Child Trust Funds: how to find a lost one, and what happens at 18

Between 2005 and 2011, almost every child in the UK born from September 2002 onwards was given a Child Trust Fund, with a government payment to start it off. Many families never chose where to put it, lost the paperwork or moved house, and the accounts carried on quietly in the background.

Those children are now teenagers and young adults. If your child was born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011, they almost certainly have one, even if you've never seen a statement.

The short version: you can find a Child Trust Fund for free with HMRC's online service. Your child can take control of it at 16 and take the money out from 18. Before then, you can move it into a Junior ISA if that suits you better.

Who has a Child Trust Fund?

According to GOV.UK, Child Trust Funds were given to children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011. The scheme closed in 2011, and Junior ISAs replaced it.

The government paid in to get each account going:

Children in local authority care got the higher amounts. The details are in the 2010 Act's explanatory notes.

If parents didn't choose a provider, the government opened an account for the child anyway. That's a big reason so many families don't know where theirs is.

The unclaimed Child Trust Fund problem

HMRC says that around 827,000 matured Child Trust Funds are still waiting to be claimed, worth £2,310 on average (HMRC, September 2026). Almost 3 million have been claimed or moved since the first accounts matured in 2020.

That's real money for a young adult: a first car, driving lessons, a deposit on a flat share, or a head start on their own investing.

How to find a lost Child Trust Fund

If you know the provider, contact them directly. If you don't, use HMRC's free Find a Child Trust Fund service.

Who can use it:

• Parents or guardians of a child under 18
• Young people aged 16 or over, looking for their own

What you'll need:

• For your child: their full name, address and date of birth, and any previous names you or they have used. Their National Insurance number helps if they have one, but it's optional
• For yourself (16 and over): your National Insurance number

Worth knowing:

• You have to finish the form in one go; you can't save it and come back
• HMRC writes back with the provider's details, usually within 3 weeks. Postal requests take longer
• If you've heard nothing after 6 weeks, contact HMRC
• The service can't find Junior ISAs, only Child Trust Funds

It's free. You don't need to pay anyone to find a Child Trust Fund for you.

Once you know the provider, contact them to get online access or a statement. They'll check who you are before telling you the balance.

What happens at 16

At 16, your child can take control of the account. That means they can manage it and speak to the provider themselves, instead of you. They still can't take any money out.

It's a good moment for a conversation. Look at the statement together: how much the government put in, what's been added since, and what it's grown to. For many teenagers, it's the first time they've seen that money can grow while you're not looking.

What happens at 18

At 18, the money belongs to your child and they can take it out.

They have three main choices:

1. Take the money out and spend or save it
2. Leave it where it is
3. Move it into an adult ISA, with the same provider or a different one

If they do nothing, the money isn't lost. The rules say the provider must move it into a "protected account" on the same terms as before (Child Trust Funds Regulations, reg 13B). It stays there until your child gives instructions. But it's much better to find it and decide, rather than let it sit forgotten.

Moving a Child Trust Fund into a Junior ISA

A child can't have a Child Trust Fund and a Junior ISA at the same time. If you'd like a Junior ISA instead, the Child Trust Fund has to be moved into it.

Why some families move:

• Junior ISAs often have lower charges, especially for a simple index fund
• More choice of funds and providers
• One account for everything, including new payments

Why some families stay:

• The existing account's charges and investments may already suit you
• It's one less thing to do

The same £9,000 yearly limit applies to both, and both grow free of UK tax. The age-16 and age-18 rules are also the same.

How to move it:

1. Choose a Junior ISA provider that accepts Child Trust Fund transfers. Not all do: Fidelity and Vanguard, for example, don't take them directly, while Hargreaves Lansdown does
2. Open the Junior ISA and ask for a Child Trust Fund transfer
3. Fill in the transfer form with the Child Trust Fund's details
4. The new provider arranges the rest. Don't take the money out yourself

Our Junior ISA providers comparison looks at charges and fund choice. Squids-In is independent, and we don't earn anything from any provider or fund we mention.

If your child is 16 or 17, time is short. A transfer can take several weeks, and the money becomes theirs at 18 anyway, so it may be simpler to let them decide at 18.

A Child Trust Fund calculator, of sorts

There's no official calculator, because every account is different. The statement is the only way to know what's actually in it.

But you can get a feel for what a single sum could become. For example, £250 growing at 5% a year for 18 years would be about £600. That's an illustration, not a promise: many Child Trust Funds were in cash or higher-charge funds and grew much less, and some grew more.

Our one-off gift calculator shows what a single sum could grow to. If you move a Child Trust Fund into a Junior ISA and keep paying in, the Junior ISA calculator shows what regular payments could add.

Common questions

Q: I've found my child's Child Trust Fund. Can we still pay into it?

A: Yes. Anyone can pay in, up to £9,000 a year from everyone combined, until your child turns 18.

Q: My child has turned 18 and we've only just found it. Is it too late?

A: No. The money is kept for them. Your child can contact the provider, prove who they are, and decide what to do with it.

Q: Does a Child Trust Fund affect benefits?

A: GOV.UK says it doesn't affect benefits you receive.

Q: Can I take money out early?

A: No. Like a Junior ISA, a Child Trust Fund is locked until 18.

Key points

• Born 1 September 2002 to 2 January 2011? Your child almost certainly has a Child Trust Fund
• Around 827,000 matured accounts are unclaimed, worth £2,310 on average
• HMRC's finder is free and usually replies within 3 weeks
• 16: your child can take control. 18: the money is theirs
• You can move it into a Junior ISA, but check the provider accepts Child Trust Fund transfers

Next steps

1. Check your child's date of birth against the dates above
2. If you don't know the provider, use Find a Child Trust Fund
3. Get a statement and look at it together with your child
4. Decide whether to keep it, move it into a Junior ISA, or plan for 18

Related guides:

• What happens to a Junior ISA at 18
• How to open a Junior ISA
• Junior ISA providers compared
• How to talk to your kids about money

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This article is for education only and isn't financial advice. Rules can change, so check GOV.UK for the latest. The value of investments can go down as well as up.