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Young adults encouraged to find their Child Trust Fund worth on average £2,242

ended 09. February 2026

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging young people who have yet to claim their Child Trust Fund to do so during National Apprenticeship Week (9-15 February).

Latest figures show 758,000 young people could be missing out on £2,242 cash, on average, as they have yet to claim the savings in their Child Trust Fund account.

Child Trust Funds are long term, tax-free savings accounts which were set up for children born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011 with an initial government deposit of at least £250.

Young people can take control of their account at 16, but once they turn 18 years old the account matures and they can decide whether they want to withdraw the money or re-invest it.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “Whether young people are on an apprenticeship, starting their first job, or making plans to go to university, a Child Trust Fund can make all the difference. Find yours today by searching ‘find my Child Trust Fund’ on GOV.UK.”

  • What advice do you have to young people on finding their Child Trust Fund?
  • How important is it?
  • Do we need something similar now? Or does a similar scheme exist? Any advice for parents of kids today?

Responses asap please.

2 responses from the Newspage community

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Editor
Kate Underwood
Founder & Chief People Strategist at Kate Underwood HR and Training
That ‘lost’ £2,242 could be the difference between your young employee thriving, or cracking under the cost of living. Employers, share this with your teams, especially parents. HMRC says 758,000 young people still haven’t claimed their Child Trust Fund, worth £2,242 on average. That’s not a treat. That’s a rent deposit, travel-to-work, tools-for-an apprenticeship, or “I can actually afford that course” fund. Loads of young adults are living at home longer because starting life is eye-wateringly expensive. Parents are subsidising it all. If a CTF is sitting there unclaimed, it can take real pressure off the whole household and help that young person move into education, training or work without leaning on overdrafts and buy-now-pay-later. If their child was born between 1 Sept 2002 and 2 Jan 2011, it’s worth checking. At 16 they can take control, and at 18 it matures and they choose what happens next.
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Editor
Antonia Medlicott
Founder & MD at Investing Insiders
My message is: If you haven't yet received a Child Trust Fund payment, this could literally be money with your name on it, so it's well worth taking 5 minutes to check. The best news is, getting hold of the money is surprisingly easy - and you should never need to pay anyone to help you do so. At https://investinginsiders.co.uk/pension-finding-service/ we run a finding service that helps people track down lost trust fund and pension money. It's completely free and you don't need to have any original paperwork to be paired with the money you're entitled to.