How to get a Robinhood referral code and free stock in 2026
Tweed is committed to editorial integritySome links on this page are referral or affiliate links, which means Tweed is paid when you open an account or sign up through them. That payment never changes what we write.
Payment never influences our evaluations: every fee, rate, and rule on this page comes from the provider's own terms, observed on the date shown under the headline, and our verdict would read the same without the link. Providers can change or end their offers without notice, and they do not review our pages before we publish.
Tweed's author receives bonus stock from Robinhood when you sign up through the link on this page.
The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. Tweed does not offer advisory or brokerage services, and does not recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.
Key takeaways
- A Robinhood referral code pays the referrer $50 in bonus stock at the first successful referral of the year, rising through milestones to $10,000 at 200 referrals, capped at $15,000 per person per year.1
- Robinhood referral codes only count once the friend opens an account, links a bank or debit card, and makes a settled deposit greater than $0; the friend may separately get a sign-up stock reward.
- Robinhood referral rewards are best for someone who already wants the account; a reader choosing a brokerage on the gift share alone is better served reading the Robinhood review first.
In this article
- What is the Robinhood referral code?
- What do you get for referring a friend?
- What does your friend get with a Robinhood referral code?
- How to find and share your Robinhood referral code in 3 steps
- What is the reward stock worth?
- When can you sell reward stock and withdraw the cash?
- Is the Robinhood referral bonus taxable?
- Is the Robinhood referral code worth it?
- Decide whether the account is worth it first
- Frequently asked questions about the Robinhood referral code
Key takeaways
- A Robinhood referral code pays the referrer $50 in bonus stock at the first successful referral of the year, rising through milestones to $10,000 at 200 referrals, capped at $15,000 per person per year.1
- Robinhood referral codes only count once the friend opens an account, links a bank or debit card, and makes a settled deposit greater than $0; the friend may separately get a sign-up stock reward.
- Robinhood referral rewards are best for someone who already wants the account; a reader choosing a brokerage on the gift share alone is better served reading the Robinhood review first.
A Robinhood referral code is the personal link or QR code every Robinhood customer can share, and since September 1, 2026 it pays the referrer bonus stock at milestone counts rather than a gift share per friend. This guide covers what the referrer earns, what the referred friend gets, and the deposit, sell, withdrawal, and tax rules attached to every reward. You'll also learn why most "Robinhood promo code" pages are showing terms that no longer exist.
What is the Robinhood referral code?
The Robinhood referral code is a unique invite link and QR code generated inside the app for every customer with an individual brokerage account in good standing. It is not a coupon you type at checkout, and it does not change what the account costs. The one on this page is nicolas1107: sign up through this Robinhood referral link, link a bank or debit card, and Robinhood grants a gift stock worth $5 to $200, which means $5 for about 99% of customers.
Referral code vs referral link vs promo code
Robinhood uses "code" and "link" interchangeably in its own terms, and in practice the link carries the code. There is no promo-code field anywhere in the sign-up flow, so the coupon aggregators advertising "30% off" Robinhood codes are describing a discount that cannot exist on a $0-commission brokerage.
What changed on September 1, 2026
Robinhood's current terms state that the new offer "replaces the referral offer previously made available by Robinhood," and that each referrer's cumulative referral count reset to zero on the effective date. Referrals must begin signing up on or after September 1, 2026 at 9 AM PT to count. Under the old program each referral paid the referrer a gift share worth $5 to $200 with a $1,500 annual cap, which is the version nearly every ranking competitor still describes.
Open an account
The sign-up stock is usually worth $5
Opening an account through the link and linking a bank or debit card grants a gift stock worth $5 to $200, and about 99% of customers get the $5.
What do you get for referring a friend?
Referring a friend with a Robinhood referral code earns you bonus stock at milestone counts, not a share per friend.
The milestone bonus tiers
| Successful referrals in the year | Bonus stock |
|---|---|
| 1 | $50 |
| 3 | $150 |
| 10 | $800 |
| 50 | $4,000 |
| 200 | $10,000 |
Earnings are cumulative across milestones and capped at $15,000 per person per calendar year. Each milestone bonus has to be claimed within 60 days or it expires, and Robinhood says rewards are credited within roughly one week.
What counts as a successful referral
A referral counts once your friend opens a Robinhood investing account, links a bank account or debit card, and completes a settled deposit greater than $0; reversed or failed transfers do not count, and both of you must be US residents with you holding an individual brokerage account in good standing. Robinhood employees, securities regulators, market makers, and registered brokers are excluded, and paid content creators only become eligible 30 days after their engagement with Robinhood ends. One odd clause worth knowing: referrers may not text the link to contacts in Washington state.
What does your friend get with a Robinhood referral code?
Your friend gets a separate sign-up stock reward when they open an eligible account through your Robinhood referral code and link a bank or debit card. That reward runs under Robinhood's "Open account, pick your stock" offer: a stock worth $5 to $200, chosen from 26 names (the two largest S&P 500 companies in each of the top 13 sectors), claimed within 60 days.2
Tell your friend to expect $5. Robinhood's own terms state that approximately 99% of customers receive the $5 reward, so the $200 is real but rare.
How to find and share your Robinhood referral code in 3 steps
Finding your Robinhood referral code takes under a minute in the app, and the link it produces is the only thing your friend needs.
Step 1: Open Rewards in the account menu
Tap your account icon, then Rewards. The app offers "invite friends or scan QR code" from that screen.
Step 2: Copy the link or show the QR code
Share the link by any channel your friend will open, or let them scan the QR code in person. On the web, "Copy referral link" is the only option, and the code is embedded in the link.
Step 3: Track the referral under Past Invites
Invite status appears in the Past Invites section of the referrals page.3If your friend signed up without the link, Robinhood cannot credit the reward afterward, so send the link before they open the app.
What is the reward stock worth?
Reward stock is worth its purchase value on the day it is granted, which Robinhood records in your account History, and for most people that is $5.4The reward arrives as fractional shares of a stock from Robinhood's fixed list, never as cash.
A $5 to $50 position is a starter, not a windfall. What it becomes depends on whether you leave it invested and reinvest the dividends, and the Tweed dividend calculator shows that path over 10 to 30 years; enter the value shown in your History tab.
See what your reward stock grows into
When can you sell reward stock and withdraw the cash?
Reward stock can be sold 3 trading days after you claim it, whether it came from a referral or a sign-up. The cash has to stay in the account longer, and Robinhood states two different windows depending on which reward you received.5
| Reward type | Sell after | Withdraw cash after |
|---|---|---|
| Friend's sign-up stock | 3 trading days | 30 days |
| Referrer milestone bonus | 3 trading days | 60 days |
The reward comes with a waiting period
A sign-up share can be sold 3 trading days after you claim it and the cash can leave after 30. Claim it inside 60 days or it expires.
Is the Robinhood referral bonus taxable?
The Robinhood referral bonus may be taxable: Robinhood's terms say the value of the reward may be reported on an applicable Form 1099 and that taxes are solely your responsibility. Ask a tax professional how a stock reward fits your return rather than assuming it is a gift.
Selling the share later is a separate event. Any gain or loss is measured from the purchase value shown in your History, not from zero.
Is the Robinhood referral code worth it?
The Robinhood referral code is worth using if you are an existing customer with one or two friends who would open an account anyway; $50 for the first referral of the year is real money against a program that used to pay $5 nearly every time. For the friend, the realistic reward is $5, so the referral code should never be the reason to open a brokerage account. The catches are the same on both sides: the deposit has to settle, the reward expires in 60 days if unclaimed, and the cash is locked for at least 30 days.
If your friend is opening the account for retirement, the account choice matters far more than the gift share. Start with what a Roth IRA is, the Roth vs traditional IRA decision, and the best Roth IRA accounts shortlist.
Decide whether the account is worth it first
If you've decided the account is right for you, sign up through the Robinhood referral link below so the gift stock is credited; Robinhood cannot add it afterward. Read the Robinhood review for the fees, the Gold subscription math, and the transfer-out cost before you or your friend open an account, then use the Tweed dividend calculator to see what any reward share becomes if you leave it reinvested. To weigh this offer against the other apps, see the best apps for free stocks.
Ready to decide
Worth it if you already wanted the account
The realistic sign-up reward is $5, and the first successful referral you send in a year pays $50 in bonus stock. Neither is a reason to pick a brokerage.
Other free stock bonuses
Tweed is paid when you open an account through these links. Terms are each company's own, checked on the date shown.
Public
The largest fixed bonus if you'd deposit $1,000 anyway
- Bonus
- $100 in a stock or ETF you pick
- Minimum deposit
- $1,000 in one first deposit
- Ends
- Ongoing; terms checked October 6, 2026
App Store 4.7 out of 5 from 85K ratings, read October 6, 2026. Full terms
Get the Public bonusSoFi Invest
A fixed $25 for a $25 deposit
- Bonus
- $25 in stock
- Minimum deposit
- $25
- Ends
- Ongoing; terms checked October 12, 2026
App Store 4.7 out of 5 from 385K ratings, read October 6, 2026. Full terms
Get the SoFi Invest bonus
Frequently asked questions about the Robinhood referral code
Is there a referral bonus with Robinhood?
Yes, and it rewards volume rather than the occasional invite. Milestones run from $50 at one successful referral to $10,000 at 200, against a $15,000 ceiling per person per calendar year. Anyone sending one or two links a year should expect $50, not the headline figures.
What is the $200 offer on Robinhood?
It is the ceiling of the sign-up stock range, not an amount anyone can select. You choose which of the 26 stocks you receive, Robinhood decides what it is worth, and its terms put approximately 99% of customers at $5. Read $200 as a lottery ceiling.
How many friends can you refer to Robinhood?
Robinhood sets no limit on invitations, only on what they pay. Bonuses stop at $15,000 per person per calendar year, and the published milestone ladder ends at 200 successful referrals. Each milestone expires 60 days after you reach it, so claiming matters as much as referring.
Are there any Robinhood promo codes available?
No, because the sign-up flow contains no promo-code field for one to go in. Coupon sites listing percentage discounts are monetizing search traffic, not describing anything a brokerage charging $0 commission could offer. Ignore them and use a referral link instead.
Can you add a referral code after signing up?
Robinhood states it cannot credit reward stock to anyone who did not sign up through the referral link, so a code cannot be applied after the fact. If a link was used and the reward is missing, the support team can review the invite, but retroactive credit is not offered.
Does Robinhood give you $1,000?
Robinhood does not offer a $1,000 sign-up bonus to anyone. The $1,000 figures circulating online come from the old referral program's $1,500 annual cap and from Robinhood Gold's $1,000 interest-free margin allowance, which is a borrowing feature, not a cash reward.
Does the Robinhood referral code work in the UK or Europe?
The US referral program requires both the referrer and the friend to be US residents. Robinhood runs separate referral offers in the UK and EU with their own reward amounts and rules, which is why Reddit threads quote free-share values in different currencies.
Sources
- https://robinhood.com/us/en/support/articles/invite-friends-pick-stock/
- https://robinhood.com/us/en/support/articles/open-account-pick-your-stock/
- https://robinhood.com/us/en/support/articles/wheres-my-referral-reward-stock/
- https://robinhood.com/us/en/support/articles/when-can-i-sell-reward-stock/
- https://robinhood.com/us/en/support/articles/when-can-i-withdraw-my-cash-proceeds-from-selling-my-referral-program-stock/
Personal finance writer, former Forbes contributor and This Week in Fintech writer. He isn't a financial advisor or a CPA.
Related posts
Brokerage reviews
5 best brokerage accounts for 2026
Schwab, Robinhood, Public, Interactive Brokers, and SoFi Invest compared on fees, minimums and perks.
Nicolas Straut · Updated Oct 9, 2026
Brokerage comparisons
Robinhood vs Schwab for traders and IRA savers in 2026
Robinhood pays an IRA match and $0 options commissions. Schwab adds mutual funds and a robo with no advisory fee. Compare fees for three investors in 2026.
Nicolas Straut · Updated Oct 7, 2026
IRAs
Robinhood IRA review: Is it worth it in 2026?
The Robinhood IRA pays a 3% match with Gold, but matched money must stay for 5 years. See every fee, both clawback rules, and when Gold pays for itself.
Nicolas Straut · Updated Oct 7, 2026