the allowance
Dividends inside a Stocks and Shares ISA don't count against the £500 allowance and are completely exempt from dividend tax. Only dividends from investments held outside ISAs and pensions count. An investor with all shares inside an ISA never touches the dividend allowance at all — which means the cuts from £5,000 down to £500 have had no impact on fully-wrapped ISA investors.