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Tax year ends 5 April: act soon to secure your child's Junior ISA allowance.

Junior ISA

Invest for your child’s future with the UK’s best value Junior Stocks and Shares ISA

Make the most of this year’s £9,000 Junior ISA allowance

Open a Junior ISA Transfer to a Junior ISA

Top up a Junior ISA Open a Junior ISA Transfer a Junior ISA

Top up a Junior ISA Open a Junior ISA

Transfer a Junior ISA

Important information: investing for longer increases the likelihood of positive returns. Over a period of five years or more, investments usually give you a higher return compared to cash savings. But investments can go down as well as up in value, so your child could get back less than you put in.

This isn’t personal advice – please ask us for advice if you’re not sure which investments are right for you or your child. Junior ISA tax rules can change and benefits depend on circumstances.

What is a Junior ISA?

A Junior Stocks and Shares ISA is a tax-efficient investment account for children under 18. Any returns are free from UK income and capital gains tax.

Parents or legal guardians can start a Junior ISA for their child. Family and friends can then add money too.

When your child turns 18 they will get access to the money - it could help give them a head start on university fees, their first home or a future nest egg.

In this video, we explain the key benefits of using a Junior ISA and how you can invest for your child’s future.

The words Junior Stocks and Shares ISA are presented on screen as the video starts. The video is animated with various scenes providing illustrations and metaphors for the narration.

A Junior Stocks and Shares ISA is a simple way to invest for a child’s future.

It’s not an investment in its own right, it’s a type of account. And it’s special because ISAs offer shelter from UK tax.

This means no capital gains tax to pay if the investment grows, and no UK income tax on any dividend or interest payments, which could save thousands of pounds in tax over the long term.

But remember, tax rules change and benefits depend on individual circumstances.

Because of these excellent tax benefits, the government limits how much can be added to Junior ISAs each tax year. This is known as the Junior ISA allowance.

It changes from year to year, but for the current year you can pay in up to nine thousand pounds and you have until the 5th of April to use this or you’ll lose it.

Junior ISAs must be opened by a parent or legal guardian – who’ll also need to choose investments on their child’s behalf. But once the account is open family and friends can add money too.

The money belongs to the child, but they won’t be able to access it until they turn 18, when it could help give them a head start on university fees, their first home or provide a future next egg.

The Hargreaves Lansdown Junior Stocks and Shares ISA gives you the freedom to invest in a wide range of investments, including funds and UK and international shares and bonds.

You can also hold cash, so you can secure the valuable tax break now, and then choose the investments when you’re ready. You can start investing with a lump sum of £100 or £25 per month.

Investing offers potential for greater returns than cash over the long term, but unlike cash the value of your investment can go down as well as up.

So if you’re looking for a simple way to invest for your child’s future, why not open a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA today?

Your child must be a UK resident under age 18 to be eligible for a Junior ISA. If your child already has a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA or Child Trust Fund, the parent or guardian must transfer it to open a Junior Stock and Shares ISA.

This video isn't personal advice. If you're unsure what's right for your child, please seek advice.

Invest up to £9,000 this tax year

How much can I invest in a Junior ISA?

In the 2024/2025 tax year (6 April to 5 April) there's a limited amount of money that can be put into your child's Junior ISA.

This tax year the Junior ISA allowance is £9,000.

Tax rules for ISAs can change and their benefits depend on individual circumstances.

HL Junior ISA charges and interest rates

Enjoy better value family investing with the HL Junior ISA.

Pay no online dealing or account charges, so that more of what you pay in will benefit the child. Depending on the investments chosen, other charges could still apply.

See our Junior ISA charges

You’ll currently receive at least 2.5% interest on any cash you hold while waiting to invest for your child.

See current rates and tiers

Kids go free

Junior ISA investment options

Children have time on their side when it comes to investing.

Investing for longer increases the likelihood of positive returns. Over a period of five years or more, investments usually give you a higher return compared to cash savings.

Unlike cash, investments can fall as well as rise in value, so you could get back less than you put in.

The HL Junior ISA lets you choose from:

Ready-Made investments
Responsible investments
Funds
UK and overseas shares
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and more

Explore more Junior ISA investment ideas

Invest by Direct Debit

Set up a Direct Debit to automatically pay into a child's Junior ISA. Payments are taken on the 7th of the month.

Choose where to invest each month, or build up money and decide where to invest later.

Log in to get started

Get started from as little as£25per month

Think about a Junior ISA if:

You want to save or invest tax-efficiently for your child’s future, without impacting your personal ISA allowance
You want to give your child a head start when they turn 18
You want to transfer money away from an existing Child Trust Fund or Junior ISA

Think about alternatives to a Junior ISA:

You want to save more money for your child than the Junior ISA allowance allows (£9,000 per year)
You need to access the money sooner than your child’s 18th birthday
You want control over how your child uses the money once they turn 18
Your child already has a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA or Child Trust Fund and you don’t want to transfer it
You want to keep the money in a Child Trust Fund – your child can only have a CTF or a Junior ISA, not both

How to open a Junior ISA

Once you've decided to open a Junior ISA, it takes less than five minutes to get started. You'll just need a debit card and your national insurance number to hand, as well as the child’s national insurance number (if they have one). Remember that all investments can go down as well as up in value, so your child could get back less than you put in.

Two simple ways to start a Junior ISA

Open a Junior ISA

Your child is eligible if they're a UK resident, under 18 and don't already have a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA or Child Trust Fund. If they do, you'd need to transfer instead.

You can open a Junior ISA from £100 or as little as £25 per month.

Open a Junior ISA

Transfer a Junior ISA or Child Trust Fund

If your child already has a Child Trust Fund or Junior ISA, it's easy to transfer to an HL Junior ISA.

Learn about transferring a junior ISA

198,000 children and counting are getting a better headstart for their future

Security - we're a FTSE-listed company and the largest investment platform in the UK for private investors, with £130 billion in assets under administration, and trusted by over one million clients
UK-based helpdesk - speak to our customer support team if you have any questions
Family-friendly - it's easy to link and manage all your family's accounts in one place
Award-winning - we've won over 200 awards
Expertise - investment ideas for Junior ISAs from our expert analysts
Personalised and flexible financial advice available - plan and invest for a better future with the help of our financial advice service, which has been awarded corporate chartered status by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII)

Hear why Jack chose the HL Junior ISA for his children

Jack invests in HL Junior ISAs for his children. Read Jack's full story

Through the video we see shots of HL client, Jack, driving in his camper van before parking by a beach and then speaking to camera next to his van. We also see photos of Jack and his family on trips with the camper van.

HL client Jack:

"There's a number of really great things I love about the Junior ISA.

There's no fees, so I have one set up for each of my children and there's no additional fees to worry about.

I've got two children, two and four, so we've got a Junior ISA for both of those.

I put a little bit of money into their accounts each month.

It's going to be in there for 18 plus years, so it’s got plenty of time to grow and hopefully they'll do something sensible with it, once they have access.

I've never been very good at saving money, it's not something that comes natural to me.

However, I suppose turning into an adult with children, I've realised it's much more important.

Family time for me is really important.

We spend a lot of time in the countryside.

I've got a lovely camper van which we come out, do day trips in, they love it.

They sleep in there, we sleep in the caravan and they have an absolute ball.

One great advantage I found on the app is having my investments and having my children's investments, all with HL.

I can link them all into my account, so from one screen in the app, I can see all three different accounts, how they're doing, and add a little bit of ad-hoc money into any of them, especially my children's accounts as and when required, it's very easy.

It'd be a big relief, but I also feel proud that I've been able to give them something to start their lives properly.

I'm hoping that they would do something sensible, like buy a house if that's still sensible in the future.

They could always decide to move abroad and that's money for them to spend and explore the world.

My oldest is four years at the minute and if she had anything to do with it, she would definitely try to learn to be a fairy. But yeah, that's a little bit less sensible, maybe [laughs].

The world at the moment, it's an expensive time to live, and so if I can just take a little bit stress off them to live their lives and start their own families, that’s a lot easier."

Text appears on screen:

Start investing today with the UK’s best value Junior Stocks and Shares ISA at www.hl.co.uk

HL logo appears on screen.

Text appears on screen:

Pay no online dealing or account charges with the HL Junior ISA. Depending on the investments chosen, other charges could still apply.

Investing for longer increases the likelihood of positive returns. Over a period of five years or more, investments usually give a higher return compared to cash savings. But investments can go down as well as up in value, so unlike with cash, your child could get back less than you put in.

Tax rules can change and the tax benefits of ISAs depend on individual circumstances. Your child must be a UK resident under age 18 to be eligible for a Junior ISA.

This video isn’t personal advice. If you’re not sure what’s right for you or your child, please contact us for advice.

Learn more about Junior ISAs

Logging in online means you can look after your accounts and trade from your computer, tablet or smartphone. Here’s how to log in.

Before you start

You will need your Username, date of birth, Online Password and Secure Number to log in. If you have not set these up yet, you can register for online access.

How to log in on the website
1. Select 'Log in' in the top right-hand corner of the website
2. Enter your Username in the first box. Your Username will usually be a combination of letters and numbers that you created
3. Enter your date of birth using the format ddmmyy. For example, if you were born on 1 January 1970, enter 010170 without spaces, commas or other characters
4. Select ‘Continue’
5. Enter your Online Password. This is a combination of letters and numbers that you’ve created, and contains at least 1 upper case letter, 1 lower case letter and potentially a special character
6. You will be asked for 3 randomly selected digits from your Secure Number. Your Secure Number is 6 digits that you chose when you set up your security details. Enter these in the correct boxes
7. Select ‘Log in’
8. If you have two-factor authentication enabled, we will also send a verification code to your preferred phone number by SMS or call back each time you log in. Enter this code into the box in full and select ‘Log in’
Log in online

How to log in on the app
1. Select ‘Accounts’ in the bottom left corner
2. If it is your first time logging in, or if you have not saved your details or set up biometric authentication, you will first need to enter your Username. Your Username is usually a combination of letters and numbers that you created
3. Enter your date of birth using the format ddmmyy. For example, if you were born on 1 January 1970, enter 010170 without spaces, commas or other characters
4. Select ‘Save my username and date of birth’ if you want to speed up the process in future, then select ‘Continue’
5. Enter your Online Password. This is a combination of letters and numbers that you created, and contains at least 1 upper case letter, 1 lower case letter and potentially a special character
6. Select ‘Continue’
7. You will be asked for 3 randomly selected digits from your Secure Number. Your Secure Number is 6 digits that you chose when you set up your security details. Enter these in the correct boxes
8. Select ‘Continue’
9. If you have two-factor authentication enabled, we may also send a verification code to your preferred phone number by SMS or call back. Enter this code in full and select ‘Log in’
10. You may be asked if you want to set up biometric authentication, either with your fingerprint or facial recognition (depending on the device you’re using). If you do not want to do this, select ‘Not now’
How do I link a Junior ISA to another account?
You can link a child’s Junior ISA to your own account. To get set up:
- Log in to your account.
- Your name will be displayed above an overview of your account. Click the ‘Add linked account’ tab next to it
- Click the 'Add Account' button.
- Enter your child's username, date of birth and security details.
Once the accounts are linked, the name of the linked account will appear in the tab next to yours.

This video has various screen captures, along with a voice over. Descriptions of what is shown in the video are described below:

Title: How to link accounts in minutes

"Setting up your linked account access is easy. First, you need to log into your account and go to the 'Account settings' section. (Video shows the my accounts & dealing summary page, and the location of the 'Account settings' section, which is the 7th and last option in the row of tabs, after 'Retirement')

Next, choose the 'Linked accounts' option on the left hand side. (video shows the 'Account settings' area, and cursor clicking the 'Linked accounts' option, which is 6th in the list on the left hand side links, inbetween 'Share dealing and live prices' and 'Email preferences and share alerts')

Here you're able to view all the accounts you have access to. If the linked account that you have access to is currently set to 'view-only', and you want to give yourself trade access to that account, click the 'edit' button and your options will be shown. (video displays 'edit' being selected, this then displays your options)

If you are changing from 'view only access' to trading access you'll need the person who you are linked to enter their online password and secure number, (video shows this) as they'll be confirming they're happy for you to have this level of access to their account. Once they've provided these details you'll now have trading access to their account.

Likewise, you can restrict the access that you have to a linked account by changing the access level from 'trading' to 'view-only'. To do this you'll hit the edit button. (Video shows this) To change from 'trading' access, to 'view-only' access, simply select the button and click 'save'.(Video shows this) You'll not be asked to enter the linked account security details because you're reducing the access that you have to the account. (video shows that this edit is being made)

The ability to amend the linked account access level can be amended by both parties. If you've given someone permission to link to your account and you want to amend the level of access they have, you can do this via the same 'Linked accounts' tab in 'Account settings'. At the bottom of the page you'll be able to see who has access to your account. To amend the access level hit the 'Edit' button next to the account that has access to yours.

Since you're controlling what access other people have to your account you will not be asked to re-enter your security details, even if you're giving someone else trading access to your account."

This video hopefully helps you understand the process, but it should not be taken as personal advice. Please remember that all investments can fall as well as rise in value, so you could get back less than you invest. This video is just an example, not personal advice.

How to add money to a Junior ISA?

Anyone can add money to a Junior ISA, including grandparents, friends and relatives. Please read the key features and terms and conditions (including tariff of charges) first.

Add money online or with the HL app

Log in to your child’s Junior ISA online or with the HL mobile app. Select ‘Top up’ from under ‘Actions’ and follow the instructions to add money with your debit card.

Gifting money online: Select ‘Top up a Junior ISA’ and follow the instructions to add money with your debit card. You’ll need the child’s client number and date of birth to hand.

Add money by phone or post

To add money by phone, call us on 0117 980 9950.

To add money by post, complete a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA Top-up form and send it to us at Freepost HARGREAVES LANSDOWN with a cheque made payable to HLAM Junior ISA Client A/C.

If you’re gifting money by post, please include your full name, address and date of birth. To make investment instructions as well as gifting money, please make sure your letter is also signed by the account’s registered contact.
How to withdraw money from a Junior ISA?

Only your child can withdraw money from their Junior ISA, and only from their 18th birthday.

The money can also be withdrawn in the case of terminal illness or the death of the child.
What are the different types of Junior ISA?

A Junior ISA is an Individual Savings Account (ISA) for a child under 18. There are two types of Junior ISA. With a Junior Cash ISA you can save cash for your child. With a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA you can invest for your child. Like all ISAs, money in a Junior ISA is free from UK Income and Capital Gains Tax. Tax rules can change and benefits depend on personal circumstances.

Your child can have one or both types of Junior ISA, but not more than one of each type. Only your child can take money from their Junior ISA, and only after they turn 18.

We offer a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA, which we’ll convert into a regular Stocks and Shares ISA for your child when they turn 18.
Who can open an HL Junior ISA?
A parent or legal guardian can open an HL Junior ISA.

You can open an HL Junior Stocks and Shares ISA for your child if they:
- Are UK resident
- Under 18 years old and
- Don’t already have a Child Trust Fund or Junior Stocks and Shares ISA elsewhere
If your child has a Child Trust Fund or Junior Stocks and Shares ISA elsewhere, you'll need to transfer it to HL rather than starting a new one.

Unless they’re the legal guardian of the child, grandparents and other family members can’t open a Junior ISA for a child. But they can add money to one once it's open.
What is the Junior ISA allowance?

In the 2024/2025 tax year, the Junior ISA allowance is £9,000. The deadline to add money each tax year is midnight 5 April.
Who can pay into a Junior ISA?

Although the Junior ISA has to be opened by a parent or legal guardian, anyone can make a subscription up to the annual limit e.g. parents, grandparents, friends and relatives.

Hargreaves Lansdown will not obtain consent from the registered contact before accepting subscriptions to a Junior ISA. Payments will remain as cash in the account pending an investment instruction from the registered contact.
Who is eligible for a Junior ISA?

You can start a new HL Junior Stocks and Shares ISA for your child if they are a UK resident, under 18 years old, and don’t already have a Child Trust Fund or Junior Stocks and Shares ISA elsewhere.

If your child has a Child Trust Fund or Junior Stocks and Shares ISA elsewhere, you'll need to transfer their ISA rather than starting a new one.
Can you invest by Direct Debit for a Junior ISA?
Yes, it’s possible to set up a monthly Direct Debit from £25 a month.

To set this up:
1. Log in to your account and choose the account in which you'd like to set up a Direct Debit
2. Click 'Monthly Savings'
3. You'll need your bank details to hand
Find out more about investing by direct debit
What happens when the child turns 18?

When the child reaches age 18 their Junior ISA will be converted into a Stocks and Shares ISA.

At age 18 the child will receive full access to their investments and savings and can withdraw their money if they wish to.
What’s the minimum I need to start an HL Junior Stocks and Shares ISA?

You can open an HL Junior Stocks and Shares ISA from £100, or with a monthly Direct Debit from £25 a month.
Should you save or invest your child's Junior ISA?

Cash is usually used for short-term savings, where you need the money in less than 5 years. But if you’re saving for your child your outlook might be longer than this. Investing in the stock market using a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA could help your child’s money beat inflation. It also offers the potential for greater rewards in return for accepting a higher level of risk. Still not sure whether to save or invest? Find out more here.

More Junior ISA FAQs

Best Buy Junior ISA
Boring Money Awards 2024

Best Investment App
Boring Money Awards 2024

Best Online Stockbroker
The Personal Finance Awards 2023/2024

Help and support

If you have any questions about the HL Junior ISA, call our helpdesk or send us a message.