A Junior ISA is a long-term, tax-free savings or investing account for a child under 18 who lives in the UK. A parent or guardian opens it, anyone can pay in, and up to £9,000 can go in for each child in the 2026/27 tax year. The money belongs to the child, and they can take it out when they turn 18.
You might also hear it called a child ISA or a baby ISA. These are just other names people use for a Junior ISA, not separate products.
For the 2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027), up to £9,000 can be paid in for each child. That covers all their Junior ISAs together.
Default split: £2,000 cash and £7,000 stocks and shares.
Use it or lose itAny allowance not used by 5 April is gone, and it can't be carried over to the next year.
A parent or guardian with parental responsibility opens the account for a child under 16 and looks after it. They're called the registered contact. Children aged 16 or 17 can open their own.
From birth
A parent or guardian can open it.
Under 16
A parent or guardian looks after it.
16 and 17
They can take control of it, or open their own.
At 18
They can take the money out.
Anyone can pay in, so parents, grandparents, family and friends can all add money. The total just needs to stay within the £9,000 limit for that child.
One child's Junior ISA
Up to £9,000 a year
Paying in doesn't use up your own £20,000 adult ISA allowance, because the child's limit is separate.
Whatever goes in is a gift to the child and can't be given back.
There are two types. A child can have one cash Junior ISA, one stocks and shares Junior ISA, or one of each.
You can split the £9,000 between both types. Some families think about how many years are left until the child turns 18 when they decide how to split it.
The account becomes an adult ISA in their name. From then on it's their decision whether to take the money out or leave it in.
This guide explains how Junior ISAs work. It isn't advice about what's right for your family.
A Junior ISA is a tax-free savings or investing account for a child under 18 who lives in the UK. The money belongs to the child, and they can take it out at 18.
Yes. "Child ISA" is just an informal name for a Junior ISA. The official name is Junior ISA, sometimes shortened to JISA.
It's an informal name, not an official product. People usually mean a Junior ISA opened for a baby or young child, and the same Junior ISA rules apply.
Anyone can pay in, including parents, grandparents and friends. The total for the child can't go over £9,000 in the 2026/27 tax year.
Up to £9,000 in total for each child between 6 April 2026 and 5 April 2027. That limit covers cash and stocks and shares Junior ISAs added together.
At 18. They can take control of the account at 16, but the money can't come out before 18 except in rare cases, such as terminal illness.
Yes. A child can have one cash Junior ISA and one stocks and shares Junior ISA, as long as the total paid in stays within the yearly limit.
The Junior ISA automatically turns into an adult ISA, and your child can take the money out or leave it there. From then on, it's fully theirs to manage.
Yes. A child can't hold both, so to open a Junior ISA you ask the Junior ISA provider to transfer the Child Trust Fund into it.
No. The £9,000 Junior ISA limit is separate from, and on top of, your own £20,000 adult ISA allowance.
No. Any part of the £9,000 not used by 5 April is lost. It can't be carried forward to the next year or back to an earlier one.
No. Money paid in is a gift to the child and belongs to them, so it can't be returned to whoever paid it in.
The government has said the £9,000 limit will stay the same until April 2031. Limits can still change at a future Budget, so check GOV.UK.
Education and planning, not financial advice. Capital at risk when you invest. Rules and allowances can change, so check GOV.UK.
Facts checked on GOV.UK, HMRC and MoneyHelper on 21 Oct 2026.
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