diff --git a/assets/js/um-profile.js b/assets/js/um-profile.js
index 5929df97..8f0f3381 100644
--- a/assets/js/um-profile.js
+++ b/assets/js/um-profile.js
@@ -110,7 +110,12 @@ jQuery(document).ready(function() {
 	jQuery( document.body ).on( 'change keyup', '#um-meta-bio', function() {
 		if ( typeof jQuery(this).val() !== 'undefined' ) {
 			var um_bio_limit = jQuery(this).data( 'character-limit' );
-			var remaining = um_bio_limit - jQuery(this).val().length;
+			var bio_html = jQuery(this).attr('data-html');
+			if ( parseInt( bio_html ) === 1 ){
+				var remaining = um_bio_limit - jQuery(this).val().replace(/(<([^>]+)>)/ig,'').length;
+			} else {
+				var remaining = um_bio_limit - jQuery(this).val().length;
+			}
 
 			jQuery( 'span.um-meta-bio-character span.um-bio-limit' ).text( remaining );
 			if ( remaining  < 5 ) {
diff --git a/includes/core/class-fields.php b/includes/core/class-fields.php
index 6c3670f4..71f3384e 100644
--- a/includes/core/class-fields.php
+++ b/includes/core/class-fields.php
@@ -2767,7 +2767,22 @@ if ( ! class_exists( 'um\core\Fields' ) ) {
 					} else {
 						$textarea_field_value = '';
 						if ( ! empty( $field_value ) ) {
-							$textarea_field_value = ! empty( $data['html'] ) ? $field_value : wp_strip_all_tags( $field_value );
+							$profile_custom_settings = get_post_meta( $this->global_args['form_id'], '_um_profile_use_custom_settings', true );
+							if ( 1 === $profile_custom_settings ) {
+								$bio_html = get_post_meta( $this->global_args['form_id'], '_um_profile_show_bio', true );
+							} else {
+								if ( UM()->options()->get( 'profile_show_html_bio' ) ) {
+									$bio_html = 1;
+								} else {
+									$bio_html = 0;
+								}
+							}
+
+							if ( 1 === (int) $bio_html && array_key_exists( 'html', $data ) && 1 === (int) $data['html'] ) {
+								$textarea_field_value = $field_value;
+							} else {
+								$textarea_field_value = wp_strip_all_tags( $field_value );
+							}
 						}
 						$output .= '<textarea  ' . $disabled . '  style="height: ' . esc_attr( $data['height'] ) . ';" class="' . esc_attr( $this->get_class( $key, $data ) ) . '" name="' . esc_attr( $field_name ) . '" id="' . esc_attr( $field_id ) . '" placeholder="' . esc_attr( $placeholder ) . '">' . esc_textarea( $textarea_field_value ) . '</textarea>';
 					}
diff --git a/includes/core/um-actions-form.php b/includes/core/um-actions-form.php
index 0d847b2e..32873e64 100644
--- a/includes/core/um-actions-form.php
+++ b/includes/core/um-actions-form.php
@@ -573,9 +573,14 @@ function um_submit_form_errors_hook_( $submitted_data, $form_data ) {
 		}
 
 		if ( isset( $array['max_words'] ) && $array['max_words'] > 0 ) {
-			// count words without html tags
-			$without_tags = wp_strip_all_tags( $submitted_data[ $key ] );
-			if ( str_word_count( $without_tags, 0, 'éèàôù' ) > $array['max_words'] ) {
+			if ( array_key_exists( 'html', $array ) && 1 === (int) $array['html'] ) {
+				$text_value = wp_strip_all_tags( $submitted_data[ $key ] );
+			} else {
+				// count words without html tags
+				$text_value = $submitted_data[ $key ];
+			}
+
+			if ( str_word_count( $text_value, 0, '0123456789éèàôù' ) > $array['max_words'] ) {
 				// translators: %s: max words.
 				UM()->form()->add_error( $key, sprintf( __( 'You are only allowed to enter a maximum of %s words', 'ultimate-member' ), $array['max_words'] ) );
 			}
@@ -668,6 +673,40 @@ function um_submit_form_errors_hook_( $submitted_data, $form_data ) {
 			}
 		}
 
+		$description_key = UM()->profile()->get_show_bio_key( $array );
+		if ( isset( $submitted_data['description'] ) && $description_key === $array['metakey'] ) {
+			$max_chars        = UM()->options()->get( 'profile_bio_maxchars' );
+			$profile_show_bio = UM()->options()->get( 'profile_show_bio' );
+			$description_key  = UM()->profile()->get_show_bio_key( $array );
+
+			if ( array_key_exists( $description_key, $submitted_data['submitted'] ) ) {
+
+				if ( array_key_exists( 'max_chars', $array ) && ! empty( $array['max_chars'] ) ) {
+					$max_chars = $array['max_chars'];
+				}
+
+				if ( array_key_exists( 'html', $array ) && 1 === (int) $array['html'] && 1 === (int) UM()->options()->get( 'profile_show_html_bio' ) ) {
+					$description_value = wp_strip_all_tags( $submitted_data[ $description_key ] );
+				} else {
+					$description_value = $submitted_data[ $description_key ];
+				}
+			} else {
+				if ( ! UM()->options()->get( 'profile_show_html_bio' ) ) {
+					$description_value = $submitted_data['description'];
+				} else {
+					$description_value = wp_strip_all_tags( $submitted_data['description'] );
+				}
+			}
+
+			if ( $profile_show_bio ) {
+
+				if ( mb_strlen( str_replace( array( "\r\n", "\n", "\r\t", "\t" ), ' ', $description_value ) ) > $max_chars && $max_chars ) {
+					// translators: %s: max chars.
+					UM()->form()->add_error( 'description', sprintf( __( 'Your user description must contain less than %s characters', 'ultimate-member' ), $max_chars ) );
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
 		if ( empty( $array['validate'] ) ) {
 			continue;
 		}
@@ -932,18 +971,6 @@ function um_submit_form_errors_hook_( $submitted_data, $form_data ) {
 				break;
 
 		}
-
-		if ( isset( $submitted_data['description'] ) ) {
-			$max_chars = UM()->options()->get( 'profile_bio_maxchars' );
-			$profile_show_bio = UM()->options()->get( 'profile_show_bio' );
-
-			if ( $profile_show_bio ) {
-				if ( mb_strlen( str_replace( array( "\r\n", "\n", "\r\t", "\t" ), ' ', $submitted_data['description'] ) ) > $max_chars && $max_chars ) {
-					// translators: %s: max chars.
-					UM()->form()->add_error( 'description', sprintf( __( 'Your user description must contain less than %s characters', 'ultimate-member' ), $max_chars ) );
-				}
-			}
-		}
 	} // end if ( isset in args array )
 }
 add_action( 'um_submit_form_errors_hook_', 'um_submit_form_errors_hook_', 10, 2 );
diff --git a/includes/core/um-actions-profile.php b/includes/core/um-actions-profile.php
index 625994b4..93b33ed2 100644
--- a/includes/core/um-actions-profile.php
+++ b/includes/core/um-actions-profile.php
@@ -1237,15 +1237,36 @@ function um_profile_header( $args ) {
 					} ?>
 				</div>
 
-			<?php } elseif ( UM()->fields()->editing == true && $args['show_bio'] ) { ?>
+			<?php } elseif ( UM()->fields()->editing == true && $args['show_bio'] ) {
+				if ( ! empty( $args['custom_fields']['description'] ) ) {
+					if ( array_key_exists( 'html', $args['custom_fields']['description'] ) && 1 === (int) $args['custom_fields']['description']['html'] && 1 === (int) UM()->options()->get( 'profile_show_html_bio' ) ) {
+						$description_value = UM()->fields()->field_value( $description_key );
+					} else {
+						$description_value = wp_strip_all_tags( UM()->fields()->field_value( $description_key ) );
+					}
+				} else {
+					if ( 1 === (int) UM()->options()->get( 'profile_show_html_bio' ) ) {
+						$description_value = UM()->fields()->field_value( $description_key );
+					} else {
+						$description_value = wp_strip_all_tags( UM()->fields()->field_value( $description_key ) );
+					}
+				}
+				if ( array_key_exists( 'max_chars', $args['custom_fields']['description'] ) ) {
+					$limit = $args['custom_fields']['description']['max_chars'];
+				} else {
+					$limit = UM()->options()->get( 'profile_bio_maxchars' );
+				}
+				?>
 
 				<div class="um-meta-text">
 					<textarea id="um-meta-bio"
-							  data-character-limit="<?php echo esc_attr( UM()->options()->get( 'profile_bio_maxchars' ) ); ?>"
+							  data-html="<?php echo esc_attr( UM()->options()->get( 'profile_show_html_bio' ) ); ?>"
+							  data-character-limit="<?php echo esc_attr( $limit ); ?>"
 							  placeholder="<?php esc_attr_e( 'Tell us a bit about yourself...', 'ultimate-member' ); ?>"
-							  name="<?php echo esc_attr( $description_key ); ?>"><?php echo UM()->fields()->field_value( $description_key ) ?></textarea>
-					<span class="um-meta-bio-character um-right"><span
-							class="um-bio-limit"><?php echo UM()->options()->get( 'profile_bio_maxchars' ); ?></span></span>
+							  name="<?php echo esc_attr( $description_key ); ?>"><?php echo $description_value; ?></textarea>
+					<span class="um-meta-bio-character um-right">
+						<span class="um-bio-limit"><?php echo esc_html( $limit ); ?></span>
+					</span>
 
 					<?php if ( UM()->fields()->is_error( $description_key ) ) {
 						echo UM()->fields()->field_error( UM()->fields()->show_error( $description_key ), true );