Junior ISA Calculator 2026/27

Project a child's JISA pot at age 18 with a £9,000 annual limit, tax-free growth, and the magic of long compounding.

Last updated: May 2026 · 2026/27

JISA setup

13 years to age 18 (when the pot becomes theirs).

£
£

Annual: £1,200 (limit £9,000/year).

Type & return

%

Global equity historical real return ~6-7% nominal long-term.

Pot at age 18

£25,722

£16,600 contributed + £9,122 tax-free growth

Year by year

Age 6
£2,295
Age 7
£3,670
Age 8
£5,130
Age 9
£6,680
Age 10
£8,326
Age 11
£10,073
Age 12
£11,928
Age 13
£13,897
Age 14
£15,988
Age 15
£18,207
Age 16
£20,564
Age 17
£23,066
Age 18
£25,722
Contributions
Tax-free growth

About Junior ISAs

A Junior ISA is a tax-free savings or investment account for under-18s. Anyone can pay in (parents, grandparents, friends) up to the annual limit of £9,000.

  • The child can't access the money until age 18 (then it becomes theirs unconditionally).
  • Two types: Cash JISA (fixed-rate savings) and Stocks & Shares JISA (investments).
  • You can split contributions across both types in the same tax year, up to the £9,000 total.
  • Only one Cash JISA and one S&S JISA per child at a time.
  • At 16-17 the child can also open an adult Cash ISA on top.

For a JISA opened at age 0, the money is locked away for 18 years. That's long enough that historical equity returns (~6-7% nominal, after CPI ~3-4% real) overwhelm any short-term volatility.

At 4% cash vs 7% equity over 18 years, £100/month grows to roughly £31k vs £43k respectively — a £12k difference, all of it tax-free. The shorter the time horizon, the smaller the case for equities.