Children's account opening guide

Thinking about opening a children’s account with us? We think they’re a great way of teaching kids healthy saving and spending habits from a young age, or letting them build up a pot of savings for later. Whether that’s for university fees, a car or a place to live, what you put aside now could be a big help in a few years’ time.
What are your options?

We offer a Junior Cash ISA, which your child has access to when they reach 18.

We also have a Young Saver account for children 7 to 17. This account puts children in charge of their own money.

For both Junior Cash ISA and Young Saver, the child is the 'sole beneficiary', which means that all the money in their account belongs to them.

How do our rates compare?

We always aim to give you the information to make the right savings choices for you and your child. See the rates we offer at the moment for our children’s accounts.

At the Coventry, we’re committed to keeping finance simple, clear and accessible to everyone.

Junior Cash ISA

Junior ISAs (the ‘ISA’ bit stands for ‘Individual Savings Accounts’) allow children under the age of 18 to save up to £9,000 each year, tax free. Anyone can pay into a child’s junior cash ISA. The annual allowance can be saved in a junior cash ISA (which is the only type we offer), a junior stocks and shares ISA or a combination of both. A child can only ever hold one of each type of ISA.
 

We pay interest on the 30 September every year.


When the child reaches the age of 16, they’re also allowed to open a standard cash ISA as well as a junior ISA. If they choose to open an adult ISA as well, they can only pay into one of them in each tax year. 

Who’ll run the ISA?

Under-16’s

An adult who has parental responsibility for the child (a ‘Registered Contact’) will need to open the junior cash ISA. They’ll also manage the account and receive all letters and emails from us.

 

Over-16’s

If the young person is 16 or 17, they can open a junior cash ISA on their own. Or, if they already have one, they can sign to take control of the account themselves and the Registered Contact will be removed.

When they reach 18, their junior cash ISA will convert to an adult cash ISA, and they’ll be able to access their savings.

Young Saver

Our Young Saver account is for young people aged 7-17 to manage their money themselves. This account is designed to be operated in branch until the child reaches 11. Please see the 'Who will run the Young Saver account?' section for more details about how the child can operate their account when they reach 11.

 

Find your nearest branch. It’s easy to pay in by cheque, cash or transfer. They can take money out at a branch in cash or ask for a cheque, and we can set up payments too. And with their own passbook, they can take money out anytime at any of our branches.

 

The maximum they can take out in cash at a branch is £100 a day. 

Who will run the Young Saver account?

The young person runs the account. If they’re under 16 when they open the account, an adult must sign the application form to confirm they are capable to do this.

Once they turn 11 they can also manage their account over the telephone. And once they reach 16 they can register for Online Services so they can manage their account online.

When the young person reaches 18, their Young Saver is automatically converted to an Easy Access Saver account. They can still pay money in and take money out of this account at any time.

Frequently asked questions

Paying in
As soon as we open your child’s Junior Cash ISA or Young Saver account, it’s easy to pay in. Anyone can put in money by bank transfer, cash or cheque.
ISA transfers
You must arrange to transfer savings, in full, from another junior ISA or Child Trust Fund that the child may hold, if you open a Coventry Junior Cash ISA. Just come and chat to us in a branch or over the phone on 0800 121 8899. The Registered Contact will need to fill in a form, and we’ll do the rest.
What about tax?

With a Junior Cash ISA, interest is always paid tax-free. For our Young Saver account, the interest received counts as taxable income.

On 6 April 2016, the Government introduced a Personal Savings Allowance. It’s how much savings interest anyone can earn, including children, without paying tax. To find out more, visit the Government’s website (www.gov.uk) and type ‘personal savings allowance’ in the search box.

How do I open a children’s account?

Once you’ve decided you’d like to go ahead, there are a few ways you can set up an account.

In a branch

Our specialist staff can answer your questions and usually get the account open straight away.

 

Online

Find the account you’re interested in and click on ‘View account’, and then click ‘Request application form’. We’ll post you all the info you need, and a form to fill in and return to us in one of our branches.

Young Saver can only be opened in branch so please check the location of your local branch before applying.

 

Phone us

Call 0800 121 8899 and talk to one of our specialists. They can answer any questions and post you an info pack and a form to fill in and return to us.

Young Saver can only be opened in branch so please check the location of your local branch before applying.

What ID we’ll need

Before we can open an account, we’ll need to see ID for the child. If you’re opening a Junior Cash ISA and you’re not already a Coventry Building Society member, we need to see ID for you as the Registered Contact. If your child is under 16 and opening a Young Saver we'll ask you to sign the application form to confirm they are capable of operating the account and ask to see some ID for you too..

For the child…

Birth/adoption certificate or valid passport, and one document which proves where the child lives. If you don’t have anything to prove the child’s address, and they live with you, we can accept a document which proves where you live, such as a utility bill dated within the last three months.

For you…

One official document which proves who you are (for example a valid passport or driving licence) and one document which proves where you live (such as a utility bill dated within the last three months). There’s a list of the ID we need and what’s suitable here.

If you’re not happy with our service
Please tell us. We pride ourselves in dealing with problems quickly, thoroughly and fairly — and our members’ interests are at the heart of everything we do. If you’re still not satisfied once we’ve finished our complaints procedure, you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (financial-ombudsman.org.uk).

Want help?
Our help section is bursting with useful information. If you'd rather chat, just give us a call.

 

Call us on 0800 121 8899

Lines open
  • Mon-Fri 8am-7pm
  • Saturday 9am-2pm
  • Sunday & Bank holidays Closed
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Want help?
Our help section is bursting with useful information. If you'd rather chat, just give us a call.

 

Call us on

0800 121 8899

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