Fidelity ACAT Fee
Fidelity does not charge ACAT fees for either full or partial transfers. There are also no ACAT transfer fees
for IRA accounts, including traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP, and SIMPLE IRA.
If you decide to close your retirement account, Fidelity does not charge an IRA account closing
fee. Learn How to close your Fidelity account »
To learn how to transfer your Fidelity Investments account to another broker,
read this article »
Fidelity Wire Transfer Fees
Fidelity does not charge any fees for domestic or international wire transfers.
Fidelity Account Transfer Steps
You can move a brokerage or investment-advisory account from Fidelity to Schwab. If you use Fidelity Go, Fidelity’s automated service, only cash can be transferred to Schwab. In the same way, Schwab’s automated program, Intelligent Portfolios, only takes cash transfers. These rules matter if your transfer involves a robo account on either side.
Step 1: Now that you know what you’re moving and where it’s going,
you need to open the receiving account. Opening a new investment account at Schwab is very easy on
either the broker’s website or mobile app. Just look for the orange button on the website to open a new account, or go into the settings menu on the mobile app (icon in the upper-left corner) and find the link to open a new account. An existing account will work if it meets these two requirements:
(1) The account types must match (like custodial, joint, or IRA).
(2) The account must have the same name.
If either condition isn’t met, you’ll need to open a new account. In some cases, you may be able to update the account type or the name on it.
Step 2: While you’re opening your Schwab account, go to Fidelity and begin preparing your account for the transfer. If you have an automated account, you’ll need to sell everything and turn it into cash. If you have a self-directed account, you won’t need to liquidate everything, although you may have a few more details to take care of.
For example, some over-the-counter (OTC) securities may not be transferable to Schwab. Although Schwab permits trading in OTC stocks, certain specific securities may not be accepted. Options that expire in less than a week and all cryptocurrencies can’t be transferred through the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS), which is the method being used here.
If you can’t transfer a position for any reason, you have a few choices:
(1) Sell it (liquidate it).
(2) Move it to another Fidelity account.
(3) Leave it behind in a partial transfer.
Any cryptocurrencies at Fidelity should be held in a separate account. Just don’t include that account in the transfer request.
Fidelity offers trading in foreign stocks, and these can be transferred through ACATS. However, Schwab may not support every foreign stock or exchange that Fidelity does. For example, Greek and Polish securities are only sellable at Schwab. It’s a good idea to check with Schwab before attempting to move any less common foreign stocks.
A full-service Wealth Management account at Fidelity can be transferred, although there may again be assets that Schwab doesn’t support but that are available to Fidelity’s full-service clients.
Step 3: By this point, your Schwab account should be open and ready for the transfer. It may also need some setup work. For example, if you’re transferring options contracts or using margin from Fidelity, those features must be enabled at Schwab. Make sure you get the correct options level; for example, an account approved for Level I options trading can’t accept a transfer involving an iron butterfly strategy.
Step 4: Now it’s time to officially submit your transfer request. As mentioned, this will go through the ACATS network, which is fully electronic. You’ll submit the ACATS request through Schwab, the receiving firm. You can find the digital form you need on Schwab’s website under the Move Money tab by clicking on the Transfer Account link.
On the first page of the application, you need to identify the outgoing investment firm. Schwab lists several firms, including Fidelity. Just click on Fidelity’s name to fill in the transfer form correctly.
On the next page, you’ll need to enter the account type (make sure the types match exactly) and your account number at Fidelity. On the following page, you’ll choose whether to do a full or partial transfer. If you choose a partial transfer, the Fidelity account will remain open, and you can specify which investments to transfer. You can also choose to transfer part of the cash balance. You can move up to 70 positions in a single partial transfer. A full transfer moves everything and closes the account.
Continue through the remaining pages, entering all of the required information. Review everything on the last page and submit the ACATS request if it all looks correct. Once Schwab receives the transfer application, it will notify Fidelity, and the two firms will take care of the rest.
Step 5: The last step is to monitor your transfer request. Under the Move Money tab on Schwab’s website, there’s a ‘Recent Transfer Activity’ link. This is where Schwab tracks all transfer requests for up to three months. If anything looks wrong, be sure to contact Schwab.
Free Charles Schwab Account
Visit Schwab Website
Updated on 4/6/2026.
Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience
as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing
expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found
managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.
|