Junior ISA Frequently Asked Questions

Junior ISAs are children’s savings accounts introduced by the Government in 2011 for parents to save on behalf of their child. A child from age 16 can also open their own Junior ISA. Family and friends have the opportunity to gift money into the Junior ISA up to the child’s 18^th birthday.

Any child under the age of 18 and a UK resident can have a Junior ISA.

A child born between 1^st September 2002 and 2^nd January 2011 is likely to have a Child Trust Fund. A Child Trust Fund can be transferred to a Junior ISA, but a child cannot have both at the same time.

The parent who is the Registered Contact of the Plan can check the Plan value of your child’s Junior ISA with our online MyPlans account. With MyPlans you can view the value of the Plan, fund performance, access documents and make contributions to the Plan online 24/7. Activate your account today >

Both a Junior ISA and Child Trust Fund are savings initiatives that the Government introduced to encourage parents to save on behalf of a child.

CTFs were also only available to children born between 1^st September 2002 and 2^nd January 2011. Junior ISAs were introduced in June 2011. Child Trust Funds received a monetary voucher, Junior ISAs do not.

Another difference is the contribution year – for CTFs this runs from the child’s birthday to birthday. The contribution period for a Junior ISA is each tax year (6th April to the 5th April each year). However, the annual contribution allowance for both Plans is £9,000.

To find out more, read our article about the differences between a CTF and a Junior ISA.

There is no interest rate as our Junior ISA invests in stocks and shares and is not a Cash ISA. Stocks and Shares Junior ISAs have the aim of providing better growth than cash in the long-term.

According to independent research (Barclays Equity Gilt Study 2021) in every 10-year holding period over the past 112 years, the probability of equities outperforming cash was 91%. It was 76% for a 5-year period over the past 117 years.

Our Junior ISA invests in the Foresters Stakeholder (Schroders) Managed 1 Fund. Learn more about the fund performance >

As the Stocks and Shares Junior ISA invests in the stock market, there is no interest rate. The main difference between Stocks and Shares and Cash Junior ISAs is that the value of investment can decrease as well as increase.

The money is locked away in the Junior ISA until your child reaches age 18. When your child turns 18, they will be able to access the money. Find out more about accessing the money at age 18 >

Yes, the Registered Contact of the Junior ISA can be changed. The Planholder (the child) is able to manage the account from age 16 if they wish. To change the Junior ISA Registered Contact, please call our Customer Services team on 0333 600 0333. Our telephone lines are open from 8:30am - 5:00pm Monday to Friday.

Yes, if you’re aged 16 or over you can become the Registered Contact to manage your Junior ISA. If you would like to become the Registered Contact of the Plan, please contact Customer Services on 0333 600 0333. Our telephone lines are open from 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday to Friday.

If you wish to discuss a Junior ISA, we have Financial Advisers available to discuss your current or future financial needs, by video appointment or face-to-face. As they are paid directly there is no charge for the advice given. Request a Financial Adviser >

You can see the Plan value of your Junior ISA by activating your online MyPlans account. With MyPlans you can view the account’s balance, fund performance, access documents and make contributions to your Plan online 24/7.

Find out how the Junior ISA can make a difference at age 18 >

The annual contribution limit for Junior ISAs is £9,000 this tax year.

The minimum contribution for our Junior ISA is £10 a month, or £20 for a single contribution.

The money is locked away in the Junior ISA until your child reaches age 18. When your child turns 18, they will be able to access the money and the Plan will mature and automatically roll into an Adult ISA. Find out more about accessing the money at age 18 >

There are a number of ways you can contribute into a Junior ISA. The minimum contribution amount is £10 for a monthly contribution and £20 for a single contribution. You can set up a Direct Debit from as little as £10 and you can make a one-off payment by cheque or debit card. Debit card payments can also be made online using MyPlans. You can also make payments over the phone with our Customer Services team.

Yes, you can pay into a Junior ISA by cheque payable to Forester Life Ltd using our Junior ISA Gift Contribution Form. Please write to us at Freepost RSKL- ATSJ- JHYS, Foresters House, 2 Cromwell Avenue, Bromley, BR2 9BF.

There are a number of ways you can gift money into a Junior ISA. The minimum contribution amount is £10 for a monthly payment and £20 for a single contribution. You can set up a Direct Debit from as little as £10 and you can make a one-off payment by cheque or debit card. Debit card payments can also be made online using MyPlans. You can also make payments over the phone with our Customer Services team.

Yes anyone can gift to a child’s Junior ISA, including friends and relatives. You can set up a Direct Debit from as little as £10 and you can make a one-off payment by debit card or cheque.

Friends and family also have the choice to set up their own Gifters online MyPlans account after making the contribution to the child's Plan, making it easier to make a payment. Our payments are flexible, so you can stop, pause, increase or decrease contributions to the Plan whenever you like.

You can set up a Direct Debit by using our Junior ISA Gift Contribution Form. Please write to us at Freepost RSKL- ATSJ- JHYS, Foresters House, 2 Cromwell Avenue, Bromley, BR2 9BF. Alternatively, you can do this online using your MyPlans account. Family and friends can also set up their own Direct Debit payments by setting up an online Gifters MyPlans account or calling our Customer Services team on 0333 600 0333. Telephone lines are open from 8:30am - 5:00pm Monday to Friday.

To change your Direct Debit, please contact Customer Services on 0333 600 0333. Our telephone lines are open from 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can do this through your online MyPlans account.

To change the collection date on your Direct Debit, please contact Customer Services on 0333 600 0333. Our telephone lines are open from 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday to Friday.

To stop your Direct Debit monthly contributions, please contact us on 0333 600 0333. Our lines are open from 8:30am – 5:00pm Monday to Friday.

If you and/or your child are not UK residents, you are not eligible to open a Junior ISA.

A Junior ISA can only be opened by someone with legal parental responsibility. If you have legal parental responsibility for your grandchild you are eligible to become the Registered Contact and can open a Plan on their behalf.

However, anyone can gift to a child’s savings Plan. Learn more about ways to save for your grandchildren >

You do not have to transfer but you can if you wish. For more information, read our article about the differences between a Junior ISA and Child Trust Fund.

You can transfer an existing Junior ISA into a Junior ISA with Foresters. We don’t charge entry, exit or transfer fees. Visit our transfer page >

You can transfer a Child Trust Fund into a Junior ISA. We don’t charge entry, exit or transfer fees. Learn more about transferring your child's savings to Foresters >

Our Junior ISA invests in the Foresters Stakeholder (Schroders) Managed 1 Fund, which moves to the Foresters Stakeholder (Schroders) Managed 1A Fund after 10 years. This fund follows the same investment strategy but benefits from lower annual management charges. Find out more about Schroders and their strategies >

As the Forester Life Junior ISA fund is professionally managed by Schroders, they make investment decisions for you, so you don’t have to know much about investing. Find out more about Schroders and the fund the Junior ISA invests in >

There is only a 1.5% annual management charge for our Junior ISA, reducing to 1% after 10 years. You can also find the charges for the Plan in the Junior ISA Key Information Document (KID), Brochure and Terms and Conditions.

This is the price the fund is valued at, based on investment performance. You can work out the value of your Plan by multiplying the number of units held by the unit price. You can find the fund unit price for our Junior ISA on our Fund Unit Prices page. Alternatively, you can view the number of funds held and other fund information through your MyPlans account.