Open a Junior ISA. Give your child a head start in life
The long-term, tax-free way of investing in your child's future. Open a Junior ISA in minutes, start their financial journey together and gift them a head start.
With investment, your capital is at risk. Junior ISA rules apply.
Regulated
We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
Protected
Assets are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme
Partnership
For every new JISA account, we'll donate to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity
What is a Junior ISA?
A Junior ISA (JISA or child ISA) is a tax-free account set up by a parent or guardian for children below 18. The parent or guardian will contribute to the account but only the child can access the money – and only after they turn 18.
At Nutmeg, the parent or guardian can only open a Junior ISA if the child is under 16, but they'd be smart to open a Junior ISA from the day they're born. The full 18 years means they can benefit from compounding and afford to take more investment risk. And with tax-free interest on returns, the money you invest could grow even faster.
Why choose a Nutmeg Junior ISA?
Sign up to a Nutmeg Junior ISA in minutes and start your child’s financial journey together. Simple, transparent and designed by experts, we strip the nonsense out of investing.
Expertly designed
Our in-house investment team have built a range of portfolios for our products and invest as per your chosen investment style. Experienced investing, on your terms.
Simple
It’s easy to open a Junior ISA with us. Simply log into your device and start with just £100. There are no exit fees and you’re free to make adjustments to your risk level and investment style.
Transparent
You can see where your Junior ISA is invested and how it’s performing. If you need any help, our financial advisers and customer support will answer any questions you have.
Choose your Junior ISA investment style
All three Nutmeg investment styles are built by experts and use passive ETFs (more here) to diversify across stocks, bonds, industries, even nations. Choose the one that works for you.
Socially Responsible
“I want my JISA managed by experts and invested in line with my values”
Fully Managed
“I want experts to take a hands-on approach to my JISA investments”
Fixed Allocation
“I want a diversified portfolio without the cost of continuous management”
Junior ISA fees
As with any investments, there are underlying costs. But rather than burying them in the small print, we want our Junior ISA fees to be clear from the get-go.
Nutmeg fees will vary depending on your investment style
Past performance and allocation
Below you can see a detailed breakdown of our performance over the past few years. And because we value transparency, we've also detailed how our investments are allocated across countries and assets.
Track Record
Explore our full 7-year track record for each of our 10 risk-based fully managed portfolios and see how our results compare against our competitors.
This past performance is simulated but based on real market transactions, with all customer portfolios represented as a single portfolio for each risk level. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
Nutmeg monthly returns shown in blue. Peers monthly returns for portfolios 3-10 shown in orange.
*The annualised figure is the return since inception expressed as a compound annual rate. For example, a portfolio with an annualised return of 6% corresponds to an actual return of 19.1% over three years (rather than 18% as you might expect) due to the effect of compounding.
Capital at risk
Most people ask us
What is the partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity?
What is the partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity?
For every new Junior ISA opened with or transferred to Nutmeg we’ll donate £25 to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity).
At the end of the onboarding process, there is also an option to make an additional donation to GOSH Charity, which we will then match up to the value of £100.
If you have additional questions about the GOSH Charity promotion, you’ll find more information on our support pages.
Is Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity) Nutmeg’s charity partner?
Nutmeg has partnered with GOSH Charity for the launch of the Nutmeg Junior ISA.
However, GOSH Charity’s partnership with Nutmeg Saving and Investment Limited does not infer that that any financial product promoted by Nutmeg Saving and Investment Limited will meet your needs and demands.
If you have any questions you should seek independent financial advice.
How are donations made to GOSH Charity?
GOSH Charity will receive the donation/s within 30 days and you will receive a confirmation email once it has been received.
The charity contribution will be made via this page and should be named in the explanation of the matched contribution.
If you’d like to keep updated with how donations to GOSH Charity are helping to build a better future for seriously ill children are putting donations to work, we’ll be updating our blog and social media channels with more information.
Who administers the donation?
We do not handle any of the money our customers donate, and any donations are made directly to GOSH Charity. Nutmeg will not pass any of your information on.
What is the Junior ISA allowance?
What is the Junior ISA allowance?
As of the 2020-21 tax year, the annual tax allowance or limit for a JISA is £9,000. For any contributions over the limit, the excess is held in a savings account in trust for the child.
Your JISA allowance resets at the start of each tax year. The tax year starts on 6th April and your allowance, or any unused portion of it, doesn’t carry over to the next tax year.
If you don’t want to lose it, use it.
Who can open a Junior ISA
Who can open a Junior ISA
Only a parent or legal guardian residing in the UK can open a JISA on behalf of their child. Only the ‘registered contact’ can manage the account.
The registered contact is the only person who can:
- change the account, e.g. adjust risk levels
- change the account provider
- report changes of circumstances, e.g. change of address
Those who live outside of the UK can only become a registered contact if they are a crown servant (in the UK’s armed forces, diplomatic service or overseas civil service) and the child depends on them for care. Both criteria must apply.
To open a Nutmeg JISA, the account holder must contribute a minimum of £100. Note, you must have an existing account* with Nutmeg to open a JISA.
*If you’re opening a new Nutmeg account for the purpose of opening a JISA, the account can remain unfunded.
Who owns the money in a Junior ISA?
Who owns the money in a Junior ISA?
The money in a JISA belongs to the child in all but exceptional circumstances.
When the child turns 16, they may apply to become the registered contact and manage the JISA themselves. However, they cannot withdraw the money until they’re 18.
What types of JISA are there?
What types of JISA are there?
There are two types of JISA:
- In a cash Junior ISA, you do not pay tax on interest. Although cash is guaranteed not to fall in value, annual inflation will have an adverse impact on its value.
- In a stocks and shares Junior ISA, you pay no tax on capital growth or dividends. Investments are riskier but may mean growth is potentially greater than a cash product. However, unlike cash, the value of a stocks and shares Junior ISA can go up or down.
Can a child have more than one Junior ISA?
Can a child have more than one Junior ISA?
A child can have a cash JISA, a stocks and shares JISA, or both.
With Nutmeg, you may only open one pot per stocks and shares JISA, but a parent a guardian may open multiple JISAs.
Who can contribute to a Junior ISA?
Who can contribute to a Junior ISA?
In most case, anyone, including parents, friends and family, can contribute on behalf of the child, provided total contributions fall below the JISA limit. However, at Nutmeg only the registered contact may contribute.
Does contributing to a Junior ISA impact your annual ISA allowance?
Does contributing to a Junior ISA impact your annual ISA allowance?
Any contributions to a JISA are not factored into your annual ISA allowance. Nor do they count towards your Lifetime ISA limit.
Can you transfer a Junior ISA?
Can you transfer a Junior ISA?
A registered contact may transfer either a JISA or Child Trust Fund from another provider to Nutmeg.
When can the child access the money?
When can the child access the money?
The child can take control of the account when they’re 16 but cannot access the money until they turn 18. If not withdrawn at age 18, the money rolls into an adult ISA.
Can you have a Junior ISA and a Child Trust Fund?
Can you have a Junior ISA and a Child Trust Fund?
You cannot have a JISA as well as a Child Trust Fund (CTF). If you want to open a JISA you must transfer the CTF in.
A Child Trust Fund is a long-term tax-free savings account for children. The CTF scheme is now closed, so you cannot apply for a new one. But people with existing CTFs can continue to contribute £9,000 a year into them.