What is a Junior ISA?
A Junior ISA is a tax-free savings or investment account for a child under 18 who lives in the UK. Up to £9,000 can be paid in for each child in the 2026/27 tax year, and the money belongs to the child.
- Junior ISA limit
- £9,000
- Per child, across their cash and stocks and shares Junior ISAs combined.
- GOV.UK: Junior Individual Savings Accounts (ISA)
- ISA allowance
- £20,000
- Total across all your adult ISAs in the tax year. The government has said it will stay at £20,000 until 05/04/2031.
- GOV.UK: Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs)
Tax year 2026/27. Checked 22/09/2026.
How it works
A Junior ISA is a long-term, tax-free account for a child. There are two types: a cash Junior ISA, where no tax is paid on the interest, and a stocks and shares Junior ISA, where the money is invested and no tax is paid on growth or dividends. A child can have one of each type.
The money belongs to the child, not to the parent who opened the account.
Who can open one
The child must be under 18 and living in the UK. A child living abroad can only get one if their parent is a Crown servant (for example in the armed forces or diplomatic service) and the child depends on them for care.
For children under 16, only a parent or guardian with parental responsibility can open a Junior ISA. Children aged 16 and 17 can open their own.
A child cannot have a Junior ISA and a Child Trust Fund at the same time. A Child Trust Fund can be transferred into a Junior ISA.
Paying in
Anyone can pay into a Junior ISA, including grandparents and friends. The total paid in for the child across both types cannot go over £9,000 in the 2026/27 tax year. For example, if £2,000 goes into the child’s cash Junior ISA, only £7,000 can go into their stocks and shares Junior ISA that year.
The Junior ISA limit is separate from the adult £20,000 allowance. At Budget 2025 the government said it will stay at £9,000 until 05/04/2031.
Access and control
The money cannot be taken out until the child turns 18. The exceptions are terminal illness and death.
The person who opens the account is the “registered contact” and manages it. A child aged 16 or over can become the registered contact for their own account, but still cannot withdraw until 18.
At 18 the Junior ISA automatically becomes an adult ISA and the young person can take the money out.
Transfers and risk
Money can be moved between a child’s Junior ISAs, and from a Child Trust Fund into a Junior ISA, but not between a Junior ISA and an adult ISA.
In a stocks and shares Junior ISA the value can fall as well as rise. Capital at risk. Past performance is not a guide to future returns.
Questions people ask
›How much can be paid into a Junior ISA in 2026/27?
£9,000 per child for the tax year ending 05/04/2027, across the child’s cash and stocks and shares Junior ISAs combined.
›Can grandparents pay into a Junior ISA?
Yes. Anyone can pay in, but only a parent or guardian with parental responsibility can open the account for a child under 16, and the total from everyone is capped at £9,000 a year.
›When can the child get the money?
At 18. The account then becomes an adult ISA in the child’s name. Early access is only possible in cases of terminal illness.
›Can a child have a Junior ISA and a Child Trust Fund?
No. A child cannot hold both. The Child Trust Fund can be transferred into a Junior ISA by contacting the Junior ISA provider.
Related guides
Sources
This is information, not advice. Tax treatment depends on your circumstances and can change. For free, impartial guidance, MoneyHelper (backed by the government) can help; for a personal recommendation, speak to a regulated financial adviser.