AJ Bell SIPP UK: Charges, Funds and How It Works
Quick answer
The AJ Bell SIPP is a self-invested personal pension. The custody charge is 0.25% a year on funds, tiering down above GBP 250,000, and is capped at GBP 120 a year if you hold shares. Fund deals cost GBP 1.50 and share deals GBP 5. You pick the investments, or use a ready-made option.
AJ Bell SIPP charges and features (from 1 May 2026)
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Account type | Self-invested personal pension (defined contribution) |
| Custody charge (funds) | 0.25% a year to GBP 250,000, then 0.10% to GBP 500,000, and free above GBP 500,000 |
| Custody charge (shares, ETFs, investment trusts) | 0.25% but capped at GBP 10 a month (GBP 120 a year) |
| Fund dealing | GBP 1.50 online |
| Share dealing | GBP 5.00 online |
| Ready-made option | Yes - AJ Bell ready-made portfolios; the Dodl app is a cheaper 0.15% sibling |
| Access age | 55, rising to 57 on 6 April 2028 |
| Protection | FCA-regulated; FSCS may cover up to GBP 85,000 per person if the provider fails (the investment cap, not the GBP 120,000 deposit cap, and it does not cover investment losses) |
Step by step
- 1
Check the fee on your pot size
Work out 0.25% of your fund holdings. If you mainly hold shares, ETFs or investment trusts, the GBP 120 a year cap can make AJ Bell cheap for a larger pot.
- 2
Decide ready-made or self-select
Use an AJ Bell ready-made portfolio for simplicity, pick your own investments, or consider the cheaper Dodl app if you want a simple low-cost range.
- 3
Mind the dealing charges
Fund deals are GBP 1.50 and share deals GBP 5 each, so frequent trading adds up. Buy-and-hold investors pay little.
- 4
Transfer in old pensions
Defined contribution pots can usually be consolidated in - but check for exit fees and any guarantees you would give up first.
- 5
Remember the access age
A SIPP cannot be drawn until age 55 (57 from April 2028), so treat it as long-term money.
A SIPP hands you the investment choices your workplace pension makes for you, with the same tax relief. AJ Bell is one of the biggest UK SIPP providers, and this guide sets out the real cost rather than the sales pitch. It is a genuinely low-cost option: 0.25% a year on funds, tiering down on larger pots, and a GBP 120 a year cap on shares, ETFs and investment trusts, which makes it well suited to a bigger or share-heavy pot.
As with any percentage-fee platform, the fee grows with the pot, so once you hold a large amount in funds it is worth checking a flat-fee rival. Dealing is cheap - GBP 1.50 for funds and GBP 5 for shares - and buy-and-hold investors will barely notice it. If you want simpler and cheaper still, AJ Bell runs the Dodl app at 0.15%, with a smaller range.
For the wider decision, see SIPP versus workplace pension, ISA versus pension, and our best UK investment platform comparison. To turn the pot into an income, use our pension calculator guide. This is general information, not financial advice; tax and pension rules can change, and the value of investments can fall as well as rise.
Frequently asked questions
Is the AJ Bell SIPP any good?
It is competitively priced: 0.25% a year on funds and a GBP 120 cap on shares and ETFs make it one of the cheaper mainstream SIPPs, especially for larger or share-based pots. Whether it suits you depends on your holdings and pot size rather than the brand, so compare the total annual cost.
Who offers the best SIPP in the UK?
There is no single best. Percentage-fee platforms like AJ Bell suit smaller fund pots; flat-fee rivals can be cheaper for very large pots. Compare the total annual cost on your own pot and holdings before choosing.
How does AJ Bell compare with Hargreaves Lansdown?
On funds, AJ Bell custody is 0.25% against Hargreaves Lansdown 0.45%, and AJ Bell share dealing is cheaper, so AJ Bell is generally the lower-cost option. Hargreaves Lansdown offers a larger research and service package, which some investors value. Compare on the fee for your pot and how much you will use the extras.
What is the 3 year rule for a SIPP?
It usually means carry forward: you can use unused pension annual allowance from the previous three tax years, on top of the current GBP 60,000 allowance, provided you were a scheme member then and have the earnings to support the contribution.
Sources
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General information, not financial advice. Tax rules and figures can change; check the current position on gov.uk before acting.