A gilt's coupon is taxed as income, but the capital gain to maturity is free of CGT. That single fact decides which gilt is best for you. Here's the whole picture, with worked examples — then try it on the live table and calculator.
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Most people with cash to invest compare savings accounts, fixed-term deposits, and bonds by their headline rate. But that headline is almost always a gross figure — before tax. Interest on bank deposits is fully taxable as savings income, at your income tax rate. So is the coupon income on gilts. A 4.25% deposit rate becomes 3.40% after tax for a 20% basic-rate taxpayer, and just 2.55% for a 40% higher-rate payer. That changes the picture significantly.
When you look at a gilt's yield, you're looking at the gross redemption yield — also before tax. Income tax applies to coupon income at your rate — 20% for basic-rate payers, 40% for higher-rate. But gilts have an additional dimension that deposits don't: some of their return comes as capital gain rather than income, and that gap between gross and net can be managed by choosing the right gilt.
Here's the key insight: a gilt trading at a low cash price delivers most of its return as capital gain rather than coupon income. Capital gains on gilts — and on qualifying corporate bonds — are exempt from CGT. But unlike corporate bonds, gilts carry no credit risk. You are lending to the UK government, which has never failed to pay. A corporate bond offering the same post-tax yield as a low-coupon gilt is asking you to take on credit risk — the risk the company defaults — for no additional after-tax return. That's a bad trade.
This is what makes low-coupon, deep-discount gilts compelling from a tax perspective: they deliver a tax-efficient return structure without the credit risk of corporate bonds. The effect applies to any taxpayer, and it's especially pronounced for higher-rate payers where the income tax drag on high coupons is largest. That said, gilts are not without risk — interest rate risk and, critically, inflation risk are real considerations, especially for longer maturities. YieldSmart shows you the after-tax yield comparison clearly; the risk assessment is yours to make.
| Investment | Net yield (40% taxpayer) | Gross yield | Price / Rate | Credit risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-year fixed deposit (bank) | 2.55% | 4.25% | 4.25% AER | Bank credit |
| TR27 — 4¼% Treasury 2027 (high coupon gilt) | 2.58% | 4.29% | £99.95 | UK govt |
| TG27 — 1¼% Treasury 2027 (low coupon gilt)✦ best | 3.99% | 4.51% | £96.76 | UK govt |
Illustrative, for a 40% taxpayer, using short (1–1½ year) gilts at indicative closing prices (figures move with the market). The bank deposit pays 4.25% gross but only 2.55% net — every penny of interest is taxable savings income. The two gilts have similar gross yields, yet the low-coupon TG27 keeps roughly 4.0% after tax against about 2.6% for the high-coupon TR27 — because more of TG27's return comes as tax-free capital gain (its sub-£100 price pulling up to £100 at redemption) rather than taxable coupon. All gilt returns are direct obligations of HM Treasury — no bank or corporate credit risk. See the live gilt table for current figures at your own tax rate.
Bank deposits feel safe and simple. You put money in, the bank pays you interest, and you know exactly what you'll get. But that interest is fully taxable at your income tax rate — there is no capital gain element, no tax-free component, no exemption. Every pound of interest goes through your tax return.
A basic-rate (20%) taxpayer earning 4.25% on a 2-year fixed-term deposit keeps just 3.40% after tax. A higher-rate (40%) payer keeps only 2.55% — because every penny of deposit interest is taxable savings income. Meanwhile a low-coupon UK gilt — backed by the government, not a bank — can deliver substantially more after tax to both, because most of its return arrives as capital gain rather than taxable income.
There's also a risk dimension worth stating plainly: bank deposits carry bank credit risk. The FSCS protects up to £120,000 per institution (increased from £85,000 in December 2025), but beyond that you are an unsecured creditor of the bank. UK gilts carry no such risk — they are direct obligations of HM Treasury, and the UK government has never defaulted.
None of this means deposits are bad — for short time horizons, instant-access needs, or amounts within FSCS limits they remain sensible. But for money you can lock away for a year or more, the after-tax comparison with gilts is often striking, and most investors have never seen it done properly. That's what YieldSmart is for.
UK gilts are among the safest investments available — the UK government has never defaulted, and there is no credit risk in the conventional sense. But safe is not the same as risk-free. There are real risks every gilt investor should understand.
Inflation erodes purchasing power silently. A bank deposit at 4.25% feels safe — but if inflation is 3.5%, your real return is just 0.75%. And when the deposit term ends and rates have fallen, you may roll into something paying far less. At least a gilt locks in a known nominal return for a defined period. That certainty has value, even if the real return is uncertain.
A 2-year gilt is a reasonably predictable investment — you have a decent sense of what inflation will do over two years, and the interest rate risk is modest. A 30-year gilt is a very different proposition. You are locking in a nominal return over a period in which energy prices, technology, geopolitics, and monetary policy could all shift dramatically. The nominal yield might be 5.5% — but if inflation averages 4% over that period, your real return is just 1.5% per year.
Going heavily into a single long-dated gilt on the basis of today's yield carries real inflation risk that deserves honest thought. A laddered approach — spreading maturities across 2, 5, 10 and 20 years — manages this better than concentrating in one maturity. YieldSmart shows nominal after-tax yields. It cannot show real yields — because nobody knows what inflation will be. That uncertainty is part of the decision, and it is yours to make.
A bond ladder is a portfolio of gilts with staggered maturity dates. Each one matures in turn — returning your capital — which you can spend or reinvest into a new gilt at the long end of the ladder. It's one of the most effective strategies for generating predictable, low-risk income in retirement or in the years building up to it. And because every rung is a UK government bond, there is no credit risk anywhere in the portfolio.
Our Bond Ladder Builder lets you construct a ladder from real UK gilts, with your tax rate applied throughout. It ranks gilts by net yield rather than gross yield — so it naturally steers you towards the low-coupon, deep-discount gilts that deliver the most tax-efficient return structure. You see the annual after-tax income for each rung, the capital gain returned at each maturity, and a blended net yield for the whole portfolio. All backed by the UK government with no credit risk. The staggered structure also helps manage inflation risk — you're not committing everything to one point in time.
Gilts are not just an alternative to cash savings. They can play a distinct and valuable role alongside equities in a broader investment portfolio — and understanding that role can help you think more clearly about how much to hold and why.
The practical point: gilts are not a replacement for equities — over the long run, equities have delivered higher real returns. But holding 100% equities means accepting high volatility and no certainty about what your portfolio is worth at any given moment. A portfolio that combines equities for long-run growth with gilts for stability, income, and capital certainty is a more resilient one. How much to hold in each depends on your time horizon, risk tolerance, and income needs — that is a personal decision. What YieldSmart helps you do is make the gilt portion of that decision as tax-efficiently as possible.
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Information only — not financial advice. Gilt prices are indicative from last available close and may be delayed. Verify before transacting. UK tax treatment depends on your circumstances and may change.