Brokerage account bonus calculator
On $100,000 moved for three years, the biggest single brokerage bonus you can keep right now is tastytrade's $2,000, and chaining four offers on the same money gets the total to $2,833. The brokerage account bonus calculator shows what each current offer pays on the money you'd move, what you keep if you leave before the hold ends, and which order of offers earns the most, using each broker's own terms rather than the headline number. It nets out hold periods, clawbacks, transfer fees and, for cash, the interest you give up.
This week in brokerage bonuses
- tastytrade code SWEETBONUS added, up to $2,000 by deposit tier
- TradeStation code BDEVAGFG added, up to $5,000 after a 270-day hold
- Merrill code 600ME added, up to $600 by net new assets
- Betterment managed investing added, up to $2,000 by net deposits
- E*TRADE code RETIRE26 added for IRAs and solo 401(k)
- Robinhood transfer bonus closes to new transfers on October 16
- E*TRADE code OFFER26 added, $50 to $10,000 by deposit tier
- J.P. Morgan Self-Directed added, up to $1,000 after a 90-day hold
- Public 1% transfer match added, paid over 60 months
Transfer-out fee unknown for Another broker; treated as $0.
You keep
3-year stayFrom tastytrade, if you leave after a 3-year stay.
How this is calculated
- Bonus on $100,000: $2,000
- Held past the 365-day hold: $2,000
- You keep: $2,000
| Broker | Bonus | You keep | Bonus yield | Payout | Deadline | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tastytrade | $2,000 | $2,000 | 2.00% | Up front, full clawback in the hold | Nov 30, 2026 | Open tastytrade |
| Betterment | $1,250 | $1,250 | 0.42% | Paid early, steps down if you leave in the hold | Nov 30, 2026 | Open Betterment |
| E*TRADE | $600 | $600 | 0.51% | Up front, full clawback in the hold | Oct 31, 2026 | Open E*TRADE |
| Public | $1,000 | $600 | 0.20% | 60 monthly payments | No deadline | Open Public |
| Robinhood | $1,000 | $600 | 0.20% | Up front, prorated chargeback | Oct 16, 2026 | Open Robinhood |
| TradeStation | $400 | $400 | 0.54% | Paid after 270 days | No deadline | Open TradeStation |
| J.P. Morgan | $325 | $325 | 1.32% | Paid after 90 days | Jan 21, 2027 | Open J.P. Morgan |
| Merrill | $250 | $250 | 1.01% | Paid after 90 days | No deadline | Open Merrill |
3 offers don’t fit this move
- E*TRADE: IRA only
- Public: only for transfers out of webull
- Robinhood: only for transfers out of webull
Save my plan link
A link that reopens this calculator with your figures. It contains your numbers, so share it deliberately.
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Figures from each broker's own offer page.
Key takeaways
- tastytrade pays $2,000 on $100,000 or more in a new account first funded by Nov 30, 2026, then takes all of it back if the money leaves within 12 months.1
- Public's 1% match arrives in 60 monthly installments, so leaving after three years gets you 60% of it.2
- J.P. Morgan pays $325 on $100,000 once the money has stayed 90 days, so a short stay can earn more there than a five-year match would.3
How this is calculated
You keep = the payouts you've received by the month you leave, minus anything the terms take back, minus your old broker's transfer-out fee, plus any reimbursement, minus membership fees. For new cash, it also subtracts the interest that money would have earned in savings.
Bonus yield = the full bonus as a share of what you move, per year of hold. It lets a 90-day bonus compete fairly with a five-year one.
The run plan chains offers on the same money, one bonus per broker, with 10 days allowed for each transfer. It tries every order and only uses offers still open on the day each move starts.
Your numbers never leave your browser.
In this article
- How to use the brokerage account bonus calculator
- What your results mean
- Best brokerage bonuses right now
- How brokerage transfer bonuses pay out
- Are brokerage bonuses worth it?
- How brokerage bonuses are taxed
- How to move an account for a brokerage bonus in 5 steps
- Related calculators
- Frequently asked questions about brokerage account bonuses
How to use the brokerage account bonus calculator
The brokerage account bonus calculator needs five inputs, and results show as soon as the page loads. The defaults are $100,000 in a taxable account, moved as holdings, for a three-year stay. Change any of them and the ranking updates.
- Amount to move: the value you'd transfer or deposit. It sets the tier on every tiered offer.
- Coming from: your current broker. Some offers only apply to transfers from one firm, and this also sets the transfer-out fee.
- Account type: taxable, IRA or 401(k) rollover. Many offers cover only one.
- What you're moving: holdings you already own, or new cash. Only cash carries an interest cost.
- How long you'd stay: three months to five years. Every hold, clawback and installment is measured against it.
What your results mean
Your results lead with what you keep from the best single offer, because that's the number a list of maximum bonuses never shows. Under it sit each offer's bonus yield and the total from taking offers in order.
At the defaults, Public's 1% match on $100,000 is $1,000, but it pays monthly over five years, so you've received $600 when you leave at year three. tastytrade's $2,000 is yours after 12 months, which still leaves two years for more. The run plan follows it with TradeStation's $400 after 270 days, Merrill's $250 after 90 days, and 11 monthly payments from Public.
| Path for $100,000 in a taxable account, three-year stay | Received by the time you leave |
|---|---|
| Public 1% match alone | $600 |
| J.P. Morgan alone | $325 |
| tastytrade alone, 12-month hold | $2,000 |
| J.P. Morgan for 90 days, then Public for 32 monthly payments | $858 |
| E*TRADE for about 14 months, then Public for 21 monthly payments | $950 |
| tastytrade, then TradeStation, then Merrill, then Public for 11 monthly payments | $2,833 |
Best brokerage bonuses right now
The best brokerage bonuses below come from each broker's own offer page, not from other bonus lists. The calculator ranks them on your amount and your stay.
| Broker | Bonus | Minimum | Hold or payout | Accounts | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tastytrade (code SWEETBONUS) | $50 to $2,000 by deposit tier | $2,500 | Paid within two weeks of the 30-day funding window, all of it taken back if funds leave within 12 months | Individual taxable | First deposit by Nov 30, 2026 |
| E*TRADE (code OFFER26, or RETIRE26 for IRAs) | $50 to $10,000 by deposit tier | $1,000 | Paid after the 60-day funding window, funds stay 12 more months | OFFER26 taxable, RETIRE26 IRAs and solo 401(k) | Open by Oct 31, 2026 |
| J.P. Morgan Self-Directed | $50 to $1,000 by deposit tier | $5,000 | Funds held at 90 days, paid within 15 days | Brokerage and rollovers | Open and fund by Jan 21, 2027 |
| Public | 1% match, no cap | None stated | 60 monthly payments | Brokerage, IRA, 401(k) rollover, business | None stated |
| TradeStation (code BDEVAGFG) | $50 to $5,000 by deposit tier | $500 | Paid the month after a 270-day hold | Individual, joint, entity; no IRAs | None stated |
| Merrill (code 600ME) | $100 to $600 by net new assets | $20,000 | Tier set at day 90, paid within two weeks | Cash Management Account or IRA | None stated |
| Betterment managed investing | $100 to $2,000 by net deposits | $1,000 | Paid around day 45, steps down if deposits leave within 3 years | Individual taxable and IRAs | Enroll by Nov 30, 2026 |
E*TRADE's banner says "up to $1,500," but its tier table runs to $10,000 for deposits of $5,000,000 or more, and $600 is the tier for $100,000 to $199,999.4 Its offer rules say the money must stay for 12 months after the 60-day funding window, or the credit may be taken back. The banner number is the ceiling, not the tier most people hit.
How brokerage transfer bonuses pay out
A brokerage transfer bonus pays after the hold, up front with a clawback, or in monthly installments, and that payout style decides what you keep if you leave early. Two offers with the same headline can be worth very different amounts on the day you leave. Our Robinhood vs Public comparison covers the two brokers beyond their bonuses.
Paid after the hold
This kind pays nothing until the money has stayed the full period. J.P. Morgan sets your tier on day 45 and pays only if your funds are still there at 90 days. Leave a day early and you keep nothing.
Paid up front with a clawback
This kind lands in your account early and can be taken back, in whole or in part, if you leave inside the hold. tastytrade pays within two weeks of its funding window and debits the whole bonus if the money leaves within 12 months. Betterment's managed-account reward steps down to the tier you still hold instead, so a partial withdrawal costs part of it, not all.
Paid in monthly installments
This kind builds as you stay. Public pays its match over 60 months and doesn't claw back payments you've already received, though moving assets out cuts the payments still to come.
Are brokerage bonuses worth it?
Brokerage bonuses are worth it when the money would sit at a broker anyway and you can stay through the hold. Holdings moved in kind keep earning what they earned before, so the cost is your time, not your returns.
Cash is different. If $25,000 sits uninvested for 90 days to earn J.P. Morgan's $150 tier, it gives up $258.90 at a 4.20% savings rate, more than the bonus itself. Compare that rate with the best high-yield savings accounts before you park cash for a bonus, and pick a broker you'd keep from our best brokerage accounts, not one you'd leave the day the hold ends.
How brokerage bonuses are taxed
Brokerage bonuses paid in cash to a taxable account are income, and brokers report them on a Form 1099. The IRS instructions for Form 1099-INT include amounts of $10 or more in box 1 "whether or not designated as interest."5
A match paid inside an IRA stays in the account and follows the IRA's tax rules. A transfer in kind isn't a sale, though a broker that can't move your fractional shares will sell them, and in a taxable account that sale counts.
How to move an account for a brokerage bonus in 5 steps
Moving an account for a brokerage bonus takes five steps, and most mistakes happen before the transfer starts.
Step 1: Check your old broker's transfer-out fee
Look up what your current broker charges to transfer out, since some firms charge a flat fee per account. The calculator nets that fee against each offer.
Step 2: Confirm the account type qualifies
Check that the offer covers your account type, because many are taxable only or IRA only. An old 401(k) usually needs a rollover; our best 401(k) rollover guide covers where to move one.
Step 3: Open the new account with the promo code
Open the account through the offer page and enter any code at signup. E*TRADE only applies its code if you enter it while opening the account, not afterward.
Step 4: Start an ACATS transfer
Request the transfer from the new broker, not the old one. ACATS moves the account as it is, without selling your holdings.
Step 5: Put the hold end date on your calendar
Write down the day the hold ends and the day the bonus should post. The run plan shows both dates for each move.
Frequently asked questions about brokerage account bonuses
Holding periods and clawbacks are covered in the payout section above.
Can you get more than one brokerage bonus?
Yes, you can get more than one brokerage bonus, as long as each comes from a different broker and you meet each offer's terms. Most offers allow one bonus per customer and want new money, so people take several in a row by moving the same balance from broker to broker.
How long does it take to receive a brokerage account bonus?
A brokerage account bonus can take anywhere from about two months to five years to receive, depending on how it pays out. J.P. Morgan pays within 15 days once your funds are still in place at 90 days. Public's match comes in monthly payments over 60 months.
Is a cash or stock bonus better?
A cash bonus is easier to value than a stock bonus, because the amount is fixed and it lands as cash you can invest. A stock bonus is worth what the shares are worth the day you get them, not the day you signed up. Our apps that give free stocks guide covers those offers.
Can you get a brokerage bonus for an IRA transfer?
Yes, you can get a brokerage bonus for an IRA transfer, but only from offers that cover IRAs. Public's 1% match covers IRAs and 401(k) rollovers, and E*TRADE runs its IRA bonus under a separate code, RETIRE26. Set the calculator's account type to IRA and offers that don't qualify drop out.
Does an ACH deposit count for a transfer bonus?
No, an ACH deposit usually doesn't count for a transfer bonus. Transfer bonuses generally want an ACATS transfer from another broker, which is how Public pays its 1% match. Deposit bonuses like J.P. Morgan's and tastytrade's take new cash too, but that's a separate kind of offer with its own tiers.
Will my old broker charge me to transfer out?
Yes, your old broker may charge you to transfer out, and the fee depends on the firm. Some new brokers cover it: tastytrade reimburses up to $75 for each $2,000 you transfer. The calculator subtracts the fee and adds any reimbursement, so what you keep reflects both.
Personal finance writer, former Forbes contributor and This Week in Fintech writer. He isn't a financial advisor or a CPA.
Sources
- https://tastytrade.com/sweet-bonus/
- https://public.com/transfer-account
- https://www.chase.com/personal/investments/online-investing/offers
- https://us.etrade.com/promo/brokerage
- https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1099int