Interactive Brokers Referral Program — Earn $200

Interactive Brokers Referral Program: $200 Per Eligible Referral

Interactive Brokers runs one of the few brokerage referral programs that pays the referrer in flat cash rather than a randomized stock reward. Its Refer a Friend program pays $200 for each eligible referral, which makes it the highest confirmed per-referral cash payout among the major US brokerages we track.

Who Can Be a Referrer

IBKR gates the program on the referrer's own account. To qualify, your IBKR account must have a net liquidation value of at least $2,000 and you must have placed at least one securities trade. That bar is higher than app-based brokerages like Robinhood or Webull, where anyone with an account can share a link — so this program suits people who already trade at IBKR rather than newcomers looking for a first referral link.

Residents of Japan, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Poland, mainland China, and Israel are not eligible to participate as referrers. Residents of Canada can participate and receive the $200 referral bonus, but they are not eligible to earn IBKR stock.

Caps: 15 Per Year, 30 Lifetime

The program is explicitly capped. You are limited to 15 referrals per year and 30 referrals total, which puts a ceiling of $3,000 per year and $6,000 lifetime on the program. That is a real constraint compared with the uncapped-volume programs elsewhere on RefPerks — but at $200 apiece, hitting the annual cap is worth more than most unlimited programs deliver in a year.

What Your Friend Gets

As the friend of a referrer, your referral can earn up to $1,000 of IBKR stock, subject to program conditions. The stock reward scales with their activity rather than paying out as a flat amount, so set expectations that $1,000 is a ceiling and not a guarantee.

Who This Program Converts With

IBKR is a platform for active and international traders — global market access, low margin rates, and professional tooling. It converts poorly with casual first-time investors, who are better served by a simpler app. Target people who already trade, complain about their current broker's fees or market access, or need instruments a US-only retail app does not offer.

Referral Strategy Tips

• Lead with the platform, not the bonus — IBKR converts on execution quality and global market access
• Confirm your own account clears the $2,000 net liquidation value and one-trade requirement before sharing
• Pace your referrals against the 15-per-year cap rather than burning them in one push
• Flag the country exclusions up front so an ineligible friend does not sign up for nothing