Momo
US citizens in the UK

Junior pensions (SIPPs) for a US citizen child

More providers will open a pension for a US citizen child than will open a Junior stocks and shares ISA. Of the 40 checked here, 13 set one up for a child and 10 of those take a US citizen. What is not settled is how the US taxes it, and that should come before the first payment in.

A junior SIPP is a personal pension in the child's name, opened and run by a parent or guardian until the child turns 18. The money is locked until the minimum pension age, which rises from 55 to 57 in April 2028. A child with no earnings can have up to £2,880 a year paid in, and the provider claims 20% tax relief from HMRC on top, making £3,600. Anyone can pay in, and the relief still goes to the child's pension.

AJ Bell is the clearest case of a provider treating the two wrappers differently. The same terms bar US citizens from its Junior ISA and bar only Canadians from its junior SIPP, so it opens the pension for a US citizen child and a US citizen parent. Hargreaves Lansdown sets no US test either, and asks a US citizen for a paper W-9 before holding US shares. Those two are the only low-cost platforms here. The rest are specialist SIPPs that charge several hundred pounds a year or want £40,000 to £50,000 to start, which a child's £3,600 a year takes a long time to justify. Curtis Banks and Talbot and Muir take the business only through a regulated adviser, and IPM wants the family to appoint its own US tax adviser alongside. Fidelity, Bestinvest and Scottish Widows turn a US citizen away.

The US side is the reason to pause. The US-UK tax treaty's protection for pensions is written for a pension in the other country, or for contributions from a UK job, and a child living here with a UK pension has neither, so on the treaty's own words nothing obviously stops the US taxing the growth each year. Nobody can deduct a payment into a child's pension on a US return. If the IRS treats the SIPP as a foreign trust, a US citizen parent who pays in can be treated as its owner, with a Form 3520 every year and penalties that start at $10,000 for missing it. No IRS ruling covers this case either way, so it is unresolved rather than settled, and a cross-border specialist should look at it before you open one. Saving for a US citizen child sets out the rules and their sources.

Momo checked 40 providers. 13 offer a junior pension; 27 no longer do. Of those 13, 6 will take you outright and 4 attach conditions. 3 refuse. Last checked .

The pensions you can open

A pension is the one UK wrapper that works properly for a US citizen: the US-UK treaty recognises it, so what grows inside is not taxed by the US year by year the way a stocks and shares ISA is. That makes the last column the important one. Opening the account is the easy half; what you are allowed to hold inside it decides whether it is worth having.

Annual fee is shown as each provider charges it. Percentage charges and flat fees sort separately because they are not the same measurement: a percentage grows with your pot and a flat fee does not, so above a certain balance the flat fee wins.

You can open these yourself

Apply direct, online or on paper, with no adviser standing between you and the account.

What you can hold as a US person The catch
@sipp Updated Source: @sipp Terms and Conditions and SIPP application form, 2026-09-11 Full SIPP £888 plus VAT (advised or non-advised) not published; set by the underlying discretionary fund manager or platform the full range of permitted investments including commercial property and discretionary fund manager arrangements outside the UK —
@sipp Updated Source: @sipp Terms and Conditions and SIPP application form, 2026-09-11 Collective SIPP £560 plus VAT (advised or non-advised) not published; set by the underlying execution-only share dealing service or fund platform a wide range of standard investments via execution-only share dealing or fund platform facilities, discretionary fund manager arrangements, and insurance company trustee investment plans —
@sipp Updated Source: @sipp Terms and Conditions and SIPP application form, 2026-09-11 Solo SIPP £268 plus VAT advised, £391 plus VAT non-advised not published; set by the underlying execution-only share dealing service or fund platform one execution-only share dealing or fund platform facility, discretionary fund manager arrangement, insurance company trustee investment plan, or one direct standard investment —
AJ Bell Updated Source: AJ Bell terms and conditions, clauses 1.6, 24.1, 24.7 and 24.8, 2026-09-11 AJ Bell Junior SIPP shares 0.25% (max £10 per month); funds 0.25% on the first £250,000, 0.10% on the next £250,000, nil above £500,000 shares £5.00 (£3.50 after 10 or more share deals the previous month); funds £1.50; regular investing free shares, ETFs, investment trusts, gilts and bonds, unit trusts, OEICs and structured products —
Alltrust Updated Source: Alltrust target market document, Family Pension Trust key features and Family Pension Trust fee schedule, 2026-09-11 Family Pension Trust (member under 18) £965 plus VAT per trust plus £110 plus VAT for a member under 18 (£175 plus VAT for an adult member); £225 plus VAT set-up fee for a member under 18 (£400 plus VAT for an adult member) not published in the documents read a wide range of investment opportunities such as commercial property, shares and complex investments, subject to Alltrust's Permitted Investment List or, for a non-advised member, its Knowledgeable Investor List —
Dentons Pensions Updated Source: Dentons SIPP FAQs and US SIPP clients page, 2026-09-11 Full asset SIPP £744 plus VAT — stocks and shares, commercial property, gold bullion, unlisted shares, collective funds, bank and building society deposits, investment portfolios —
Dentons Pensions Updated Source: Dentons SIPP FAQs and US SIPP clients page, 2026-09-11 Single portfolio SIPP £510 plus VAT — a single portfolio with an investment manager or platform on Dentons' approved list, no non-standard funds or assets —
InvestAcc Updated Source: InvestAcc 'SIPPs For Children Under the Age of 18' article and Minerva SIPP terms and conditions, 2026-09-11 Minerva SIPP £500 single member fee plus VAT, no initial set up fee not set by InvestAcc; charged by whichever stockbroker, platform or discretionary fund manager holds the investment commercial property and land, plus deposit accounts, DFM arrangements, open market platform/wrap accounts, stockbroker accounts and trustee investment plans, any combination held together —
InvestAcc Updated Source: InvestAcc 'SIPPs For Children Under the Age of 18' article and Minerva SIPP terms and conditions, 2026-09-11 SIPP Lite £250 plus VAT annual fee, £95 plus VAT initial set up fee not set by InvestAcc; charged by whichever stockbroker, platform or discretionary fund manager holds the investment one investment account alongside the default SIPP bank account: a stockbroker account, DFM arrangement, open market platform/wrap account or trustee investment plan —
Yorsipp Updated Source: Yorsipp Terms and Conditions (February 2025), SIPP application form and Singular/Full SIPP fee schedules, 2026-09-11 Singular SIPP £305 plus VAT, plus £130 plus VAT if non-advised not published; set by the single investment platform, DFM or fund chosen a single investment; does not facilitate property investments —
Yorsipp Updated Source: Yorsipp Terms and Conditions (February 2025), SIPP application form and Singular/Full SIPP fee schedules, 2026-09-11 Full SIPP £825 plus VAT, plus £130 plus VAT if non-advised not published; set by the underlying execution-only dealing facility, DFM or fund platform a whole-of-market range of investments including commercial property, cash on deposit, discretionary fund manager arrangements, execution-only dealing, stocks and shares, and investment trusts/unit trusts/OEICs —
Hargreaves Lansdown Accepts with conditions US persons: a paper W-9 in place of the online W-8BEN before holding US shares Updated Source: HL terms and conditions (sections A2 and A15), Junior SIPP application declaration and overseas share dealing page, 2026-09-12 HL Junior SIPP funds 0.35% up to £250,000, 0.25% £250,000 to £1mn, 0.10% £1mn to £2mn, nil over £2mn; shares, ETFs, investment trusts, bonds and gilts 0.35% capped at £12.50 a month; no charge on cash funds £1.95 online; shares and other equities £3.95 online; regular monthly investing free; extra charges for overseas shares funds (including LTAFs), shares, ETFs, investment trusts, bonds, gilts, VCTs, Ready-Made Pension Plan —
IPM Personal Pensions Accepts with conditions US persons: a US tax adviser appointed by the family Updated Source: IPM SIPP application form and IPM guidance on working with clients with a US connection, 2026-09-11 IPM SIPP £580 plus VAT annual administration fee, typically no fee to establish the SIPP not set by IPM; investments such as stocks and shares must be purchased through a stockbroker who holds them in a nominee account cash funds, exchange traded commodities, permanent interest bearing shares, real estate investment trusts, shares in investment trusts, units in regulated collective investment schemes, unquoted shares and commercial property —

Only through a financial adviser

These will hold a US person's pension, but will only take the business through a regulated adviser, so budget for advice fees on top of the ones shown here.

What you can hold as a US person The catch
Curtis Banks Accepts with conditions US persons: a UK FCA-regulated adviser, a paper application and an overseas client declaration Updated Source: Curtis Banks Your Future SIPP terms and conditions and target market document, 2026-09-11 Your Future SIPP (Investment Partners and/or one deposit account) £418 plus VAT; £129 plus VAT establishment fee for a paper application — investments through Curtis Banks' Investment Partners and/or one deposit account —
Curtis Banks Accepts with conditions US persons: a UK FCA-regulated adviser, a paper application and an overseas client declaration Updated Source: Curtis Banks Your Future SIPP terms and conditions and target market document, 2026-09-11 Your Future SIPP (full range of investment options) £968 plus VAT; £129 plus VAT establishment fee for a paper application — over 200 investment partners, commercial property, fixed term deposit accounts and cash platforms including Insignis and Flagstone —
Talbot and Muir Accepts with conditions US persons: an FCA-regulated adviser Updated Source: Talbot and Muir SIPP Terms and Conditions and SIPP application form, 2026-09-11 Talbot and Muir SIPP (single investment) £300 plus VAT not published; set by the underlying investment platform or stockbroker shares, bonds, funds, investment trusts, REITs, exchange traded commodities and certain structured products —
Talbot and Muir Accepts with conditions US persons: an FCA-regulated adviser Updated Source: Talbot and Muir SIPP Terms and Conditions and SIPP application form, 2026-09-11 Talbot and Muir SIPP (more than one investment portfolio) £385 plus VAT not published; set by the underlying investment platform or stockbroker shares, bonds, funds, investment trusts, REITs, exchange traded commodities and certain structured products —
Talbot and Muir Accepts with conditions US persons: an FCA-regulated adviser Updated Source: Talbot and Muir SIPP Terms and Conditions and SIPP application form, 2026-09-11 Talbot and Muir SIPP (holding a property) £1,200 plus VAT not published; set by the underlying investment platform or stockbroker commercial property in addition to other investments —

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Who will not take you

Checked and confirmed to refuse US persons, so you can skip the application. The reason matters: some bar US citizenship outright, others require that you are tax resident in the UK and nowhere else.

Institution Why Updated
Bestinvest The same eligibility rule governs the Junior SIPP: Bestinvest's checklist to open any account, including one a parent or guardian opens for a child, requires being 18 or over, UK resident and a non-US citizen, and its EDD checks on a child account run against the parent's own country of birth. A Junior SIPP needs a paper application form rather than the online flow, but the same eligibility page governs it. Source: Bestinvest 'Who can open a Bestinvest account?' page and Junior SIPP application process, 2026-09-11
Fidelity The same Fidelity client terms bar US persons from its products and services, and the Junior SIPP account is held in the child's name, so the bar catches the child as the account holder regardless of which parent or guardian applies to open it. Source: Fidelity Doing Business with Fidelity client terms, clause 1.3(e), and Junior SIPP product page, 2026-09-11
Scottish Widows The Junior Personal Pension sits on the same adviser-only Scottish Widows Platform as the Junior ISA and is caught by the same clause: the registered contact (the parent or guardian) cannot be a US person, even though the child is the account holder. Source: Scottish Widows Platform Terms and Conditions, clause 1.3, and Junior Personal Pension product page, 2026-09-11

No longer offering this, or never did

Nothing to do with your citizenship: these are providers that do not offer a junior pension to anyone in the UK. Several are still recommended in forums and guides, which is why they are listed rather than left out.

Provider Why not Last checked
Aviva Aviva does not sell a junior pension. The Aviva Pension's own key features document sets the eligibility bar at 'you're aged 18 or over', and no Aviva page offers a pension for a child. Source: Aviva Pension key features document, 2026-09-11
Barclays Smart Investor Barclays does not sell a junior pension. Smart Investor's account range is the Stocks and Shares (Investment) ISA, the Investment Account and the Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), all adult products, with no Junior SIPP anywhere on the site. Source: Barclays Smart Investor accounts page, 2026-09-11
Beanstalk Beanstalk sells only a Junior ISA. Its terms and conditions and Junior ISA key features document make no mention of a pension or SIPP product at all. Source: Beanstalk terms and conditions and Junior ISA key features, issued 06/04/2025, 2026-09-11
Charles Stanley Direct Charles Stanley does not sell a junior pension. Its SIPP page lists the platform's own account options as the Stocks and Shares ISA, the SIPP, the Investment Account, the Junior Stocks and Shares ISA and Cash Savings, with no Junior SIPP anywhere in that list or elsewhere on the site. Source: Charles Stanley SIPP page, 'Account options' list, archived 2026-09-11
Chip Chip sells one pension, its SIPP, with no junior or child version; the site's full product list has no junior offering at all. Source: Chip site navigation and homepage product list, 2026-09-11
CMC Invest CMC Invest sells no pension for children. Its account listing names a Self-Invested Personal Pension alongside Junior Cash ISA, Flexible Cash ISA, Flexible Stocks and Shares ISA and GIA, with no junior or child pension among them. Source: CMC Invest site navigation, 2026-09-11
Freetrade Freetrade sells no pension for children: it advertises three account types only, a free ISA, a free pension (SIPP) and a free Junior ISA, with no Junior SIPP among them. The general terms' US Person bar would in any case catch the parent who would have to open it. Source: Freetrade SIPP page and general terms and conditions section 7.2.5, 2026-09-11
Halifax Share Dealing Halifax does not sell a junior pension. Its 'Pick an account' list for share dealing runs to a Stocks & Shares ISA, a Share Dealing Account and a Self-Invested Personal Pension, an adult-only list with no Junior SIPP in it or anywhere else on the site. Source: Halifax investing 'Pick an account' page, 2026-09-11
HSBC HSBC does not sell a SIPP of any kind, junior or adult, through InvestDirect or otherwise; its only pension presence on the sharedealing and savings pages checked is a login link for an existing personal pension, with no junior product or application route anywhere on the site. Source: HSBC UK InvestDirect and investments pages, 2026-09-11
IG IG sells no pension for children: its SIPP FAQ sets one eligibility test, being 18 and UK resident, with a £10,000 minimum transfer or contribution, and there is no junior or child pension product on the site. Source: IG SIPP FAQ, 2026-09-12
Interactive Brokers UK IBKR sells no junior pension. Its SIPP is an adult wrapper reached only through a separate, pre-approved SIPP Administrator acting as master account holder, and IBKR states plainly that it does not accept US citizens or US residents trading through a SIPP. Source: Interactive Brokers UK SIPP accounts page, 2026-09-11
Interactive Investor ii says plainly on its own junior SIPP guide that it has stopped taking new applicants for the product, so the US-person question in its general and SIPP terms does not need to be reached for a new account. Source: ii 'What is a junior SIPP?' guide, 2026-09-11
InvestEngine InvestEngine sells one pension, its SIPP, restricted to UK residents aged 18 to 75; there is no junior or child pension product. The same accounts page lists no fifth, junior account type. Source: InvestEngine SIPP page and accounts page, 2026-09-11
iWeb iWeb, now Scottish Widows Share Dealing, does not sell a pension of any kind, junior or adult; its own site navigation puts the Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) under a separate Scottish Widows pensions line entirely, distinct from the Share Dealing service, and lists no Junior SIPP anywhere. Source: Scottish Widows site navigation, 2026-09-11
James Hay (Nucleus) Nothing to open for a child or anyone else. Nucleus lists the remaining James Hay SIPPs, including the IPS Family SIPP, and says all of them are closed to new business. Source: Nucleus James Hay products and charges page, 2026-09-11
Legal and General Legal & General does not sell a junior pension. Its own SIPP page says the SIPP itself is a limited offering restricted to members who already have an existing workplace pension with L&G, and points everyone else to its adult Personal Pension, a five-fund product with no junior variant. Source: Legal & General SIPPs contact page, 2026-09-11
Moneybox Moneybox sells no pension for children: its Personal Pension is for UK residents aged 18 or over, and its terms list no junior pension. The same terms close every product to US persons in any case. Source: Moneybox pension page and personal terms and conditions, 2026-09-11
Moneyfarm Moneyfarm sells no pension for children: its product navigation lists a Pension (SIPP) for adults and a Junior ISA, with no junior or child pension between them. The same client-eligibility bar that stopped new US persons in 2021 would in any case catch the parent who would open it. Source: Moneyfarm site navigation and main FAQ, 2026-09-11
NatWest NatWest does not sell a junior pension. Its own 'how to open a Junior ISA' guide mentions a children's pension only as a generic type of product to be aware of, with no NatWest page, application route or terms for one; NatWest's product range for children is the stocks and shares Junior ISA alone. Source: NatWest 'How to Open a Junior ISA' guide, 2026-09-11
Nutmeg (J.P. Morgan Personal Investing) J.P. Morgan Personal Investing sells no pension for children: its product list names a Personal Pension only, and every customer must be at least 18. The terms also refuse US persons outright. Source: J.P. Morgan Personal Investing terms and conditions effective 3 November 2025, sections 1.1 and 1.2, 2026-09-11
PensionBee PensionBee sells no pension for children: its plans require the holder to be 18 or over, and there is no junior or child pension product on the site. Source: PensionBee terms and conditions, 2026-09-11
Plum Plum sells one pension, its SIPP, with no junior or child version; the site navigation lists only a single "pension" product. That SIPP is in any case closed to US Persons by its own terms. Source: Plum site navigation and Plum terms and conditions clause on the Plum SIPP, 2026-09-11
Rathbones Rathbones publishes no off-the-shelf pension product for children. Like the Junior ISA, a child's pension could in principle be arranged as part of a bespoke wealth management mandate, but no /pension or /sipp page exists and nothing is marketed to the public as a Junior SIPP. Source: Rathbones site structure, 2026-09-11
Rowanmoor Rowanmoor no longer exists as a provider to apply to, for a child or anyone else. Its personal pensions business entered administration and the administrators sold every customer SIPP, including any junior plans, to Alltrust in March 2023. Source: FCA news story on Rowanmoor Personal Pensions entering administration, read 2026-09-11
Trading 212 Trading 212 sells no pension for children: its SIPP requires the account holder to be 18 or older, and the same article bars US persons from the SIPP outright, worded as a general rule about UK providers rather than one specific to Trading 212. Source: Trading 212 help centre, "What is a SIPP Account?", 2026-09-11
Vanguard UK Vanguard does not sell a junior pension. Its client terms define Product as a Personal Pension, ISA, Junior ISA or General Account, an adult-only list with no children's pension in it, and no page on the site offers one. Source: Vanguard UK client terms, definitions, August 2026, read 2026-09-11
Wealthify Wealthify sells a Personal Pension (SIPP) but nothing for children: its pension FAQs and terms address only a personal contributor claiming their own tax relief, with no junior or child pension product on the site. The general eligibility bar on US passport holders would in any case catch the parent who would have to open it. Source: Wealthify Managed Personal Pension (SIPP) page FAQs and terms and conditions clause 2.1, 2026-09-11
Confirm your own position with a cross-border specialist. Acceptance policies and tax rules change, and your facts may differ from the general case. Rates and terms here are the provider's published figures rather than an offer, and the provider decides each application on its own criteria. Use this as a map, not a ruling. Last checked .
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