The online brokerage firm Interactive Brokers requires a capital deposit from the trader owning the brokerage account to activate the stockbroking platform.

The minimum amount required with Interactive Brokers is $200, which can be deposited via various methods, including wire transfer and checks. It should be noted that the minimum deposit with Interactive Brokers may vary depending on the type of trading account chosen.

Interactive Brokers generally does not charge commissions on deposits, but conversion fees may apply if depositing in a currency different from the account base currency.

Table of Content

What is the Interactive Brokers minimum deposit?

The Interactive Brokers minimum deposit is $0 for a cash account, $2,000 for a T Reg margin account, $110,000 for a portfolio margin account.

The minimum deposit is subject to change depending on the trading account opened and the base currency selected.

The Interactive Brokers minimum deposit features are listed in this table below:

INTERACTIVE BROKERS DEPOSIT FEATURES CHARACTERISTICS
Interactive Brokers cash account $0 minimum deposit
Interactive Brokers T Reg margin account $2,000 minimum deposit
Interactive Brokers portfolio margin account $110,000 minimum deposit
Deposit fees No
Withdrawal Fees Yes, depending on the country and payment method
Base Currencies AUD, MXN, GBP, NZD, CAD, NOK, CNH, PLN, CZK, RUB, DKK, SGD, EUR, ZAR, HKD, SEK, HUF, CHF, ILS, TRY, YEN, USD, KRW

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Now that you have learnt the minimum deposit amount you can continue with the guide to Interactive Brokers account types before you can choose which account to open.

What are the Interactive Brokers account base currencies?

The Interactive Brokers account base currencies include AUD, CAD, CHF, CNH, CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HUF, ILS, JPY, MXN, NOK, NZD, RUB, SEK, SGD, USD, INR.

The availability of these will depend on your location, and where you are regulated. If you deposit a non-base currency, you may be charged a conversion fee.

What are the Interactive Brokers funding and deposit methods?

The Interactive Brokers deposit methods features and fees are listed below.

  • Wire Transfer
  • check (all checks, including retirement checks)
  • online bill payment
  • Canadian bill payment
  • Automated Clearing House (ACH)
  • ACH transfer initiated at your bank
  • Canadian electronic funds transfer (EFT)
  • Direct Rollover (IRA)
  • Trustee-to-Trustee (IRA)
  • BPAY (for Australian traders)

The availability of the methods depends on the regulation you’re trading under.

Funding with credit/debit cards is not accepted by IB. The exception here comes if you’re a US or Canadian client. In this case, you can get an IBKR MasterCard that will allow you to fund your account, but you still can’t use your existing card.

Deposit fees

There is no Interactive Brokers deposit fee with the exception of Mexican traders who, after a free monthly deposit do have to pay a 100 MXN fee.

You may also incur a small conversion fee if you are depositing non-base currency. Finally, if your deposit is less than $2,000 then a commission is possible.

From your bank or payment provider side, they may charge a fee. This is something you should double-check with them first.

Withdrawal fees

When it comes to withdrawals, IB allows for one free withdrawal per month.

After that, a fee will be charged which depends on the currency, and your location as listed below:

  • 10 USD
  • 12 CAD
  • 100 MXN
  • 11 CHF
  • 300 CZK
  • 30 DKK
  • 8 EUR
  • 7 GBP
  • 6,000 HUF
  • 30 ILS
  • 50 NOK
  • 40 PLN
  • 330 RUB
  • 50 SEK
  • 120 TRY
  • 200 ZAR
  • 15 AUD
  • 60 CNH
  • 95 HKD
  • 1,600 JPY
  • 15 NZD
  • 15 SGD

What are the steps to fund your Interactive Brokers account?

Here is a step-by-step look at how you can get started with making your first deposit to Interactive Brokers.

1. Open an Interactive Brokers demo account first

The very first step will be to get your account open. You can visit the Interactive Brokers website (74-89% of retail CFD accounts lose money) to do this and also open an IB demo account (74-89% of retail CFD accounts lose money). This is a great way to get to know any broker and you will have $1,000,000 in virtual funds available to trade.

For more information on the demo account, you can check out our Interactive Brokers demo review.

2. Choose the account type you wish to open

Once you are ready, you can choose between the different live account types at your disposal. These include individuals and corporate accounts, as well as cash and margin accounts. You should choose the one most fitting to your circumstances.

To get to know more about each account type, you can read our Interactive Brokers account types review for more.

3. Verify your identity with the broker

During the process of opening a live account with the broker, you will need to pass verification. This means verifying your identity ideally with your passport, and residence preferably with a bank statement or utility bill.

Both documents can be conveniently uploaded online and are usually approved quickly within 1-2 days at most.

4. Choose your preferred deposit method

When you are verified and ready to make your first deposit, this is as simple as choosing the payment method you wish to use from your funding page and making a deposit. We have gone through all of the various payment methods above.

5. Wait for the deposit to be processed

With your deposit made, it is as simple as waiting a short time for your deposit to be processed and your account credited. This time will depend on the funding method you use. You will then be ready to start trading.

Does Interactive Brokers offer deposit bonuses?

Interactive Brokers doesn’t offer deposit bonuses at the moment.

This is besides their refer a friend program. This has some criteria that you need to meet including having a net liquid value of at least $2,000 and having placed at least one securities trade.

You can then earn up to $200 for each referral while the friend can earn IBKR stock up to the value of $1,000. This incentive is not available to financial advisors, hedge funds, introducing brokers, or proprietary trading firms. Nor is it open to residents of Japan, Spain, Israel, and clients under the Singapore entity. There are also other conditions that you can confirm through the broker website or contacting them directly.

The IB's refer clients program