Interactive Brokers referral code: what the IBKR share offer really pays

Last updated: 11 July 2026

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Want the Interactive Brokers referral offer?

Open an account through the link below and you earn $1 of IBKR stock for every $300 you deposit in your first year, capped at $1,000. Read the lock-up rules further down first, because the shares are not yours to sell straight away.

Open an IBKR account with our referral link

How the Interactive Brokers referral code works

First, the mechanics. The Interactive Brokers referral code is a sign-up link rather than a code you type in, so you must open your account through the link itself for it to count. After that, the reward builds up gradually rather than landing in one lump.

Specifically, IBKR grants you $1 worth of Interactive Brokers Group Class A common stock for every $300 of net deposits into your account. That runs across an "Award Period" of one year from your first deposit. Meanwhile, the balance updates daily, and you can watch it in your account as a "Welcome Share Balance".

Importantly, the cap is $1,000. Because the rate is $1 per $300, hitting that cap needs about $300,000 of net deposits. Most readers will not be anywhere near that, so it is worth seeing the realistic numbers laid out.

What you actually get: the real maths

Here is what different deposit levels earn, using IBKR's own formula. All figures are in US dollars, since the programme is denominated in USD, and deposits in pounds count at their equivalent value.

Net deposits in year one	IBKR stock awarded
$300	$1
$3,000	$10
$10,000	about $33
$30,000	$100
$100,000	about $333
$300,000	$1,000 (the maximum)

So the "up to $1,000" headline is technically true, yet it describes an outcome almost no ordinary investor will reach. In practice, a typical CoolCuration reader depositing a few thousand pounds is looking at single or double digits of stock. That is still worth having, because it costs you nothing extra, but it is not a windfall.

The catch: lock-ups, clawbacks and forfeits

Now the parts that the headline does not mention, and they matter.

First, there is a lock-up. Shares awarded to you cannot be sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of for one year from the award date. Any attempt to sell them early is void, and IBKR will simply reject it. Therefore you are holding IBKR stock, and taking IBKR share-price risk, whether you like it or not.

Second, withdrawals claw the shares back. Because the award tracks net deposits, taking money out reduces your share balance on a first-in, first-out basis. For example, deposit $30,000 and you gain $100 of stock; withdraw $15,000 the next day and half of that award disappears.

Third, there is a forfeit rule. If you close your account, or it stops being in good standing before the anniversary, any unvested shares are forfeited and IBKR reclaims them for nothing. On top of that, IBKR is expressly authorised to liquidate your awarded shares to satisfy margin obligations you owe it. In other words, the "free" stock can be used to cover your own leveraged losses.

On the plus side, and unlike some rival schemes, you do get real ownership. You are entitled to dividends on the shares, and you can vote them, even during the lock-up.

Who cannot claim the offer

The exclusions are broad, so check them before you bother. Most importantly for UK readers, tax-advantaged accounts are not eligible. That means opening an IBKR ISA or SIPP will not earn you the shares, even though IBKR offers both. If the reward is your reason for signing up, you would need a general investment account.

Beyond that, the programme excludes financial advisers, hedge funds, introducing brokers and proprietary trading firms. It also excludes residents of mainland China, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Denmark, Israel and Poland. Furthermore, awards are not paid where the referrer and the referred person are family members, or simply live at the same address, so referring your partner will not work.

Finally, you can only receive the shares once, and IBKR can close the programme to new participants whenever it likes.

What we earn, and why we are telling you

Transparency matters more than the click here, so here is the deal on our side. IBKR pays a referring client a flat fee of $200 per eligible referral. However, that only pays out if the person referred deposits at least $10,000 within 30 days and keeps it there for a year. There is a limit of 15 friends or family per calendar year, and 30 in total.

Consequently, our incentive is skewed towards larger deposits, while your reward is skewed the same way. We would rather you knew that than discovered it later. Deposit what suits your circumstances, not what suits our referral fee.

Fees and what IBKR actually costs

IBKR is very cheap for an institutional-grade broker, which is much of its appeal. There are no account minimums, no platform fees and no custody fees. Commissions on US stocks and ETFs start at USD 0.005 per share on the fixed plan, with a USD 1.00 minimum per order, or from USD 0.0005 per share on the tiered plan. Options cost from USD 0.15 to 0.65 per contract.

Beyond that, IBKR pays interest on uninvested cash, up to USD 3.13% as of 2 July 2026, and its margin rates start around USD 4.13%. Rates change, though, so check the current IBKR commissions page before you commit. For a wider comparison, our roundup of the cheapest investment apps by FX fee is a useful benchmark.

Is your money protected?

This needs care, and a blanket reassurance would be wrong. Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under FRN 208159, and it is incorporated in England and Wales under company number 03958476.

However, IBKR's own disclosure is notably careful. It states that Interactive Brokers LLC is regulated by the US SEC and CFTC and is a member of the US SIPC scheme, and that products "are only covered by the UK FSCS in limited circumstances". So do not assume the familiar £85,000 FSCS investment cover applies to everything you hold. Instead, read IBKR's client agreements and work out which entity holds your assets.

Separately, cryptoassets are unregulated in the UK. IBKR UK is registered with the FCA as a cryptoasset firm under the money laundering regulations, which is not the same as those products being FCA-regulated.

On the firm itself, the reassurance is real. IBKR is Nasdaq-listed, sits in the S&P 500, and reports $21.3bn of equity capital and $13.9bn of excess regulatory capital, with an "A- Outlook Stable" rating from Standard and Poor's. It is not a fragile start-up.

Who IBKR suits, and who it does not

IBKR suits serious, self-directed investors who want global market access and the lowest running costs, and who are comfortable with a platform built for professionals. If you trade often, hold multiple currencies, or want bonds, futures and options in one account, few rivals compete.

On the other hand, it is overkill for many people. The interface is dense, the product range is intimidating, and the platform assumes you know what you are doing. Beginners and casual savers will likely be happier with something simpler. Worth knowing too: several friendlier UK apps are really front-ends onto IBKR, so you may end up an IBKR client anyway. Our Investa referral page explains one such app, which passes every order to IBKR while presenting a cleaner interface.

If you are still finding your feet, our guide to what investment risk really means is a better starting point than a $1 share award.

Ready to open an IBKR account?

Use the link below, then remember the rate: $1 of stock per $300 deposited, capped at $1,000, and locked for a year. Do not deposit more than you would have anyway just to chase the shares.

Get the Interactive Brokers referral offer

Interactive Brokers referral code: frequently asked questions

What is the Interactive Brokers referral code?

The Interactive Brokers referral code is a sign-up link shared by an existing client. When you open an account through it, IBKR awards you $1 of Interactive Brokers Group Class A stock for every $300 you deposit during your first year, up to a maximum of $1,000. You must use the link, because there is no code box to fill in.

Do I really get $1,000 of free IBKR stock?

Only if you deposit around $300,000, which is the honest answer. The award rate is $1 per $300 of net deposits and $1,000 is simply the ceiling. Realistically, a $5,000 deposit earns roughly $16 of stock. Treat the headline as a maximum, not an expectation.

Can I sell the shares straight away?

No. The shares are locked for one year from the award date, and IBKR will reject any attempt to sell or transfer them early. Meanwhile you carry the share-price risk, so the value can fall before you are allowed to sell. You do, however, receive any dividends and you can vote the shares.

Does the offer work with an ISA or SIPP?

No, and this catches a lot of UK readers out. IBKR's terms exclude tax-advantaged accounts from the programme, so an ISA or a SIPP will not earn the shares. You would need a general investment account instead, which means no ISA tax shelter on those holdings.

What happens if I withdraw my money?

Your share award shrinks. The reward is based on net deposits, so withdrawals remove shares on a first-in, first-out basis at a rate of $1 of award per $300 withdrawn. Additionally, closing the account before the one-year anniversary forfeits any unvested shares entirely.

Is Interactive Brokers safe and FCA regulated?

Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited is authorised and regulated by the FCA under FRN 208159, and the group is Nasdaq-listed with substantial capital. That said, IBKR states that products are only covered by the UK FSCS in limited circumstances, with US-held assets falling under the SIPC scheme instead. So check which entity holds your assets rather than assuming £85,000 of FSCS cover.

Is IBKR better than a simple investing app?

It depends entirely on what you need. IBKR wins on cost, market access and product range, so active and international investors tend to prefer it. Simpler apps win on ease of use, and several of them route to IBKR behind the scenes anyway. If you want a clean interface more than you want futures and bonds, start simpler.

More from CoolCuration

• Lightyear: a simpler, lower-cost route into shares and ETFs.
• How to start investing in the UK: the plain-English basics before you pick a broker.
• Chip app: automate your saving before you think about trading.
• Best investment ISA: shelter your gains from tax, which IBKR's offer will not do.
• InvestEngine: commission-free ETF investing with no platform fee.
• StockEvents app: track your holdings and dividends in one clean dashboard.

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