Checking if you have a Child Trust Fund (CTF) is extremely easy! Just follow the 5 steps below to find out where your CTF is and how to access

Remember, checking if you have a CTF is FREE with the government. This means there is no harm in following the steps below to make sure that you won’t miss out any money that is legally yours.

Step 1:

Ask your parent or guardian if you have one and if they know who the account is held with.

If they say they can’t remember… please follow the steps below!

If you were born in the United Kingdom and born between 1st September 2002 and 2nd January 2011, there is a very high chance you have one (76% of children do).

Step 2:

If you are the young person, or legal guardian of someone whom you think has a CTF, you will need a Government Gateway ID. It takes a short while to create, but you may already have one if you’ve used UK government online services before. If you do not have a Government Gateway ID, you can create one when you fill in the online form.

Don’t worry if you’ve previously created a Government Gateway account but forgotten your credentials - you can reset your password or get a reminder of your user ID!

If you need to make a new Government Gateway ID you will need the following information:

• Your National Insurance number (you should get your national insurance number sent to you in the post when you turn sixteen. If you don’t receive it, or can’t find it, you can contact HMRC)
• Further details that demonstrate your identity: eg: UK Passport, Drivers Licence or Provisional, a recent payslip or a P60 form.

Step 3:

Once signed in, you will be asked if you are the parent or guardian, or the child or young person. If the parent or guardian you will be asked for the name and date of birth of the Child Trust Fund account holder.

After submitting your request, you will normally receive a response telling you where your CTF is within 15 days.

Step 4:

When you have successfully discovered the identity of your account provider, you will need to get in touch with them directly to have your contact details brought up to date.

You can find the telephone details of your CTF provider online.

Step 5:

Decide what you’re going to do with your CTF!

We strongly recommend that you use our ‘Fund My Future’ quiz to help you make this decision.

If You Are In Care Or Have Been In Care

If you are currently in care, or have been in care, The Share Foundation can help find you find your Child Trust Fund. They can support you through the application process and answer any questions you may have.