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ISA guide

ISA age limits: who can open each type of ISA

You must be 18 or over to open any adult ISA, including a Cash ISA, and under 40 to open a Lifetime ISA. A Junior ISA is for children under 18. The Cash ISA limit does not depend on age: the Budget on 28 October 2026 cancelled a planned age-based cut.

By ISA Comparison editorial team Updated Every rule checked against gov.uk

The short answer

  • 18 or over to open a Cash ISA, Stocks and Shares ISA, Innovative Finance ISA or Lifetime ISA. A Lifetime ISA also needs you to be under 40.
  • A Junior ISA is for a child under 18 who lives in the UK. A parent or guardian opens it for under 16s, and 16 and 17 year olds can open their own.
  • There is no maximum age for a Cash, Stocks and Shares or Innovative Finance ISA. A Lifetime ISA takes payments until 50, and you can withdraw from it at 60 without the 25% charge.
  • The Cash ISA limit stays £20,000 at every age. A planned cut to £12,000 for savers 64 or under was cancelled in the Budget on 28 October 2026.

What is the minimum age for each ISA?

It is 18 for every adult ISA. A Junior ISA is for children. The table gives the age rules for each type, with the gov.uk page each one comes from.

ISA type Age to open Other age rules Source
Cash ISA 18 or over No maximum age in the ISA rules. The Cash ISA limit does not depend on age GOV.UK: ISAs
Stocks and Shares ISA 18 or over No maximum age in the ISA rules GOV.UK: ISAs
Innovative Finance ISA 18 or over No maximum age in the ISA rules GOV.UK: ISAs
Lifetime ISA 18 or over and under 40 Pay in until you are 50. Withdraw without the 25% charge from 60 GOV.UK: Lifetime ISA
Junior ISA Child under 18 who lives in the UK A parent or guardian opens it for under 16s, and 16 and 17 year olds can open their own. The child can take control at 16 and withdraw at 18 GOV.UK: Junior ISA
Help to Buy ISA Closed to new savers Closed to new accounts on 30 November 2019. Existing holders can pay in until 30 November 2029 GOV.UK: Help to Buy ISA

The Cash ISA minimum age was 16 until 5 April 2024. Since 6 April 2024 it has been 18, the same as for the other adult ISAs. HMRC says people who were 16 or 17 on 5 April 2024 could carry on applying for, holding or transferring a single Cash ISA until they turned 18, and that those transitional arrangements ended at 11:59pm on 5 April 2026.

Is there a maximum age for an ISA?

No, not for a Cash ISA, a Stocks and Shares ISA or an Innovative Finance ISA. The ISA Regulations say who may invest in these ISAs: someone who is 18 or over, lives in the UK (with exceptions for Crown employees overseas and their spouses or civil partners) and stays within the yearly limit. The list sets no upper age. Among adult ISAs, gov.uk and HMRC give an upper age only for the Lifetime ISA. A Junior ISA is for children under 18. See ISAs for over 60s for how the age rules apply after 60.

Lifetime ISA. gov.uk says you must make your first payment before you are 40. You can pay in until you are 50. When you turn 50 you cannot pay in or earn the 25% government bonus, but the account stays open and your savings keep earning interest or investment returns. You can take your savings out when you are 60 or over without the 25% withdrawal charge. Before 60 the charge applies unless you are buying a first home (on conditions) or are terminally ill with less than 12 months to live. See Lifetime ISAs.

Can under 18s have an ISA?

They can open their own Junior ISA, but not an adult ISA. gov.uk says children aged 16 and 17 can open their own Junior ISA, and that a child can take control of the account at 16 but cannot withdraw the money until they turn 18. A Junior ISA turns into an adult ISA automatically when the child turns 18. A child can have one cash Junior ISA and one Stocks and Shares Junior ISA. See Junior ISAs and what happens to a Junior ISA at 18.

For the Cash ISA rule that changed on 6 April 2024, see how to open an ISA.

Does age affect the Cash ISA limit?

No. The Cash ISA limit stays £20,000 for every saver over 18. Before the Budget on 28 October 2026, a cut to £12,000 was planned from 6 April 2027 for savers who were 64 or under at the end of the tax year, with savers 65 or over keeping £20,000. The Budget cancelled that, and HM Treasury says the change will be made by regulations to be laid in November 2026. The age-65 test therefore no longer matters; see the Cash ISA limit and what the age-65 rule was.

A planned block on transfers from Stocks and Shares and Innovative Finance ISAs into Cash ISAs for under-65s, and a planned 22% charge on cash inside those ISAs, are unconfirmed after the Budget: neither is in the Budget documents. See ISA transfers.

Can you still open a Help to Buy ISA?

No. gov.uk says you can no longer open a Help to Buy ISA. It closed to new accounts on 30 November 2019. If you already have one, you can pay in until 30 November 2029, and the government bonus must be claimed by 1 December 2030. See the Help to Buy ISA guide.

Read the Cash ISA limit guide

Questions people ask

What is the minimum age for a Cash ISA?

18. gov.uk says you must be 18 or over to open an ISA. The Cash ISA minimum age was 16 until 5 April 2024 and has been 18 since 6 April 2024. See how to open an ISA.

Is there a maximum age to open an ISA?

Not for a Cash ISA, a Stocks and Shares ISA or an Innovative Finance ISA. The ISA rules set a minimum age of 18 for these and no upper age. A Lifetime ISA is different: you must open it before you are 40, and you can pay in until you are 50.

How old do you have to be to open a Lifetime ISA?

18 or over but under 40. You must make your first payment before you are 40, you can pay in until you are 50, and you can take your savings out without the 25% charge from 60. See Lifetime ISAs.

Can a child have an ISA?

Yes, a Junior ISA, for a child under 18 who lives in the UK. A parent or guardian opens it for a child under 16, and children aged 16 and 17 can open their own. The child can take control of the account at 16 and withdraw the money at 18. See Junior ISAs.

Does my age change the Cash ISA limit?

No. The Cash ISA limit stays £20,000 at every age. A planned cut to £12,000 for savers 64 or under, with an exemption at 65, was cancelled in the Budget on 28 October 2026. See the Cash ISA limit.

Can I still open a Help to Buy ISA?

No. gov.uk says you can no longer open one, and it closed to new accounts on 30 November 2019. Existing accounts can take payments until 30 November 2029. See the Help to Buy ISA guide.

Sources

  1. 1 Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) (GOV.UK) (gov.uk)
  2. 2 Lifetime ISA: who can open a Lifetime ISA (GOV.UK) (gov.uk)
  3. 3 Lifetime ISA (GOV.UK) (gov.uk)
  4. 4 Lifetime ISA: withdrawing money from your Lifetime ISA (GOV.UK) (gov.uk)
  5. 5 Junior Individual Savings Accounts (GOV.UK) (gov.uk)
  6. 6 Help to Buy ISA (GOV.UK) (gov.uk)
  7. 7 Annual savings statistics: background and methodology (GOV.UK, 16 September 2026) (gov.uk)
  8. 8 Who can invest in an ISA if you're an ISA manager (HMRC guidance, GOV.UK) (gov.uk)
  9. 9 Cash Individual Savings Account (ISA) limit reduction: tax information and impact note (HMRC, 17 September 2026) (gov.uk)
  10. 10 Tax-free savings newsletter 22 (HMRC, June 2026) (gov.uk)
  11. 11 Chancellor's letter confirming the Budget 2026 date (HM Treasury, 31 July 2026) (gov.uk)
  12. 12 The Individual Savings Account (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/1018) (legislation.gov.uk)
  13. 13 The Individual Savings Account (Amendment) Regulations 2024 (SI 2024/350) (legislation.gov.uk)
  14. 14 The Individual Savings Account Regulations 1998, regulation 10 (legislation.gov.uk) (legislation.gov.uk)

Keep reading

  • What is an ISA? An ISA is a tax-free wrapper for savings or investments, with a £20,000 yearly allowance. The types, who can open one, and what's changing in 2027.
  • How to open an ISA: age, ID and what you need To open an ISA you must be 18 or over, resident in the UK and have your National Insurance number. Who can open each type, how to apply and what to expect.
  • The Cash ISA limit if you're 65 or over The age-65 rule belonged to the £12,000 Cash ISA cap, which the Budget cancelled on 28 October 2026. The limit stays £20,000 at every age. What the rule was.
  • Cash ISA limit: the £12,000 cut is cancelled The Budget on 28 October 2026 cancelled the £12,000 Cash ISA limit for under-65s. The limit stays £20,000 at every age. What was planned and what is next.
  • What happens to a Help to Buy ISA now? Help to Buy ISAs closed to new savers in 2019. If you already have one, here is how the bonus works, the deadlines involved, and the Lifetime ISA rules.
  • ISA allowance and limit 2026/27: how the £20,000 splits The 2026/27 ISA allowance and limit is £20,000, shared across cash, Stocks and Shares, innovative finance and Lifetime ISAs. How it splits, and what changes.