Find my Child Trust Fund: how to trace your child's savings

In short

• How to find a Child Trust Fund: if you know who runs the account, contact the provider directly. If not, ask a parent or guardian, and if that doesn't help, ask HMRC, which does not charge for this (as of November 2026, GOV.UK). Don't pay any company to find out where the account was opened.
• Who has a CTF: children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011 (GOV.UK). HMRC's reply comes by letter, usually within 7 weeks of an online request.
• 16 and 18: at 16 your child can take over the account, but they can only take the money out on their 18th birthday, when the account "matures" (GOV.UK).
• Junior ISA: a CTF can be transferred to a Junior ISA through the Junior ISA provider. A child cannot have both accounts at the same time (GOV.UK).
• Paying-in limit: £9,000 for a Junior ISA in the 2026/27 tax year and £9,000 a year for a CTF; Annex A to the 2026 Budget gives the same amount for 2027/28 (GOV.UK).

Who has a Child Trust Fund, and what the account is

A Child Trust Fund (CTF) is a long-term, tax-free savings account for children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011 (as of November 2026, GOV.UK). The scheme closed in 2011, and you can open a Junior ISA instead. According to HMRC, accounts were set up with an initial government deposit of at least £250 (HMRC). If a parent or guardian did not set up an account for their child, the government opened one on the child's behalf.

The government does not hold this money. CTFs are held in banks, building societies or with other savings providers. There is no tax to pay on the income or any profit a CTF makes, and the fund does not affect any benefits a parent receives.

According to HMRC (February 2026, figures up to April 2025), 758,000 young people have yet to claim the money in their CTF, and the average fund was worth £2,242 (GOV.UK).

Lost Child Trust Fund: how to find out where the account is

If you don't know where the CTF is, work through these steps in order (as of November 2026, GOV.UK):

1. If you know who the account is with, contact the CTF provider directly.
2. If you don't know the provider, ask a parent or guardian.
3. If you still can't find out, ask HMRC. It can tell you where the account was originally opened, and it does not charge for this.

There are also other free services for finding a CTF provider, such as the Share Foundation.

Who can ask HMRC. Anyone aged 16 or over who is looking for their own trust fund, or a parent or guardian of a child under 18. You can't use the Ask HMRC to find a Child Trust Fund tool to find a Junior ISA, and it will not tell you how much money is in the account.

What to have ready. The request asks for a National Insurance number and, if they apply, your adoption details. A parent or guardian looking for a child's trust fund also needs the child's full name, address and date of birth, and any previous names that the parent or the child has used. You can include the child's National Insurance number if you have it. You have to complete the form in one go: you can't save it and come back to it later. To find out online where a CTF is held, you need sign-in details, which you can set up when you make your request (GOV.UK).

What to expect. HMRC sends a letter with the details of the CTF provider, usually within 7 weeks of receiving an online request. Postal applications take longer. If you don't get a response within 9 weeks, you can write to HMRC and include your reference number if you have one. Address: Charities, Savings and International 1, HMRC, BX9 1AU.

Child Trust Fund at 16 and after 18

The main contact for a CTF account is called the "registered contact" (as of November 2026, GOV.UK). They have certain responsibilities until the child turns 18 or takes control of the account. Only they can, through the CTF provider, tell the provider how to invest the fund, change the address and other personal details, change the type of account (for example from cash to stocks and shares) and move the account to another provider. The registered contact can be changed to someone else with parental responsibility if both parties agree.

At 16 your child can take over the account by contacting the CTF provider, or leave you in charge of it. The money belongs to the child, who can only take it out at 18.

On their 18th birthday the CTF "matures": the child automatically takes over the account and no more money can be added. The young person can then take out the money or transfer it to an adult ISA, and the Child Trust Fund closes. Until they do, the money stays in an account that no one else has access to.

If your child lacks the mental capacity to manage the account. A parent, close friend or relative has to apply to the Court of Protection for a "financial deputyship order". On 3 November 2026 the government announced legislation to replace this process with simpler access to CTFs. The details are still to be worked out, and the source gives no date for the changes to take effect. The Court of Protection will remain available as an alternative route (GOV.UK).

A child in local authority care. Some such children have a CTF set up on their behalf, and the Share Foundation is the registered contact for these accounts. It manages the account until the child turns 18, until the child, having turned 16, takes over the account themselves, or until someone takes parental responsibility, for example through adoption. In England, children who have been in local authority care for 12 months or more and are not eligible for a CTF are entitled to a £200 government payment into a Junior ISA (as of November 2026, GOV.UK).

Moving a CTF to a Junior ISA, and how Junior ISAs work

You can transfer a CTF to a Junior ISA: contact a Junior ISA provider (as of November 2026, GOV.UK). A child cannot have a CTF and a Junior ISA at the same time, so when you open a Junior ISA, ask the provider to transfer the trust fund into it.

• Who can have a Junior ISA: a child under 18 who lives in the UK. A child living outside the UK only if the parent is a Crown servant (for example in the UK's armed forces) and the child depends on them for care.
• Two types: a cash Junior ISA (no tax on interest) and a stocks and shares Junior ISA (no tax on capital growth or dividends). A child can have one or both, but only one of each type.
• Who opens and manages it: for a child under 16, only a parent or guardian with parental responsibility; children aged 16 and 17 can open their own Junior ISA. The money belongs to the child, and the registered contact manages the account. A child aged 16 or older can become the registered contact.

How to open a Junior ISA:

1. Choose the type of account: cash, stocks and shares, or both.
2. Choose a provider. Junior ISAs are offered by banks, building societies, credit unions, friendly societies and stock brokers.
3. Get an application form from the provider.

Money can be transferred between a child's Junior ISAs and between a CTF and a Junior ISA. It cannot be transferred between a Junior ISA and an adult ISA. Money in a Junior ISA can only be taken out once the child turns 18, with exceptions (one is a child's terminal illness, described below). On the child's 18th birthday the Junior ISA automatically turns into an adult ISA.

Junior ISA limit (and the CTF limit)

Paying-in limits according to Annex A to the 2026 Budget documents (as of November 2026, GOV.UK):

The GOV.UK guide to Junior ISAs currently gives the amount for 2026/27, so check the current amount before paying in during a new tax year.

Junior ISA. Anyone can pay money in, but the total cannot go over £9,000 in a tax year (in 2026/27, from 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027) (GOV.UK). The limit covers both types of account: if £2,000 has been paid into a child's cash Junior ISA, only £7,000 can be paid into their stocks and shares Junior ISA in the same tax year.

Child Trust Fund. You can still pay in up to £9,000 a year, and the year runs from the child's birthday to the day before their next birthday (GOV.UK). You can't carry any unused part of the limit over to the following year. Payments made by the government do not count towards the limit, apart from payments made by a local council to a child in care. Anyone can pay in.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

In the GOV.UK guides to CTFs and Junior ISAs, the differences between the parts of the UK concern two matters (as of November 2026, GOV.UK).

A child who lacks the mental capacity to manage the account after turning 18. The application for a "financial deputyship order" is made to the Court of Protection. In Scotland it is made to the Office of the Public Guardian in Scotland, and in Northern Ireland to the Office of Care and Protection.

A child's terminal illness. The registered contact can take money out of a CTF or Junior ISA early. "Terminally ill" means the child has a disease or illness that is going to get worse and is not likely to live more than 6 months. How long you have to take the money out depends on where you live:

You need to fill in the "terminal illness early access" form to let HMRC know about the child's illness and that you want to take money out, and provide evidence of the illness (GOV.UK). The form should be completed by the person responsible for managing the account, and the child can claim themselves if they are over 16 and managing the account. The child's medical practitioner completes the "early access medical report" form if evidence is required.

Frequently asked questions

Will HMRC tell me how much money is in a Child Trust Fund account?

No. The HMRC tool shows where the account was opened, but not how much is in it (as of November 2026, GOV.UK). Once you know the provider, contact them directly.

Can I transfer money from my child's Junior ISA to my own ISA?

No, you cannot transfer money between a Junior ISA and an adult ISA (as of November 2026, GOV.UK). On the child's 18th birthday, their Junior ISA automatically turns into an adult ISA in their name. We explain the rules for adult ISAs in our guide to ISA accounts in the UK: types, limits and rules.

What happens to the money if a child is terminally ill or dies?

If a child is terminally ill, the registered contact can take money out of a CTF or Junior ISA early (as of November 2026, GOV.UK). If a child dies, the money in a CTF passes to whoever inherits their estate, often a parent. You tell the CTF provider, who will usually need proof, for example the death certificate. For a Junior ISA you don't need to contact HMRC, but you need to tell the account provider so they can close the accounts (GOV.UK).

Where to get help

• HMRC tool Ask HMRC to find a Child Trust Fund (as of November 2026, GOV.UK): free search for a CTF provider.
• Contacting HMRC about a CTF: the Child Trust Fund: enquiries page leads to online contact, with no phone number. If HMRC needs to contact you about anything confidential, it replies by phone or post.
• Your CTF or Junior ISA provider: questions about the account, transfers and withdrawals.
• Share Foundation — taking over management of a CTF: a parent of a child who was in care can contact the foundation about this at info@sharefound.org or on 01296 310 400 (GOV.UK does not give opening hours).
• Related guides: school for your child in the UK and banking, credit and credit history in the UK.