Child Trust Fund: how to find a child's account and claim the money at 18

A Child Trust Fund (CTF) is a savings account the government opened for children born in the UK between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011. The scheme closed in 2011, but the accounts still exist and keep growing. As the oldest of these children have now turned 18, millions of accounts have matured and the money is waiting to be claimed.

Who owns the money?

The money belongs to the child. They can take control of the account at 16 and withdraw the money at 18. Before then, parents and relatives can pay in — up to £9,000 a year is allowed. Many families have simply forgotten the account, and the sum built up over the years with it.

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How to find a "lost" account

If you do not know which bank or building society holds the account, you can find it free through HMRC. GOV.UK has a "Find a Child Trust Fund" service: a parent, or the young person themselves from age 16, submits a request and HMRC sends back the name of the provider holding the account. There is no need to pay a middleman to search — the official service is free.

What to do at 18

Once the owner turns 18 they can withdraw the money, move it into an ordinary adult ISA, or leave it invested. If you do not need the cash now, moving it into an ISA is a sensible way to let it keep growing tax-free.

What else matters

A child cannot hold a Child Trust Fund and a Junior ISA at the same time: to switch to a Junior ISA (often on better terms), open a Junior ISA and ask the provider to transfer the CTF into it. If you are the parent of a child of the right age, check whether an account exists while the child is young — it is easier to manage then. Always get the current rules and the search link from GOV.UK.