Transferring a Lifetime, Junior or Stocks and Shares ISA
Updated:
A transfer moves an ISA from one provider to another using a transfer form. A withdrawal takes the money out, and gov.uk says you will not be able to reinvest that part of your tax-free allowance again. Stocks and Shares ISAs follow the general transfer process, but Lifetime and Junior ISAs come with extra restrictions, and moving a Lifetime ISA to another type of ISA before age 60 can attract the 25% withdrawal charge.
The site's rules data was last checked against gov.uk on 26 September 2026. Figures typed in this guide may not yet reflect a later change, and the descriptions of gov.uk pages are summaries that may also lag. The current figures are on the ISA rules at a glance page. General information only, not financial advice.
This guide covers what differs for these three ISA types. The general process, including the transfer form and the difference between current-year and previous-year money, is in our complete guide to transferring ISA accounts, so it is not repeated here.
What is the difference between a transfer and a withdrawal?
Gov.uk says that to move an ISA you contact the ISA provider you want to move to and fill out an ISA transfer form (GOV.UK: transferring your ISA).
If you instead take the money out yourself and pay it into a new account, that is a withdrawal. Gov.uk states that you will not be able to reinvest that part of your tax-free allowance again. The current allowance is £20,000 for the 2026-27 tax year, and you can check the full picture on our ISA rules page.
A simple example with assumed figures: someone holds £10,000 in a Stocks and Shares ISA. If they use the transfer form, the £10,000 is moved between the providers. If they instead sold the holdings and withdrew the £10,000, gov.uk says they would not be able to reinvest that part of their tax-free allowance again. How a transfer is counted against the year's allowance is worth asking both providers. Gov.uk says that if your ISA is flexible you can take out cash and put it back in the same tax year without reducing that year's allowance; that is a separate feature from a transfer, and whether an account has it is a question for the provider.
How long do ISA transfers take?
The transfer timescales set out on gov.uk are:
- 15 working days for transfers between Cash ISAs.
- 30 calendar days for other types of transfer.
A working day excludes weekends and bank holidays, while a calendar day counts every day. That means the two figures are not measured the same way. Gov.uk also says you can transfer cash from an innovative finance ISA to another provider, but you may not be able to transfer other investments from it, and that a provider may make you pay a charge for a transfer. The timing and cost for any particular account are questions for the provider.
Gov.uk also says there are restrictions on transfers for a Lifetime ISA or a Junior ISA, so ask the provider which timescale applies.
Can a Stocks and Shares ISA be transferred?
Gov.uk describes a general process for moving an ISA to another provider and says a transfer can be to a different type of ISA or the same type; the restrictions it mentions are for Lifetime ISAs and Junior ISAs. What is different from a Cash ISA transfer is mainly what is being moved and how long it takes.
A Cash ISA holds money, so it moves as cash. A Stocks and Shares ISA holds investments, and there are two broad ways it can move:
- In cash: the current provider sells the investments and sends the cash to the new provider. The investments are out of the market between the sale and the purchase at the new provider, so the value can change in that period. The prices at which the sale and re-purchase happen can differ from the prices before and after.
- In specie: the investments are moved as they are, without being sold. Whether this is possible depends on both providers, on what the investments are, and sometimes on fees.
Whether a provider offers both methods, and whether a particular investment can move in specie, are questions for the providers. Gov.uk does not set out which method a provider must offer, so this is a question for both the sending and receiving provider. Investments can go down as well as up, and that applies to any period spent uninvested.
Gov.uk says a transfer can be to a different type of ISA or the same type, so a move from a Stocks and Shares ISA to a Cash ISA is a transfer between different types. Regulations made on 10 September 2026 (SI 2026/1018, regulation 13, which inserts regulation 21(4ZA), read on legislation.gov.uk on 6 October 2026) allow transfers from a stocks and shares or Innovative Finance ISA to a cash ISA from April 2027 if the ISA holder is 65 or over at the end of the tax year; this is made in law, not yet in force (see upcoming ISA changes). Whether a receiving provider accepts such a transfer and how long it takes are questions for the provider.
How does a Lifetime ISA transfer work?
Gov.uk says there are restrictions on the transfers you can make if you have a Lifetime ISA. The most clearly stated one concerns the withdrawal charge (GOV.UK: Lifetime ISA guide, the whole-guide version, which also carries the death case and the Help to Buy ISA point below).
Withdrawing from a Lifetime ISA for any reason other than the authorised ones (buying a first home, being aged 60 or over, terminal illness, or the holder's death) attracts a 25% charge. Gov.uk says that if you withdraw the entire pot, the charge applies to the total amount in the ISA, including the government bonus. Gov.uk also says you will pay the 25% charge if you withdraw money or transfer the Lifetime ISA to another type of ISA before 60. For the full picture of when the charge applies and when it does not, see our guide to Lifetime ISA withdrawal rules.
Two points follow from the wording:
- Gov.uk says the 25% charge applies if you transfer a Lifetime ISA to another type of ISA (for example a Stocks and Shares ISA that is not a Lifetime ISA) before age 60.
- Moving money in the other direction is described differently for one case. Gov.uk says money can be transferred from a Help to Buy ISA into a Lifetime ISA, but moving from a Lifetime ISA to a Help to Buy ISA attracts the charge.
What gov.uk does not spell out on the pages used here is the process for moving a Lifetime ISA to a different Lifetime ISA provider, or whether a provider will accept transfers in from other ISAs. Those are questions to ask both providers. The Lifetime ISA calculator can show how the account is treated, but it cannot tell you what a specific provider allows.
An assumed example: a Lifetime ISA holds £8,000 in total, including bonus. If it were moved to a different type of ISA before age 60, gov.uk says the charge applies. Gov.uk states the charge as applying to the total amount in the ISA where the entire pot is withdrawn; how a provider works out the charge on a transfer is a question for the provider.
How does a Junior ISA transfer work?
Gov.uk says there are restrictions on the transfers you can make if you have a Junior ISA. The pages used for this guide say a child can have one or both types of Junior ISA (cash and stocks and shares), and that a Child Trust Fund account can be transferred to a Junior ISA by contacting a Junior ISA provider (GOV.UK: Junior ISAs).
Gov.uk also says a child aged 16 or over can become the registered contact, and that money cannot be taken out of a Junior ISA until the child turns 18, apart from the terminal illness and death cases described on gov.uk.
Gov.uk's page on managing a Junior ISA says the registered contact can change the account, for example from a cash to a stocks and shares Junior ISA, and can change the account provider. The step-by-step process is for the providers to explain. The yearly Junior ISA limit is £9,000, and the Junior ISA calculator can be used to model growth on an assumed basis.
Summary table: what can move where?
| From | To | Allowed? | Points to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifetime ISA | Another Lifetime ISA | Ask the provider (gov.uk does not detail it) | Process, timescale, and whether any charge would apply |
| Lifetime ISA | A different ISA type, before age 60 | Possible, but gov.uk states the 25% charge applies | Gov.uk states the charge on the total amount, including the bonus, for withdrawing the entire pot; ask how it is worked out on a transfer |
| Junior ISA | Another Junior ISA provider | Gov.uk says the registered contact can change the account provider; ask the provider how | Which provider handles it, how long it takes |
| Cash Junior ISA | Stocks and shares Junior ISA | Gov.uk says the registered contact can change the account, for example from cash to stocks and shares; ask the provider how | Whether it is a transfer or a new account, and how it is done |
| Stocks and Shares ISA | Another provider | Yes, by transfer | In cash or in specie, time out of the market, fees |
| Stocks and Shares ISA | Cash ISA | Gov.uk says a transfer can be to a different type; regulations made on 10 September 2026 (SI 2026/1018, regulation 13, which inserts regulation 21(4ZA), read on legislation.gov.uk on 6 October 2026) allow it from April 2027 if the ISA holder is 65 or over at the end of the tax year | Whether the receiving provider accepts it, timescale |
| Cash ISA | Cash ISA | Yes, by transfer | 15 working day timescale |
What to check with your provider
- Does the receiving provider accept transfers into this ISA type?
- Is the transfer made in cash or in specie, and is either optional?
- How long will any period out of the market last, and will it be recorded?
- Are there exit, transfer or re-registration fees at either end?
- For a Lifetime ISA: would the 25% charge apply, and how will the provider treat the transfer?
- For a Junior ISA: who has to sign the request, the registered contact or the child?
Frequently asked questions
Is transferring an ISA the same as withdrawing money?
No. A transfer moves the ISA to a new provider using a transfer form, while a withdrawal takes money out. Gov.uk states that if you withdraw the money without using the transfer process, you will not be able to reinvest that part of your tax-free allowance again.
Does moving a Lifetime ISA to another ISA type cost anything?
Gov.uk says the 25% charge applies if a Lifetime ISA is withdrawn from or transferred to another type of ISA before age 60. For withdrawing the entire pot, gov.uk says the charge applies to the total amount in the ISA, including the bonus; ask the provider how it is worked out on a transfer.
How long does a Stocks and Shares ISA transfer take?
The rules give 30 calendar days for transfers other than cash-to-cash. In practice the time depends on whether investments are sold or moved in specie, so the providers can say what applies.
Can a Junior ISA be moved to another provider?
Gov.uk says restrictions exist on Junior ISA transfers, and its manage-an-account page says the registered contact can change the account provider. The process is a question for the Junior ISA providers involved.
This guide does not constitute financial advice. Your personal situation, tax position, and savings goals may mean different strategies are appropriate. Consider speaking to a regulated financial adviser if you are uncertain.
