Important information - please keep in mind that the value of investments can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you invest. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and all tax rules may change in the future. Withdrawals from a Junior ISA will not be possible until the child reaches age 18. You can't normally access money in a pension until age 55 (57 from 2028). It’s important to understand that pension transfers are a complex area and may not be suitable for everyone.
While money isn’t everything when it comes to children, having something put aside while they’re young can really help them once they’ve entered the adult world. This money might go towards university costs, for example, or one of the big expenses they face a little further on, such as a first car, a wedding or the deposit for a first home. It could even give them a head start on their retirement savings.
Whatever you want to help them with, it can pay to make sure your investments are as tax efficient as possible. That’s why we offer a Junior ISA and a Junior Self-Invested Personal Pension (JSIPP). Both are tax efficient, as you don’t pay income or capital gains tax on investments held in these accounts, and we don’t charge a service fee on our junior accounts. Ongoing fund charges and other fees will apply depending on your investments.
A child’s annual ISA and pension allowances reset at the start of every tax year on 6 April, just as they do for adults. These valuable allowances are all separate so if you use up their Junior ISA allowance, for example, you can still put money in a Junior SIPP.
Accounts must be set up by the child’s parents or guardian, but grandparents, relatives and close friends can then pay in lump sums or make regular savings payments. You just need to coordinate who’s paying in what, as the child’s parents or guardian must decide where the money will be invested and ensure the annual allowances aren’t exceeded.
| At a glance | Junior ISA | Junior SIPP |
|---|---|---|
|
Tax efficient |
Yes |
Yes |
|
20% tax relief |
No |
Yes |
|
Yearly allowance |
£9,000 |
£2,880 from the child and £720 in tax relief making a total of £3,6001 |
|
Who the registered contact can be |
Parent or guardian |
Parent or guardian |
|
Age your child gets control |
18 |
18 |
|
Age your child can access money |
18 |
normally from 55 (57 from 2028)2 |
|
Who is able to open an account |
Parent or guardian |
Parent or guardian |
|
Maximum age of child you can open an account for |
17 or under |
17 or under |
|
Minimum regular savings |
£25 per month |
£20 per month |
|
Minimum lump sum investment |
£100 |
£800 |
1for children who aren’t earning.
2Withdrawals could be subject to income tax and tax rules could change in the future. The minimum age that most customers can access their pension benefits is age 55 (57 from 2028).
A quick note about Child Trust Funds: Child Trust Funds were available to children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011. However, these have now been replaced by the Junior ISA. As both saving schemes carry tax advantages, it’s not possible to have both. We cannot open a Junior ISA for anyone with a Child Trust Fund.
It’s easy to open a
Junior ISA and a
Junior SIPP online and you have until 5 April 2025 to use this year’s allowance. You can:
Top up your existing accounts by 5 April to make the most of this year's allowances.
We’re proud to have been recognised with the coveted Boring Money Best Buy JISA award for the last three years running - compiled using customer reviews and Boring Money’s own rigorous testing, charges and customer service evaluations - recognising all-round excellence.
See our awards“In the chaos of those early years, your kids’ university education or first house purchase, let alone retirement, probably seems impossibly far away. But there’s no better time to start saving for those apparently distant events than now.”
Important information - before making your decision, please read our transfer guide Moving your investments to Fidelity which explains the options available and gives you the important information you need to know. It’s important to understand that pension transfers are a complex area and may not be suitable for everyone. Before going ahead with a pension transfer, we strongly recommend that you undertake a full comparison of the benefits, charges and features offered. To find out what else you should consider before transferring, please read our transfer factsheet. If you are in any doubt whether or not a pension transfer is suitable for your circumstances we strongly recommend that you seek advice. This information is not a personal recommendation in respect of a particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity's advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice.
