Withdrawing Money From Interactive Brokers
Do you have an Interactive Brokers account? Do you need to move cash out of it? If so, you have come to the right place. We’re going to walk through the details you need to move an available cash balance out of a brokerage account at Interactive Brokers in the easiest way possible.
IBKR Withdrawal Limits
| Security Device |
Maximum Withdrawal per Day |
Maximum Withdrawal in 5 Business Days |
| None |
50K USD |
100K USD |
| SMS |
200K USD |
600K USD |
| IBKR Mobile Authentication |
1M USD |
1M USD |
| Security Code Card* |
200K USD |
600K USD |
| Digital Security Card* |
1M USD |
1.5M USD |
| Digital Security Card+ |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
| Platinum*/Gold* |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Without two-factor authentication configured on the account, Interactive Brokers has a withdrawal limit of $50,000 per day.
Over a period of five business days, the limit is $100,000. Both of these caps can be increased by adding a more secure login method to the account.
An account that adds SMS or a Security Code Card to the login process gets a withdrawal limit of $200,000 per day and a limit of $600,000 every five days. An account that adds IBKR Mobile Authentication gets a withdrawal limit of $1 million per day and $1 million over five business days.
Adding a Digital Security Card+ will eliminate withdrawal limits altogether. An account must have a value of at least $1 million to add this device.
American and non-American Accounts
Because Interactive Brokers has both foreign and domestic accounts, available withdrawal choices vary based on whether an account is denominated in U.S. dollars or another currency, and whether the account is based in the U.S. or a foreign country.
This article will focus on American accounts denominated in U.S. dollars. Other accounts do have withdrawal options that will vary from those described in this article. Here are some examples of foreign account withdrawal choices:
SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area)
EFT transfer (Canadian accounts only)
NZD ACH (available for NZD withdrawals only)
GIRO/ACH (available for HKD, CNH, and SGD)
BACS (available for GBP withdrawals only)
Withdrawing Money From Interactive Brokers by ACH
For U.S.-based accounts, the simplest way to move a free cash balance out of an Interactive Brokers account into a bank account is with an ACH transfer. To access the ACH transfer tool on the Interactive Brokers website, click on the Transfer & Pay link at the top of the site and then select Transfer Funds. On the next page, click on Make a Withdrawal.
On the withdrawal page, there will be multiple withdrawal methods. At the top of the page, there is a drop-down menu for currency. Switching through this menu shows the available choices for each currency. For the correct withdrawal options for U.S. dollars, make sure you’re on U.S. dollars.
For ACH transfers using U.S. dollars, look for Connect Your Bank via ACH. Click on Use this Method. On the next page, there will be two methods of linking an external checking or savings account. The first choice is the manual, old-school method. It will require the bank account’s routing and account numbers. The process uses micro-deposits to verify the account and takes about 2 to 3 business days to complete.
The second option is to connect the deposit account immediately using the account’s login credentials. This second method obviously is simpler and easier, although it doesn’t always work.
Once an account is linked through either method, an available account balance in an Interactive Brokers account can easily be sent to the bank account.
A second ACH method is to go to the bank account and link the Interactive Brokers account there. This is a unique option that Interactive Brokers provides. IB generates account and routing numbers for each investment account, and these can be used at the bank to create an ACH link.
To find these numbers on the IB website, go back to the Transfer & Pay link and this time select Direct Deposit/Debit. On the next page, you will find account and routing numbers for the brokerage account at Interactive Brokers. You can use these numbers at your bank to establish a link. With this setup, the deposit and withdrawal requests must be made from the banking side.
With either transfer method, Interactive Brokers only offers one withdrawal per month for free (across all withdrawal methods). Every ACH withdrawal after one withdrawal of any type incurs a fee of $1.
An ACH withdrawal can take a few business days to reach the linked checking or savings account, and the receiving bank may have its own funds availability policy that further restricts a withdrawal from the deposit account.
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Other IBKR Withdrawal Options
Through the same Transfer & Pay tab in the top of its website, Interactive Brokers provides several other transfer choices. Here they are:
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Withdrawing Money From Interactive Brokers by Check
A paper check can be requested on the same Make a Withdrawal page mentioned above. Scroll down to the bottom and you’ll find the check request form. It takes Interactive Brokers one business day to process a check request. From that point, it can take up to four business days to receive it in the mail.
In the check request section, click on Use this Method to get the necessary online form. By default, Interactive Brokers will send the check to the listed account owner and the address currently on file. However, it’s possible to send a check to a third party, although IB’s compliance department has to review this request, which could slow down the process.
For the default method, Interactive Brokers will display the current mailing address on the account. If this needs to be updated, go to the Account Settings menu by clicking on the Welcome link located in the upper-right corner. On the Account Settings page, click on Profile Information, then click on the account owner’s name. On the next page, you’ll be able to update the address.
After one withdrawal of any kind in a calendar month, Interactive Brokers charges $4 for every check request.
Withdrawing Money From Interactive Brokers by Wire Transfer
Next up is transfer by wire. To get the online wire transfer tool, go back to the same withdrawal page we’ve been working with and scroll down to the Bank Wire section. Click on the Use this Method button to connect a bank account. It can be a domestic or foreign account. Foreign accounts may require different pieces of information, such as IBAN codes.
Fill in the requested details, enter the amount of the transfer, and submit the request. Interactive Brokers will take it from there.
The advantage of an outgoing wire is that it is very fast. Funds could show up in the receiving bank account the same day but not later than the next day. The disadvantage is that there is a $10 outgoing wire fee after one free withdrawal in a calendar month.
Interactive Brokers Mastercard Debit Card
Interactive Brokers doesn’t offer regular checkwriting from a brokerage account, although it does have a debit Mastercard. The card is free and has no recurring fees. Margin accounts can withdraw funds on margin at very low interest rates.
Interactive Brokers’ debit card can be added to Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, further increasing the card’s usability.
To apply for an Interactive Brokers debit Mastercard, head over to the application page and scroll down to the application link at the bottom.
Bill Pay
Bill pay is yet another option available to Interactive Brokers customers. The debit Mastercard must first be added to an account before the account can use bill pay. Moreover, most account holders will have to pay for this one. There is a $1 fee for each check processed through the bill pay service. ACH transactions processed through bill pay are $0.50 each. Any payee that is not listed in the broker’s merchant directory will receive a paper check. Accounts with more than $200,000 in assets have these fees waived.
Despite the numbers, bill pay is a really convenient service. It can be used to send payments to almost any business or individual. Payments can be set up on a recurring schedule so they don’t have to be manually entered every time.
Moving Funds to a Second Interactive Brokers Account
In addition to moving cash to payees and other accounts, money can also be transferred to a second Interactive Brokers account. To perform this type of transfer, head back to the Transfer & Pay tab at the top of the website. If you don’t see the second Interactive Brokers account, you may need to call the broker to request the transfer over the phone.
ACAT Transfer
Instead of moving money to a linked Interactive Brokers account, available funds can instead be moved to an external brokerage account. This can be accomplished through the ACAT network, although the transfer is rather slow (a week and a half or more). The transfer is initiated with the incoming brokerage firm, so there’s nothing to do on the Interactive Brokers side.
One advantage of an ACAT transfer is that securities can be moved along with a free cash balance. Another advantage in the outgoing direction is that Interactive Brokers does not charge anything for an ACAT withdrawal.
Other Account Transfers
Besides ACAT transfers, Interactive Brokers offers several other methods to move assets out of an account. These withdrawal options include DWAC, DRS, and FOP transfers (for U.S.-based accounts). To find these on the IB website, go back to the Transfer & Pay link and click on Transfer Positions. These options have various fees and transfer times.
Why Can’t I Withdraw Cash from Interactive Brokers?
Financial firms like Interactive Brokers place hold times on cash before it can be withdrawn. The brokerage house imposes a hold time of four business days before ACH deposits can be withdrawn. It may be possible in some cases to trade with these funds, however. A personal check has a hold time of seven business days. The shortest hold times will be on wires and bank checks.
Cash that is generated by selling assets in an Interactive Brokers account must settle before it is withdrawn. This is an industry-wide policy.
Sales of mutual funds and option contracts settle the next business day. Sales of stocks and ETFs settle one business day after the trade date. Futures trades settle the following business day. Currency transactions settle in one or two business days, depending on the currency pair. Until a trade settles, cash from the trade cannot be withdrawn under any circumstances.
Checking on an Account’s Balance Details
Inside the website, it’s easy to find an account’s available cash amount. Click on the Portfolio tab in the top menu of the website. On the next page, click on the Details link in the far-right corner. Doing so will display the account’s balance details, including numbers on margin, buying power, and more. The “Settled Cash” line shows the amount of cash that can be withdrawn.
An account’s settled cash balance can also be found by clicking on the Home tab. The cash balance is right underneath the tab along with blue deposit and withdraw buttons.
Checking the Status of a Withdrawal
The IB website shows previous withdrawal requests and the status of current requests. To find this page, go back to the same Transfer & Pay tab and this time click on Transaction Status & History. It’s possible to search through withdrawals based on a variety of criteria up to 90 days.
Withdrawals on Other Platforms
So far, we have looked at withdrawing funds using just Interactive Brokers’ website. Available cash can also be withdrawn on the firm’s mobile app. After logging in, tap on the More icon in the bottom-right corner (you’ll see three horizontal lines). On the next page, scroll down to the Transfer & Pay link. Tap on this and you’ll get a variety of icons, one of which is Withdraw Funds. Tap on this and you’ll get the same withdrawal form we saw on the website.
To locate previously-requested transfers, go back to the More menu and select Transactions this time. This page will display transfers that have been recently requested.
Trader Workstation, the broker’s flagship desktop software, has a funds transfer link under the Account tab (look for the Transfer Funds/Positions link). It generates a tab in a web browser with the same transfer tool we have already seen.
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.
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