Will the cash get automatically invested after my ISA transfer is complete?

  • Updated

No - when your ISA transfer completes, the funds won’t be automatically invested. Where they land depends on your chosen portfolio type.

To keep your money working for you, it’s important to take the next step. Cash held in your ISA doesn’t earn interest with InvestEngine, so once the funds arrive, moving them into your chosen investments is how these will start being invested.

What happens next depends on whether you’re investing in a DIY, Managed, or LifePlan portfolio (currently, Managed and LifePlan portfolios are unavailable while we make updates). 

Investing into a Managed or LifePlan portfolio

You can’t transfer an ISA directly into a Managed or LifePlan portfolio. Managed and LifePlan portfolios are currently unavailable while we make updates. You won’t be able to move transferred funds to these portfolios at this time.

Once the transfer is complete and the cash is in your ISA Cash Portfolio:

  1. Go to your ISA Cash Portfolio
  2. Click Options > Move cash out
  3. Select your chosen Managed or LifePlan portfolio
  4. Enter the amount you want to move and confirm
  • If funds are moved before 2pm on a business day, they’ll usually be invested the same day
  • If it’s after 2pm, investment will happen on the next business day

Read more about moving money between portfolios here

Investing into a DIY portfolio

If your ISA transfer is going into a DIY portfolio, your cash will appear there once the transfer is complete.

  • If AutoInvest is ON, your funds will be automatically invested (if received before 12 noon)
  • If AutoInvest is OFF, you’ll need to log in and click Invest to place your order manually

Your available cash balance will be shown, along with the option to top up or adjust the amount you want to invest.

What is AutoInvest?

What if I transferred ETFs in-specie?

If your ISA included eligible ETFs and they were transferred in-specie:

  • They’ll appear in your DIY ISA portfolio once received
  • You’ll need to set or update your target weightings for the new holdings

Please note: You can’t currently move ETFs between portfolios. If you want to switch to a different portfolio type (e.g. from DIY to Managed), you’ll need to sell your ETFs, move the cash, and reinvest (moving to a Managed portfolio is not currently possible while Managed portfolios remain unavailable).

Read more about adding, removing or rebalancing your ETFs here

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