Only parents or a guardian with parental responsibility can open a Junior ISA for under 16s. To open a Junior ISA you need to: choose the type of Junior ISA you want for your child - cash or stocks and shares (or both) choose your account provider get an application form from them Your child can only have: 1 cash Junior ISA 1 stocks and shares Junior ISA Children aged 16 and 17 can open their own Junior ISA. Account providers You can get a Junior ISA from a range of banks, building societies, credit unions, friendly societies and stock brokers. Contact any of these directly for more information about how you can open a Junior ISA with them.

Add money to an account

Anyone can pay money into a Junior ISA , but the total amount paid in cannot go over £9,000 in the 2024 to 2025 tax year. Example If your child has £2,000 paid into their cash Junior ISA from 6 April 2024 to 5 April 2025, only £7,000 could be paid into their stocks and shares Junior ISA in the same tax year. You can transfer money between: your child’s Junior ISAs a Child Trust Fund ( CTF ) account and a Junior ISA - contact the Junior ISA provider to arrange this You cannot transfer money between a Junior ISA and an adult ISA . If your child moves abroad, you can still add cash to their Junior ISA. Who the money belongs to Money in a Junior ISA belongs to your child and cannot be taken out until they’re 18, though there are exceptions to this.

Your child’s Junior ISA will be in their name, but the person with parental responsibility who opens it is responsible for managing the account. The person who opens it is known as the ‘registered contact’. The registered contact is the only person who can: change the account, for example from a cash to a stocks and shares Junior ISA change the account provider report changes of circumstances, for example change of address Contact your account provider to do this. You cannot take money out of a Junior ISA until your child turns 18. Children older than 16 If your child is 16 or older they can become the registered contact for their Junior ISAs . When your child turns 18 they can take out any money in their Junior ISAs . Junior ISAs automatically turn into an adult ISA when the child turns 18. If your child lacks the mental capacity to manage their account when they turn 18 You, or a close friend or relative, need to apply to the Court of Protection ( COP ) for a financial deputyship order. This will allow you to manage your child’s adult ISA account or take out money on their behalf once they turn 18. In Scotland, applications need to be made to the Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland . In Northern Ireland, applications need to be made to the Office of Care and Protection .

If your child is terminally ill or dies

The registered contact can take money out of a Junior ISA early if a child is terminally ill. ‘Terminally ill’ means that the child has a disease or illness that is going to get worse and is not expected to live more than 6 months. If you live in England or Wales, you have 6 months from the date of your child’s diagnosis to take money out of their account. If you live in Northern Ireland, you have 12 months from the date of your child’s diagnosis to take money out of their account. If you live in Scotland, there’s no time limit for taking money out of their account. How to take money out Fill in the terminal illness early access form to let HM Revenue & Customs ( HMRC ) know that: your child is terminally ill you want to take money out of their Junior ISA HMRC will let you know if you can take money out of your child’s Junior ISA . If your child dies If your child dies, any money in their Junior ISAs will be paid to whoever inherits their estate . This is usually one of the child’s parents, but it could be their spouse or partner if they were over 16 and married or in a civil partnership. What you need to do You do not need to contact HMRC but you’ll need to tell your account provider so they can close your child’s Junior ISAs . Your account provider may need proof to do this, for example a copy of the death certificate.

Junior Individual Savings Accounts (ISA)

Overview

Junior Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) are long-term, tax-free savings accounts for children.

In the 2024 to 2025 tax year, the savings limit for Junior ISAs is £9,000

Who can get a Junior ISA

Your child must be both:

under 18
living in the UK

If your child lives outside the UK

Your child can only get a Junior ISA if both the following apply:

you’re a Crown servant (in the UK’s armed forces, diplomatic service or overseas civil service, for example)
they depend on you for care

You cannot have a Junior ISA as well as a Child Trust Fund. If you want to open a Junior ISA ask the provider to transfer the trust fund into it.

How Junior ISAs work

There are 2 types of Junior ISA:

a cash Junior ISA, for example you will not pay tax on interest on the cash you save
a stocks and shares Junior ISA, for example your cash is invested and you will not pay tax on any capital growth or dividends you receive

Your child can have one or both types of Junior ISA.

Parents or guardians with parental responsibility can open a Junior ISA and manage the account, but the money belongs to the child.

The child can take control of the account when they’re 16, but cannot withdraw the money until they turn 18.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Junior Individual Savings Accounts (ISA)

Overview

Who can get a Junior ISA

If your child lives outside the UK

How Junior ISAs work

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Junior Individual Savings Accounts (ISA)

Overview

Who can get a Junior ISA

If your child lives outside the UK

How Junior ISAs work

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