Fidelity ACAT Fee
Fidelity ACAT fee is $0 for a full or partial account transfer (stock positions, mutual funds, and ETFs). There is also no ACAT transfer fee
for all IRA accounts: traditional IRA, ROTH, SEP, and SIMPLE IRA.
If you decide to cancel your retirement account, Fidelity does not have an IRA account closing
fee. Learn How to cancel your Fidelity account »
To learn how to move your Fidelity Investments account to a different broker,
read this article »
Fidelity Wire Transfer Fees
Outgoing wire transfers at Fidelity are $10 per transfer online, $15 through a representative.
Incoming wire transfers are no charge.
Fidelity Account Transfer Steps
You can transfer a brokerage or investment-advisory account from Fidelity to Schwab. If you use Fidelity Go, Fidelity’s automated service, only the cash can be transferred to Schwab. Similarly, Schwab’s automated program, Intelligent Portfolios, only accepts cash transfers. These rules are important if your transfer involves a robo account on either end.
Step 1: Now that you know what you’re transferring and what you’re transferring into,
you need to open the receiving account. It’s very easy to open a new investment account at Schwab 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 might be able to change the account type or the name on it.
Step 2: While you're setting up your Schwab account, go to Fidelity and start getting your account ready for the transfer. If you have an automated account, you'll need to sell everything and convert it to cash. If you have a self-directed account, you don't need to sell everything, but you might have more tasks to handle.
For example, some over-the-counter (OTC) securities might not be transferable to Schwab. While Schwab allows trading in OTC stocks, some specific stocks might not be accepted. Options expiring in less than a week and all cryptocurrencies can't be moved through the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS), which is the method we're using here.
If you can't move a position for any reason, you have a few options:
(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 in a separate account. Just don’t include that account in the transfer request.
Fidelity allows trading in foreign stocks, which can be transferred via ACATS. However, Schwab may not support all foreign stocks or exchanges that Fidelity does. For instance, Greek and Polish securities are only sellable at Schwab. It's a good idea to check with Schwab before trying to transfer any uncommon foreign stocks.
A full-service Wealth Management account at Fidelity can be transferred, but again, there may be assets that Schwab doesn't support, which are available to Fidelity’s full-service clients.
Step 3: By now, your Schwab account should be open and ready for the transfer. It might also need some preparation. For example, if you're transferring options contracts or using margin from Fidelity, these features need to be set up at Schwab. Make sure to get the correct options level; for instance, an account approved for Level I options trading can't take 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 make the ACATS request through Schwab, the incoming 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 specify the outgoing investment firm. Schwab lists several firms, including Fidelity. Simply 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 decide whether to do a full or partial transfer. If you choose a partial transfer, the Fidelity account will stay 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, providing all the requested information. Review everything on the final page and submit the ACATS request if all looks correct. Once Schwab receives the transfer application, it will notify Fidelity, and the two companies will handle the rest.
Step 5: The last step is to keep an eye on 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 off, make sure to contact Schwab.
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Updated on 8/30/2025.
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.
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