IBKR Referral Link: Your Old Broker's Shares Count Too (How to Get More of the US$1,000 in IBKR Stock)

Most IBKR referral posts do the maths on cash: deposit US$3,000, get about US$10 of stock. That's true, and it's why the US$1,000 headline feels out of reach. But one line in IBKR's terms changes it for a lot of people: transferred-in assets count at their market value, not just cash. If you're consolidating a portfolio from another broker, your reward is worked out on the whole lot.

👉 IBKR referral link: https://ibkr.com/referral/soonweichris463
👉 There's no IBKR referral code. The link is the only thing that records the referral, so it has to be where you start your application.

Full disclosure, the link is mine. I keep the steps, the reward table and the FAQs updated on DLCuration's IBKR referral page: https://dlcuration.com/ibkr-referral-code.html

What a new client gets

US$1 of IBKR stock (Interactive Brokers Group Class A shares) for every US$300 of net deposits in your first year, up to US$1,000 in stock. One reward per new client.

1. US$3,000 net deposits → about US$10 of stock
2. US$30,000 → about US$100
3. US$150,000 → about US$500
4. US$300,000 or more → the US$1,000 maximum

The first year (IBKR calls it the Award Period) starts on the day of your first deposit, not the day your account is approved. Your Welcome Share Balance updates daily.

Why transfers matter

• ✅ Cash and transferred assets both count, at fair market value. Moving US$60,000 of shares across from another broker counts the same as wiring US$60,000 in cash, about US$200 of IBKR stock.
• ✅ Deposits add up across the year. No lump sum needed. A monthly DCA, a bonus and a portfolio transfer all go into the same total.
• ✅ Plan the order. Because the year starts at your first deposit, there's no rush to fund on day one if your big transfer is still a few weeks away. A small first deposit starts the clock.

Steps

1. Open the referral link first. It opens IBKR's invitation page with an Open Account button. If you open an account any other way, you count as an existing client and the reward is gone.
2. Apply for an individual or joint account and wait for IBKR to approve it.
3. Fund it. Cash, or transfer shares in from your current broker. Every US$300 of net deposits adds US$1 to your Welcome Share Balance.
4. Keep it there for the year. At the end of the Award Period the share count is fixed.
5. Hold the shares one more year. Awarded shares can't be sold, transferred or used for settlement until one year after they're awarded. You still get any dividends and can vote them.

Where people lose it ⚠️

• ✅ Started the application without the link. No link, no reward, and there's no code to add later.
• ✅ Already had an IBKR account. It's for brand-new clients only.
• ✅ Withdrew during the first year. The reward is on net deposits, so withdrawals cut your balance in proportion.
• ✅ Used a family member's link, or one from someone at the same address. Not allowed.
• ✅ Wrong account type. Tax-deferred, financial advisor, hedge fund and institutional accounts don't qualify.
• ✅ Closed the account, or let it fall out of good standing, before the one-year mark. Unvested shares are forfeited.
• ✅ Live in Japan, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Poland, mainland China or Israel. Residents there aren't eligible. Singapore residents are fine.

Honest caveat

The reward is paid in IBKR shares, so its value moves with the share price, and you can't sell for a year. For most people moving a few thousand dollars, it's a small thank-you, not a reason to switch brokers. It earns its keep if you're already planning to consolidate a sizeable portfolio at IBKR. Interactive Brokers Singapore is licensed by MAS, but a brokerage account isn't covered by SDIC, and IBKR can change the programme at any time. If anything here stops matching, the DLCuration page above is where I keep it updated.

Not financial advice. Just how I'd use it if I were moving to IBKR now. Not affiliated with Interactive Brokers.