Who is a Junior ISA suitable for?
A JISA can be opened by a parent or guardian of any child living in the UK, and who is under the age of 18. Anyone, such as family and friends, can contribute cash gifts into the JISA on behalf of the child, and the annual contribution limit is currently £9,000* per annum for the tax year.
You can have a Cash JISA and a Stocks & Shares JISA, both of which are sheltered from UK income and Capital Gains Tax. Only one of each type of JISA may be held at any given time.
Once a child turns 16, they can take control of the account, but they cannot withdraw the funds until they are aged 18. At this age, the savings can be rolled into an Individual Savings Account (ISA) where the money can continue to benefit from long-term growth with the same beneficial tax treatment.
"Teach your child the value of money and the importance of saving. It's a gift that will last a lifetime."
Tim Bennett
Capital at Risk
Please remember as with all investments your money can rise and fall. Past performance is not an indicator of future returns. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change in future.
What are the benefits of saving into a stocks & shares JISA?
- Tax-efficiency: Any interest or investment growth in a JISA is sheltered from UK income and Capital Gains Tax.
- By investing, rather than holding cash, you can aim for above inflation returns, often not possible with rates of interest in cash accounts.
- Long-term savings: As funds from a JISA cannot be withdrawn prior to age 18 (except for select circumstances), JISAs provide a long-term savings plan. This means that over time the funds held within the JISA have time to benefit from investment growth as well as compound growth (as any gains are reinvested).
- Easy to set up and save into, some providers even make it easy for friends and family to gift money.
- Although you are limited to one Stocks & Share JISA per child, you can transfer them from one provider to another. If you have an existing Child Trust Fund, you can also transfer this to a new provider or into a Junior ISA.
- Choice of investment: Flexibility to choose the type of investments or service that is right for your child's needs and suits your risk level. Often these investments can be managed on your behalf.
What to consider?
- Start saving early. The earlier you start saving, the more time your child’s money has to grow and benefit from compound growth.
- Save regularly. Even if you can only save a small amount each month, it will add up over time and can also avoid issues with trying to time investments into the market, by drip-feeding investments through market movements and cycles.
- Set realistic goals – we recommend investing for a minimum of five years, so your child’s savings have the best chance to grow. If access to the funds is required prior to the child turning 18 (for example to fund school fees), it may be better to look for an alternative option. Those new to investing can learn more here or watch our Killik Explains: Tax savings basics 2 - what is a JISA? video.
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Common mistakes to avoid
- Not utilising your annual allowance. You can save or invest up to £9,000 per tax year into a Junior ISA. If you don't use your allowance, you are missing out on a valuable opportunity to save for your child's future tax-efficiently.
- Not diversifying your investments. If you choose to invest in a stocks & shares JISA it is important to diversify. Don’t invest in a single company stock. Spreading your money across different assets, sectors and geographies, helps to reduce the risk of any single area of underperformance.
- Avoid short term decisions – once you’ve put money into a JISA, you can’t withdraw it and it will remain until your child takes control aged 18. You can switch providers, investments or between stocks & shares to cash and vice versa. Focus on the long term, as over the course of your child’s entire childhood, you have time for investments to recover from short-term volatility and return to growth.
Our investing app service
Our app-only service, Silo can be a great option for newer investors or those looking to contribute smaller amounts regularly into an ISA, Junior ISA or General Investment Account.
Anything you save into the app is invested on your behalf, into one of several low-cost funds, based on your objectives and attitude to risk. Funds offer a convenient and efficient way to invest in a basket of well-diversified investments.
“A Managed service can be a good option during the early years of investing, whilst building knowledge and experience.”
Mike Pate
Why choose us?
Here at Killik & Co we can manage your investments on your behalf or provide you with the market expertise and counsel to allow you to manage them independently.
We offer stocks & shares JISAs via all our services, including our investment app, SILO, which allows you to save regularly with no minimum amounts, and which are invested and managed on your behalf by our in-house experts. Silo even makes it simple for friends and family to gift money to your child’s JISA.
We have a series of complementary financial "How to" Guides...
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