Please bear in mind that the value of stocks and shares can fall as well as rise and the child could get back less than has been paid in.
The tax advantages of Junior ISA depend on you and your child's individual circumstances and the tax treatment of Junior ISAs may change in the future.
There’s an annual management charge of 1.5%.
For help with product information and key terms used, please see the 'Important information' section below.
How to apply
Apply for a Junior ISA account
Please review the information below before applying:
Our Junior ISA is designed to provide a child with a tax-efficient lump sum at the start of their adult life.
It can be set up by parents and legal guardians of the child with a regular Direct Debit from as little as £10 per month or a lump sum of £100 or more. You can also transfer from an existing Junior ISA or from a Child Trust Fund.
Once the account is opened anyone can contribute by Direct Debit, bank transfer or cheque. The only limit is the maximum amount per year: £9,000 in the 2023/24 tax year.
Please bear in mind that only the child can access the money and only after they turn 18.
Management fees
There's an annual management charge of 1.5%.
Definitions
Junior ISA: Junior Individual Savings Account
There are two types of Junior ISA: cash accounts and stocks & shares accounts.
Providing they are eligible, a child can hold a cash account, a stocks and shares account; or a cash and a stocks and shares account. A child can hold no more than one cash account and one stocks and shares account at any one time. You can invest up to £9,000 into a Junior ISA in the 2023/24 tax year (6th April to 5th April).
Tax-efficient: Returns will be free of UK income tax and capital gains tax.
0300 & 0345: Calls to 0300 & 0345 numbers will cost no more than calling a standard geographic number starting with 01 or 02 from your fixed line or mobile and may be included in your call package dependent on your service provider. Calls may be monitored or recorded for training and compliance purposes.
0800: All calls to 0800 numbers are free of charge whether made from a landline or mobile phone. Calls may be monitored or recorded for training and compliance purposes.
FAQs
A Post Office Junior ISA can be opened for any eligible child aged under 16. Only someone aged 16 years or over and who has parental responsibility for the child can open the account. The person who opens the account will be the 'Registered Contact' and is the only person that instructions will be accepted from. Once the child turns 16 they can then decide if they want to become the Registered Contact of the account.
There are two types of Junior ISA available in the market – a stocks & shares Junior ISA and a cash Junior ISA. Your child can only hold one of each type. Post Office only offers a stocks & shares Junior ISA, which is provided by OneFamily.
An eligible child can hold:
just a cash account
just a stocks and shares account; or
both a cash and a stocks and shares account
A child can hold no more than one cash account and one stocks and shares account at any one time. This is a stocks and shares Junior ISA.
The Post Office Junior ISA is designed for parents looking for a long term, investment which will provide potential for growth by investing mainly in UK and overseas shares along with fixed interest investments. Please bear in mind that the value of stocks and shares can fall as well as rise and the child could get back less than has been paid in.
You should only consider this account if you are comfortable with the risks involved with stock market based investments and you expect the money will remain invested for at least 10 years. Please note that neither Post Office nor OneFamily provide advice on this product. If you have any doubts about the suitability of this product, you should seek independent financial advice.
The Post Office Junior ISA is invested in the Family Balanced International Fund, which is a sub-fund of an ICVC.
The fund aims to achieve long-term growth. It does this by investing mainly in UK and overseas shares, along with fixed interest investments.
ICVC stands for Investment Company with Variable Capital. An ICVC is a type of company or fund specially created to invest in other companies and other investments. ICVCs usually have one or more sub-funds in which investors can buy shares to create a pool of money, which is then managed by an experienced Investment Adviser on their behalf. These experts use this money to buy investments such as stocks and shares. By doing this, an individual's money can be invested across a wide range of assets, helping to spread the risks associated with investing in stock market linked investments.
Please bear in mind that the value of stocks and shares can fall as well as rise and the child could get back less than has been paid in.
Open a Post Office Junior ISA with a regular Direct debit from as little as £10 per month or a lump sum of £100 or more.
You can also open a Post Office Junior ISA by transferring at least £100 from an existing Junior ISA or Child Trust Fund held with another provider. Before making a decision to transfer your child's Junior ISA or Child Trust Fund you should check if your current provider will charge a fee.
Once the account is open, anyone can make payments into the account of at least £10.
The maximum amount that can be paid into the account is £9,000 in the 2023/24 tax year. If your child holds both a stocks and shares Junior ISA and a cash Junior ISA this limit is shared across both accounts.
The rules for Junior ISAs along with the amount that can be paid into the account are set by HMRC and are subject to change.
A tax year runs from 6th April to 5th April the following year.
Payments can be made by Direct Debit, bank transfer and cheque.
Junior ISA statements are issued quarterly. You can view your statements in your online account.
There is an Annual Management Charge of 1.5%. Charges will have the effect of reducing any growth in the fund value.
The proceeds from the account are free of income tax and capital gains tax.
The fund is subject to tax.
Tax advantages depend on you and your child's individual circumstances and the tax treatment of Junior ISAs may change in the future.
Yes, your child's Post Office Junior ISA can be transferred in full to another provider at any time.
Only the child can access the money in the account and only once they reach the age of 18.
Yes, you have 30 days to cancel the account if you change your mind. This 30-day period begins from the date you receive your Welcome Pack.
You can cancel the account by phone or in writing. If you instruct us to cancel, any shares held will be sold. If the value of the account has fallen, the proceeds will be less than the amount that has been paid in.
For details of your options following the cancellation of a transfer, please contact Customer Services. Cancellation rights are not offered on transfers between two Junior ISAs that are both provided by OneFamily.
If you have a complaint, we want to know. In the first instance you should contact the Customer Service Centre on 0800 169 7500 or write to us at:
Post office Junior ISA
OneFamily
16-17 West Street
Brighton
BN1 2RL
We will aim to provide you with a full response within four weeks of the date we receive your complaint and our response will be our final decision based on the evidence presented. If for any reason there is a delay in completing our investigations, we will explain why and tell you when we hope to reach a decision.
In any event, should you remain dissatisfied or fail to receive a final answer within eight weeks of us receiving your complaint, you may have the right to refer your complaint to an independent authority for consideration. That authority is the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) at:
Financial Ombudsman Service
Exchange Tower
Harbour Exchange Square
E14 9SR London
Please note that if you wish to refer this matter to the FOS you must do so within 6 months of our final decision. You must have completed the above procedure before the FOS will consider your case.
Small print
Information correct as at 31st July 2023.
OneFamily is a trading name of Family Assurance Friendly Society Limited (incorporated under the Friendly Societies Act 1992, Reg. No. 939F), of which Family Equity Plan Limited (Co. No. 2208249) is a subsidiary. Financial Services Register numbers 110067 and 122351 respectively. Registered in England and Wales at 16-17 West Street, Brighton, BN1 2RL, United Kingdom. Family Assurance Friendly Society Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Family Equity Plan Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Bank of Ireland UK is a trading name of Bank of Ireland (UK) plc which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under registration number 512956. Registered in England and Wales (No. 07022885). Registered Office: Bow Bells House, 1 Bread Street, London, EC4M 9BE.
The above details can be checked on the Financial Services Register by visiting the Financial Conduct Authority website.
Post Office Limited is registered in England and Wales (No. 2154540). Registered Office: 100 Wood Street, London, EC2V 7ER. Post Office and the Post Office logo are registered trademarks of Post Office Limited.
