Below are the best brokerage account cash sign-up bonuses available today. To compile this list, we considered the overall quality of the brokerage, the investment options offered, and the value of the bonus compared to the deposit needed to earn it.
| TradeStation | $500 deposit for a $50 bonus. |
| Public | $5,000 deposit for a $150 bonus. |
| M1 Finance | $10,000 deposit for a $75 bonus. |
| U.S. Bank | $1,000 despoit for a $100 bonus. |
| SoFi | $1,000 deposit for a $25 bonus |
| Charles Schwab | $25,000 deposit for a $100 bonus. |
| Citi Self-Invest | $10,000 deposit for a $100 bonus. |
| J.P. Morgan | $5,000 deposit for a $50 bonus. |
| Citi PWM | $50,000 deposit for a $500 bonus. |
#1. TradeStation
TradeStation is the go-to brokerage for many active investors due to its powerful trading platform, commission-free stock trades, and diversified list of tradable assets. Read our TradeStation review to learn more.
Their current promotion allows new customers to earn a one-time cash reward based on the amount of their initial deposit. You must enter the promo code FNMZAGAO during the singn-up process to claim the bonus!
| Cash Reward | Qualifying Assets |
| $50 | $500 |
| $250 | $25,000 |
| $400 | $100,000 |
| $800 | $200,000 |
| $3,000 | $1,000,000 |
| $5,000 | $2,000,000 |
The cash reward will be deposited into your account the month following a 270-day holding period.
The offer is only available for Entity (non-institutional), Individual, or Joint equities and futures accounts. IRAs and other tax-qualified accounts are not eligible. Additionally, the assets must be new to TradeStation, and any withdrawals or redeposits during the holding period will disqualify the account.
See all current TradeStation promotions.
#2. Public
Public is one of our favorite commission-free trading platforms. It offers fractional share investing with no monthly fees, and its design is beginner-friendly.
Public’s current promotion offers up to $10,000 in bonus funds for transferring an existing brokerage account to the platform, making the offer one of the best available for high-net-worth investors.
| Transfer Amount | Bonus |
| $5,000 – $24,999 | $150 |
| $25,000 – $99,999 | $250 |
| $100,000 – $249,999 | $1,000 |
| $250,000 – $499,999 | $2,500 |
| $500,000 – $999,999 | $5,000 |
| $1 million or more | $10,000 |
How it breaks down is:
- This is a transfer bonus only. Cash deposits do not qualify.
- Public will cover your transfer fees from your existing broker (up to $500).
- Your transfer bonus is deposited 30 days after your transfer date.
Keep in mind that the bonus will be revoked if you don’t keep the transferred funds in your account for at least six months.
Visit Public or learn more in our Public Investing review.
#3. M1 Finance
M1 Finance is an online broker that allows customers to invest in stocks, ETFs and crypto. It’s unique in that it combines elements of robo-advisors like Wealthfront with those of more typical online brokers, such as Robinhood.
For those who prefer a hands-off approach to investing, M1 offers a variety of tailored investment portfolios to choose from. However, those who want more control over their investments can pick individual assets to create their own highly-customized portfolios.
You can learn more in our M1 Finance review.
The current bonus structure is as follows:
| Deposit Amount | Bonus |
| $10,000 to $29,999 | $75 |
| $30,000 to $49,999 | $150 |
| $50,000 to $99,999 | $250 |
| $100,000 or more | $500 |
Visit M1 Finance to learn more.
Sell all M1 current promotions.
#4. U.S. Bank
U.S. Bank’s Automated Investor is a simplified robo-advisor account that builds optimized, low-cost portfolios based on your goals. It’s a good fit for U.S. Bank customers seeking hands-off investing without wanting to open another account.
To qualify for the $100 Automated Investor bonus, you must first open a U.S. Bank checking or savings account (or be an existing client). You could effectively triple dip, earning a checking, savings, and investment bonus from U.S. bank
Details for the U.S Bank checking bonus are:
- Open online with $25 deposit
- Enroll in mobile/online banking
- Make 2 direct deposits totaling $7,500+ within 90 days
Details for the U.S. Bank savings bonus are:
- Open online with $25 deposit
- Deposit $15,000 in new money by 12/30/23
- Keep $15,000 balance through 6/30/24
Once you have a U.S. Bank account, you can open an Automated Investor account and fund with $1,000 within 30 days to earn the $100 bonus.
The bonus will be deposited within 5-7 months after meeting terms.
Visit U.S. Bank to learn more.
#5. SoFi
SoFi Invest is an all-in-one investing platform that’s easy to use and offers a variety of investment options.
SoFi Invest offers a bonus for transferring investments from another brokerage firm into a taxable SoFi Invest Active brokerage or Active retirement account (Traditional, Roth, or SEP IRA).
The bonus amounts are based on the total net dollar amount of settled transfers from another brokerage to an individual SoFi Invest account during each calendar month.
Here’s how the bonus structure breaks down:
| Deposit Amount | Bonus |
| $1,000-$4,999.99 | $25 |
| $5,000-$19,999.99 | $50 |
| $20,000-$99,999.99 | $125 |
| $100,000-$249,999.99 | $250 |
| $250,000-$499,999.99 | $500 |
| $500,000-$999,999.99 | $1,000 |
| $1,000,000-$1,999,999.99 | $2,500 |
| $2,000,000 + | $5,000 |
Bonuses will be paid within 14 days of the last day of the month in which the transferred assets are settled in your SoFi Invest account. Assets are required to remain in your SoFi account for 180 days.
SoFi offers a variety of bonuses, and participating in this promotion does not disqualify you from earning any other bonuses available.
#6. Charles Schwab
Charles Schwab is a popular low-cost brokerage known for its selection of mutual funds, outstanding research tools, and solid customer service.
Schwab takes a slightly different approach to its bonus by requesting a referral link from its new customers. This means that if you want to qualify for Schwab’s bonus, you need a friend who happens to be an existing Schwab customer to send you a link.
As a Schwab customer, primarily for the Charles Schwab High Yield Investor checking account that reimburses you on ATM fees worldwide, you can use my referral link.
Once you use the link to sign up and become a client, you may qualify for a bonus of up to $1,000.
The tiered structure looks like this:
| Initial Deposit | Bonus |
| $25,000 to $49,999 | $100 |
| $50,000 to $99,999.99 | $300 |
| $100,000 to $499,999.99 | $500 |
| $500,000 or more | $1,000 |
New clients must make a qualifying deposit within 45 days of opening an account. Once opened, the account will be reviewed, and the bonus will be credited within about a week.
#7. Citi Self-Invest
In an effort to reach lower-cost investors, Citigroup launched Citi Self-Invest in 2021. This is separate from Citi Personal Wealth Management, which offers a hands-on approach to overall wealth management and portfolio management with a dedicated advisor.
Citi Self Invest offers a cash bonus to accounts with qualifying deposits based on a tiered structure.
| Initial Deposit | Bonus |
| $10,000 to $49,999 | $100 |
| $50,000 to $199,999 | $200 |
| $200,000 or more | $500 |
The offer expires on June 30th 2023, and applicants must fund their Citi Self Invest account with a minimum of $10,000 within the account funding period to qualify. Important to note is that these funds need to be new to Citi.
The bonus is limited to one per customer. When multiple accounts are opened, the bonus will apply to the qualifying account with the highest balance. The bonus can’t be combined with any of Citi’s other offers.
#8. J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Account
J.P. Morgan is currently offering a bonus promotion for new customers who open a self-directed investing account. This offer is available to those opening general investment, traditional IRA or Roth IRA accounts.
The bonus you earn is based on the amount of new money you transfer into your account.
| Initial Deposit | Bonus |
| $5,000 to $24,999 | $50 |
| $25,000 to $99,999 | $150 |
| $100,000 to $249,999 | $325 |
| $250,000 and more | $700 |
To qualify for this offer, you need to:
- Open a J.P. Morgan self-directed investing account through the offer page.
- Fund your account with new money within 45 days. Assets transferred from J.P. Morgan Chase or its affiliates are not eligible.
- Keep the new money balance in the account for 90 days
The cash bonus will be credited to your account within 15 days of meeting these requirements.
#9. Citi Personal Wealth Management Account
Citi currently offers a bonus promotion for new or existing customers who fund a Citi Personal Wealth Management account. The bonus you can earn is based on the amount of new money you transfer into your account.
Note this account comes with a Citi Personal Wealth Management financial advisor, along with fairly hefty fees. For the first $500,000, you’re charged a 2% AUM fee.
| Deposit Amount | Bonus |
| $50,000 to $199,999 | $500 |
| $200,000 to $499,999 | $1,000 |
| $500,000 to $999,999 | $2,000 |
| $1 million to $1.99 million | $3,000 |
| $2 million and more | $5,000 |
To qualify for this offer, you need to:
- Fund your account with a minimum of $50,000 of new-to-Citi funds.
- Enroll or maintain enrollment in e-delivery of statements.
- Keep the new-to-Citi funds in your account through the deadline (which is through November 2023 for deposits made in August 2023).
Best Broker Account Cash Sign Up Bonus FAQs
Cash received from a brokerage promotion is taxable income. Technically, it’s treated the same as interest. However, some brokerages only issue a 1099 when earnings are over $600. If that’s the case, the income is still taxable.
Money deposited into a traditional IRA is not immediately taxable but does count towards your total contribution for the year. You’ll pay tax upon withdrawal.
Money paid into a Roth IRA isn’t taxable income.
It depends on the type of assets you’re selling. If you’re selling stocks, bonds and other securities in your taxable account, the sale is considered a taxable event. In this case, the earnings from the sale would be treated as capital gains and taxed accordingly.
To avoid this, aim to transfer the existing assets in your account without selling first. For example, if you hold Amazon stock, you can just transfer it to a new brokerage instead of selling it and moving the cash.
It depends on how much money you’re depositing. If you’re depositing $1 million or more, Public gives you a $10,000 cash bonus.
Free stock offers are better for those who cannot hit the minimum deposits offered for the cash bonuses mentioned above. In our testing, most of the stocks we received were valued at less than $10 (and often less than $5). While you may get lucky and get a higher value stock, you’re much better off going with a cash bonus offer if you’re making a larger transfer.
M1 does not appear to be offering a bonus currently on 5/26/2022
Hey Pete. I’m seeing that it’s back live. I also linked directly to their promotions page versus their homepage.
Often, at the end of the month, there are changes, so it could have easily been down a few days here. Thanks for the heads up!
6/30 Update: It’s officially expired.
public.com is offering $10k bonus if you transfer $1M or more. That’s 5x better than your best option above? Thoughts?
Interesting. Knew they offered a generous free stock bonus (https://www.thewaystowealth.com/make-money/free-stocks/), but didn’t realize they offered a transfer bonus as well.
I’ll update, as it’s pretty solid even on the lower end ($150K for a $5,000 bonus).