The following steps summarize how to open an Interactive Brokers Fully Disclosed Broker account from our website.
From our website home page, click OPEN AN ACCOUNT, then click Broker, and then click START APPLICATION. This opens a new online application for a Broker master account.
You will be required to create a username and password at the beginning of the online application. This ensures that all of the information that you submit is secure. Record your login information; you will need it to access your saved applications and your live account once it has been approved. In many cases, the information provided electronically during the application is sufficient. However, we may require additional documentation.
US regulators require that Interactive Brokers receive and review certain financial, disciplinary and identification documents from its brokers before approving the account. These documents will be requested during the application process or by your IB sales representative. All documents should be forwarded to the addresses listed on the Contact Us > Fax/Postal page on the IB website.
Your broker account consists of multiple accounts at different levels, and can include multiple users who have permissions to manage one or multiple accounts. The master account is used for the billing of market data and research subscriptions for your own trading. The Proprietary Account for Broker-Dealers is used to collect client fees and other funds owed to the broker, credit a client account, and proprietary trading for the broker.
Funding Methods
IB offers a variety of methods which can be used to fund your account:
The following methods can be used to fund client accounts but CANNOT be used to fund your master account.
*Checks or bank drafts are not available for IB Canada customers.
All deposits made are subject to certain hold periods. To prevent any delays in the funding of your account, we strongly recommend that you complete the funding portion of your account application.
To ensure that you have completed all of the initial tasks required in the application process, you can log back into your application and review your entries and status. Click OPEN ACCOUNT > Finish an Application from our website menu. Only those applicants who have completed all required portions of the application will have their applications considered for review.
If you will be introducing securities trades, IB is required to submit your application to the New York Stock Exchange for approval. This process generally takes 2-3 weeks.
If we have received your funds you may begin to trade in the master account. Funds received by 16:00 ET are available for trading the next business day under normal business circumstances. View the current status of your deposit or transfer in Account Management by clicking Funding > Transaction History.
You can initiate account applications for your clients in one of two ways: electronically or semi-electronically with paper signature. Both methods are accessible from Account Management.
You can also create client account templates in Account Management to save and re-use application information for new client accounts.
You can log into Account Management at any time to see the status of your clients' applications.
IB offers the same funding methods for client accounts. If we do not receive your client's funds in 45 days from approval the account will be closed.
*Checks or bank drafts are not available for IB Canada customers.
You and your clients can view the application review results by logging in to Account Management (clients log in with their own account credentials).
If we have received funds for your client, they may begin to trade. Funds received by 16:00 ET are available for trading the next business day under normal business circumstances. You and your clients can view the current status of deposits or transfers in Account Management by clicking Funding > Transaction History (clients log in with their own account credentials).