Who has one
- Born in the UK between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011, with Child Benefit claimed for you — the government opened the account automatically if your parents didn’t.
- The government paid in a starting voucher (£250, or £500 for lower-income families), with further top-ups for some children. Family and friends could add more.
- The money became yours at 18 — but it doesn’t arrive automatically. It sits with the provider, still invested, until you claim it. That’s why three-quarters of a million accounts are unclaimed.
- Grew up in care, or moved house a lot? You’re among the most likely to have a lost account — and The Share Foundation runs a dedicated free finding service.
Find it — free, in 3 steps
- Go to GOV.UK and search “Find a Child Trust Fund”. Sign in with Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login (creating one takes minutes).
- Give your details — name, date of birth and National Insurance number. HMRC replies, usually within 3 weeks, naming the provider that holds your account.
- Contact the provider for your balance and options.
No NI number or grew up in care?
The Share Foundation (sharefound.org) traces Child Trust Funds free of charge and specialises in helping care-experienced young people find theirs. Parents can also trace an account for a child under 18.
What you can do with it
- Withdraw it — the provider pays it to your bank account. The money is yours, tax-free.
- Transfer it into an adult ISA — keeps it growing tax-free, and a matured CTF transfer doesn’t use up your annual ISA allowance.
- Under 18? The account keeps growing until your 18th birthday; at 16 you can take over managing it (but not withdraw).
The scam and the fee trap
Real HMRC contact comes by post only
HMRC has been writing to 21-year-olds about unclaimed accounts since April 2026 —
by letter. Any text, email, WhatsApp or phone call about your Child Trust Fund is a
scam: don’t click the link, don’t give bank details, forward scam texts free to
7726, and run anything suspicious through
our scam checker.
Never pay a tracing firm
Some companies charge fees — or take a cut of your money — for doing exactly what GOV.UK does free in about 3 weeks. Hundreds of pounds of a £2,200 account can disappear in fees. The official route costs nothing.
Do this now
Born between September 2002 and January 2011 (or your child was)? Spend 15 minutes tonight: search “Find a Child Trust Fund” on GOV.UK and submit the form. The average reply is worth about £2,200.
Know a 19–23-year-old? Tell them — most people with an unclaimed account have no idea it exists.