22/10/2025
Born between 2002 and 2011? You might have money waiting for you!
Thousands of young people in the UK are unaware that the government may owe them money through the Child Trust Fund (CTF).
The CTF was a government savings account set up for children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011. Each account was given a government payment of £250 or £500, and parents could add extra savings over time.
Today, many of these accounts are worth over £2,000. However, around 700,000 people have not yet claimed their money, with more than £1.4 billion still unclaimed in total.
Why are these funds still unclaimed?
• Some parents never activated the account, so HMRC opened it automatically.
• Many people simply don’t know the account exists.
• Others have changed their address and lost contact with their provider.
How to check if you have a Child Trust Fund:
Go to www.gov.uk/child-trust-funds/find-a-child-trust-fund
Log in with your Government Gateway account and enter your date of birth and National Insurance number. HMRC will show you which provider holds your account.
If you are now 18 or older, you can:
• withdraw the money,
• or transfer it into an ISA account to keep saving.
Avoid paid intermediaries – the official government tool is free, safe, and reliable.
If you were born between 2002 and 2011, take a few minutes to check. There could be thousands of pounds waiting in your name!
Child Trust Fund accounts - find a lost account, how to make payments, managing the account
