ACAT Fees

How much do you have to pay for outgoing ACATS transfers in 2026? Do you pay more ACATS fees at your current broker than at another? If your broker is Merrill Edge, Vanguard, Fidelity, Ally Invest, Webull, Robinhood, or any other popular broker, your fees might be higher than you expect.

Learn how much ACATS fees are in 2026, and how to get an ACATS fee reimbursement.

What Are ACAT Transfers?

The Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS) moves brokerage accounts, either completely or partially, from one broker to another. This type of transfer is set up to give you an easy option when it comes time to move to a new broker.

Instead of having to liquidate all the securities in your investment account just to reestablish your positions at a different broker, an ACATS transfer can make the process automatic, saving you time and reducing the need to sell and repurchase investments. The convenience comes at a cost, however, as you can see from the outgoing ACATS fees found at many brokers.

How Long Does ACAT Take?

The primary benefit of using an ACATS transfer is the simplicity that it offers. The ability to move an investment account in one transaction means that you may be up and running in the new account sooner than you would otherwise. Many ACATS transfers take about 5 to 10 business days to complete, which can be faster than selling, waiting for settlement, transferring funds out to a bank, and then transferring those same funds to the new brokerage account.

Can You Get an ACAT Fee Reimbursement?

While outgoing ACATS transfer fees are hard to avoid at many brokers, you should not let ACATS fees stop you from enjoying the freedom that these types of transfers can provide. In many cases, the new broker that accepts your portfolio may reimburse the fee that you had to pay. So, when all is said and done, ACATS transfers can be completely free.

One of the most notable brokers for ACATS fee reimbursement is Robinhood. When you move your account to Robinhood and transfer at least $7,500 in eligible assets, you can receive an ACATS fee reimbursement of up to $75.

List of Brokerage ACATS Fees

ACATS Overview

With the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS), it is possible to move cash and eligible securities electronically from one investment firm to another. The main advantage of this system is that securities usually don’t have to be sold first, which can help investors avoid a taxable sale in a regular taxable brokerage account.

Because selling long positions or closing short positions can lead to unwanted tax consequences, the ACATS system provides a very useful service to investors who want to take their holdings to another brokerage firm without exiting positions. Thus, it’s possible to stay invested and still switch brokers.

An ACATS transfer can also be used to move eligible IRA assets from one IRA brokerage account to another IRA brokerage account, which can avoid the need to withdraw cash from one IRA and redeposit it into another.

Eligible Assets to Be Moved

Generally speaking, both cash and eligible securities can be transferred through the ACATS system. Securities are assets like stocks, bonds, options, ETFs, and mutual funds.

There can be certain securities that an investment firm won’t accept. For example, some brokers restrict transfers of certain micro-cap, OTC, penny, bankrupt, restricted, or proprietary securities. Webull accepts transfers through ACATS, but only for eligible assets that it supports. These securities can be moved through the ACATS system if the incoming firm will accept them, however. Always be sure to check with the incoming investment firm to determine if it offers trading in a specific asset class and if it will accept certain positions. Eligibility of over-the-counter stocks varies by brokerage firm.

Fractional shares of mutual funds can often be moved through the ACATS system, but fractional shares of stocks and ETFs generally cannot. These will usually need to be converted to cash.

In all cases, anything other than cash and eligible securities cannot be sent through the ACATS system. Cryptocurrencies, forex, and futures contracts, for example, are not standard ACATS-transferable assets.

Brokerage Participation

Most major investment firms nowadays participate in the ACATS system, and this wide participation makes the electronic network that much more convenient. There are a few exceptions, however. Acorns, for instance, does not accept transfers of outside stocks into Acorns, although Acorns can transfer some whole-share Invest account holdings out to another brokerage firm. Always be sure to verify a broker’s ACATS status before requesting a transfer into or out of the firm.

Requesting an ACATS Transfer

Thanks to modern technology, it’s quite easy to request an ACATS transfer from one securities firm to another. Most broker-dealers nowadays have user-friendly transfer tools on their websites, and some do on their mobile apps, too. Look for a transfer page, and there look for a link to transfer an account from an external firm.

An ACATS transfer request is submitted to the receiving brokerage firm. Once it receives the request, it will notify the outgoing firm, and the two firms will work together to complete the transfer.

Cost of an ACATS Transfer

In theory, there could be a fee assessed by the outgoing firm and another one by the incoming firm. But most investment firms nowadays don’t charge anything for an incoming transfer. Some do have a fee for an outgoing transfer. This fee can vary quite a bit from firm to firm, so be sure you know what it is before going through with a transfer.

In order to earn your business, some broker-dealers will actually reimburse other firms’ outgoing ACATS fees. There may be a minimum transfer amount in order to qualify, so again, do your homework before deciding on a transfer.

Duration of an ACATS Transfer

A normal ACATS transfer often takes about 5 to 10 business days to complete from the time the request is submitted. The outgoing firm must generally validate the transfer instructions or take exception within three business days, and the transfer must generally be completed within three business days after validation. Cash from the conversion of fractional shares may arrive a few days after whole shares of securities arrive. If any mistakes are made in the paperwork, which is usually digital nowadays, the time to completion could be more than 2 weeks.