Overview
The old ISA balance has disappeared, but the new provider has not credited it. Or both providers say they are waiting for the other. A transfer delay is frustrating because your money and its tax wrapper are involved.
The best response is to trace the formal transfer, rather than withdrawing the money and attempting to recreate it yourself.
Quick Answer
GOV.UK says transfers between cash ISAs should take no longer than 15 working days. If that period has passed, contact the provider and ask where the transfer has reached.
Count from the relevant instruction date and check whether you requested a later start, such as maturity. Ask about lost interest and escalate through the complaints process if the explanation is inadequate.
Check Which Transfer You Requested
The 15-working-day benchmark concerns cash-to-cash ISA transfers. Other ISA transfers have different guidance, and moving investments can involve additional steps.
Confirm that you submitted the receiving provider's ISA transfer instruction, not an ordinary bank transfer. The cash ISA transfer guide explains the distinction.
Also check whether you asked for the transfer immediately or on a fixed account's maturity date. An application submitted weeks before maturity does not necessarily mean the transfer process should already be complete.
Build a Transfer Timeline
Record the dates that each provider can confirm.
| Event | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|
| Instruction submitted | Form, message or application reference |
| Request sent to old provider | Receiving provider's confirmation |
| Request accepted or queried | Any missing-information notice |
| Money left old ISA | Closing statement or transaction record |
| Money reached new provider | Receipt date and allocation date |
| Interest began | New account statement or written explanation |
A provider saying “it was sent” is not the end of the investigation. Ask when, by what transfer route and with what reference.
Do not send another transfer instruction without establishing whether the first is still active. Duplicate requests can make the record harder to follow.
What to Ask the Receiving Provider
The new provider initiated the formal transfer, so it is a sensible starting point for tracing it.
Ask whether it has received the money but not the ISA history, whether the old account details were rejected or whether identity checks are incomplete. Request the next action and which organisation owns it.
If the old provider needs your authority or corrected details, supply them through the verified process. Avoid trying to resolve a reference mismatch with an ordinary withdrawal.
Our ISA transfer mistakes guide covers why that shortcut can create a separate problem.
Work Out the Possible Interest Gap
Do not assume every day between visible balances is a day without interest. Providers may credit interest using dates that differ from the app's display.
Ask both providers for the final interest date and the new interest start date. Then compare the treatment with their terms and transfer responsibilities.
For a rough illustration, £25,000 at 4% simple annual interest earns about £2.74 a day using a 365-day year. Ten genuinely unpaid days would be about £27.40 before tax considerations. This is a calculation aid, not a promised compensation formula or current rate.
Include statements rather than just your estimate when complaining.
Make the Complaint Specific
State the instruction date, the expected timing, the actual progress and what you want resolved.
A useful request is: confirm the location of the funds, complete the transfer correctly, explain the delay and assess any financial loss. If you also incurred charges or serious inconvenience, describe them with evidence.
The Financial Ombudsman Service considers ISA complaints including transfer delays and administrative errors. You normally need to give the provider an opportunity to resolve the complaint first and follow the deadline in its final response.
Keep one chronology so you can explain the same facts consistently to both providers.
If the Old ISA Is Maturing
Check whether the balance moved into a holding ISA while the transfer was pending. That can preserve the wrapper while changing the interest rate.
Do not renew into a new fixed term merely to stop the money sitting on a low rate without checking what that does to the existing transfer request.
Read cash ISA maturity and reinvestment for the options. Tell the provider which instruction should take priority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Browse savings guides. This is general information checked for 2026/27; it is not personalised tax advice.
