Frequently asked transfer questions
Transferring a Stocks and Shares ISA
The fastest way to transfer an ISA is online. It is also possible to send us a transfer form in the post.
You’ll need the name of your account provider and your account reference to hand.
We don’t charge anything to transfer to us, but it’s a good idea to check if your provider charges exit fees.
How transferring a Stocks and Shares ISA works
Apply to transfer and we'll contact your provider for you.
Once your transfer has started, we'll update you on any progress and tell you when everything arrives.
You can start investing when you’re ready.
Transfer part of an ISA
To transfer part of a Stocks and Shares ISA, you need to send us:
A completed Stocks and Shares ISA transfer form.
A signed letter, telling us what you’d like to transfer.
Send all forms to us at FREEPOST Hargreaves Lansdown.
When requesting an ISA transfer, you’ll get to choose how we transfer your ISA – as is, or as cash. What you choose depends on whether you’d like to keep the investments you have or sell them and reinvest the cash once the transfer finishes.
Transfer your ISA as is and we’ll move all your investments and cash exactly as they are. You won’t be able to buy or sell investments during the transfer.
If you would rather sell investments first, then we’ll ask your current provider to sell all your ISA investments, then transfer the cash. You won’t lose or gain from market changes until you're reinvested.
Whether you transfer investments or cash, transferring doesn't count towards your ISA allowance.
Transfer times vary depending on who you are transferring from and the type of investment being transferred. In most cases, transfers take 2 to 6 weeks; however, some can take longer. Please note, if your transfer takes longer than we would expect, we will chase your current provider to try to expedite the transfer.
Transferring a Junior ISA
Yes, you can.
You can request a free information pack to find out more.
Yes, it’s possible to transfer Junior ISAs between providers. Junior ISAs can be transferred in whole or, where your current provider allows it, in part. It is also possible to transfer a Junior Cash ISA into a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA, and vice versa. Current years' Junior ISA subscriptions must be transferred in full.
As it is only possible to hold one Junior ISA of each type, if a transfer is being made to the same type of Junior ISA it would need to be transferred in its entirety. If a transfer is being made to a different type of Junior ISA, then a partial transfer can be made. So, if transferring from a Stocks and Shares Junior ISA to another Stocks and Shares Junior ISA, the whole ISA must be transferred, as it is not possible to have two different Stocks and Shares Junior ISAs.
More about transferring a Junior ISADownload a Junior ISA transfer form
If you want to transfer your investments to another manager, please contact them and ask them to arrange the transfer with us. There is no charge to transfer your holdings as cash or as stock.
Transferring a Cash ISA
The fastest way to transfer a Cash ISA is online. It is also possible to send us a transfer form in the post.
You’ll need the name of your account provider and your account reference to hand.
We don’t charge anything to transfer to us, but it’s a good idea to check if your provider charges exit fees.
How transferring a Cash ISA works
Apply to transfer and we'll contact your provider for you.
Once your transfer has started, we'll update you on any progress and tell you when everything arrives.
You can start investing when you’re ready.
You can normally transfer up to £4,000 from another (non-Lifetime) ISA to an HL Lifetime ISA each tax year. You’ll get a 25% government bonus on the amount you transfer, up to £1,000.
Transferring counts towards your Lifetime ISA allowance, but not your overall ISA allowance. You can transfer ISAs from previous tax years, but only up to the £4,000 allowance.
If you're transferring money you've paid into your Cash ISA this tax year, you can transfer in part or in full, but only up to the £4,000 allowance. It’s a good idea to check if your provider allows partial transfers of money you've paid into your Cash ISA this tax year before taking any action.
Remember, if you want to use the Lifetime ISA to buy a home, if you do that in the first year of having your Lifetime ISA you will have to pay the 25% government withdrawal charge.
Transferring an investment account
The fastest way to transfer an investment account is online. It is also possible to send us a transfer form in the post.
You’ll need the name of your account provider and your account reference to hand.
We don’t charge anything to transfer to us, but it’s a good idea to check if your provider charges exit fees.
How investment transfers work
Apply to transfer and we'll contact your provider for you.
Once your transfer has started, we'll update you on any progress and tell you when everything arrives.
You can start investing when you’re ready.
There are two types of transfers you can make to the HL service: a stock transfer or a cash transfer. With a stock transfer, your existing manager will transfer your holdings to us as they are (remaining invested). Please note that when transferring as stock, you will typically be unable to sell your holdings during the process - for example, if you wish to protect yourself from falls or realise any gains.
With a cash transfer, your investments will be sold and the cash will be transferred to us. If you transfer as cash, you are out of the market while your transfer takes place. This may work in your favour if the market falls, but if it rises you will not benefit from any growth while you hold cash.
Whether you transfer as stock or cash any ISA wrappers will be maintained.
You should check whether your existing provider levies any transfer charges before transferring.
Transfer times vary depending on who you are transferring from and the type of investment being transferred. In most cases, transfers take 2 to 6 weeks; however, some can take longer. Please note, if your transfer takes longer than we would expect, we will chase your current provider to try to expedite the transfer.
Transferring pensions and SIPPs
If your pension is transferred as cash, this means your provider will sell your pension investments and transfer the cash amount. You will not be invested during the transfer, so you will not make losses or gains. You can buy investments once the transfer is complete. This usually takes 2 to 6 weeks, although some transfers can be complex and take longer. Timeframes also depend on actions from your existing provider.
If your pension is transferred as it is (invested in the stock market), your provider will transfer each investment and any cash. If you hold an investment that we don’t offer, we’ll contact you during the transfer to confirm your preference. This type of transfer can take several weeks, depending on your investments and provider. You stay invested during the transfer, so you could make gains and losses. Usually, you cannot trade until the transfer completes. Please note, we can accept only online applications of this kind for existing Self-Invested Personal Pensions or Small Self-Administered Schemes. If you hold a different pension and are eligible to transfer your investments, please contact our helpdesk on 0117 980 9926 for a postal application.
There are no charges to transfer your SIPP to another provider.
Please note that our standard dealing charges will apply to the sale of any investments. For more information, please view our SIPP charges.
Before transferring, please ensure that you will benefit from doing so and will not lose valuable guarantees. Pensions are usually transferred as cash (unless a stock transfer is selected), so you will be out of the market for a period.
For further details, please contact our pensions helpdesk on 0117 980 9926.
The fastest way to transfer is online. It is also possible to transfer by sending us a form in the post.
How pension transfers work
Apply to transfer and we'll contact your provider for you.
Once your transfer has started, we'll update you on any progress and tell you when everything arrives.
You can start investing when you’re ready.
If you’re transferring a Drawdown pension, please call our pensions helpdesk on 0117 980 9926.
What to check before you transfer
It's important to make sure that you won't lose any valuable guarantees or benefits from your current pension, or have to pay excessive exit fees, before you transfer.
We’ll transfer your pension as cash (unless you request otherwise), which means it won’t be affected by stock market rises or falls while it’s being moved over.
More about transferring a pension
You can transfer most pension types into an HL SIPP, including:
Personal and stakeholder pensions
Retirement Annuity Contracts (RACs)
Another Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP)
Most Additional Voluntary Contribution plans (AVCs) including Free Standing AVCs
Executive Pension Plans (EPPs)
Most paid-up occupational money purchase plans
Old protected rights pensions accrued from contracting out of the State Second Pension or SERPS (State Earnings Related Pension Scheme)
Pensions in Income Drawdown
If you have a final salary pension or another pension type not listed above, call us on 0117 980 9926 and we may be able to help you transfer.
Although it is not possible to transfer an ISA directly to the HL SIPP, it might be possible to use cash currently held within an ISA to make a contribution to boost your retirement savings.
This would be classified as a new pension contribution, so you should receive tax relief; however, the cash would lose its ISA status and the amount of tax relief would depend on your circumstances. Please note: tax rules can change.
Before applying, please understand the risks and features of the HL SIPP.
Depending on the type of pension scheme, there is an option for pensions to be transferred as cash or as they are (invested in the stock market). Unless you’re transferring a Self-Invested Personal Pension, or a Small Self-Administered Scheme, it’s likely that a cash transfer will be your only option. If you’re not sure what type of pension you hold, or which options are available to you, please contact your existing provider before applying.
If you request to transfer your pension as cash, this means your provider will sell your pension investments and transfer the cash amount to your HL SIPP. You will not be invested during the transfer; this means you will be out of the market and so miss any rises or falls for a period. You can buy investments once the transfer is complete. This usually takes 2 to 6 weeks, depending on your provider.
If your pension is transferred as it is (invested in the stock market), your provider will transfer each investment and any cash to your HL SIPP. If you hold an investment we do not offer, we’ll contact you during the transfer to confirm your preference. This type of transfer usually takes 6 to 8 weeks but can take longer depending on your investments and provider. You stay invested during the transfer, so could make gains and losses. Usually, you cannot trade until the transfer completes. Please note, we can accept only online applications of this kind for existing Self-Invested Personal Pensions or Small Self-Administered Schemes. If you hold a different pension and are eligible to transfer your investments, please contact our helpdesk on 0117 980 9926 for a postal application.
Telephone transfers
We are able to accept transfers of ISA or nominee accounts.
As long as you are a Hargreaves Lansdown client, have online access to your accounts and the account you are transferring meets the criteria, you are eligible for a telephone transfer.
Please note: we can take instructions to transfer investments into only a sole account in your name, and we need to speak to the account holder.
If you’re not sure whether the account you’re transferring meets the criteria, speak to our transfers helpdesk on 0117 906 7816.
You must have the account reference number for your previous provider, the value of your account there, and the address for that company.
If you have an account with Fidelity, Cofunds, Legal & General or Invesco Perpetual ,then please make sure you have the following details:
For Fidelity, this is usually ten characters in length, containing three or four letters followed by six or seven numbers, e.g. ABCD123456. This account reference is different to the ten-digit number that Fidelity refer to as the Client Reference number.
For Cofunds, this is usually nine or ten characters in length, starting with A, followed by six or seven numbers, followed by A1 and a final letter. e.g. A999999A1J. This platform reference is different from your Cofunds client number, although you may notice that the numerical digits are the same in both.
For Invesco Perpetual, this is usually either seven or ten characters in length, with the seven-digit reference beginning with a 6 and the ten-digit reference starting with 0006. This account reference is different from the account reference number.
For Legal & General, we cannot offer telephone transfers for their Investment Portfolio Service. So if your account reference is eight digits long and begins with a 5, you will have to use our postal transfer form.
Shares held with a registrar
To transfer shares from Equiniti, please complete our Fund and Share transfer form as well as an Equiniti transfer form, which can all be found in our useful documents section. Before transferring, please understand the risks, Terms and Conditions (including Tariff of Charges) and Key Features of your investment. If you are unsure of the suitability of an investment for your circumstances seek personal advice.
The transfer form will include details of any charges Equiniti may levy for transferring away from their service.
Please note that these charges are subject to change and are levied by Equiniti and not Hargreaves Lansdown. Please contact Equiniti if you wish to confirm the charges that will be applied.
Simply return your forms (and cheque for fees if applicable) to our freepost address: Freepost HARGREAVES LANSDOWN. We will then contact Equiniti on your behalf to arrange the transfer.
To transfer shares from Computershare, please complete our Fund and Share transfer form as well as a Computershare transfer form, which can all be found in our useful documents section.
The transfer form will include details of any charges that Computershare may levy for transferring away from their service.
Please note that these charges are subject to change and are levied by Computershare and not Hargreaves Lansdown. You may wish to contact Computershare to confirm the charges that will be applied.
If you are transferring a US shareholding from Computershare such as Thomson Reuters or Mondelez International, you will also be required to complete a W-8BEN form.
Simply return your forms (and cheque for fees if applicable) to our freepost address: Freepost HARGREAVES LANSDOWN. We will then contact Computershare on your behalf to arrange the transfer.
Before transferring, please understand the risks, Key Features and Terms and Conditions (including Tariff of Charges) of your investment. If you are unsure of the suitability of an investment for your circumstances seek personal advice.
To transfer shares from Link, please complete our Fund and Share transfer form as well as a Link transfer form, which can all be found in our useful documents section.
The transfer form will include details of any charges that Link may levy for transferring away from their service.
Please note that these charges are subject to change and are levied by Link and not Hargreaves Lansdown. You may wish to contact Link to confirm the charges that will be applied.
Simply return your forms (and cheque for fees if applicable) to our freepost address: Freepost HARGREAVES LANSDOWN. We will then contact Link on your behalf to arrange the transfer.
Before transferring, please understand the risks, Key Features and Terms and Conditions (including Tariff of Charges) of your investment. If you are unsure of the suitability of an investment for your circumstances seek personal advice.
Have a question we haven't answered here?
If you’re considering a transfer but you’ve got some questions about our service or charges, please get in touch. Our experts can talk you through the application process and help you to do decide if transferring is right for you. During your call, you'll get answers to your questions. But you won’t get personal advice.
For pension transfers, call 0117 980 9926 or book a 30-minute appointment with a pension specialist.
For ISA or investment transfers, call 0117 906 7816 or book a 30-minute appointment with our transfer experts.