For the investments to happen automatically, you need to have Autoinvest enabled in your DIY Portfolio or use Managed Portfolios. With Autoinvest enabled or using a Managed portfolio, when you pay money into your InvestEngine account we invest it the next business day after we receive it. So if we receive your money on Friday we invest it on Monday, if we receive it on Monday we invest it on Tuesday — and so on. In some cases where we receive your money overnight, it will be invested the same day it is received. If you do not have Autoinvest enabled you need to manually choose how much of your cash balance you would like to invest.
How long it takes for your money to reach us from your bank depends on the method you use to pay into your InvestEngine account. If you make a manual bank transfer, we’ll normally receive your money the same day. You will see it added to your portfolio balance the next business day — which is also when we invest the money.
If you top up your account with an instant bank transfer via Open Banking, your money will normally be added to your portfolio balance immediately, and then invested the next business day.
With a standing order from your bank, which you might want to use for regular monthly investing, we normally receive your money the day it leaves your bank, assuming it is coming via the faster payments system. Again, we invest this money the next business day after we receive it.
With a direct debit, it typically takes 7 business days from set-up for your money to be received from your bank. Once the direct debit is active, subsequent payments typically take two business days to reach InvestEngine after leaving your bank account. As with other funding methods, your money is then invested the next business day.
See also: How do I add money to my portfolio?