Children's Investment Bond

Invest in their future with this medium to long-term plan

  • Invest a lump sum between £1,000 - £150,000
  • Guaranteed minimum return of your original investment plus 3% after five years
  • Higher potential returns than a bank or building society
  • Possible annual and final bonuses

If you surrender in the first five years a surrender penalty will apply, meaning you might get back less than you invested. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may be subject to change in the future. Bonuses are not guaranteed.

Product information

  • About this policy

    Have a lump sum you're thinking of investing on behalf of a little one? Our Children's Investment Bond could be the perfect option to watch their savings grow. Our Investment Bond is a single premium investment that has no fixed term, but is designed to be held for a minimum of five years.

    Please be aware that a surrender penalty will apply if cashed in within the first five years and the child could get back less than you invested.

  • What are they?

    These plans are designed for anyone that has a single lump sum they want to invest over the medium to long-term.

    There is also the added bonus of knowing that if you invest for five years or longer, the child will be guaranteed a minimum return of at least 103% after five years of the initial investment.

  • Who are they for?

    Anyone can have a plan, although an adult (the proposer) will need to complete the proposal form for any child under the age of 11 and their signature required for a withdrawal or surrender for any child under the age of 16.

    You can also open this bond in joint names.

  • Why open one?

    Our Children's Investment Bond is a great way to invest a lump sum for a child you care about, with the added peace of mind of a minimum guaranteed amount of 103% (after five years) plus potential annual and final bonuses.

Savings calculator

If you are 16 or over and would like to apply for this plan, please head over to our Investment Bond page (which can be found under lump sum investments).
Please enter your date of birth
Did you know we have an adult's Investment Bond. Please click this link to complete the application form

See how much you could save

Years
Years
Please select a term between 5 and 25 years
  • Please choose an amount between £1,000 and £150,000
Please note: You can also enter the term and amount in the boxes instead of using the slider. Quotes are for illustration purposes only and what you get back depends on how your investment grows, meaning you could get more or less than this.

 

You might get back the following amounts, by investment growth per annum:

1.5%

 

4.5%

 

7.5%

 

Please read the Key information document and Important information documents before applying for a Children's Investment Bond.

How to apply

Step one

Confirm you have read and understood our Product and Key Information

Step two

Decide how much you would like to invest

Step three

Complete our straightforward online application

Step four

Confirm your details are correct and submit your application

Ready to proceed?

Free £25 GIFT CARD after your new policy starts...

Simply apply online quoting the promotional code: WEB22 to receive a £25 gift card after your policy starts. Terms and conditions apply

Gift card promotion T&Cs

Other ways to apply

Apply over the phone

Prefer to apply over the phone? We're happy to go through any questions you have, as well as taking you through the application process over the phone. Either call us on 01226 741 000, or click the link below and we can call you back at a time to suit you.

Request an application pack

Want a bit more time to fill in your application? Download an application pack and send it back to us when you're ready. If you don't have access to a printer, we can send you an application in the post.

How it works

  • Opening a Children's Investment Bond

    Want to start investing today for a little one in your life? Our online application is quick and easy and should take no more than ten minutes. You can also apply by post or over the phone.

  • How are bonuses calculated?

    Unlike banks who add interest to their accounts, we add bonuses to our members' policies. Bonuses are calculated at the appropriate rate based on the guaranteed final amount, not the amount you invest. On maturity the child will receive the guaranteed final amount plus bonuses added during the life of the bond. Find out more in our FAQ section below.

  • Are there any guarantees?

    Providing the plan runs for at least five years, we will guarantee a minimum return of your original investment plus 3% after five years.

    The final value of the bond will depend upon investment performance, but bonuses are declared each year, and these are added to the guaranteed final amount.

  • Can I make withdrawals?

    You cannot make any withdrawals, but if your circumstances change, you can surrender the policy. However, the plan is designed for medium to long-term investment and the surrender value may be less than the amount you have paid in. It is not advisable to invest in this bond if you know at the outset that you will require the money within five years. More information can be found in our FAQs.

  • What about charges?

    To cover the cost of expenses incurred in setting up the bond and maintaining it, we take a management contribution of 5% of the initial investment in the first year and in the second and subsequent years 0.5% of the initial investment. The charges are deducted from the overall fund and taken into account when we calculate the level of bonuses we are able to pay.

Frequently asked questions

Our most commonly asked questions surrounding the Children's Investment Bond can be found below.

We recommend a minimum investment period of five years, after which you can either withdraw your investment or leave it to earn future bonuses until you need it. Should you need to withdraw some of your investment at a future date you can invest the lump sum in multiple policies, with a minimum of £1,000 per policy, which will enable you to withdraw part of your investment without having to surrender (cash in) the entire investment. If you surrender the bond within five years of commencement then a surrender penalty will apply and you may get back less than you invested.

No, this bond does not provide any income, but if you require income you might want to consider our Income Bond.

Please note, the Income Bond can only available to those 18+.

We invest in a range of different assets with the aim of providing a higher return in the medium to long-term than is achievable with a bank or building society account. Sheffield Mutual's with-profits fund is managed to provide a low to medium risk investment, appealing to anyone with a more cautious approach to investment. Our investments include property, shares of UK companies, government gilts, corporate bonds, commercial mortgages and cash.

The proportion held in each of these will vary depending on market conditions. You'll be pleased to know that we seek to adopt an ethical approach to investing and it is our policy not to invest knowingly or directly in industries relating to armaments, tobacco, gambling or pornography.

We invest our funds as described in the previous section and receive a return on those investments which can vary from year to year. At the end of March or early April we review the returns achieved during the previous calendar year and then declare a bonus rate for each product type. The rate varies depending upon overall investment returns and is not therefore guaranteed to be paid at the same rate or at all, in future years.

Bonuses are calculated at the appropriate rate based on the final amount (sum assured) not the amount of premium paid and on encashment after five years subject to the conditions outlined below. The policyholder will receive the initial final amount plus bonuses added during the life of the policy.

The Society also tries to ‘smooth’ returns over the life of the bond by retaining some of the investment return in good years to maintain bonus rates in less positive years. However, to ensure the child receives their fair share of returns on their bond over its lifetime, there may be an additional terminal bonus paid on maturity. Payment of this type of bonus depends entirely on investment performance and the rate at which annual bonuses have been added and is not guaranteed.

You cannot make any withdrawals, but if your circumstances change, you can surrender the policy. However, the plan is designed for medium to long-term investment and the surrender value may be less than the amount you have paid in. It is not advisable to invest in this bond if you know at the outset that you will require the money within five years. There is the option to split your investment into up to three separate policies, which means you would not need to surrender the whole amount if you need to withdraw funds in the future. Please be aware, a parent or guardian’s signature will be required to withdraw or surrender a bond where a child is under the age of 16 at the time of the request.

Providing the bond runs for at least five years, we will guarantee a minimum final amount of 103% of the initial investment. The final value of the child's plan will depend upon investment performance, but bonuses are declared each year, and these are added to the guaranteed final amount.

In the event of adverse investment conditions the Society reserves the right to apply a Market Value Reduction (MVR) to the final amount (sum assured) and any bonus already added. However the Society guarantees that the application of the MVR after five years will not reduce the proceeds below 103% of the initial investment. An MVR will not be applied in the event of the policy becoming a claim as a result of the death of the single policy holder or the death of the second policy holder for joint policies.

The Bond provides a guaranteed final amount of 103% of the initial investment. In the event of death of the policyholder, we will pay out the final amount plus any bonuses that have been added to your policy. In the case of a joint life application on the first death, the bond will continue in the name of the survivor. In the case of death of the proposer of the plan, the policy would continue in the policyholder(s) name(s).

If saving for a child, on maturity or surrender the payment is made to the child as the beneficiary of the policy.

The money you save is invested in a fund on which the Society pays tax and tax at the basic rate may be treated as paid on any taxable gain, which means there is likely to be no further tax to pay unless you are taxable at the higher rate. However, a gain on which tax is treated as paid may have an effect on your tax liability if you qualify for age-related allowances or reliefs, or you are receiving tax credits. All references to taxation are based on the Society’s understanding of current tax legislation and practice, which may change in the future.

If the policyholder dies, the people who inherit the bond may have to pay inheritance and income tax.

When you open a policy with us, the policyholder will automatically become a member of the Society (adult policyholders only). As well as being able to have your say on how the Society is run each year, the policyholder will also have access to various discretionary benefits when available, such as optical and dental grants, as well as exclusive access to a range of discounts and offers.

Our team would be more than happy to provide you with factual information about our products and services, so you can make your own decision about how to proceed. However, we are unable to give any advice or recommendations on the suitability of our products. If you are unsure, you should seek advice from a qualified financial adviser, which may incur a fee.

To comply with regulations, we will require confirmation of your identification and address. We’ll aim to do this using an electronic verification system, but reserve the right to ask for appropriate documentation from you, if this is not possible. If the policy is for a child we'll need a copy of their birth certificate which must be independently certified if saving more than £2,000.

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