We’ve pulled together the 10 questions we get asked most frequently by clients. You can also find a whole host of other Q&As on our Help & Support pages, which are arranged by topic.

1. How do I pay my fees?

There are three options for paying your Vanguard account fees:

• Set up a direct debit directly from your bank account. To do this, log into your Vanguard account and click ‘My Profile’ at the bottom of the left-hand menu. Then, under ‘Account Fee Settings’, click on 'Settings' and select 'Pay from my bank account' (please ensure your bank details are set up first).
• Keep a small amount of cash in a General Account and the fees will be taken from the cash in there. You can open a General Account under the ‘Open New Account’ tab. Please note that this is not an option for fees due on a Junior ISA account.
• If no cash is available, a portion of your investments will be sold down on your behalf to cover the fees exactly, starting with your largest mutual fund. If you have no mutual fund holdings, we start with your largest exchange-traded fund (ETF).

2. Why is my fund purchase or sale still showing as 'Pending'?

When you request an investment order it will usually take around three to four business days to settle and show up in your account. Your order will remain pending until the deal has fully settled, at which point you will see the status changed to 'Complete'. 

For orders placed with debit card payments, the deal will be placed in the market at the next available valuation point.

Please note that some orders can take longer due to fund holidays or weekends.

3. How long will it take to verify my identity and bank?

If you’ve been asked to verify your identity and/or bank account, it can take up to five business days to review your documents. This verification process starts as soon as you’ve uploaded the required documents. Please make sure these documents match the details in your Vanguard account and that you upload them in full.

We’ll contact you if we need anything further and/or when it completes.

4. If I deposit money into my account using my debit card, when can I begin trading?

You need to wait one business day for the cash to clear before placing an order. If an order is placed when the money is deposited, then the investment is made at the next available dealing point.

5. How should I proceed if I receive an error message?

In most instances, the error code you are getting can be resolved by clearing your browser’s temporary internet files (cookies and cache) or using a different web browser.

If the issue persists, we would also suggest using a different device before seeking our assistance.

6. Why is my regular order still pending?

For buy orders set up as part of a regular payment, both a pending payment and pending investment order are created 8 business days before a client’s nominated payment date. The order then takes 2-3 days to go through once we collect the money. This is an expected part of the fund dealing process, so no need to be concerned if your order is pending for this length of time.

If you select 'Transactions' then 'Cash Statement' you will see the pending payment in your Vanguard account. As this payment is now in progress, the 'Payments' page displays your next payment date as the following month.

7. Can I make company contributions to my SIPP?

That depends. We don’t support auto-enrolment for employees and cannot accept pension contributions from your employer.

However, if you’re a registered company director or shareholder of your own business, you can make debit card payments directly from your business account. We will need to verify your company to accept payments from it. You can make one payment while your company is being verified.

Please note, if your bank has daily card limits and your deposit is urgent, you may want to ask them to temporarily lift this limit to allow you to make the deposit in one attempt. You can make more company payments once your company has been verified.

8. What are your cut-off times for placing deals?

For mutual funds, there will be a dealing deadline, which can be found under the ‘Key Fund Facts’ column on the individual fund page.

ETFs are traded slightly differently. As they are traded on an exchange throughout the day, we have an aggregated dealing service. This means that by placing your order at the 'next trading point', your order will be executed at either 10:15am or 2:10pm that day.

9. Why is my ISA or SIPP transfer taking so long?

Individual savings account (ISA) transfers normally take up to 30 business days and pension transfers can take as little as 10 business days. But both can sometimes take longer. 

Some providers need to see signed paperwork before transferring. If your pension provider requires signed paperwork, then the transfer could take 8 to 10 weeks. 

During that time a transfer will be classed as 'Pending'. We will contact you if we have any questions or issues relating to your transfer. Transfer times are also dependent on the speed with which the provider you are transferring from operates.

So, we always suggest staying in close contact with your current provider while your transfer is in progress, as it helps to nudge things along.

10. If I invest in a fund now, what price will I get?

It depends on whether you're buying a mutual fund or an exchange traded fund (ETF).

Mutual fund purchases or sales are subject to daily dealing; they trade once a day. Each fund has a daily cut-off time, after which a sale or purchase order cannot be executed until the next dealing day. This cut-off time varies from fund to fund but can be found by selecting the ‘What we offer’ tab at the top of our homepage, selecting a specific fund and then looking down the right-hand side of the fund’s page.

Our LifeStrategy funds, for example, have a daily dealing deadline of 9.00 am. Buy or sell orders placed after this time would not be traded until the next dealing day. This means that the price you actually get is different from the price you saw when you placed the trade. This is especially true when markets are volatile.

ETFs, on the other hand, trade like shares and their prices change throughout the day on the London Stock Exchange. You can buy at a 'live price' using our quote and deal service for £7.50 per trade. Alternatively, you can place a trade free of charge by choosing the ‘Next available price’ and using our bulk dealing service. Just remember to place your order before the cut-off times of 10.15am or 2.10pm. The price achieved will be shown in the contract note.