Frequently Asked Questions - Conversion to IBUK as a Carrying Broker
General
Q: What is changing?
A: IB will be expanding the range of client activities cleared and carried by IB UK to include certain activities currently handled by IB LLC. Currently, IB UK clears all client activity through IB LLC with the exception of physical commodities (i.e., gold and silver) and those CFDs which are not exchange listed. To differentiate the IB UK activity cleared as IB UK from that which is introduced to IB LLC, an internal bookkeeping account known as IBUKL has been created to house IB UK activity. This IBUKL account will be used to clear and carry a broader range of product types including stocks, ETFs, options, futures, futures options and Forex.
Q: Why are we doing this?
A: IB’s client base, historically a mixture of both U.S. and non-U.S. accounts, is becoming increasingly more international in number. While a substantial portion of the activities of this non-U.S. clientele is currently cleared, carried and custodied by the U.S. broker dealer, IB LLC (excluding CFDs, physical metals and all activity conducted through IB India and IB Japan accounts), there are significant benefits to transferring certain activities to IBUKL where the regulatory structure is more closely aligned with that of the client’s domicile.
These benefits include the consolidation of client’s non-U.S. commodities and securities positions into a single segment, the opportunity for more favorable margin treatment through position offsets and risk based methodologies, the ability to reduce borrowing costs/increase credit interest by consolidating cash balances currently maintained in separate segments and minimizing exposure to U.S. tax reporting.
Q: What is the difference between IB UK and IBUKL?
A: Interactive Brokers (UK) Limited (“IB UK”) is a broker authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to operate within the UK. IBUKL, in contrast, is not a legal entity but rather an internal bookkeeping or labeling convention used to designate a subset of customer business which is transacted through IB UK. Currently, that activity consists solely of OTC products which IB UK clears and is the counterparty to, including non-exchange listed CFDs and physical commodities (i.e., gold and silver).
Q: What is the product introduction plan?
A: Initially, we will begin by adding non-U.S. stock index products (i.e., futures and options having the same cash underlying as their deliverable) to the existing IBUKL product offering. This includes indices such as FTSE, CAC, Hang Seng, Nikkei & DAX, among others. A new permission titled “International Equity Indexes” will be created for these products and it will be made available to new clients as well as qualifying existing clients. Qualifying existing clients include non-US accounts having option permissions and a position or position activity over prior 12 months. These existing clients will be auto-subscribed to this permission.
Once the non-U.S. stock index products have been rolled out, we will expand eligible products in the following order: forex, additional futures and then non-U.S. stocks.
Q: Will clients assigned an IBUKL account also have an IB LLC account?
A: Possibly, and in most cases, likely. In the case of a client only trading the product set currently eligible for clearing and carrying in the IBUKL account, there will theoretically be no need for them to maintain a IB LLC account. Clients who have other positions will retain or need to open an IBLLC account.
Q: Will the IBUKL account maintain multiple segments like the IB LLC account?
A: No. The multiple segments which exist in the IB LLC account reflect the bifurcated regulatory structure in the U.S. whereby oversight of securities products is administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and commodity products by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). With the exception of the single stock future, which is jointly regulated, neither the CFTC nor SEC rules provide for clearing or margining a product which they regulate in an account where the other regulator holds jurisdiction. These includes the customer protection rules which, while similar in intent, differ in their application, and are designed to segregate assets in an amount necessary to satisfy solely those claims associated with either the securities segment or commodities segment, as applicable.
As the FCA, the primary regulator of IB UK, oversees both securities and commodities products, all IBUKL eligible positions will be housed within a single segment.
Q: What margin methodology will be used for positions maintained in the IBUKL account?
A: Positions will not be subject to U.S. Reg. T margin requirements, but rather a risk-based (VAR) methodology. Initially, as new products are migrated to the IBUKL account, the native exchange/clearing methodology (typically SPAN) will be employed and the account requirement will be an aggregate of multiple methodologies. Moving forward, IB will use a common methodology for the entire account, with this methodology based upon IB's current proprietary portfolio margining model.
Q: What additional disclosures or agreements are required? Where may I view these?
A: A new customer agreement for IBUK clients holding products carried by IBUK is available on the IB website under Products & Services > Forms & Disclosures
Q: Can I sweep funds between the accounts?
A: As IBLLC and IBUK are separate legal entities, excess funds will not be eligible to be automatically moved between the two accounts with the exception of the need to meet a margin requirement. Under such circumstances, IB will automatically move the funds necessary to meet the margin requirement between the IBLLC and IBUK accounts. The Excess Funds Sweep selection available to customers through Account Management will continue to be available; however this will impact only IBLLC accounts.
Q: How will interest calculations be handled both during the conversion and after the conversion?
A: Customers holding cash balances with IBLLC will continue to have interest calculations made based on the settled cash balances held in the security and commodity accounts separately. Customers holding cash balances with IBUK will have 1 cash balance on which credit or debit interest will be calculated.
Customer Protection
Q: What type of protection is available to me in an IBUK account?
A: IBUK is a participant in the Financial Services Compensation scheme "FSCS". The current maximum levels of compensation for investment are £50,000 per person per firm. Compensation levels are subject to change and for up to date details, refer to the FSCS website at www.fscs.org.uk/
Q: Where can I obtain additional information regarding customer protection?
A: You may refer to KB2012 for additional information regarding customer protection
Q: Does IBUK offer additional protection above the industry standard?
A: IBUK does not offer additional protection above the FSCS.
Q: Does Lloyds insurance also apply to IBUK accounts?
A: No, certain underwriters at Lloyds of London provide excess SIPC policy coverage; however this is not available for products held under the IBUK carry broker.
Q: Why should I change my account if the customer protection in case of default is less advantageous to me?
A: There are several benefits for holding assets under IBUK. These benefits include the consolidation of client’s non-U.S. commodities and securities positions into a single segment, the opportunity for more favorable margin treatment through position offsets and risk based methodologies, the ability to reduce borrowing costs/increase credit interest by consolidating cash balances currently maintained in separate segments and minimizing exposure to U.S. tax reporting.
Q: Can I elect to remain a customer of IBLLC in order to take advantage of SIPC protection?
A: At this time, IB intends to convert certain product sets to IBUK and as such all customers holding the intended product set will be migrated to IBUK. While it may be possible in the long term to maintain such products in an IBLLC account, this will not currently be possible.
Q: Can IBUK fail and IBLLC not?
A: While theorectically possible, we believe this scenario to be improbable. As background, IB LLC and IB UK are both wholly-owned subsidiaries of the same parent, Interactive Brokers Group LLC. The separate entities exist largely for regulatory purposes and while we believe it highly unlikely for either to fail, it would be even more so for the parent company to allow only one to do so. Moreover, since approximately 85% of IB is owned by management and employees, there exists a pecuniary incentive by the owners to preserve their investment and protect both entities from failure.
Selecting a billing account
Account holders who maintain multiple accounts which are linked together by a common may designate the account from which any monthly market data subscription fees are to be billed. This feature may be of benefit to individuals who wish to ensure that such fees are deducted from the account maintaining the greatest equity (to minimize the likelihood of a disruption in service due to insufficient funds and/or position liquidations to cover subscription fees) or are not deducted from accounts subject to contribution limits (e.g., IRAs).
To designate a billing account, you would need to first log in Account Management and select the Trading Access and then Market Data Subscriptions menu options. You will be presented with a screen similar to that below (Exhibit 1) which includes a drop-down list box of all accounts which are linked and from which a billing account may be designated. Select the desired account and then click on the 'Change Billing Account' button.
Exhibit 1
You will then receive the following message confirming your selection (Exhibit 2). Note that changes will take place effective with the next monthly billing cycle (market data subscriptions fees for a given month are generally deducted in the first week of the successive month).
Exhibit 2
Account holders should also pay special attention to the notice provided through the 'Explain' mouse over (Exhibit 3) which details certain limitations with respect to this feature. Also note that this designation feature only serves to designate the account from which market data subscription fees are to be deducted and has no impact upon other fees such as the monthly minimum activity fee, interest and commissions, all of which are billed to the account in which they are incurred.
Exhibit 3
Linking Accounts
Übersicht:
Account linkage allows for individual account holders maintaining multiple existing accounts or seeking to open a new account the ability to group those accounts together. In the case of a new account, linkage afffords the opportunity to open the account without having to complete a full application, with the account holder providing solely that additional information which is specific to the new account. New account linkages are initiated either from the Account Management of the existing account (via Account Administration and then Create Additional Account menu options) or automatically when initiating a new application from the website. The following article outlines the steps for linking one or more existing accounts.
STEP 1
To consolidate accounts, the account holder should start by logging into Account Management with the user name of that account he/she wishes to consolidate all the other qualifying accounts to. This will be the surviving user name and is restricted to that account which has the highest level security device if different devices are in place (if the account holder wishes to retain a user name which is not associated with the highest level security device they will need to share the highest level device of that user). Once logged in, the account holder should select the Account Administration and then Link Existing Account menu options (Exhibit 1).
Exhibit 1
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STEP 2
The next screen (Exhibit 2) will list the user names eligible for consolidation. Note that there is no ability to consolidate a subset of the accounts. If a decision is made to consolidate, it must include all. In addition, while an account holder may place the consolidation request at any time, the actual consolidation takes place as of the close of business each Friday. If the account holder attempts to initiate the process from an account which has a user name they wish to retain but which does not maintain the highest level device, they will be provided the oportunity to share that highest level security device with this account (Exhibit 2a). To proceed, click on the Link Accounts button.
Exhibit 2
Exhibit 2a
STEP 3
The account holder will then be prompted to confirm the user name and password for the first user name to be consolidated (Exhibit 3) and will be prompted to repeat this confirmation an authentication step for each user name to be consolidated.
Exhibit 3
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STEP 4
If your accounts maintain personal information (e.g., phone number, address, DOB), financial information or investment experience which differs between the accounts you will be presented with a screen which allows you to select the information on hand which is accurate and which will be updated to all accounts.
Exhibit 4
STEP 5
Once step 3 has been completed for all eligible user names the following screen (Exhibit 5) will be displayed which allows the user to cancel the consolidation request. Note that this screen will be displayed only up until the time that request has been processed as of the close of business on the Friday following entry. After that time, the consolidation becomes final and irrevocable and the linked user names disabled. In addition, the cancellation option is provided solely when logging in with the surviving user name. If the account holder logs into Account Management with one of the non-surviving user names and selects Link Existing Account menu option the screen view will be similar to that of Exhibit 6. In addition, the status of your request will be shown as a Pending Request upon Account Management login until complete (Exhibit 7).
Exhibit 5
Exhibit 6
Exhibit 7
IMPORTANT NOTES
* Once linked, account access to Account Management and the trading platform is accomplished using a single user name and password each of which will contain a drop-down window for selecting the account that the owner wishes to act upon.
* Consolidating accounts has no impact upon the Monthly Minimum Activity fee, that is, each account ID is obligated to generate a minimum of USD 10, or equivalent, in commissions for a given month or be charged the difference.
* Account holders maintaining multiple security devices are required to consolidate to the user name associated with the highest level device. The hierarchy of security devices from highest level to lowest level is as follows: Platinum, Gold, Alpine and Security Code card (Bingo). If two or more user names have the device considered highest, the account holder may choose among those. In the event the account holder wishes to retain a particular user name which is not associated with the highest level device, the account holder must initiate the link request by logging into that account and requesting that the higher level device be shared (Exhibit 2a).
Note that device sharing requests initiated prior to 5:00 PM ET will not take place the following day. Until that time login access will continue using the existing authentication process and devices. Also note that depending upon the timing of this request, the token share may take effect prior to the the linkage request (processed after the close of business each Friday).
* As market data subscriptions are billed at a session level (i.e., user name) and only a single TWS session can be open for any one user at a given time, account holders previously maintaining subscriptions for multiple users have the opportunity to consolidate subscriptions to a single user. Account holders wishing to view multiple TWS sessions simultaneously may add additional users (subject to separate market data subscribtions). In addition, only those market data subscriptions already associated with the surviving user name will remain in effect following consolidation. Account holders maintaining different subscriptions across multiple users are advised to review those subscriptions subject to cancellation in order to determine which they wish to resubscribe to under the surviving user name. Also note that the market data subscriptions either terminated or initiated mid-month are subject to billing as if they were provided for the entire month (i.e., fees are not prorated).
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Non-Objecting Beneficial Owner (NOBO)
Übersicht:
A NOBO refers to an account holder who provides its carry broker (i.e., IB) permission to release their name and address to the companies or issuers of securities they hold. These companies or issuers request this information in the event they need to contact shareholders regarding important shareholder communications such as proxies, circulars for rights offerings and annual/quarterly reports. IB, by default, classifies clients as a NOBO but allows client to have their classification changed to that of an Objecting Beneficial Owner (OBO). To do so, clients are required to provide formal notice of their request to be classified as an OBO through a Message Center ticket available via Account Management.
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Tax Treaty Benefits
Übersicht:
Income payments (dividends and payment in lieu) from U.S. sources into your IB account may have U.S. tax withheld. Generally, a 30% rate is applied to non-U.S. accounts. Exemption from the withholding or a lower rate may apply if your home country has a tax treaty with the U.S. Complete the applicable Form W-8 to find out your status.
Background:
Tax Treaties*
U.S. tax treaties with some countries have different benefits. Legal tax residents of the following countries may be eligible for the treaty benefits. Below is a list of the tax treaty countries. Benefits vary by country.
| Australia | Czech Republic | India | Lithuania | Sweden |
| Austria | Denmark | Indonesia | Poland | Switzerland |
| Bangladesh | Egypt | Ireland | Portugal | Thailand |
| Barbados | Estonia | Israel | Romania | Trinidad & Tobago |
| Belgium | Finland | Italy | Russia | Tunisia |
| Bulgaria | France | Jamaica | Slovak Republic | Turkey |
| Canada | Germany | Japan | Slovenia | Ukraine |
| China, People's Rep. Of | Greece | Kazakhstan | South Africa | United Kingdom |
| Commonwealth of Ind. States | Hungary | Korea, Rep. of | Spain | Venezuela |
| Cyprus | Iceland | Latvia | Sri Lanka |
*Country list as of April 2009
Refer to IRS Publication 901 for details on withholding rates for your tax residence country and your eligible benefits.
Why am I required to provide a W-8 if I am not a US citizen or resident?
As IB LLC is a carrying broker domiciled in the U.S., it is required to report information and, in certain instances, make payment of withholding taxes to the U.S. tax authority, the Internal Revenue Service for all account holders. To certify oneself as a non-U.S. person, a Form W-8 is requested at the time of application and is required to be re-certified every three years thereafter. If IB does not receive the W-8 or the account holder fails to re-certify the W-8 in a timely manner, then the account holder is presumed to be a US person and, absent a W-9, may then be subject to back-up withholding taxes on interest, dividends and substitute payments in lieu, as well as gross proceeds.
By certifying yourself as a non-U.S. person through a properly completed W-8, your U.S. withholding is limited to dividends issued by US corporations. Note that virtually all countries apply withholding taxes when local companies seek to distribute dividends to externally based shareholders (whether those shareholders are corporate or not). The rate at which IB is obligated to withhold for a given payment depends largely upon whether there is a tax treaty in place between the country where the dividend paying country is based and the country of residence of the dividend recipient.
SIPP Overview
What is a SIPP?
A SIPP account is a pension account that allows customers to control their retirement savings and where they are invested. SIPPs provide customers with more flexibility and self control over their savings, and are available to all UK residents between the ages of 18 and 75. Customers who are employed or self-employed may contribute up to 100% of their earnings (up to £235,000) in any one tax year. Further they allow retired and unemployed customers to invest up to £3,600 per year. You can trade financial products, property and other items in a SIPP.
Interactive Brokers (UK) Limited does not accept SIPP’s outright, rather it does accept a SIPP Administrator of a SIPP to open a master account. Afterwards, a SIPP Administrator's clients can open sub accounts and trade their SIPP through Interactive Brokers (UK) Limited.
For more information about SIPP’s in the UK, refer to the HM Revenue & Customs website www.hmrc.gov.uk
Can I open a SIPP account with Interactive Brokers LLC (US) or (Hong Kong)?
No, the SIPP Administrator account and its sub accounts can only open an account with Interactive Brokers (UK) Limited.
Can I trade property and other acceptable investments through my SIPP at Interactive Brokers (UK) Limited?
You can only trade regulated financial products through your SIPP that is held with us.
What is a SIPP Administrator?
A SIPP Administrator is a regulated company with the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom that acts as the trustee of the SIPP. Further it provides various administrative duties on behalf of the SIPP e.g., reporting to HM Revenue & Customs.
How do I get my SIPP Administrator to open a master account?
Refer to our Interactive Brokers (UK) Limited website www.interactivebrokers.co.uk under Account, then under SIPP. From here a SIPP Administrator can open a master account (at no cost). Alternatively you can contact an Interactive Brokers (UK) Limited sales representative.
What qualifies a SIPP Administrator to open a master account?
We only accept UK registered companies with the Financial Conduct Authority which are authorised SIPP Administrators that are in good standing and adhere to our terms and conditions.
Is there a cost to open a master account?
No, unless the master account wants to view market data then fees apply.
Can anyone trade a SIPP sub account with Interactive Brokers?
Only UK residents and individuals between the ages of 18 and 75 who have good or extensive knowledge of any product they wish to trade and that we support, prior execution of 100 or more trades (of any product) and will make a minimum deposit of $5,000 or equivalent in stock.
Can I trade on margin (leverage)?
No, all SIPP sub accounts can only trade in a cash account.
What is a cash account?
A cash account only allows a sub account to trade stocks, bonds, equity options, futures, futures options, single stock futures (SSFs), ETFs, forex and warrants. An individual can only deposit one base currency that Interactive Brokers supports, but can trade products denominated in other currencies after using a Forex transaction to acquire the currency. You must wait for the Forex trade to settle (two business days following trade date) before the currency is available for trading. Cash accounts can only trade the following order types: long stock (no shorting), long calls or puts, covered calls, protective puts, short naked puts and call spread, put spread.
What are the costs to open a sub account?
Initial deposit $5,000 + $10 minimum brokerage fee per month + IB brokerage fees (applicable) + Market data fees (if applicable) and other costs may apply.
Can I trade my ISA through Interactive Brokers?
No, we only accept SIPP accounts.
Does Interactive Brokers give advice in trading within your SIPP?
No, Interactive Brokers give no trading advice as it is a non discretionary broker.
Do you accept cheques to fund my SIPP?
No we only accept wire transfers or positions (FREE of PAYMENT).
What is a FREE of PAYMENT transfer?
The transfer of securities for which there is no need for a cash exchange. Rather the securities are already paid up in full.
Can I transfer physical shares (FREE of PAYMENT) in my sub account?
No we only accept dematerialized shares.
How many users can trade my SIPP sub account?
Only one.
Cash Accounts: Does a cash account require completion of a W8 form?
If you are a non-US person or entity, Interactive Brokers is required to have a valid form W8 certifying your country of tax residence at the time of application. You may update your W8 form at any time in Account Management.
Adding (non-employee) users to an individual account
Übersicht:
Individual account holders have the ability to add multiple users to their IB account. The account holder may wish to add a second user registered under their own name for the purpose of opening two TWS sessions simultaneously (one for normal access and the other for connecting via an API). The account holder may also provide access to up to 15 (non-employee) individuals, such as a family members, pursuant to a Limited Power of Attorney agreement. In addition, each of these individuals may also be provided with a second user access.
In each case, the additional user will be assigned a unique username which is required for log in both to Account Management and the trading platform of choice. Procedures for adding a (non-employee) individual user are outlined below (search KB1004 for procedures for adding a second user for an individual account holder).
Background:
Procedures for adding a non-employee user are as follows:
- Log into Account Management.
- Select the Account Administration and then User Access Rights menu options.
- Click on the Add User button.
- You will be presented with the Add New User and Access Rights page where you will need to specify the first and last name of the individual who you wish to provide access, the first five characters of the user name, a password, that individual’s email address, and relationship to the Account Holder.
- Specify those functions which you which to provide access. These will be restricted to Report Management (activity statements, confirms, margin and tax reports), Trading Access (product/exchange configuration, paper trading account) and User Management (updating password, email address or personal information). User will not have access to the Funds Management or Account Administration functions and will therefore have no ability to perform tasks such as transferring assets, updating the information of the account holder, adding additional users or closing the account.
- Click on the Continue button.
- Verify details and click on the Submit button.
- Provide electronic signature to the Limited Power of Attorney agreement and click on the Continue button.
- If Trading Access has been provided, select the Home and Pending Items menu options and accept the Trader Authorization Form by clicking on the Continue button.
- The account holder will then need to contact the individual added as a user and provide them with the user user name and password combination they have selected.
- The new user will need to log into Account Management and confirm their email address by entering the token confirmation number sent to the address as provided. At that point another token confirmation number will sent to their email for the purpose of creating a new password and the user will then be prompted to fill out personal information on the New User Confirmation page and sign the Limited Power of Attorney agreement.
- Please note user add requests are subject to processing which, after the above steps have been completed, may take up to 2 business days prior to access being provided.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. In accordance with market data vendor requirements, the account will be assessed a separate market data subscription fee for each user account added. In addition, user account market data subscriptions are tied to and cannot vary from that of the account holder.
2. Account holders may delete a user account by clicking on the delete link next to the user name located within the Account Administration and then User Access Rights menu options.
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Transfer on Death
Transfer on Death is a form of account registration which allows individuals to pass the assets in their IB account directly to another person or entity upon their death without having to go through probate. This registration option is solely available to individual accounts held by US residents (no joint or IRA accounts).
To elect this option, eligible account holders will need to do the following:
1. Log into Account Management and select the Account Administration and then Transfer on Death menu options.
2. You will need to specify your Primary Beneficiaries (from 1 to 6 whose percentage of ownership must total 100%)
3. You may elect to specify your Contingent Beneficiaries (from 1 to 6 whose percentage of ownership must total 100%). If you do not elect any Contingent Beneficiaries you will need to specify how you wish the interests of any Primary Beneficiaries that predecease you shall be treated (either pass back to the account holder's estate or pass to the remaining Primary Beneficiaries).
4) In the event any Primary or Contingent Beneficiary is a minor you will be required to designate an authorizer signer.
5) You will then be provided with a link to a pre-populated Transfer on Death Agreement which requires formal signature and notarization. Instructions are also provided for submitting the form to IB's New Accounts department. If the account holder is married and living in a community property state, spousal consent is required if the spouse is not named as the primary beneficiary (it is the responsibility of the account holder to make this determination).
6) Once the agreement has been returned and reviewed for approval, the registration will be complete and the account title amended (e.g. Jane Doe, TOD). Statements will also refelect this new account title.
7) Account holders may remove the TOD request prior to approval or revoke once approved (both via online option). A new agreement will need to be completed, signed and returned prior to the revocation becoming effective. In order for a revocation request to be effective, it must be received and approved by IB prior to the account holder's death.
8) In the event of the death of the account holder, the beneficiary will need to complete and remit the notarized Transfer on Death - Beneficiary Distribution Form to IB along with a certified copy of the death certificate. If the beneficiary does not already have an account with IB they will need to open one in order to transfer the percent of assets as indicated in the Transfer on Death Agreement.
