Who Can Open and Pay Into a Junior ISA?
A Junior ISA can be opened for a child who is under 18 and living in the UK, by a parent or guardian with parental responsibility or, from 16, by the child. Anyone can pay in, within the yearly limit. The money belongs to the child, who can take control at 16 and can withdraw from 18, apart from the exceptions gov.uk lists. A yearly limit of £9,000 applies to the child's Junior ISAs, and a child cannot hold a Junior ISA and a Child Trust Fund at the same time.
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 is about people and permissions: who opens the account, who owns it, who decides what, and what happens at key ages. For how the yearly limit works in practice and how the two account types differ, see our guide to the Junior ISA allowance.
Who can have a Junior ISA?
The rules on the child are set out on the government's Junior ISA page. In summary, the child must:
- be under 18
- be living in the UK
- not have a Child Trust Fund account
There is one exception to the residence rule. A child living abroad may still qualify where a parent is a Crown servant and the child depends on that parent for care. If a family is planning a move abroad, the provider is the place to ask how the account would be treated, because the pages we reviewed do not set out further detail.
Who can open a Junior ISA?
Gov.uk says only parents or a guardian with parental responsibility can open a Junior ISA for a child under 16, and that children aged 16 and over can open their own. A grandparent, aunt, uncle or family friend without parental responsibility therefore cannot open one for a child under 16, although anyone can pay in (see below).
The same person normally manages the account for as long as the child is under 16. Managing means dealing with the provider, choosing between a cash or a stocks and shares account, and deciding how the money is held. Gov.uk calls the person who opens the account the registered contact and says only the registered contact can manage it; a child aged 16 or over can become the registered contact.
What documents a provider asks for depends on the provider, so it is worth asking what they need before starting.
Who can pay into a Junior ISA?
The yearly limit is £9,000, and it applies to the child, not to each account or each person paying in. That means contributions from everyone across every Junior ISA the child holds count towards the same total in the same tax year. The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April.
Gov.uk says anyone can pay money into a Junior ISA, but the total amount paid in cannot go over the yearly limit. That means grandparents, other relatives and friends can pay in even though they cannot open the account for a child under 16. How a provider takes payments from other people, and what reference or payment method it asks for, is a question for the provider.
Because the money belongs to the child, a payment into a Junior ISA is a payment the child owns from that point. It is not the adult's own savings.
Where several people are paying in, how the running total is tracked is worth asking the provider about, because the yearly limit covers everyone's payments together. To try different totals, the Junior ISA calculator shows how regular contributions could build up, using assumed rates that are not forecasts.
Can a child have more than one Junior ISA?
A child can have one or both types: a cash Junior ISA and a stocks and shares Junior ISA. Gov.uk describes the two types as tax-free, with cash accounts paying tax-free interest and stocks and shares accounts offering tax-free growth and dividends. Investments in a stocks and shares account can go down as well as up, and the child may get back less than has been paid in.
Gov.uk says a child can have only 1 cash Junior ISA and 1 stocks and shares Junior ISA. Whichever combination is used, the single yearly limit of £9,000 covers all of them together.
What about a Child Trust Fund?
A child cannot have a Junior ISA and a Child Trust Fund at the same time. Gov.uk says you can transfer a Child Trust Fund account to a Junior ISA, and to contact a Junior ISA provider to do this. In other words, the route to a Junior ISA for a child with a Child Trust Fund is a transfer, not a second account.
Who owns the money, and who decides?
The money belongs to the child from the moment it is paid in. Two ages matter, and both are set out in the rules data:
- At 16, the child can take control of the account. That can mean dealing with the provider directly and making decisions about how the account is run.
- At 18, the child can withdraw the money. Before that, gov.uk says money cannot be taken out, apart from the exceptions described below.
The adult managing the account does not own the money, because gov.uk says it belongs to the child. The adult is acting as manager on the child's behalf, not as the owner.
Who can do what: a quick table
| Person | Open the account | Manage the account | Pay in | Withdraw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parent or guardian with parental responsibility | Yes | Yes, until the child takes control | Yes, within the yearly limit | Not before the child is 18, apart from the special cases below |
| Grandparent, relative or friend without parental responsibility | No, not for a child under 16 | No | Yes, within the yearly limit | No |
| Child aged under 16 | No | No | Yes, within the yearly limit | No |
| Child aged 16 or over | Yes, can open their own | Can become the registered contact | Yes, within the yearly limit | Not until 18, apart from the exceptions below |
| Child aged 18 | Not applicable | The account has turned into an adult ISA | Not as a Junior ISA | Yes |
The final row reflects that a Junior ISA is for children under 18: gov.uk says Junior ISAs automatically turn into adult ISAs when the child turns 18. Other details, such as the type of adult ISA, are questions for the provider in the checklist below.
Can money come out before the child is 18?
In general, no. There are two situations that gov.uk lists as exceptions.
- Terminal illness. The registered contact can apply to withdraw early if the child is terminally ill, using an early access form (the gov.uk page explains where it goes). Gov.uk sets different time limits for taking the money out in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, so the page for the relevant nation should be read.
- Death. If the child dies, gov.uk says any money in their Junior ISAs will be paid to whoever inherits their estate, which it says could be their spouse or partner if they were over 16 and married or in a civil partnership. You do not need to contact HMRC, but you tell the account provider so they can close the child's Junior ISAs.
These are difficult situations, and the process for each is on the gov.uk page on a child who is terminally ill or dies.
What to check with your provider
- Who can pay into the account besides the registered contact, and by what method?
- What documents are needed to show parental responsibility?
- Can a child who has reached 16 take control online, and how does that change access for the adult?
- What happens to the account at 18, and how is the child told?
- Is there a charge for transferring a Child Trust Fund or another Junior ISA into the account?
- How are contributions from several people tracked against the yearly limit?
More on how Junior ISAs sit alongside other accounts is in our ISA rules overview, and our guide to the different types of ISAs covers the adult accounts a young person may move to.
Frequently asked questions
Can a grandparent open a Junior ISA?
Not for a child under 16: gov.uk says only parents or a guardian with parental responsibility can open a Junior ISA for a child of that age, and that children aged 16 and over can open their own. A grandparent can pay in, up to the yearly limit.
Who can pay into a Junior ISA?
Gov.uk says anyone can pay money into a Junior ISA, but the total amount paid in cannot go over the yearly limit of £9,000, across all of the child's Junior ISAs.
Does the yearly limit apply to each person who pays in?
No. The limit of £9,000 applies to the child across all their Junior ISAs, so payments from every source in the same tax year count towards one total.
Can a child have a Junior ISA and a Child Trust Fund?
No. A child cannot have both at the same time. Gov.uk says a Child Trust Fund account can be transferred to a Junior ISA, and to contact a Junior ISA provider to do this.
Can the money be taken out before the child is 18?
Generally not. The child can take control of the account at 16 but cannot withdraw until 18. Gov.uk lists exceptions for a terminally ill child and for the child's death.
What if the child lives abroad?
A child must be living in the UK, with an exception where a parent is a Crown servant and the child depends on them for care.
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.
