Can I transfer part of my ISA?

Yes, you can usually transfer part of your ISA, but the rules depend on when the money was paid in. Since 6 April 2024, the restriction on partial transfers of money subscribed in the current tax year has been removed, so the current year's subscriptions and previous years' subscriptions may be transferred in whole or in part¹. Before that date, savers who had paid into an ISA in the current year generally had to move the whole of that year's money at once⁴.

The practical catch is that the rules set the framework, and your provider sets what it will actually do. Some providers allow a partial transfer of stocks and shares ISA money, others require the full balance to move⁶. A partial transfer also has to be supported by both the old and the new provider, so the first step is always to ask each side what it permits⁷.

This page explains how partial transfers work for cash ISAs, stocks and shares ISAs, Lifetime ISAs and Junior ISAs, what happens to money from this tax year compared with earlier years, and how to move money without losing the tax-free status.

Current tax year money and earlier years' savings

The distinction that matters most is between money you have paid in during the current tax year and money that has been sitting in the ISA from earlier years. For savings from a previous tax year's allowance, you can transfer the full balance or part of it, provided your existing provider allows partial transfers¹². Several providers state this in the same terms: you can choose to transfer all or part of your savings from previous years¹⁵.

For the current tax year, the position changed in April 2024. The legislation now provides that the current year's subscriptions and the previous years' subscriptions may be transferred in whole or in part¹. The official explanatory note confirms the change removes the restriction on partial transfers of subscriptions made in the current tax year³. Independent guidance describes the same shift: since 6 April 2024, you can transfer part of your balance even if you paid into the ISA that year⁴.

Some providers still describe the older position in their own terms. One building society states that if the transfer relates to subscriptions for the current year then the whole of those subscriptions must be transferred¹⁷, and another says funds deposited in the current tax year must be transferred in full¹⁸. Where a provider's own terms are narrower than the rules allow, the provider's terms are what you have to work with, so it is worth checking before you commit.

If you have not deposited any new money into your ISA this tax year, you can move all of it or just some of it¹⁹. That is the simplest case, because there is no current year subscription to separate out.

The rule change: partial transfers of this year's money

Before April 2024, the ISA rules restricted partial transfers of money subscribed in the current tax year. The Individual Savings Account (Amendment) Regulations 2024 removed that restriction, allowing the partial transfer of subscriptions made in the current tax year². The change took effect on 6 April 2024⁴.

The effect for a saver is that you are no longer forced to move the whole of this year's money if you want to shift some of it to a different provider. Independent guidance puts it plainly: you are now able to transfer part of your account balance from one ISA provider to another, rather than being forced to transfer the lot, as was the case in previous tax years⁶. News coverage of the change described it as applying no matter when the money was paid in⁵.

The rule change does not override a provider's own terms. A provider can still require the full balance to move, and some do⁶. What the change does is remove the legal barrier, so a provider that wants to offer partial transfers of current year money can now do so.

Cash ISAs and stocks and shares ISAs: how partial transfers differ

The type of ISA you hold affects what can be moved and where it can go. Funds invested in a stocks and shares ISA can only be transferred to another stocks and shares ISA, while funds invested in a cash ISA can be transferred to a stocks and shares ISA or another cash ISA⁸. You can transfer between different types of ISAs, for example a cash ISA into a stocks and shares ISA or vice versa²⁰.

For transfers from stocks and shares ISAs, one building society states the full balance must be transferred, while for cash ISAs the full balance saved in the current tax year must be transferred but you can choose to transfer all or part of the savings from previous tax years²¹. Another provider allows a partial ISA transfer as long as both ISA providers support the option⁷.

A stocks and shares ISA transfer can be done in one of two ways: an in-specie transfer, which keeps you invested throughout, or a cash transfer²². The in-specie route moves the investments themselves, so there is no period out of the market, but not every provider supports it.

Junior ISAs have their own rules. They can be transferred in whole or, where your current provider allows it, in part²³. You can transfer between a cash Junior ISA and a stocks and shares Junior ISA, but you cannot transfer a Junior ISA into another type of ISA²⁰. Cash ISA and stocks and shares ISA transfers can go into any other type of ISA except Junior ISAs²⁴.

Does the Post Office or NS&I let me transfer part of an ISA?

NS&I does not currently accept transfers from other providers into its Direct ISA²⁵. That means you cannot move money into an NS&I Direct ISA from another provider, whether in part or in full. You can transfer your NS&I ISA balance out to another provider: you contact the new provider and it arranges the transfer²⁵.

NS&I Junior ISAs work differently. You can transfer in a cash Junior ISA, a stocks and shares Junior ISA or a Child Trust Fund, and the whole balance is always transferred²⁶. The provider states that a transfer in can take around 7 to 10 working days to process, although the money can take up to 26 days to be transferred²⁶. When a Junior ISA holder reaches 18, NS&I automatically transfers the money from the Junior ISA into an adult cash ISA from NS&I²⁷.

The Post Office is not covered by the facts available here, so no statement can be made about its transfer rules.

Can I transfer part of a Lifetime ISA?

A Lifetime ISA can be transferred to another Lifetime ISA, and the value transferred counts against the £4,000 Lifetime ISA limit but not the overall ISA limit for the year⁹. Transfers between Lifetime ISA providers are expected to complete within 30 days²⁸.

Moving a Lifetime ISA to a different type of ISA is treated differently. A transfer from a Lifetime ISA to an account other than another Lifetime ISA is treated as a withdrawal²⁹, and you will pay a 25% charge if you withdraw money or transfer the Lifetime ISA to another type of ISA before age 60¹⁰. The official policy statement is explicit: individuals can transfer funds from their Lifetime ISA to another type of ISA, but this will count as a chargeable withdrawal⁹.

Help to Buy ISA money can be moved into a Lifetime ISA. You can transfer money from a Help to Buy ISA to a Lifetime ISA, but if you transfer money from a Lifetime ISA to a Help to Buy ISA you will have to pay the 25% withdrawal charge¹⁰. Contributions to a Help to Buy ISA made on or after 6 April 2017 can be transferred to a Lifetime ISA, and they count against the Lifetime ISA contribution limit for the year of transfer⁹.

Transfer, don't withdraw: keeping the tax-free status

If you withdraw money from an ISA account or transfer money from an ISA to a non-ISA account, the money you withdraw loses its tax-free status, and you also lose that part of your ISA allowance²¹. An ISA transfer, by contrast, keeps the tax-free status³⁰. You can move existing ISAs without losing their tax-free status as long as you follow the official transfer process³¹.

The difference matters because withdrawing and reinvesting is not the same as transferring. If you take money out and put it back yourself, you use up part of your £20,000 annual allowance, and you may not be able to replace it if you have already used the allowance elsewhere. A transfer does not use the allowance: an ISA transfer is not the same as paying money in, and you can transfer ISA savings from a previous tax year without affecting how much you can pay in this tax year¹³.

If you transfer part of your ISA, you may be able to replace funds with the original provider but not with the provider you are transferring to³². That is a point to check if you intend to keep some money with the old provider and add to it later.

Who do I contact to start an ISA transfer?

The new provider is the one to contact, not the old one. To transfer an ISA from one provider to another, the new provider is the point of contact¹¹. For an innovative finance ISA, the transfer form is completed with the provider being switched to³³. The new provider then arranges the transfer and asks the old provider to send the money or investments across.

The process is the same whether you are moving part or all of your ISA. You fill in an ISA transfer form from the new provider, who completes the transfer³⁴. Starting with the new provider is what keeps the money moving directly between the two providers rather than passing through your own bank account.

If a transfer goes wrong, there is a route to complain. Independent guidance covers what happens when a stocks and shares ISA transfer goes wrong²², and the general protections for ISA holders apply. The Financial Ombudsman Service can look at complaints about ISA providers if the provider does not resolve them.

Is there a limit on how many times I can transfer an ISA in a year?

There is no set cap in the rules on how many times you can transfer an ISA in a tax year, and a transfer does not use up your £20,000 annual ISA allowance⁸. You are not limited to transferring within the £20,000 annual ISA limit³⁵. In practice, each provider has its own terms, and some may limit how often you can move money in or out.

The £20,000 annual ISA limit applies to how much you pay in, not to how much you move between providers⁸. A transfer of money already held in an ISA is not a new subscription, so it does not count against the allowance¹³. That is why moving an ISA from one provider to another does not reduce how much you can pay in during the same tax year.

Can I transfer my ISA to my husband, wife or child?

No. You cannot transfer an ISA from one person to another²⁰. An ISA belongs to the person who opened it, and the tax-free status stays with them. This applies to all types of ISA, including cash ISAs and stocks and shares ISAs.

The one exception is when an ISA holder dies. A surviving spouse or civil partner may be able to inherit an additional ISA allowance, which is a separate process from an ordinary transfer. That is covered in more detail on the page about inheriting a spouse's ISA allowance.

For a child's ISA, the account is held for the child and the money belongs to them. Junior ISAs can be transferred between providers, but not into another type of ISA²⁰.

Where to get help

If you are unsure whether a partial transfer is right for your circumstances, free and impartial guidance is available. MoneyHelper, the government-backed service, provides free information on ISAs and savings. The Financial Ombudsman Service can look at complaints about ISA providers if you are unhappy with how a transfer has been handled.

For more detail on the mechanics of moving an ISA, the page on how to transfer an ISA covers the process step by step. If you are weighing up whether to transfer or withdraw and reinvest, the page on transferring an ISA or withdrawing and reinvesting sets out the difference. And if a transfer is taking longer than expected, the page on how long an ISA transfer takes explains the usual timescales.