Examined Sep 18, 2026 Paid in locked stock No link we may carry Interactive Brokers pays a referred friend $1 of its own stock for every $300 of net deposits, so the advertised $1,000 takes $300,000, and a withdrawal in the first year sends shares back.
The landing page says “Maximum reward: USD 1000 of IBKR shares”. The terms give the rate, which is the real offer: $300 for each $1, times 1,000, is $300,000 of net deposits for the full amount. IBKR's own worked example is $30,000 earning $100. The count runs for one year from your first deposit. “A Referred Client may only receive Shares once under the Program.”
What pays what
| $10,000 of net deposits ($10,000 divided by 300) | About $33 in stock |
|---|---|
| $30,000 of net deposits, IBKR's own example | $100 in stock |
| $300,000 of net deposits or more | $1,000 in stock, the cap |
| You already held an IBKR account before the invitation arrived | Nothing |
| You and the existing client are family members or others living at the same exact physical address | Nothing |
| A tax-advantaged account | Not eligible |
Subject to the terms and conditions described below, the Referred Client will receive $1 worth of Class A common stock of Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (“Shares”) for each $300 (or its equivalent in another currency) in net deposits of cash or other assets to the Referred Client’s IBKR account during the first year following the date of the first deposit into the Referred Client’s IBKR account (“Award Period”).
Shares are credited as you deposit, priced at IBKR's closing price that day, and the balance is updated daily. You receive dividends and may vote the shares while locked.
Do this, in this order
- Check the look-back. The terms make a friend eligible only if they were not an IBKR account holder before the date they received the referral invitation. Financial advisors, hedge funds, introducing brokers, proprietary trading firms, IBKR employees and tax-advantaged accounts are excluded from the whole program.
- Pick a client who is not at your address. “Payments and Shares will not be awarded when the Referring Client and the Referred Client are family members or others living at the same exact physical address.” They need an individual or joint account, a net liquidation value of at least USD 2,000 and at least one securities trade, and their account must still be open on the day you fund yours.
- Apply through their unique link, then leave them out of it. IBKR says you must apply using that link to be eligible. The client must agree not to help set up your account, train you on the platform, or act as a point of contact between you and IBKR.
- Deposit what you meant to keep there. Transfers of assets count as well as cash. Every withdrawal in the first year returns shares, and the share price on the day you withdraw plays no part in the sum.
- Keep the account open and in good standing for the lock. Shares may not be sold, transferred or hedged with a derivative for one year from the award date. The terms refer to the anniversary of each share awarded, so a later deposit appears to start its own year. IBKR may still liquidate the shares at any time to meet a margin obligation you owe it.
- Plan for tax when the lock ends. For U.S. tax residents, IBKR treats the fair market value of the shares on the date the restriction lapses as ordinary taxable income and reports it on Form 1099-MISC. It withholds shares to cover any tax obligation unless it decides otherwise.
Where IBKR's page and its terms differ, and what neither says
Deposited, or net deposited. The landing page says “They'll receive USD 1 in IBKR stock for every USD 300 deposited”. The terms count net deposits and add: “Net Value Awarded cannot exceed $1,000.” The landing page does not mention that withdrawals return shares, or the one-year lock.
Family. The terms refuse any award where you and the existing client are family members or others living at the same exact physical address. Neither document says plainly whether a relative at a different address qualifies. Ask IBKR first.
No end date. The terms carry the header “4841 | 2 July 2026” and no closing date, but “IBKR reserves the right to close the Program to new Participants at any time.” They also let IBKR amend or terminate the agreement with or without prior notice.
The year is not the end. If IBKR determines that any term was not satisfied at any time, including after the anniversary, it may reclaim the shares or require payment of their fair market value on demand. Disputes go to mandatory arbitration, and participants waive a jury trial and punitive damages.
Is it worth your time?
As an extra on an account you were opening anyway, yes: using the link costs nothing, and going in without one earns nothing. As a reason to pick a broker, no. $1 for each $300 is about 0.33 percent of what you bring ($1 divided by $300), paid in a single company's stock that you cannot sell for a year and that is taxed at whatever it is worth on the day the lock ends. For scale, $5,000 taken to E*TRADE under its current promo code earns $150 in cash; $5,000 here earns about $17 in stock ($5,000 divided by 300).
