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Existing customers

Child Trust Fund (CTF)

The value of investments can fall as well as rise, and you may not get back the full amount you invest. Any tax efficiencies referred to are those applying under current legislation, which may change. Eligibility criteria, fees and charges apply. 

What is a Child Trust Fund?

Child Trust Funds are long term, tax-free savings accounts for children that were set up by the Government in 2005. Having a Child Trust Fund is good news, it means you have an investment waiting for you when you reach 18.

You will have a Child Trust Fund if you were born between 1st September 2002 and 2nd January 2011, unless you, your parents or guardians have transferred this into a Junior ISA.

The money is invested in a tax-efficient fund in your name until you turn 18 when you can take control of your investment and choose to continue investing, make a withdrawal or transfer to another ISA provider.

The Child Trust Fund is invested in the Personal Portfolio Balanced Fund that is managed by the experts at Coutts & Co. 

How do I manage my Child Trust Fund?

Our online portal makes it easy to check up on your CTF, and to access your investment when you turn 18.

The registered contact (the person who has parental responsibility for the child) can register on the portal at any time. The child can take over responsibility for the account at 16 however they will not be able to access the portal until they are 18.  

The registered contact for an account can see the latest value of the account, top it up, set up a direct debit, or tell us if you have changed address. 

To register for the portal, all you need is:

  • your name
  • date of birth
  • client account number (8-digit number starting with 1 is contained on your annual statements, which is addressed to the registered contact).

Where is my Child Trust Fund?

Child Trust Funds are held in various UK banks. You can find out where your Child Trust Fund is located through:

GOV.UK – Find a Child Trust Fund

To apply, here are the key things you will need:

  • register and create a government gateway login
  • your full name and address
  • child’s full name and address
  • child’s date of birth
  • child’s national insurance number or unique reference number if known.

(Alternatively, you can post these details to HMRC if preferred).

The Share Foundation – Find Your Child Trust Fund

To apply, here are the key things you will need:

  • child’s full name and address
  • child’s date of birth
  • national Insurance number if known/applicable.

What happens when my Child Trust Fund matures?

We will write to you 20 days before your birthday with information about your investment and details of how to register for the online portal.

On your 18th Birthday we will move your investment from the Child Trust Fund into a Matured Child Trust Fund, keeping your money invested in the Personal Portfolio Balanced Fund until you choose what to do with your money and provide us with the required documents.

Once registered online, you will be able to make a choice about your money. You can choose to continue investing with us by moving the investment into an adult ISA, you can withdraw all or part of your investment into a UK current or savings account in your own name, or you can transfer to another ISA provider.

Whichever option you choose we will need to take you through some additional checks to verify your name and address.  We aim to take the required information from you online, however occasionally we will need to ask you to provide copies of documentation in the post to assist with this process.

If you are unsure about what identification documents you need to provide, please refer to our frequently asked questions below.

All documents provided online, or in the post, will be reviewed by our team.  Please be aware that if you choose to withdraw from your investment, these checks will need to be complete before we release payment to your bank account and this may take up to a few weeks in some cases.

If you decide to keep your money invested, this will be moved from the matured Child Trust Fund into an adult ISA within 24 hours following the receipt of your instruction.

What account do I need to access my money?

You’ll need to have a UK current or savings account in your name if you choose to make a withdrawal, so be sure to get that sorted out in advance.

We can only take instructions from the account holder once you turn 18 and you'll need to confirm your identity when you tell us what you'd like to do with your money. 

You can choose to continue to invest with us in an Adult ISA, withdraw all or part of your money, or transfer to another ISA provider.

Please note it may take up to a few weeks in some cases from receipt of appropriate identification and withdrawal instruction for the payment to be made into your bank account. 

If you don't currently have a suitable account, you can set one up with most high street banks, building societies, credit unions or the post office.

For more information on our accounts please see the account options below which may help you decide which one is the best for your circumstances.

Current accounts

Move your funds to a current account

Keen to get your hands on your money? You might want to put the funds into a current account.

Savings

Start saving for something great

Saving isn’t just for a rainy day. How about saving for lots of sunny days on an overseas adventure? Or maybe you’re thinking about buying your first car? If you’ve already got plans for the money in your Child Trust Fund then a savings account could be the best place to put it.

Investments

Investing for later

Some things are worth waiting for. So if you want to start saving for a longer term goal (usually five years or more), then investing could be a good option for you. Before deciding on investing you must first ensure you are aware of the risks.

Frequently asked questions

Other ways to get in touch

You can only give us your maturity instruction once you turn 18. On your 18th birthday, your Child Trust Fund will convert into a Matured Child Trust Fund and you can tell us what you want to do with your money.

Call us

For general questions, to top up your Child Trust Fund or updating contact details, you can call us on 0345 300 2585. Relay UK 18001 0345 300 2585.

Telephone lines open Monday-Friday 8am – 6pm (excluding bank holidays). Calls are recorded.

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Write to us

If you'd prefer, you can write to us at:

RBS Collective Investment Funds Limited
PO Box 9908
Chelmsford
CM99 2AF 

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Learn more about investments

Whether you’re an experienced investor or just finding out what investing is, we’ve got a range of articles to help you understand more about investing.

We regularly update our articles depending on what’s happening in the market so check back for future updates.

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