Unclaimed Child Trust Fund: who qualifies in 2026/27

If you were born in the United Kingdom between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011, there is a real chance a savings account was opened in your name and you have never touched it. Unclaimed Child Trust Fund eligibility comes down to that date of birth plus a parent or guardian having claimed Child Benefit for you (or you having been looked after by a local authority), and tracing the account through HM Revenue and Customs costs nothing.

The Financial Conduct Authority said in September 2026 that roughly 760,000 matured accounts, worth more than £1.5 billion between them, are still sitting unclaimed. The money is not the government's and it does not expire. It is held by banks, building societies and other savings providers, waiting for the person whose name is on it.

Unclaimed Child Trust Fund eligibility: who qualifies

GOV.UK sets out the basic test. A Child Trust Fund is a long-term, tax-free savings account for children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011. The scheme closed to new accounts in January 2011 and was replaced by Junior ISAs.

According to the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group, an account was set up if a parent or guardian claimed Child Benefit for you, or you were looked after by the local authority, and you were living in the UK and not subject to immigration control.

The part most people get wrong: you do not need your family to have opened anything. If parents did not use the voucher within a year, HM Revenue and Customs opened an account on the child's behalf. The Institute for Fiscal Studies puts that at around 30% of all accounts. So "am I entitled to an unclaimed Child Trust Fund?" is usually answered by your date of birth, not by whether anyone in your family remembers a bank.

About 6.3 million accounts were opened in total, according to the House of Commons Library briefing on Child Trust Funds.

What an unclaimed Child Trust Fund is worth in 2026/27

The headline numbers move a little depending on who is counting and when:

• HM Revenue and Customs, using data to April 2025, found 758,000 matured accounts held by 18 to 23 year olds still unclaimed, averaging £2,242 each.
• HM Treasury, in June 2026, said more than 750,000 young adults have unclaimed matured accounts averaging roughly £2,200, totalling more than £1.6 billion.
• The Financial Conduct Authority, in September 2026, put it at roughly 760,000 accounts averaging around £2,000.

So the honest answer is roughly £2,000 to £2,200 on average, with plenty of pots above and below that. Yours depends on the government's opening payment (at least £250, or £500 for children in low-income households or in local authority care), anything family paid in, and how the investments have done since.

Two things GOV.UK is clear about: there is no tax to pay on Child Trust Fund income or profit, and simply holding one does not affect benefits you receive. If you are on a means-tested benefit such as Universal Credit and you are about to withdraw a large sum, check the capital rules with Citizens Advice first, because money sitting in your bank account is treated differently from money in the fund.

Accounts are still maturing until 2029, as the youngest holders turn 18.

The rule people trip over

The money belongs to the child, not the parent. GOV.UK explains that a parent or guardian manages the account until the child is 16, the young person can take over managing it from 16, and nobody can withdraw a penny before the 18th birthday.

That catches out families who assumed a parent could cash it in early for something urgent. They cannot.

The harder version of this rule affects young people who lack the mental capacity to manage their own money. Once they turn 18, no one, not even a parent who has cared for them their whole life, has an automatic right to the account. The Public Accounts Committee reported that the Ministry of Justice estimates between 63,000 and 126,000 young people may be in this position.

Getting access means legal authority: a financial deputyship from the Court of Protection in England and Wales, a controller application to the Office of Care and Protection in Northern Ireland, and guardianship or intervention orders under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 in Scotland. GOV.UK guidance on form COP44B says there is no Court of Protection fee to access a Child Trust Fund where the child is under 18 and has savings under £4,250 or monthly income under £1,420, and you can apply for help with fees after the 18th birthday where the balance is over £4,250. You do not have to wait until 18 to start.

How to apply, step by step

1. Find the National Insurance number of the person the account belongs to. You can get it from the HMRC app or request a copy by post using the form on GOV.UK.
2. If you already know which bank or building society holds it, skip HMRC entirely and contact the provider directly.
3. If you do not know, use the free "Find a Child Trust Fund" tool on GOV.UK — it takes about five minutes and you will never be asked to pay. You need the date of birth and National Insurance number, plus adoption details if they apply.
4. Wait for the letter. HMRC replies by post, usually within about three weeks. The letter names the provider the account was opened with. It does not tell you the balance.
5. Contact that provider with proof of identity to find the value and claim, transfer or reinvest it.

If you are 16 or 17, or you have been in care, The Share Foundation's free findctf service is an alternative route. Its own guidance says looked-after young people should use its form so that any local authority contributions can be added.

MoneyHelper makes the point plainly: even if you have lost contact with your parents, or you grew up in care, the money is still yours to claim.

The money is yours, but you may need a few steps to unlock it.

What to do if you are refused or stuck

Start with the warning the Financial Conduct Authority gave in September 2026. Tracing a Child Trust Fund is generally not an activity that needs FCA authorisation, so firms charging for it may sit outside the cap on claims management fees, and you may not be able to take a complaint about them to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The FCA has seen firms charging £400, and others charging a monthly subscription, for a job you can do free in five minutes.

If the problem is with the provider rather than a middleman:

• Complain to the provider in writing first and keep a copy. If you are unhappy with the answer, or you get no answer, you can normally take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which is free.
• If the provider says it cannot find you on its records, go back to HMRC with the letter reference. Addresses were often never updated, which the Public Accounts Committee identified as a common reason contact is lost.
• If the block is mental capacity, ask your local authority's adult social care team or a solicitor about the deputyship, controller or guardianship route for your nation. The Social Care Institute for Excellence has a free step-by-step guide covering forms COP3 and COP15PADep and the notification rules.

The FCA opened a review of the Child Trust Fund market in September 2026, reporting in 2027, looking at firms losing touch with young adults and at barriers facing vulnerable customers.

Questions people ask

Am I entitled to an unclaimed Child Trust Fund if my parents never opened one?

Probably yes. HM Revenue and Customs opened accounts for children whose parents did not use the voucher within a year, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies puts that at around 30% of all accounts.

Does the money disappear if I claim it late?

No. The funds are held by banks, building societies and savings providers, not by government, so a late claim is still a valid claim.

Should I pay a company to find it for me?

There is no need. The GOV.UK tracing tool is free, and the Financial Conduct Authority has warned that paid tracing firms may be outside both the fee cap and the Financial Ombudsman Service.

I was in care as a child. Can I still claim?

Yes, and you may be owed more. MoneyHelper confirms care-experienced young people keep the right to claim, and The Share Foundation's form allows local authority contributions to be added.

Can I keep paying into the account instead of taking the money out?

You can keep paying into an existing Child Trust Fund, up to the annual limit GOV.UK publishes, or transfer it to a Junior ISA. You cannot hold both at once, but a provider can move one into the other.

What to do next

Trace the account today on GOV.UK, then come back and check whether there is other money you are missing. Our benefits finder takes about three minutes and covers the payments households most often overlook.

If a windfall is landing at a time when bills are already behind, read Debt letter help: your rights and free advice before you spend it, and check When life changes: what to claim and by when. For the everyday stuff, Helpful Tips has more plain-English ways to keep costs down.

Where this comes from

• Child Trust Fund: Overview — GOV.UK
• Find a Child Trust Fund — GOV.UK
• Savings stash worth thousands waiting for 758,000 young people — HMRC
• FCA urges young adults to check for unclaimed Child Trust Funds — Financial Conduct Authority
• Child Trust Funds — House of Commons Library research briefing
• Child Trust Funds: access for young people who lack capacity — Public Accounts Committee report
• Apply for help with Court of Protection fees (COP44B notes) — GOV.UK
• How to find lost Child Trust Funds — MoneyHelper