Child Trust Funds (CTF) FAQs
From managing and tracking your account, to general information and transfer options, we explore the most common questions around your CTF.
General information
Child Trust Funds (CTFs) are tax efficient long-term savings plans for children. They were introduced by the government and designed to provide children with a lump sum when they turn 18.
The government issued every eligible child born between 1st September 2002 and 2nd January 2011 with a voucher to invest into a CTF account. If you didn’t open a CTF account, the government will have opened one on your behalf.
We’re the UK’s largest CTF provider, so if you’re unsure where your child’s CTF is, then there’s a good chance that we look after it.
Head to our How to trace a lost CTF page to see if we look after your CTF.
If you can’t see it on there, then you can register your details with us and we will provide you with information on how to locate your child’s CTF at no charge
Cash CTFs hold onto your cash and pay interest on the total amount. A stocks & shares CTF invests the money in different funds and company shares on the stock market with the aim of gaining better returns when compared to cash products.
Our CTF invests in stocks and shares. Stocks and shares are usually considered a good option if investing over the longer term as this helps even out fluctuations in the stock market and provides good growth potential. However, this comes with a degree of risk. The value of stocks and shares can go down as well as up. Whilst this is normal for stocks and shares it does mean that your child could get back less than is paid in.
The account matures when your child turns 18. This means that the funds in the account become available but only your child will be able to access the money. We’ll be in touch with more information as your child approaches their 18th birthday.
When your child's Child Trust Fund matures, you might be thinking about how they can continue saving. Investing into our Stocks and Shares ISA or Lifetime ISA may be a logical step. A Lifetime ISA could be ideal to help them start saving for their first home. Your child can do this with some or all their Child Trust Fund money.
CTF accounts are no longer available but if you’re looking for a child tax-free savings account, you could consider opening a Junior ISA or Junior Bond.
There are three reasons why you and your peers may have different amounts in your child trust funds when you reach 18.
- You may have started with a different amount. The scheme changed over time so those born later generally were given less. How much money your family had also affected how much the government gave you.
- Friends or family members may have added additional money.
- There are many different types of child trust funds. Your parents will have chosen a fund or this may have been allocated on your behalf. Different funds performed differently, meaning some went up in value more than others.
Tracking your account
You can find out what fund the CTF is invested in by referring to your statement or by registering for Online Account Management.
Your account number is provided on your statement. Additionally, if you are registered for Online Account Management you can log in and see all details for the Child Trust Fund. You can register here.
If you sign up for Online Account Management, you can check the current value of the account any time you want. We‘ll also send you a statement just before the child’s 5th, 11th, 16th, 17th and 18th birthdays. If any contributions have been made into the account in the previous statement year, you will also receive an annual statement.
The table below shows the year on year performance of our CTFs over the past five years.
| Product name | Fund | Average yearly growth rate since 2016 |
Mar 16 - Mar 17 Jun 16 |
Mar 17 - Mar 18 | Mar 18 - Mar 19 |
Mar 19 - Mar 20 | Mar 20 - Mar 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Investments Child Trust Fund Download Fund Fact sheet |
Family Investments Child Trust Fund | 7.2% | 23.5% | 0.2% | 2.7% | -15.4% | 32.1% |
| Ethical Child Trust Fund Download Fund Fact sheet |
Family Charities Ethical Trust | 4.7% | 20.7% | 0.8% | 7.5% | -15.5% | 16.6% |
| UK Investments Child Trust Fund Download Fund Fact sheet |
OneFamily Stockmarket 100 Trust (OFST) (Previously known as the Santander Stock Market 100 Tracker Growth Unit Trust - IA Class) |
4.1% | 21.2% | 0.9% | 5.5% | -19.5% | 20.2% |
| Santander Child Trust Fund Download Fund Fact sheet |
Santander International Multi Index Fund | 6.9% | 20.4% | 0.8% | 6.2% | -8.7% | 20.5% |
| UK Equity Child Trust Fund Download Fund Fact sheet |
Legal & General (N) Tracker Trust | 4.8% | 21.2% | 0.1% | 4.2% | -20.2% | 26.5% |
For a more information please visit our fund performance page.
Under HMRC regulations CTF accounts can only be accessed by the child and only once they turn 18.
Santander, who manage the fund, decided to rename the Balanced International Tracker fund. It is now called International Multi Index fund. This is a better description of how the fund works. Santander also renamed the share class your CTF uses to make things clearer. It is now called CTF accumulation.
These changes will not impact your investment. The fund will:
- Continue investing in the same way
- Have the same annual management charge of 1.5%
- Have the same risk profile
The changes do not affect the product Terms & Conditions.
If you are the registered contact for the child trust fund you will be able to access the account online. We provide all your statements to you online and send you an email to let you know when they are available. You’ll find all the information you need on becoming the registered contact and how-to setup your online account in your welcome letter.
As part of the transfer process you need to ensure you have reviewed the below important information documents:
Managing the Child Trust Fund Account
The Registered Contact is the person who looks after and can instruct us on managing the CTF. Before the age of 16, the RC is generally the parent/guardian of the child who has the CTF. After the child turns 16, they can become the RC themselves, or this will automatically happen when they turn 18
If the CTF is in your name then you’ll be able to make yourself the registered contact after you reach 16. Create an online account to get started. You won’t be able to access the money until you’re 18, but any letters and emails we send out will come to you and no-one else will be able to sign in and see your CTF statements.
If you have parental responsibility for the child who’s named on the CTF, you can take over from the existing registered contact but you will need their permission. They’ll need to write to us so we can send out the forms that you both need to fill in.
If you’re taking over as registered contact because you’ve adopted the child who owns the CTF, or because the existing registered contact has died or is not able to manage it, please give us a ring on 0344 8 920 920 or write to us at the address below.
Here's our address:
FREEPOST OneFamily (Please note, this is the full address)
Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, so it’s important that we protect all of them – especially those who are most vulnerable.
We follow FCA guidance and have robust processes in place to ensure that the proceeds from maturing Child Trust Funds held by vulnerable customers go to the right person.
Where a young person is unable to manage their own affairs, they will need extra support from their parent or guardian and we would ask that you get in touch with us so that we can help you. We’ll look at each situation on a case by case basis and will do our very best make the process as smooth as possible for you.
For further information please telephone 0333 2205067
There are several ways to pay into the account:
- You can pay into the Child Trust Fund account either by setting up a monthly Direct Debit or by making a one-off payment. This can be done via this link: Pay into a Child Trust Fund
- You can send a cheque made payable to OneFamily or your child to FREEPOST ONEFAMILY (please note, this is the full address). Please ensure on the reverse side of the cheque you write the child’s name, date of birth, account number and your name and address.
- You can also pay into the account using online banking. Use the account number as a reference to make one -off payments or set up a standing order using our bank details below.
| Type of account | Sort Code | Account Number |
|---|---|---|
| Child Trust Fund with account number beginning with a “C” | 60-00-01 | 36238007 |
| Child Trust Fund with account number beginning with a “K” | 60-00-01 | 39495876 |
| Child Trust Fund with account number beginning with a “0” | 20-37-39 | 80017310 |
If you'd like to change the amount of an existing CTF direct debit payment, just click here.
If you'd like to change the bank account for your direct debit, please call us on 0344 8 920 920*. Or if you prefer, you can complete a new Direct Debit Mandate form and post it to:
FREEPOST OneFamily (Please note, this is the full address)
Download a Global Investment Child Trust Fund and Ethical Child Trust Fund Direct Debit Mandate »
If you are the Registered Contact then you can email family and friends and invite them to pay into the CTF account easily, either by setting up a Direct Debit themselves or a one-off payment via debit card. Just click on the link below and follow the instructions and we’ll do the rest.
To receive a reminder of your username or reset your password, please use the Child Trust Funds link on the Online Account Management login page.
You can change your username and password at any time. Just go to the 'Change login details' once you're logged in.
For details about what, and how, to send us proof of your bank account please visit our proving your bank account page
For details about what, and how, to send us proof of your address, please visit our proving your address page
You'll need your National Insurance (NI) number in order to take ownership of your Child Trust Fund.
Everyone should receive a NI number, from HM Revenue and Customs, before their 16th birthday. If you can't locate yours please try the following:
- Paylips of letters about tax - your NI number wil be displayed on these
- Online - if you have signed up for a Personal tax account you can login and check your NI number here
- By post - get your NI number sent to you through the post by completing this form
- By phone - call the National Insurance number helpline. You can find the contact numbers here
Find out more on our How to find your National Insurance number page.
It’s important that we have up-to-date details of all our members.
If you don’t know part of your address, your postcode for example, you can use Royal Mail’s postcode finder to help confirm your details.
Transferring another CTF to OneFamily
We're the UK’s largest CTF provider looking after 1.7 million child savings accounts and over £7 billion funds under management. If you transfer to us, you can have peace of mind that your money will be in experienced hands.
It's easy to transfer into our Child Trust Fund or Junior ISA. We accept transfers from cash or stocks and shares Child Trust Funds or Junior ISAs. For Junior ISA transfers, your Junior ISA must have a value of at least £500.
We won’t charge you for transferring but do check with your current provider in case they do.
Click here to transfer to our CTF or click here to transfer to our Junior ISA.
*We're open 9am-7pm Monday- Friday and 9am-1pm and Saturday. We might record your call to help improve our training and for security purposes. We hope you don't mind. Calls are normally free from UK landlines and from mobile phones. Calls may be monitored and recorded for training purposes. Calls to 0344 numbers are charged at local rate and will normally be part of any inclusive minutes provided with phone packages, even when calling from a mobile. The actual cost will depend on your provider's tariff. For more information please contact your provider.