Q: How do I transfer shares held with Equiniti?

To transfer shares from Equiniti please complete our ISA , Fund & Share or SIPP 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 and Terms and Conditions (including Tariff of Charges) of your investment. The specific risks of any funds are detailed in the Key Features . 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. View our charges

Q: How do I transfer shares held with Link (formerly Capita)?

To transfer shares from Link please complete our ISA , Fund & Share or SIPP 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 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 and Terms and Conditions (including Tariff of Charges) of your investment. The specific risks of any funds are detailed in the Key Features . If you are unsure of the suitability of an investment for your circumstances seek personal advice. View our charges

Question 1

How do I transfer shares held with Equiniti?

Accepted Answer

To transfer shares from Equiniti please complete our ISA, Fund & Share or SIPP 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 and Terms and Conditions (including Tariff of Charges) of your investment. The specific risks of any funds are detailed in the Key Features. 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.

View our charges

Question 2

How do I transfer shares held with Computershare?

Accepted Answer

To transfer shares from Computershare please complete our ISA, Fund & Share or SIPP 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 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 and Terms and Conditions (including Tariff of Charges) of your investment. The specific risks of any funds are detailed in the Key Features. If you are unsure of the suitability of an investment for your circumstances seek personal advice.

View our charges

Question 3

How do I transfer shares held with Link (formerly Capita)?

Accepted Answer

To transfer shares from Link please complete our ISA, Fund & Share or SIPP 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 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 and Terms and Conditions (including Tariff of Charges) of your investment. The specific risks of any funds are detailed in the Key Features. If you are unsure of the suitability of an investment for your circumstances seek personal advice.

View our charges

Question 4

Can I add share certificates into my HL Fund and Share Account?

Accepted Answer

This service is currently suspended. You can find out more here.

Question 5

Can I add share certificates straight into my ISA/SIPP?

Accepted Answer

If you want to put your share certificates into an ISA or a SIPP they have to be sold before the proceeds are subscribed to the ISA or SIPP. You can then buy the same shares back within the ISA or SIPP, or choose a new investment. This process is known as a Bed & ISA.

Find out more about Bed & ISA/SIPP

Question 6

Can I add certificates in my name, into someone else's account?

Accepted Answer

To add a share certificate in your name to somebody else’s account, firstly you would have to add the certificate to an HL Fund and Share Account in your own name by completing a Fund and Share transfer form and returning it to our address along with the original share certificate(s).

Once this has been added, you can gift the shares to another person’s HL Fund and Share Account by sending us a signed letter of instruction. There is no charge to transfer stock from one Hargreaves Lansdown account to another.

Question 7

Can I add certificates in someone else's name, into my account?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The shares would initially need to be lodged into an HL Fund and Share Account in the name in which the certificates are held. This can be done by completing a Fund and Share transfer form and returning it to our address along with the original share certificate(s).

The person can then gift the shares to your HL Fund and Share Account by sending us a signed written instruction. There is no charge to transfer stock from one Hargreaves Lansdown account to another.

Question 8

How do I transfer a Stocks and Shares ISA to an HL Stocks and Shares ISA?

Accepted Answer

The fastest way to transfer an ISA is online. You can learn more by visiting our transfer page.

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 it works

Apply to transfer and we'll contact your provider for you.
Once your transfer has started, we'll update you on 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.

Question 9

Should I transfer as is, or as cash?

Accepted Answer

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, 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.

Question 10

How long does the transfer take?

Accepted Answer

Transfers times vary depending on who you are transferring from and the type of investment being transferred. In most cases transfers take 2-4 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 and expedite the transfer.

Question 11

My current provider charges exit fees, can you help with these?

Accepted Answer

In order to establish whether we can help with any exit fees we require some information regarding the holdings you are looking to transfer. We need to know:

Whether the investments are held inside or outside an ISA
The number of holdings
Approximate value of shares
Approximate value of funds
Approximate cash balance

Once you have this information to hand you are able to contact our Helpdesk: 0117 900 9000, and we will let you know whether we can contribute towards your exit fees.

Question 12

Can I transfer Child Trust Funds to the HL Stocks and Shares Junior ISA?

Accepted Answer

Yes. As of 6 April 2015, it is now possible to transfer a Child Trust Fund to the HL Junior Stocks and Shares ISA.

You can request a free information pack to find out more.

Find out more about the HL Junior ISA

Question 13

Can I transfer a Junior ISA held with another provider to the HL Stocks and Shares Junior ISA?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it’s possible to transfer Junior ISAs between providers. Junior ISAs can be transferred in whole or, where you 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, 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.

If transferring from a Stocks and Shares Junior ISA to a Cash Junior ISA, a partial transfer can be made as a child is allowed one Stocks and Shares Junior ISA and one Cash Junior ISA.

Download a Junior ISA transfer form

Question 14

How do I transfer my Junior ISA investments to another manager?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 15

How do I transfer a Cash ISA to the HL Stocks and Shares ISA?

Accepted Answer

The fastest way to transfer an ISA is online. You can learn more by visiting our transfer page.

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 it works

Apply to transfer and we'll contact your provider for you.
Once your transfer has started, we'll update you on progress and tell you when everything arrives.
You can start investing when you’re ready.

Question 16

How do I transfer investments to an HL Fund and Share Account?

Accepted Answer

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 it works

Apply to transfer and we'll contact your provider for you.
Once your transfer has started, we'll update you on progress and tell you when everything arrives.
You can start investing when you’re ready.

Find out more about transferring

Question 17

Should I transfer 'as cash' or 'as stock'?

Accepted Answer

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 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.

Question 18

How long does the transfer take?

Accepted Answer

Transfer times vary depending on who you are transferring from and the type of investment being transferred. In most cases transfers take 2-4 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 and expedite the transfer.

Question 19

My current provider charges exit fees, can you help with these?

Accepted Answer

In order to establish whether we can help with any exit fees we will need a breakdown of your portfolio outlining how much is in ISAs and how much is in an unwrapped account. We then require the following details for each:

The number of holdings
Approximate value of shares
Approximate value of funds
Approximate cash balance
An estimation of how many share deals you place per year

Once you have this information to hand you are able to contact our Helpdesk on 0117 900 9000, and we will let you know whether we can contribute towards your exit fees.

Question 20

What are the charges to transfer my SIPP to another provider?

Accepted Answer

There are no charges to transfer your SIPP either as stock or cash to another provider, and there is no charge for closing your account. Dealing charges will apply to the sale of any investments. For more information please view our SIPP charges or call our Helpdesk on 0117 980 9926.

Before transferring, please ensure you’ll benefit from doing so, and won’t lose valuable guarantees or need to pay high set-up fees. Pensions are usually transferred as cash (unless a stock transfer is selected) so you will be out of the market for a period. If you are transferring your HL SIPP to a non-mainstream pension provider then we may need to request further information about your new pension provider. This could increase the time it takes to transfer your SIPP.

Please also check that your new provider is authentic. Unfortunately, there are investment scams out there which target people who've withdrawn, or plan to withdraw money from their pension and other accounts. They can also persuade people to transfer their pension to another pension within which there is an investment scam. These scams tend to involve firms and/or investments which aren’t regulated by the FCA, so if you fall victim to them there may be no compensation available.

Often fraudsters will attempt to make their ‘sales pitch’ as realistic and attractive as possible. They’ll aim to build a rapport with you – sharing fake reviews, using convincing literature and websites or claiming to be regulated. Warning signs can include cold calling or texting, pressure to act quickly, the promise of unique or unusual opportunities, the offer of quick and easy profits or something that seems too good to be true. Scammers might also offer free pension reviews and the chance to release money from your pension early, which isn’t normally allowed before age 55 under current pension legislation. You can find out more at www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart or by visiting our security centre.

More about transferring to another provider

Question 21

How do I transfer my pension to an HL SIPP?

Accepted Answer

The fastest way to transfer is online. It is also possible to transfer by sending us a form in the post.

How it works

Apply to transfer and we'll contact your provider for you.
Once your transfer has started, we'll update you on progress and tell you when everything arrives.
You can start investing when you’re ready.

What to check before you transfer

It's important to make sure 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.

Find out more about transferring

Types of pensions you can transfer

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.

Question 22

How long will a pension transfer take?

Accepted Answer

Where possible, we will try to request a pension transfer via the Origo Options system, which is an electronic transfer facility. Cash transfers using this system typically take two to three weeks. If the Origo Options system is not available for your transfer then there will usually be a form that needs to be completed by you and by our transfer team. We expect most paper based transfers to take four to six weeks. In all cases we are to some extent dependent on the ceding pension scheme to process the transfer in a timely fashion.

Whilst our transfer team will chase the transfer regularly, we cannot guarantee any timescales. In some cases it may be possible to transfer your pension as stock, to avoid the sale of investments. These "in specie" transfers can take considerably longer than the timescales quited above, and are only possible where the investments held in the current scheme are also available on our platform. We will ask you to provide a covering letter with a list of your investments, including ISIN or SEDOL codes, so that we can check your investments for compatibility.

Question 23

Can I transfer an ISA to the HL SIPP?

Accepted Answer

Whilst 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.

If you hold stock within an ISA you may be able to transfer that into the HL SIPP via a process we call Bed & SIPP. This involves us selling the investment and repurchasing it straightaway within the HL SIPP. This should also be eligible for tax relief but once the Bed & SIPP takes place it cannot be reversed and the ISA status is lost permanently.

Before applying, please understand the risks and features of the HL SIPP.

More information about the HL SIPP

Question 24

Will my transfer to the HL SIPP be made as cash or stock?

Accepted Answer

When transferring a pension to the HL SIPP, unless otherwise arranged, your existing provider will sell any investments and transfer the cash proceeds. When you transfer as cash, you will be out of the market and miss any rises or falls for a period.

For many this is the quickest and easiest way to transfer – most are transferred electronically, taking just eight working days on average. However, if the pension you are transferring is another SIPP or SSAS you may be able to transfer the investments without them being sold.

To discuss a transfer of your investments without them being sold please call our Pensions Helpdesk on 0117 980 9926 before applying.

Question 25

What kind of account can I transfer?

Accepted Answer

We are able to accept ISA or nominee accounts that hold solely unit trusts and OEICs from the following providers:

AJ Bell trustees
AXA IM UK Limited
AXA Portfolio Services Ltd (Elevate)
Aberdeen Fund Managers Limited
Aegon Investment Solutions Limited
Alliance Trust Savings Limited
Allianz Global Investors GmbH UK Branch
Amber Financial Investments Ltd
Architas Multi-Manager Limited
Artemis Fund Managers Limited
Aviva Investors UK Funds Limited
Aviva Wrap UK Limited
BNY Mellon Fund Managers Limited
Baillie Gifford & Co Limited
Barclays Direct Investing Nominees Limited
Barclays Stockbrokers
Baring Fund Managers Ltd
Bestinvest (Brokers) Limited
Blackrock Fund Managers Limited
Cavendish Asset Management
Charles Stanley & Co Limited
City Financial Investment Company Limited
Close Asset Management (UK) Limited
Cofunds Ltd
EdenTree Investment Management
Equiniti Financial Services Limited/Selftrade
F&C Fund Management
Fidelity International
First State Investments (UK) Limited
Franklin Templeton Fund Management Limited
Fund Partners - FP Argonaut Funds
Fund Partners - FP CRUX UCITS OEIC
Fundsmith LLP
Fusion Wealth Limited
Gerrard Investment Management Limited
HSBC Trust Company (UK) Limited
Henderson Investment Funds Limited
Interactive Investor Trading Limited
Invesco UK Limited
Investec Fund Managers Limited
Investment Fund Services Ltd
Investment Funds Direct Limited (Ascentric)
JPMorgan Asset Management (UK) Limited
Jupiter Unit Trust Managers Limited
Kames Capital Plc
Lazard Investment Funds
Legal & General Investments
Legg Mason Investment Funds Limited
Liontrust Fund Partners LLP
M&G Securities
M&G Securities-MyM&G D2C Platform
Majedie Asset Management Ltd
Man Fund Management UK Ltd
Margetts Fund Management Ltd
Marlborough Fund Managers
Neptune Investment Management Limited
Novia Financial Plc
Nucleus Financial Group Limited
Nutmeg Saving & Investment Limited
Old Mutual Investment Management Limited
Old Mutual Wealth Limited
Parmenion Capital Partners LLP
Pershing Securities Limited
Premier Fund Managers Limited
RLUM Ltd
Rathbone Investment Management
Rathbone Unit Trust Management Limited
River & Mercantile Asset Management LLP
Royal London Unit Trust Managers Limited
SVM Asset Management Ltd
Sarasin & Partners LLP
Schroder Unit Trusts Limited
Share Centre
Standard Life Investments (Mutual Funds) Limited
Standard Life Savings Limited (Fundzone)
Standard Life Savings Limited (Wrap)
Sterling
TD Direct
Thesis Unit Trust Management Ltd
True Potential Investments LLP
Unicorn Asset Management Limited
Vanguard Asset Management Limited
Zurich Intermediary Platform

Important: You must be an existing Hargreaves Lansdown client with online access to your HL account to use our telephone transfer service. We can only take instructions to transfer investments into a sole account in your name, and we need to speak to the account holder.

Question 26

What will I need to arrange the transfer?

Accepted Answer

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 to 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 to 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.

Question 27

Who can do a telephone transfer?

Accepted Answer

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Shares held with a registrar

Stocks and Shares ISA

How it works

Transfer part of an ISA

Junior ISA

Cash ISA

How it works

Investment accounts

How it works

Pensions and SIPPs

How it works

What to check before you transfer

Types of pensions you can transfer

Telephone transfers

Have a question we haven't answered here?