Transfer your investments

To transfer your account to Barclays, you'll need:

• Your current provider's account number
• Details of the investment and cash you want to transfer

We'll normally ask you to complete the transfer forms online then we'll do the rest. However, sometimes you'll need to print, sign and post them to us so we can contact your current provider and authorise it. If that's the case, we'll give you the completed forms at the end of the process.

If you transfer cash or investments from a Lifetime ISA to an Investment ISA, it will count as a Lifetime ISA withdrawal and you will incur the 20% government charge on the amount transferred. 

If you’re transferring cash after selling your investments and maybe planning to repurchase them, remember you’ll be ‘out of the market’ for a time and there’ll be charges when you sell and reinvest.

You may also have to pay capital gains tax when you sell if your investments aren’t held in an ISA. That means you’ll miss out on any rise in value and on any income from these investments during that period. You’ll also miss out on any corporate actions such as rights issues and on voting rights as well as any Shareholders’ benefits, for example, discounts on services, which you may not receive on the same terms when you repurchase the shares.

There will be dealing charges to sell and repurchase investments. If you make capital gains outside of pensions or ISAs that exceed your annual allowances, you’ll need to pay capital gains tax. Remember, tax rules can and do change, and their effects on you will depend on your individual circumstances, which can also change.

During the transfer process, you won’t be able to sell any existing investments. However, once the process is complete, you’ll be able to sell as normal. There will be a period during the transfer when you won’t be able to sell existing investment holdings. How long this period lasts will depend on the assets you hold, but it may also be affected by how quickly the registrar or fund manager carries out the ownership transfer and whether they’ll accept an order to sell while making the transfer.

There may also be delays in receiving dividends, other income and information, as well as delays to exercising shareholder concessions or receiving notification of voting rights or corporate actions, such as rights issues. These could affect your ability to respond where deadlines are shorter.

To transfer shares which are held electronically with a registrar into your Smart Investor account, you may be required to complete additional paperwork before the shares can be moved. Please contact the registrar for confirmation on what paperwork is required and if there will be any charges applied by them. Any paperwork should be returned to us along with your Smart Investor Transfer form. We will then contact the registrar on your behalf to arrange the transfer.

There are some additional elements to consider when transferring pensions. Transferring a pension doesn’t affect its tax-efficient status, but you should make sure that you don’t have to pay penalties or give up valuable benefits – and that you're aware of all the risks and drawbacks involved in this. We don’t accept transfers of defined benefit pensions (e.g. final or average salary pensions). If you’re unsure whether to transfer a pension, seek professional independent advice.

Read an explanation of drawbacks and risks to be aware of when transferring pensions [PDF, 1.7MB].