SIPPs that accept US citizens
A pension is the one UK account that works properly for a US citizen, and far more providers open one than the internet suggests. Of 55 checked here, 29 will take you. One of them runs pensions in dollars and works with managers who understand your tax position.
A SIPP, a self-invested personal pension, is a UK pension you direct yourself. It matters more than any other account on this site because of how the US treats it. An ISA is invisible to the US-UK tax treaty, so the IRS taxes what grows inside it as though the wrapper were not there. A pension is not: the treaty recognises it, which is why the same money can be worth keeping in a pension and not worth keeping in an ISA.
The providers built for this
IPM Personal Pensions is the clearest answer here and names you outright, listing Americans working in the UK with UK pension funds among the people it serves. It runs SIPPs in dollars as well as sterling, and works with investment managers regulated on both sides who understand the PFIC problem that ordinary UK funds create. Its one condition is a sensible one rather than an obstacle: it will not act for a US client without a US tax adviser of your own appointed alongside.
Dentons publishes a page specifically for US clients and takes direct applications from £50,000. Curtis Banks names US citizens resident in the UK in its own paperwork, though only on paper, only through a UK regulated adviser, and only funded by transfers, so no new contributions. Canaccord Wealth, which manages money rather than administering pensions, names UK pensions among the things a US expat can use, and it says plainly that it does not turn US citizens away. Westerby will consider you at its discretion and, unusually for a full SIPP house, will deal with you without an adviser.
Where the refusals actually are
Not with the insurers as a group, which is worth correcting because it is easy to assume. Aviva and Standard Life set residence tests with no mention of citizenship, and NFU Mutual sets one too. Scottish Widows, Aegon and LV= each bar US citizens in writing. Same category, opposite answers, so the question has to be asked firm by firm.
The consistent refusals are the consumer investment platforms. Vanguard, Fidelity, Bestinvest, Interactive Investor, Freetrade, Nutmeg, Moneyfarm, Trading 212, InvestEngine, Moneybox, Wealthify and Willis Owen all bar US persons. Several go further than refusing you at the door: Fidelity and Nutmeg both reserve the right to close an account if you become a US person later, which is the clause that bites someone who naturalises years after opening.
AJ Bell is the reason to ask about the product rather than the firm. Its SIPP terms exclude one nationality and it is Canadian, while the same document bars US citizens from its ISA and dealing account. Dodl, its sister brand, repeats the split exactly. NatWest is the mirror image: its ISA sets only a residence test while its pension page says you cannot contribute if you are a US citizen or green card holder.
Two things to read carefully before you trust a no
"US person" is not one definition, and firms rarely tell you which one they mean. Scottish Widows and Fidelity use the Internal Revenue Service meaning, which turns on citizenship and certainly catches you. Legal and General and Penfold both refuse US persons and then define the term by residence, so a US citizen living in Britain is arguably outside it. Hargreaves Lansdown's fund restriction works the same way. If a provider you want says no, it is worth asking which definition it is using.
And the bar is not always in the contract. Wealthify's pension terms ask only that you are 18 and UK resident, while its FAQ says it cannot accept US citizens. InvestEngine's client terms contain no US test at all and its help centre states one. Moneyfarm is the same. Reading the terms and concluding you are eligible is a mistake this page exists to save you from making.
How the treaty protects a pension, and where that protection stops, depends on your own circumstances rather than on which provider you pick. Read how the US taxes your UK SIPP and the treaty and its saving clause before you move a pension anywhere.
A few verdicts below are not yet verified and are marked as such;
treat those as leads until confirmed. They are kept out of this
page's structured data until a person has checked them.
We checked 55 providers. 49 offer a pension and 6 no longer do. Of those 49, 29 will open an account worth having and 20 will not take you. Last checked 17 August 2026.
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 (opens in a new tab) FSCS £85,000 investment cover · apply direct or through an adviser Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | Full SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £888 a year plus £717 to set up without an adviser, or £357 with one. All plus VAT | Nothing from @sipp; your platform or broker charges its own | Standard assets including cash, bonds, investment trusts, REITs, regulated funds, gold and listed securities, plus commercial property and discretionary managers outside the UK. | Transfers in and contributions are free. Fees exclude VAT and can be revised on 30 days' notice. |
| @sipp (opens in a new tab) FSCS £85,000 investment cover · apply direct or through an adviser Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | Collective SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £560 a year plus £287 to set up without an adviser, or £216 with one. All plus VAT | Nothing from @sipp; your platform or broker charges its own | Unlimited standard investments through share dealing accounts, fund platforms or discretionary managers. No commercial property. | No cap on the number of arrangements. Transfers in and contributions are free. |
| AJ Bell (opens in a new tab) FSCS £85,000 investment cover · online and app | AJ Bell SIPP (opens in a new tab) | 0.25% a year on funds to £250,000, then 0.10% to £500,000 and nothing above. Shares 0.25% capped at £10 a month | £5.00 a share deal, £3.50 after 10 deals the previous month, £1.50 a fund deal, plus an FX charge on overseas shares | Individual UK, US and European shares and investment trusts, plus UK funds and UCITS ETFs. The funds and UCITS ETFs are PFICs for US tax; US-domiciled ETFs cannot be bought here because they carry no UK key information document. | Only the share charge is capped, so a large fund holding pays 0.25% all the way to £250,000. |
| Aviva (opens in a new tab) FSCS £85,000 for nominee holdings, 100% for insured funds · app and web | Aviva Pension (opens in a new tab) | 0.35% a year on the first £500,000, nothing above | £4.99 a trade in shares, ETFs and investment trusts | Direct shares, ETFs and investment trusts alongside more than 5,000 funds. The direct-share route is what lets a US person hold individual companies rather than pooled funds. | From £25 a month. Fund manager charges sit on top. Moving to the US restricts you to insured funds and cash. |
| Barnett Waddingham (opens in a new tab) FSCS £85,000 investment cover · apply direct or through an adviser | Flexible SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £295 a year plus £200 to set up without an adviser. A further £525 a year if you use more than one panel provider. All plus VAT | Nothing from Barnett Waddingham; £25 per cash transfer to a provider off its panel | Securities on the London Stock Exchange, AIM or any HMRC recognised overseas exchange, ETFs, funds, investment trusts, REITs, gilts, gold and commercial property. Without an adviser you are limited to one panel discretionary manager, which narrows this a lot in practice. | Unlikely to suit below £50,000, or below £100,000 for the wider investment range. Work charged by the hour runs from £128 to £327 plus VAT. |
| Canaccord Wealth (opens in a new tab) FSCS £85,000 investment cover · typically from £100,000 | Discretionary management inside a SIPP (opens in a new tab) | 0.25% a year on its US portfolios, or unpublished on bespoke management | — | Its published US portfolio holdings show the method rather than describing it: US-domiciled ETFs for the equities, including S&P 500, global quality and sector funds, paired with directly held UK gilts for the fixed interest. No UK pooled funds anywhere, which is what avoiding PFICs actually looks like. | Its US managed portfolios publish real numbers, unusually for this end of the market: 0.25% management and 0.45% to 0.59% all in, against a 1.00% standard rate. Bespoke management publishes nothing and is priced per client. Canaccord does not say whether the US portfolios can be held inside this wrapper, so ask, and note they are routed through intermediaries rather than sold direct. |
| Dentons Pensions (opens in a new tab) FSCS £85,000 investment cover · apply direct or through an adviser | Full asset SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £744 a year plus £350 to set up, both plus VAT | Nothing from Dentons; your broker or platform charges its own | Shares on the London Stock Exchange, AIM or any HMRC recognised overseas exchange, which puts US-listed stock in scope. Also ETFs, investment trusts, funds, REITs, gilts, gold and UK commercial property. No cryptocurrency. | Minimum fund of £50,000. Dentons will not advise on whether an investment suits you, and says some US clients face restrictions depending on their tax status and the platform they pick. |
| Dentons Pensions (opens in a new tab) FSCS £85,000 investment cover · apply direct or through an adviser | Single portfolio SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £510 a year plus £350 to set up, both plus VAT | Nothing from Dentons; £220 to switch portfolio or platform | One portfolio or platform run by a manager on Dentons' approved list, holding standard assets only. No commercial property. | Minimum fund of £50,000, and one portfolio only. Upgrading to the full asset SIPP later costs £200. |
| InvestAcc (opens in a new tab) FSCS £85,000 investment cover · apply direct or through an adviser Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | Minerva SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £500 a year plus VAT, nothing to set up | Nothing from InvestAcc; it has no dealing desk, so your broker charges its own | Shares on the London Stock Exchange, AIM or a recognised overseas exchange, ETFs, investment trusts, REITs, regulated funds, bonds, gold and UK commercial property. Listed holdings must be bought through a UK regulated broker, and overseas listings are approved case by case. | Pots below about £40,000 are named as a negative target market. Property costs £350 a year, and taking benefits costs £100 in any year you do. No transfers from overseas schemes. |
| InvestAcc (opens in a new tab) FSCS £85,000 investment cover · apply direct or through an adviser Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | SIPP Lite (opens in a new tab) | £250 a year plus £95 to set up, both plus VAT | Nothing from InvestAcc; your broker or platform charges its own | A restricted version of the Minerva list. No commercial property or land unless you upgrade. | The annual fee is payable a year in advance, on top of the set-up fee in year one. Upgrading to full Minerva costs £100 in the first year. |
| IPM Personal Pensions (opens in a new tab) FSCS £85,000 investment cover · direct in some cases, usually adviser introduced | IPM SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £580 a year plus VAT, with nothing to set up | Nothing from IPM; your stockbroker charges its own | Shares and securities on a regulated venue, funds, investment trusts, REITs, gold and UK commercial property. Investments and benefits can be held and paid in currencies other than sterling, including dollars. | An investment administrator must be appointed. Non-standard assets cost from £600 plus VAT. IPM says it will accept a non-advised client in some circumstances. |
| NFU Mutual (opens in a new tab) NFU Mutual insured funds · open online without an adviser Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | Select Pension Plan (opens in a new tab) | 0.50% on the first £25,000, tapering to 0.20% above £500,000, plus fund charges of about 0.84% | None | NFU Mutual unit-linked and with-profits funds, plus funds from selected providers. No direct shares. | UK resident for tax and 18 or over. From £50 a month or £1,000 as a lump sum, with transfers in from £5,000. |
| PensionBee (opens in a new tab) FSCS 100% cover, no upper limit (insured) · app and web Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | Global Leaders Plan (opens in a new tab) | 0.70% a year | None, it is a managed portfolio | One ready-made BlackRock fund holding around 1,000 large listed companies. A pooled fund rather than direct shares. | Halves to 0.35% above £100,000. Closing in full inside the first year costs £150. |
| PensionBee (opens in a new tab) FSCS 100% cover, no upper limit (insured) · app and web Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | 4Plus Plan (opens in a new tab) | 0.85% a year | None, it is a managed portfolio | One actively managed State Street multi-asset fund, roughly 77% shares. Pooled, not direct holdings. | Halves to 0.425% above £100,000. Closing in full inside the first year costs £150. |
| Standard Life (opens in a new tab) FSCS 100% of policy value if Standard Life fails, £85,000 if an external manager does · app and web | Personal Pension (opens in a new tab) | 0.55% a year for the ready-made option | None, it is a managed portfolio | A ready-made managed fund, or self-select from over 50 funds. All pooled insured funds, no direct shares. | From £1. No exit fee and no charge to switch, withdraw or transfer in. |
| Standard Life (opens in a new tab) FSCS 100% of policy value if Standard Life fails, £85,000 if an external manager does · app and web | Stakeholder Pension (opens in a new tab) | 0.80% to 1.00% a year, capped at 1.00% | None, it is a managed portfolio | Three lifestyle profiles, or up to 12 funds from a list of over 50. Pooled insured funds only. | From £16 a month. Discounts of 0.10% to 0.20% once the pot passes £25,000. |
| Alltrust (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: nothing published about US citizens, and a £100,000 minimum FSCS £85,000 · normally adviser introduced · £100,000 minimum Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | Full SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £650 a year plus VAT, plus £99 to set up online through an adviser | £75 plus VAT for each extra manager or platform, then £50 plus VAT a year | Shares on any HMRC recognised exchange, AIM shares, funds, ETFs, investment trusts, REITs, gold, UK commercial property and secured loans. | Minimum £100,000 to open. A £150 plus VAT knowledgeable investor check applies to non-advised business. |
| Charles Stanley (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: nothing published about US persons either way FSCS £85,000 · SIPP wrapper fee £100 plus VAT, waived above £30,000 Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | Charles Stanley SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £100 plus VAT a year for the wrapper, waived if you hold £30,000 or more | £10 an online share trade, £4 a fund trade | Direct shares, gilts, corporate bonds, funds and ETFs, with no published US-compliant portfolio. | The 0.30% platform charge applies on the online route. Bespoke management inside the SIPP is priced individually. |
| Evelyn Partners (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: it names UK pensions, but under a heading for clients living outside the UK FSCS £85,000 investment cover · SEC registered · fee tiers start on the first £250,000 Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | Discretionary management inside a SIPP (opens in a new tab) | 1.25% a year on the first £250,000, being 1.05% management and 0.20% custody | None, though overseas trades cost £50 each | Directly held shares and bonds, with US funds and ETFs used in US-connected portfolios. | The schedule prices the portfolio only; any SIPP administration charge is set by the pension provider. |
| Hargreaves Lansdown (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: deal on a paper form rather than online, and the fund range is restricted FSCS £85,000 investment cover · online, app and phone | HL SIPP (opens in a new tab) | 0.35% a year on funds to £250,000, then 0.25% to £1,000,000, 0.10% to £2,000,000 and nothing above. Shares, trusts and ETFs 0.35% capped at £12.50 a month | £6.95 a share deal, £3.95 after 20 deals the previous month, £1.95 a fund deal, free on monthly direct debit | Individual UK, US and European shares and investment trusts. UK funds and UCITS ETFs are PFICs for US tax, and US-domiciled ETFs are unavailable for want of a UK key information document. | The fund charge is uncapped, so a large fund holding pays the most here. |
| IG (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: a Form W-9 on file, and no US-incorporated shares through the pension FSCS £85,000 · operated by Options UK Personal Pensions · £210 a year admin | Share Dealing SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £210 a year including VAT to the administrator, with no custody fee from IG | No commission on shares, with 0.49% currency conversion | Over 11,000 shares, ETFs and investment trusts, but not US-incorporated stock if you are a US citizen. The UCITS ETFs are PFICs; the non-US direct shares are not. | You need £10,000 to start, by transfer or single contribution, or more than £1,000 a month. |
| IG (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: a Form W-9 on file, and no US-incorporated shares through the pension FSCS £85,000 · operated by Options UK Personal Pensions · £210 a year admin | Smart Portfolio SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £210 a year to the administrator plus 0.50% capped at £250, plus ETF costs | None, with rebalancing included | One of five managed iShares ETF portfolios. All pooled, so all PFICs. | The 0.50% applies to the first £50,000 only. Same £10,000 minimum. |
| Killik and Co (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: nothing published about US persons, though the pension wrapper itself has no minimum FSCS £85,000 investment cover · no minimum on the pension wrapper itself Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | Killik SIPP (opens in a new tab) | Nothing to open or hold the wrapper; investment service fees apply on top from 1.35% | None on the managed service | Direct shares, bonds and funds, with no published US-compliant portfolio. | Opening and transferring in, in cash or in specie, are both free. |
| Legal and General (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: it refuses US persons, but defines them by residence rather than citizenship Insured pooled funds run by Legal and General · open direct, no adviser needed | Personal Pension (opens in a new tab) | 0.25% a year service charge, plus fund charges of 0.14% to 0.31% | None | Legal and General funds only, as five diversified options, a default, or one self-select fund. No direct shares. | Aged 18 to 74, resident in the UK, with a National Insurance number. Opens from £100. |
| Penfold (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: its US person test is worded by residence, with entry by specific permission FSCS £85,000 investment cover · app based Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | Penfold Pension (opens in a new tab) | 0.75% to 0.88% a year depending on plan, falling to 0.4% or 0.53% above £100,000 | None | One of four ready-made plans run by BlackRock or HSBC. You cannot choose the underlying funds, and Penfold states this is not a self-invested pension, so there are no direct shares. | Penfold no longer publishes fees on its charges page and confirms them before you open. |
| Prudential UK (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: only through a financial adviser FSCS £85,000 · PruFund and guaranteed income holdings protected in full · adviser sold | Prudential Retirement Account (opens in a new tab) | 0.30% a year below £100,000, tapering to 0.10% above £1,000,000, plus fund charges from about 0.65% on PruFund | — | PruFund and other insured funds, hundreds of collective funds, and direct shares through Stocktrade. | Resident in the UK, or a crown servant serving overseas. Adviser only. |
| Quilter Cheviot (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: nothing published about US persons, and a £250,000 minimum FSCS £85,000 · minimum portfolio £250,000 · the SIPP itself comes from a third party Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | Pension investment management inside a SIPP (opens in a new tab) | — | — | Discretionary multi-asset portfolios, with no published US-compliant variant. | No headline rate is published, and the SIPP provider sets its own administration charge on top. |
| Rathbones (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: a £100,000 SIPP minimum on top of the £300,000 portfolio minimum FSCS £85,000 · SIPP minimum £100,000 · portfolio minimum £300,000 | Rathbones SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £300 a year plus VAT to administer, on top of 1.10% investment management | None | Direct shares and bonds plus selected US ETFs and other US-compliant vehicles. | Minimum investment £100,000 with no minimum contribution. Drawdown adds £150 a year plus VAT. |
| Westerby (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: accepted at Westerby's discretion rather than automatically FSCS £85,000 investment cover · direct or adviser introduced | Full SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £900 a year plus VAT, plus £350 plus VAT to set up | Nothing from Westerby on standard assets; your broker charges its own | Shares and securities on a regulated venue, funds, investment trusts, REITs, structured products, gold and UK commercial property. | Minimum fund of £75,000. Available without an adviser. |
| Westerby (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: accepted at Westerby's discretion rather than automatically FSCS £85,000 investment cover · direct or adviser introduced | Solo SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £510 a year plus VAT, plus setup from £350 plus VAT | Nothing from Westerby where there is a single investment | One investment only, from a platform, a panel discretionary manager, a share dealing account, a trustee investment plan or gold. | Minimum fund of £40,000, one standard asset only. |
| Yorsipp (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: nothing published about US citizens, and applications only through an adviser FSCS £85,000 investment cover · adviser introduced only Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | Full SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £825 a year plus VAT, plus £130 plus VAT a year if you have no ongoing adviser | Nothing from Yorsipp; your platform or broker charges its own | Shares on any HMRC recognised exchange, bonds, gilts, investment trusts, funds, ETFs, gold and UK commercial property. Standard assets only. | Applications only through an FCA regulated UK adviser. |
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 (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: paper application, an overseas client declaration, a UK regulated adviser, and transfers only FSCS £85,000 investment cover · adviser introduced | Your Future SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £418 a year using one investment partner, or £968 for the full range, plus £129 to set up. All plus VAT | £65 per instruction for directly held investments, £33 with a firm that is not an investment partner | Shares, bonds, ETFs, investment trusts and REITs on the London Stock Exchange, AIM or any HMRC recognised overseas exchange, so US-listed stock is in scope. Also authorised funds, structured products and commercial property. | Transfers from UK pensions only, so no new contributions. Online applications are closed to overseas clients, and you must confirm an adviser has advised on both the transfer and the suitability of the investments for a US national. |
| Embark Pensions (formerly Hornbuckle) (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: UK residents only, and only through a regulated adviser FSCS £85,000 investment cover · adviser introduced · UK residents only | Full SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £420 a year plus VAT, with nothing to set up | £25 plus VAT a year for each standard investment after the first; dealing is charged by your broker | Standard investments held directly or through a manager, platform or broker, plus commercial property. | UK residents only and adviser introduced. Transfers in cost £50 a scheme. |
| Royal London (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: only through a financial adviser, though the gate is distribution rather than your citizenship FSCS 100% for Royal London funds, £85,000 for external ones · adviser sold | Pension Portfolio (opens in a new tab) | — | None, it is a fund-based pension | Governed Portfolios and around 170 funds from Royal London and external managers. Pooled funds, with no retail direct-share option. | The annual charge is tiered and falls as the pot grows, but Royal London publishes no headline figure to consumers. Adviser fees are agreed separately and sit on top. |
| Talbot and Muir (opens in a new tab) With strings US persons: only through a regulated adviser, and it has never said whether it takes US persons FSCS £85,000 investment cover · adviser introduced Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 | The Talbot and Muir SIPP (opens in a new tab) | £310 a year at level one or £400 at level two, plus £150 to set up on paper. All plus VAT | Nothing from Talbot and Muir; £20 to set up or vary a standing order, capped at £200 a year | Cash and deposits, shares, government and corporate bonds, regulated funds, investment trusts, exchange traded commodities and UK commercial property. Unlisted securities and cryptocurrency are rejected automatically. | Adviser introduced only. Property adds £1,075 to £1,250 a year. |
Also open to US persons, fees not listed here
Confirmed to accept US persons. Either their plans are not in the table above yet, or the provider prices each case individually, so ask directly.
- International SIPP (adviser-gated) With strings
Institution and account names link to the provider's own site. momo has no active affiliate partnerships; if that changes it will be disclosed and will never change a verdict.
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 | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Bestinvest(opens in a new tab) | Bestinvest sets three conditions to open anything, including a SIPP: be 18, be a UK resident, and be a non-US citizen. The test is citizenship rather than residence, so living in the UK does not help. | 17 August 2026 |
| Fidelity(opens in a new tab) | Fidelity's client terms say the products are not offered to US persons, and the definition opens with any citizen of the United States and any US passport holder regardless of where they live. It also reserves the right to sell your investments and close the account if you are or become one. | 17 August 2026 |
| Freetrade(opens in a new tab) | Freetrade makes not being a US person under FATCA a condition of every account it offers, the SIPP included, and spells out that this covers citizens, residents and anyone meeting the substantial presence test. | 17 August 2026 |
| Interactive Brokers UK(opens in a new tab) | Offers brokerage and an ISA to US persons but does not offer them a SIPP. | 27 June 2026 |
| Interactive Investor(opens in a new tab) | Widely assumed to be open to Americans, and it is not. The SIPP terms make you confirm you are neither a Canadian resident nor a US person, which is a confirmation a US citizen cannot truthfully give, and a later clause lets ii close positions where it believes you are one. | 17 August 2026 |
| InvestEngine(opens in a new tab) | Worth noting where the bar lives, because the contract will not tell you: InvestEngine's client terms set no US test at all, and its help centre lists US persons, including citizens and tax residents, among the accounts it cannot open. It is written against accounts rather than wrappers, so the pension closes with the ISA. | 17 August 2026 |
| LV=(opens in a new tab) | LV= writes the citizenship test into its eligibility list: to open the Pension Portfolio you must not be a citizen or resident of the United States, which catches a US citizen living here. It is normally sold only through a financial adviser in any case. | 17 August 2026 |
| Moneybox(opens in a new tab) | Moneybox says it cannot provide its services to US citizens, including dual citizens, or to anyone paying US tax, and that such a customer would need to close their account. That is written against the whole service rather than one wrapper, so there is no pension exception here. | 17 August 2026 |
| Moneyfarm(opens in a new tab) | Moneyfarm stopped taking US persons in 2021 and names the FATCA reporting burden as the reason. Its definition catches citizens, green card holders, dual nationals and anyone born in the US. | 17 August 2026 |
| NatWest(opens in a new tab) | The mirror image of AJ Bell, inside one bank. NatWest's pension page says you cannot make contributions if you are a US citizen or a green card holder, while its stocks and shares ISA sets only a UK residence test with no citizenship condition. Same bank, opposite answers, so ask about the specific wrapper rather than about the bank. | 17 August 2026 |
| Novia Global(opens in a new tab) | Two doors closed at once. Novia Global takes no direct business, only intermediaries with a terms of business agreement, and its own target market statement aims the product at people living or working outside the UK and says it is not meant for UK clients who intend to stay. It is built for leaving, not for settling. | 17 August 2026 |
| Nutmeg (J.P. Morgan Personal Investing)(opens in a new tab) | The terms say it does not provide portfolios or services to US persons. Worse than a refusal at the door, they also require you to tell it if you become a US person, after which it may close your products and end the agreement. | 17 August 2026 |
| Prosper(opens in a new tab) | Prosper's eligibility clause says you may use its services only if you are not a tax resident of the United States, and it never defines the term. American citizenship-based taxation makes a US citizen a US tax resident wherever they live, so expect it to catch you, but Prosper has not said so and should be asked. The clause governs the whole account, so the pension and the ISA stand or fall together. | Not yet verified · last checked 17 August 2026 |
| RBC Brewin Dolphin(opens in a new tab) | It manages portfolios inside third party pensions, and the same clause bars US citizens from every service its terms cover, wealth management and discretionary management included. Its website disclaimer repeats that US persons are excluded from the products offered. | 17 August 2026 |
| Redmayne Bentley(opens in a new tab) | The pension closes on the same terms as the ISA. Its SIPP portfolio form carries the identical FATCA declaration, and its managed portfolio terms add that it is not registered to do business with US persons. | 17 August 2026 |
| Scottish Widows(opens in a new tab) | Both of its retail pensions refuse you in writing. The SIPP application requires that you are not a US person, and the ready-made pension goes further by naming the Internal Revenue Service definition, which is a citizenship test rather than a residence one. Worth knowing because Scottish Widows sells direct and looks like an easy route in. | 17 August 2026 |
| Trading 212(opens in a new tab) | The SIPP is live and free of charge, and closed to you. Trading 212 does not offer accounts to US persons, defined to include US citizens, anyone born in the States, green card holders and anyone with US tax obligations, and that is written at account level so the pension falls with the ISA. The only exception it names is a certificate of loss of nationality. | 17 August 2026 |
| Vanguard UK(opens in a new tab) | The terms say the accounts and funds are not available to US persons, defined to include any US citizen and any US passport holder whatever their residence. The help pages say the same in plain words. | 17 August 2026 |
| Wealthify(opens in a new tab) | Another bar that sits outside the contract. Wealthify's pension terms ask only that you are 18 or over and resident in the UK for tax, while its FAQ says it cannot accept US citizens because of US tax reporting rules, covering anyone holding a US passport or owing US tax. The FAQ is what shuts the door, on the pension and the ISA alike. | 17 August 2026 |
| Willis Owen(opens in a new tab) | The SIPP application makes you tick that you are a UK resident and not a US person, taken as the Internal Revenue Service defines it. The identical declaration sits on its ISA application, so Willis Owen closes both doors and offers no pension exception. | 17 August 2026 |
No longer offering this, or never did
Nothing to do with your citizenship: these are providers that do not offer a 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aegon UK(opens in a new tab) | Two reasons this does not work. Aegon has no personal pension you can open yourself since Retiready closed to new business in December 2023, and what remains is adviser sold. Its SIPP key features then bar you anyway, saying you cannot apply if you are a US citizen or US taxpayer. | 17 August 2026 |
| Bespoke Pension Services(opens in a new tab) | There is no pension here to assess. The company is active and registered under activities auxiliary to pension funding, but it publishes no website, no product literature and no fee schedule, and no consumer facing SIPP could be traced to it. | 17 August 2026 |
| Canada Life(opens in a new tab) | Nothing to open. Canada Life closed its personal pension, The Retirement Account, to new business with immediate effect in January 2024, and its remaining retirement products are sold only through independent financial advisers. | 17 August 2026 |
| James Hay (Nucleus)(opens in a new tab) | Nothing to open. Nucleus lists the Partnership SIPP and the IPS range and states that all of them are closed to new business, with the remaining book moved onto its adviser-only platform. | 17 August 2026 |
| Just Group(opens in a new tab) | Just has no pension you can build savings in. Its range is retirement income and later life products: annuities, fixed term plans, drawdown, care funding and lifetime mortgages. Its Secure Lifetime Income is bought inside somebody else's SIPP rather than being a pension of its own. | 17 August 2026 |
| Rowanmoor(opens in a new tab) | Rowanmoor no longer exists as a provider. Its personal pensions business entered administration and the administrators sold all customer SIPPs to Alltrust in March 2023, which is why Alltrust still administers a Rowanmoor plan. Its own website no longer resolves. | 17 August 2026 |
Confirm your own position with a cross-border specialist.
Acceptance policies and tax rules change, and your facts may differ from the
general case. Use this as a map, not a ruling. Last checked 17 August 2026.
Why this is the rule
Tax
SIPP US tax
The treaty generally lets a UK SIPP grow tax-deferred for US purposes, but the protection has limits. How the US treats contributions, growth and drawdown.
TaxUS-UK tax treaty
The US-UK treaty stops most double taxation, but the saving clause lets the US tax its citizens almost as if it were not there. What survives the clause.