Frequently asked questions

Junior ISA basics

• What is a 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 tax.

  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.

• 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 is eligible for a Junior ISA?

  Starting a new 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. See the Transferring to a Junior ISA section below for details.

• What happens when my child turns 18?

  When your child turns 18, we’ll convert their HL Junior Stocks and Shares ISA into an HL Stocks and Shares ISA. They’ll get full access to their investments and savings, and they can take out money if they want 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.

Managing your child's Junior ISA

• How do I set up a Direct Debit for a Junior ISA?

  You can set up a Direct Debit from £25 a month. You can set this up online, by calling us on 0117 900 9000, or by downloading a Junior ISA Direct Debit form. Please make sure you read the key features first.

  You can set up your Direct Debit payments to invest automatically into funds, FTSE 350 shares and selected investment trusts and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Or you can hold your payments as cash and decide where to invest later.

  Direct Debits will be taken on the 7th of the month (or the next working day) and investments are made on the 10th (or the next working day).

• How do I 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 do I 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.

• Who can buy or sell investments in a Junior ISA?

  Only the parent or guardian who is the registered contact for the Junior ISA can buy or sell investments.

  If you’re not the registered contact and would like to gift money into a Junior ISA, you can include a letter of instruction for investments as long as it’s also signed by the registered contact of the account.

• What happens to any income from investments in a Junior ISA?

  You can set up your child’s Junior ISA to treat income in one of two ways:

  Reinvest your child's income

  With this option, any income will automatically go back into your child’s investments once it reaches £10 per holding. If you’d like, you can choose a reinvestment level between £10 and £1,000. Reinvestments are made between the 11th and 21st of each month. You won't pay dealing charges but for overseas shares, our normal foreign exchange charges apply.

  Keep income as cash

  Income will stay in your child’s Junior ISA as cash with this option. You can use the cash to pay charges, or reinvest it for your child when you choose.

• What are the interest rates paid on cash held in Junior ISA?

  You can see the current interest rates paid in our accounts here.

Junior ISA charges

Please see the Junior ISA charges page to view all Junior ISA and dealing charges.

• Where can I see my child's Junior ISA account charges?

  You can view your account charges by logging in to your child’s Junior ISA, choosing the ‘Account administration’ tab, then selecting ‘View history of fees charged’.

• How do I pay account charges?

  We automatically take charges from available cash on the account each month.

  If there’s not enough cash in the account, we’ll collect charges from your child’s Loyalty Bonus Account (if there’s cash available). Otherwise we’ll start to sell some of your child’s Junior Stocks and Shares ISA investments to cover charges. There is no additional charge for this.

Transferring to a Junior ISA

• Can I transfer a Junior ISA?

  Yes. But your child can only hold one of each type of Junior ISA at a time. This means if you want to transfer a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA to us, you’ll need to transfer the whole Junior ISA.

  If you want to transfer a Junior Cash ISA, you can transfer the whole Junior ISA, or just part of it if your provider allows. However, any money you put in this year needs to be transferred in full.

  If your child was born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011, they automatically received £50 or more from the government in a Child Trust Fund when they were born. The Child Trust Fund scheme is now closed, but you can transfer your child’s Child Trust Fund to an HL Junior Stocks and Shares ISA.

  You can find your child’s Child Trust Fund by visiting the government's Child Trust Fund page or by contacting HMRC.

  You’ll need to be the named parent or guardian on the account you’re transferring from.