A Stocks and Shares ISA is a very popular route to generating passive income. It means we can set ourselves up for some regular cash that we don’t have to work for — or pay tax on. And the current ISA limit will expire on 5 April — doesn’t it seem to come round quickly?
It means a lot of UK investors are busy doing their research. And they’re deciding what to buy before the time runs out. So which UK shares are savvy savers putting their cash into right now? I’ve been checking the most popular income stocks in 2026.
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Under the radar
Long-term popular picks like Legal & General, Aviva, and British American Tobacco are perpetually on investors’ minds. But there are some surprises. I wasn’t expecting to see Greencoat UK Wind (LSE: UKW) moving up the popularity list.
After all, the share price has taken a tumble since the US administration turned its attention to trying to thwart renewable energy initiatives. But then, all the fall has really done is push the expected dividend yield up to a mind-blowing 10.8%. Now, that can often mean a cut is on the cards. But, for the moment at least, analyst forecasts show the dividend solid for the following two years too.
Is there a catch? Well, maybe. The main problem is a current lack of profit, with a loss predicted for the 2025 year — results are due 26 February. And that’s not usually the kind of thing that long-term passive income is made of. But brokers expect profit in 2026 and 2027, enough to cover the predicted dividend about 1.3 times. And with first-half results in July, the company proposed “an annual dividend that increases in line with RPI inflation.”
It could be a bit of a long shot in this very uncertain sector. But I might put a bit of next year’s ISA into Greencoat. It’s got to be worth considering.
Property income
The second one catching my eye comes as no shock at all. It’s Primary Health Properties (LSE: PHP), a real estate investment trust (REIT) specialising in first-line health properties like GP surgeries.
We’ve had another share price fall here, this time on the back of a lengthy weakness in the property market. The trust doesn’t actually make its money from property values — it has a very solid rental income record buoyed by long-term NHS leases.
Acquisition growth
Asset valuation does affect the value of the business, though. But at interim time, the company had net tangible assets per share of 106.2p, very close to the current share price. Does that mean it’s valued solely on its assets and the business itself comes free? It kind of sounds like that, doesn’t it?
In a January update, CEO Mark Davies spoke of a “transformational year” following the combination with Assura. He also noted “PHP’s 30-year anniversary of consecutive dividend growth.“
And that reminds me, the dividend is forecast at 6.9%. Property risk is still there. And share price weakness might still persist. But is this another attractive passive income candidate to consider? I’d say so.
