Child Trust Fund Maturity Calculator — CTF Value at 18 & ISA Rollover

The Child Trust Fund was a government savings scheme for children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011. The government gave a starting voucher of £250-£500 (more for lower-income families). Parents and relatives could contribute up to £9,000 per year. CTFs matured when the child turned 18.

CTFs mature on the child's 18th birthday. Children born in 2002-2011 are therefore turning 18 between 2020 and 2029. If the account isn't claimed when the child turns 18, it moves to a 'Protected Account' with the provider, earning interest (or invested returns) until claimed.

Yes. At 18, the CTF holder can transfer their CTF to an adult ISA. Crucially, this transfer does NOT count against the annual ISA allowance (£20,000 for 2025/26) — it's an additional amount that can be sheltered tax-free. This special rule makes CTF-to-ISA transfer particularly valuable.

Many CTFs were opened by HMRC on behalf of families who didn't claim the voucher — assigned to a stakeholder CTF provider. Use HMRC's online tool (hmrc.gov.uk) to locate a missing CTF by providing the child's National Insurance number. NI numbers are issued to all children at age 16.

This varies enormously depending on whether contributions were made and fund type. Government contributions of £250-£500 at birth, invested in stocks for 18 years with no additional contributions, might have grown to £800-£2,000. With regular contributions, values can be significantly higher.

Yes, up to £9,000 per year in total (all contributors combined). Contributions continue until the CTF matures at 18. After maturity, no new contributions can be made — the money must be claimed or transferred to an ISA.

When a CTF matures and isn't claimed, the provider automatically moves it to a 'Protected Account' — a simple savings/investment account with the same provider. Money is accessible but not specifically an ISA. The 18-year-old should claim and transfer to an ISA to keep the tax-free wrapper.

No. CTF growth (interest, dividends, capital gains) is completely tax-free while in the CTF. When transferred to an ISA, the tax-free status continues. If withdrawn and invested elsewhere, normal tax rules would apply on future growth.

Cash CTFs earn interest (similar to a savings account). Stocks & shares CTFs are invested in funds (often tracking the FTSE All-Share index). Over 18 years, stocks have historically outperformed cash, but carry more short-term volatility. Parents who didn't choose had a 'stakeholder' CTF assigned — usually a default equity tracker.

Yes. Parents can request to switch a CTF from cash to stocks & shares, or vice versa, from the CTF provider. You can also switch providers at any point. Consider potential charges when switching providers.

No. Unlike a Junior ISA, a CTF cannot be accessed before the child's 18th birthday except in very limited circumstances (terminal illness). Contributions go in but cannot come out until maturity.

No — CTFs cannot be converted into Junior ISAs. They must remain as CTFs until maturity at 18, then transfer to an adult ISA. If you want to save separately, you can open a JISA for additional savings alongside the CTF (if eligible — those with CTFs were allowed to also have JISAs from 2015).