The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) represents the United States efforts to combat tax evasion and abuse by US persons holding investments outside of the United States. The Act establishes a new set of tax information reporting and withholding procedures. While not expressly aimed at non-US persons, the regulations do impose withholding taxes on certain non-US entities that decline to disclose their US investors or account holders.
Under FATCA, US persons must report to the US tax authority, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), their assets held in offshore accounts. In addition, the regulations seek to require non-US financial institutions to report to the US tax authority certain information about financial accounts of US or US-owned investors and account holders.
As a broker based in the United States, Interactive Brokers is required to report information and make payment of withholding taxes to the IRS, for all of our customers. FATCA simply creates additional practices and withholdings to the current requirements for all US brokers.
Interactive Brokers will comply with the new rules. This may require additional disclosures by investors during the account application process, as well as expanded tax reporting. For all US institutions, FATCA becomes effective January 1, 2013. Any FATCA tax withholding requirements begin on January 1, 2014.
Additional aspects of the regulations will be phased-in over the next few years, including an expansion of US brokers reporting on US source income to non-US accounts through Form 1042-S.
No additional action is required for US persons holding Interactive Brokers accounts. US persons, who include US citizens, Green Card holders and other legal residents, need only to complete Form W-9 during the account application process to certify their tax status.
Yes. FATCA requires foreign financial institutions (FFIs) to furnish certain data directly to the IRS about any of their US taxpayer accounts or foreign entity accounts in which US taxpayers hold a certain level of ownership. FFI compliance with the new regulations becomes effective July 1, 2013 with the submission of electronic FFI applications to the IRS. The application forms are scheduled to be available through the IRS in January 2013.
All non-US persons and entities applying for and maintaining Interactive Broker accounts will continue to be required to fully disclose and indentify the identity of their account's beneficial owner(s). Through the IRS Form W-8, our account holders certify the beneficial owner's country of tax residence. If you fail to provide a Form W-8, or do not resubmit a new W-8 when prompted upon the three-year expiration, additional withholding will apply.
Some entities not ordinarily considered to be financial institutions may be categorized under FATCA as an FFI. Therefore, it is important to review the details outlined by the IRS.
While the regulations and compliance are far more complex than a brief FAQ can describe, the following offers a short summary of actions required by those defined foreign financial institutions.
The IRS remains the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource about FATCA compliance, implementation, and document filing. The IRS continues to issue news releases and forms. Please feel free to visit the IRS FATCA Website for details.
IRS Circular 230 Notice: These statements are provided for information purposes only, are not intended to constitute tax advice which may be relied upon to avoid penalties under any federal, state, local or other tax statutes or regulations, and do not resolve any tax issues in your favor.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This article has been customized for use by self-directed Individual Retirement Account (IRA) owners for information purposes only. Persons are encouraged to consult a qualified tax professional with the investments and elections within the IRA. IB does not provide tax advice. For detailed information regarding IRAs, you may consult the IRS Publication 590.
Through Delaware Charter and Trust Company, doing business as Principal Trust Company, Interactive Brokers offers a variety of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). This resource center provides a central navigation into the resources, procedures and Account Management navigation of the retirement accounts below.
Important IRA dates to consider are listed below.
Important Notice - Select 2012 Tax Reporting for key information with 2012 transactions and tax reporting in your IRA.
Account Management IRA Reference
Beneficiary Options
Recharacterizations from a Roth IRA
Required Minimum Distributions
Please check the calendar often. Some dates subject to change.
Jan. 31: RMD Notice - Required Minimum Distribution notices sent to account holders age 70 1/2 by December 31.
Tax Form 1099-R - IB posts the tax forms which confirm prior year distributions.
2012 Charitable Distribution - Last date for eligible distributions to to be recharacterized as made on December 31, 2012. Also, the final date to transfer December 2012 distributions to a qualified charity as a qualified charitable distribution.
Apr. 15: Excess Contributions - IRS Deadline to withdraw excess IRA contributions for the prevous tax year.
IRA Open/Funding - Deadline to establish and fund an IRAs for the previous tax year.
Roth/Traditional Contribution - Deadline for prior tax year IRA contributions.
SEP - Deadline for prior tax year employer and employee non-elective contributions.
May 31: Tax Form 5498 - IB posts the tax forms which confirm prior year contributions.
Sept. 30: IRA Beneficiary - IRS cutoff to identify "designated beneficiary" of previous year deceased IRA owners.
Dec. 27: RMD- Interactive Brokers cut-off to submit a Required Minimum Distribution as 2012 distribution.
Distributions - Interactive Brokers cut-off to submit a 2012 IRA distribution.
IRS Circular 230 Notice: These statements are provided for information purposes only, are not intended to constitute tax advice which may be relied upon to avoid penalties under any federal, state, local or other tax statutes or regulations, and do not resolve any tax issues in your favor.
Die Online Sicherheitscodekarte dient als temporäre Lösung für Kunden, die keinen Zugriff auf Ihr permanentes Sicherheitsgerät besitzen und einen temporären Token zum Einloggen beantragt haben.
Hintergrund:
Die Online Sicherheitscodekarte dient als temporäre Lösung für Kunden, die keinen Zugriff auf Ihr permanentes Sicherheitsgerät besitzen und einen temporären Token zum Einloggen beantragt haben. Nach Aktivierung des temporären Tokens empfiehlt IB den Kunden sich in die Kontoverwaltung einzuloggen und die Online Sicherheitscodekarte zu aktivieren, die folgende Vorteile mitbringt:
- Erhöhte Sicherheit vor Internethackern durch die Abfrage zufälliger Codes beim Login;
- Verlängert das Zeitfenster (21 Tage ggü. 2 für temporären Token) zum Erhalt und zur Reaktivierung des permanenten Sicherheitsgeräts, wodurch die Online Sicherheitscodekarte deaktiviert wird;
- Erlaubt Rücküberweisungen und Informationsänderungen ohne die Restriktionen, die durch die Aktivierung des temporären Tokens entstehen;
- Kann direkt in der Kontoverwaltung erstellt und aktiviert werden und erlaubt die Reaktivierung des permanenten Sicherheitsgeräts ohne Kontakt zum Kundendienst.
Die Schritte zur Aktivierung der Online Sicherheitscodekarte lauten wie folgt:
(Falls die Menüs der Kontoverwaltung oben angezeigt werden):
1. Wählen Sie Konto verwalten, Sicherheit und Sicherheitsloginsystem;

2. Wählen Sie 'Ja, ich möchte am Sicherheitsloginsystem teilnehmen' und auf 'Fortfahren'

3. Nun wird Ihnen ein Bild der Online Sicherheitscodekarte angezeigt. Bitte drücken Sie auf die 'Drucken' Option, die sich oberhalb der angezeigten Karte befindet (oder machen Sie einen Rechtsklick mit der Maus auf die Karte um dieses Bild auf Ihrem Desktop zu speichern).

4. Drücken Sie auf die 'Bestätigen' Option um die Kartenaktivierung zu initialisieren. Zwei Kartenindexwerte erscheinen auf dem Bildschirm.

5. Geben Sie den drei-stelligen alphanummerischen Code der Karte, die zur ersten Indexnummer auf der Karte angezeigt wird, in das 'Kartenwerte' Feld ein und wiederholen Sie diesen Vorgang mit der zweiten Indexnummer ohne ein Leerzeichen zwischen den Codes einzugeben.

6 Drücken Sie auf 'Übermitteln'

7. Nach Aktivierung der Karte wird Ihnen das Ablaufdatum zusammen mit Optionen für weiterführende Aufgaben angezeigt.
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Schauen Sie KB1042 für Videoinstruktionen zum Login mit der Sicherheitscodekarte.
Schauen Sie KB1942 für Instruktionen zur Reaktivierung des permanenten Sicherheitslogingeräts
Schauen Sie KB1943 für Instruktionen zur Beantragung eines Ersatzsicherheitsgeräts
(Falls die Menüs der Kontoverwaltung links angezeigt werden)
1. Wählen Sie User Management und Secure Login System;
2. Wählen Sie 'Yes, I want to participate in the Secure Login System'
3. Nun wird Ihnen ein Bild der Online Sicherheitscodekarte angezeigt. Bitte drücken Sie auf die 'Print' Option, die sich rechts oberhalb der angezeigten Karte befindet (oder machen Sie einen Rechtsklick mit der Maus auf die Karte um dieses Bild auf Ihrem Desktop zu speichern).
4. Drücken Sie auf die 'Confirm' Option um die Kartenaktivierung zu initialisieren. Zwei Kartenindexwerte erscheinen auf dem Bildschirm.
5. Geben Sie den drei-stelligen alphanummerischen Code der Karte, die zur ersten Indexnummer auf der Karte angezeigt wird, in das 'Card values' Feld ein und wiederholen Sie diesen Vorgang mit der zweiten Indexnummer ohne ein Leerzeichen zwischen den Codes einzugeben.
6. Drücken Sir auf 'Submit'
7. Nach Aktivierung der Karte wird Ihnen das Ablaufdatum zusammen mit Optionen für weiterführende Aufgaben angezeigt.
Interactive Brokers allows you to send us a copy of a document even if you do not currently have access to a scanner. You can take a picture of the requested document with your smartphone.
Below you will find the instructions on how to take a picture and send it to IB per email with the fllowing smartphone operating systems:
Android (i.e. Samsung Galaxy, HTC One X, Sony Xperia, Motorola Droid)
Windows Phone (i.e. Nokia Lumia, HTC Titan, Samsung Focus)
If you already know how to do so, please consult the instructions about the information you will need to send us aside from the document picture. Click HERE - Where to send the email to and what to include in the subject.
iOS
1. Press the power button to turn your iPhone screen on. Tap, hold and slide upwards the
Camera icon on the bottom right of your screen then drag it upwards to access the Camera.

- If you do not have the Camera icon, you may access the Camera app from the home screen
of your iPhone.
2. Place your iPhone above the document and take the desired portion or page of the document
and tap on the Camera button (designated with 1 on the below illustration - Fig. 3) to take a
photo. Then you need to access the picture - tap the image in the lower left-hand corner (number 2 in the
illustration)
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3. Exit to the home screen by pressing the round Home button on the face of the iPhone.
4. Open the Photos app
5. Next, tap the album ‘Camera Roll’. Make sure that the picture is clear and the document
is well legible, if it isn’t, please repeat the previous two steps.
6. Touch once the picture to make the menus appear and tap the share icon
designated with 1 in the illustration below.

5. Select the first option - Email Photo. Please consult the following instructions for the next step - what address you should send the picture to and what else to include aside from the document, HERE.
Note: to send emails your phone has to be configured for that. Please contact your email
provider if you are not familiar with this procedure.
Android
1. Open your applications list and start the camera app. Depending on your phone model, make or setup it might be called differently.
2. Place your phone over the document and take the desired portion or page of the document and
tap the icon for the camera. (The generic button will look like the one shown below.)

3. Press the Home key to go back to the idle screen. Go back to the apps list and start the Gallery
application. On some phones it may be called Pictures or Photos.
4. Open the album called Camera or All pictures. The last image in either of those should be the
document you just took a picture of. Tap the screen once to bring up the buttons and tap the share
icon, which generically should look as shown below.

5. In the sharing menu that will be displayed now tap on Email. Please consult the following instructions for the next step - what address you should send the picture to and what else to include aside from the document, HERE.
Note: to send emails your phone has to be configured for that. Please contact your email
provider if you are not familiar with this procedure.

Windows Phone
1. Press the camera button in the Desktop menu of Windows phone. (If you do
not see the camera in the desktop menu, please scroll to the right and choose
camera in the listed applications)
2. Take a picture by pressing the trigger button on the side of the phone.
3. Open the picture by scrolling to the left and press the ‘...’ menu item
at the bottom task bar to see the available options.
4. Please choose send and the configured Email account you would like to use.
5. In the upcoming email, please add the destination email address, the
subject and the text you would like to send and press the ‘Send email’ button in
the bottom menu. Please consult the following instructions for the next step - what address you should send the picture to and what else to include aside from the document, HERE.
Note: to send emails your phone has to be configured for that. Please contact your email
provider if you are not familiar with this procedure.
WHERE TO SEND THE EMAIL AND WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE SUBJECT
The email has to be created observing the below instructions:
1. In the ‘To:’ field type...
a. newaccounts@interactivebrokers.com if your you are a resident of a non-European country
b. newaccounts.uk@interactivebrokers.co.uk if you are a European resident
2. The subject field must contain all of the below:
a. Your account number (it usually has the format Uxxxxxxx, where x are numbers) or your
username
b. The purpose of sending the document. Please use the below convention:
i. PoRes for a proof of residential address
ii. PID for a proof of identity
What is the purpose of the Stock Yield Enhancement Program?
The Stock Yield Enhancement program provides customers with the opportunity to earn additional income on securities positions which would otherwise be segregated (i.e., fully-paid and excess margin securities) by permitting IB to lend out those securities to third parties. Customers who participate in the program will receive a portion of the fee paid by the borrower as loan compensation for any day the loan exists and will receive cash collateral to secure the return of the stock loan at its termination.
What are fully-paid and excess margin securities?
Fully-paid securities are securities in a customer’s account that have been completely paid for. Excess margin securities are securities that have not been completely paid for, but whose market value exceeds 140% of the customer’s margin debit balance.
How is the income received by a customer on any given Stock Yield Enhancement Program loan transaction determined?
The income which a customer receives in exchange for shares lent depend upon loan rates established in the over-the-counter securities lending market. These rates can vary significantly not only by the particular security loaned but also by the loan date. In addition, IB assesses a Management Fee equal to 50% of the net loan fees paid in exchange for initiating, terminating and managing transactions. In determining the customer’s portion of these fees, the Market Fee Rate % is applied to the loan collateral and this daily Gross Lending Fee is split equally between IB and the customer. For example, assume loan collateral of $10,000 and an annualized Market Fee Rate of 15%. In this example the daily Gross Lending Fee would be $4.16 (($10,000 *.15)/360), of which $2.08 would accrue to the customer and $2.08 to IB as its Management Fee. Lending fees are calculated and accrued daily similar to interest credits.
How is the amount of cash collateral for a given loan determined?
The cash collateral underlying the security loan and used for determining interest payments is determined using standard industry convention whereby the closing price of the stock is multiplied by 102% and then rounded up to the nearest whole dollar. For example, a loan of 100 shares of a stock which closes at $59.24 would be equal to $6,100 ($59.24 * 1.02 = $60.4248; round to $61, multiply by 100).
What are the eligibility requirements for participation in the IB Stock Yield Enhancement Program?
All IB LLC and IB UK margin accounts or IB LLC and IB UK cash accounts with equity over $50,000 at the time of application are eligible. IB Canada, IB Japan and IB India customers are not eligible. Japanese and Indian clients maintaining accounts with IB LLC are eligible.
In addition, Financial Advisor client accounts, fully disclosed IBroker clients, non-disclosed IBroker clients and Omnibus Brokers who meet the above requirements can participate. In the case of Financial Advisors and fully disclosed IBrokers, the clients themselves must sign the agreements. For non-disclosed IBroker and Omnibus Brokers, the broker signs the agreement.
Are IRA accounts eligible to participate in the Stock Yield Enhancement Program?
No.
How do I enroll in the IB Stock Yield Enhancement Program?
Clients who are eligible and who wish to enroll in the Stock Yield Enhancement Program may do so by selecting Trading Access and then Trading Configuration from Account Management and then checking the box on the Trading Permissions matrix titled "United States (Stock Yield Enhancement Program)".
What happens if equity in a participating cash account falls below the $50,000 qualifying threshold?
The cash account must meet this minimum equity requirement solely at the point of signing up for the program. If the equity falls below that level thereafter there is no impact upon existing loans or the ability to initiate new loans.
What is the difference between AQS and the IB Stock Yield Enhancement Program?
Clients lending through AQS participants self-direct their activity based upon information provided via AQS’ automated centralized market. In contrast, loans transacted through the Stock Yield Enhancement Program are determined and managed by IB.
Can I participate in both AQS and the IB Stock Yield Enhancement Program?
Clients can only lend in one program at a time. If, for example, a client signs up for the Yield program and is already approved for AQS lending, we will disable their ability to lend at AQS and recall their loans. They will still, however, retain the ability to borrow through AQS and can see market data. If the client disables the Yield Enhancement Program, their AQS loan permissions will be re-enabled. In sum, the yield program always takes precedence.
If my account is eligible for AQS am I automatically eligible to participate in the IB Stock Yield Enhancement Program?
No.
If my account is eligible for the IB Stock Yield Enhancement Program am I automatically eligible to participate in AQS?
No.
How does one terminate Stock Yield Enhancement Program participation?
Clients who wish to terminate participation in the Stock Yield Enhancement Program may do so by selecting Trading Access and then Trading Configuration from Account Management and then removing the check from the box on the Trading Permissions matrix titled "United States (Stock Yield Enhancement Program)".
Requests to terminate are typically processed at the end of the day.
What types of securities positions are eligible to be lent?
Eligible securities include U.S. common stocks (exchange listed, PINK and OTCBB), ETFs, preferred stocks and corporate bonds. Municipal bonds and non-U.S. securities are not eligible.
Is there any restriction on lending stocks which are trading in the secondary market following an IPO?
No, as long as IB is not part of the selling group.
How does IB determine the amount of shares which are eligible to be loaned?
The first step is to determine the value of securities, if any, which IB maintains a margin lien upon and can lend without client participation in the Stock Yield Enhancement Program. A broker who finances client purchases of securities via margin loan is allowed by regulation to loan or pledge as collateral that client’s securities in an amount up to 140% of the cash debit balance. For example, if a client maintaining a cash balance of $50,000 buys securities having a market value of $100,000, the debit or loan balance will be $50,000 and the broker holds a lien on 140% of that balance or $70,000 of securities. Any securities held by the client in excess of that amount are referred to as excess margin securities ($30,000 in this example) and are required to be segregated unless the client provides IB the authorization to lend through the Stock Yield Enhancement Program.
The debit balance is determined by first converting all non-USD denominated cash balances to USD and then backing out any short stock sale proceeds (converted to USD as necessary). If the result is negative then we free up 140% of that negative number. In addition, cash balances maintained in the commodities segment or for spot metals and CFDs are not considered.
EXAMPLE 1: Customer is long EUR 100,000 in a USD Base Currency account with a EUR.USD rate of 1.40. Customer purchases USD denominated stock valued at $112,000 (EUR 80,000 equivalent). All securities are deemed fully-paid as cash balance as converted to USD is a credit.
| Component | EUR | USD | Base (USD) |
| Cash | 100,000 | (112,000) | $28,000 |
| Long Stock | $112,000 | $112,000 | |
| NLV | $140,000 |
EXAMPLE 2: Customer holds long USD of 80,000, long USD denominated stock of $100,000 and short USD denominated stock of $100,000. Long securities totaling $28,000 are deemed margin securities and the remainder of $72,000 excess margin securities. This is determined by subtracting the short stock proceeds from the cash balance ($80,000 - $100,000) and multiplying the resultant debit by 140% ($20,000 * 1.4 = $28,000)
| Component | Base (USD) |
| Cash | $80,000 |
| Long Stock | $100,000 |
| Short Stock | ($100,000) |
| NLV | $80,000 |
Will IB lend out all eligible shares?
There is no guarantee that all eligible shares in a given account will be loaned through the Stock Yield Enhancement Program as there may not be a market at an advantageous rate for certain securities, IB may not have access to a market with willing borrowers or IB may not want to loan your shares.
Are Stock Yield Enhancement Program loans made only in increments of 100 (similar to AQS)?
No. Loans can be made in any whole share amount although externally we only lend in multiples of 100 shares. Thus the possibility exists that we would lend 75 shares from one client and 25 from another should there be external demand to borrow 100 shares.
How are loans allocated among clients when the supply of shares available to lend exceeds the borrow demand?
In the event that the demand for borrowing a given security is less than the supply of shares available to lend from participants in our Yield Enhancement Program, loans will be allocated on a pro rata basis (e.g. if aggregate supply is 20,000 and demand is 10,000, each client will be eligible to have 50% of his/her shares lent)
Are shares loaned only to other IB clients or to other third parties?
Shares may be loaned to any counterparty and is not limited solely to other IB clients.
Can the Stock Yield Enhancement Program participant determine which shares IB can lend?
No. The program is entirely managed by IB who, after determining those securities, if any, which IB is authorized to lend by virtue of a margin loan lien, has the discretion to determine whether any of the fully-paid or excess margin securities can be loaned out and to initiate the loans.
Are there any restrictions placed upon the sale of securities which have been lent through the Stock Yield Enhancement Program?
Loaned shares may be sold at any time, without restriction. The shares do not need to be returned in time to settle your sale of the share and proceeds from the sale are credited to the client’s account on the normal settlement date. In addition, the loan will be terminated on the open of the business day following the security sale date.
Can a client write covered calls against stock which has been loaned out through the Stock Yield Enhancement Program and receive the covered call margin treatment?
Yes. A loan of stock has no impact upon its margin requirement on an uncovered or hedged basis since the lender retains exposure to any gains or losses associated with the loaned position.
What happens to stock which is the subject of a loan and which is subsequently delivered against a call assignment or put exercise?
The loan will be terminated on T+1 of the action (trade, assignment, exercise) which closed or decreased the position.
What happens to stock which is the subject of a loan and which is subsequently halted from trading?
A halt has no direct impact upon the ability to lend the stock and as long as IB can continue to loan the stock, such loan will remain in place regardless of whether the stock is halted.
Can the cash collateral from a loan be swept to the commodities segment to cover margin and/or variation?
No. The cash collateral securing the loan never impacts margin or financing.
What happens if a program participant initiates a margin loan or increases an existing loan balance?
If a client maintains fully-paid securities which have been loaned through the Stock Yield Enhancement Program and subsequently initiates a margin loan, the loan will be terminated to the extent that the securities do not qualify as excess margin securities. Similarly, if a client maintaining excess margin securities which have been loaned through the program increases the existing margin loan, the loan may again be terminated to the extent that the securities no longer qualify as excess margin securities.
Under what circumstances will a given stock loan be terminated?
In the event of any of the following, a stock loan will be automatically terminated:
- If the client elects to terminate program participation
- Transfer of shares
- Borrowing of a certain amount against the shares
- Sale of shares
- Call assignment/put exercise
- Account closure
Do participants in the Stock Yield Enhancement Program receive dividends on shares loaned?
While the lender of the securities is entitled to receive the amount of all dividends and distributions made on loaned securities, they may receive cash payments, commonly referred to PILs, in lieu of dividends. Depending upon ones holding period for the shares loaned, the receipt of a PIL may have an adverse tax impact for certain U.S. taxpayers as such payments are taxed as ordinary income rather than at the reduced rate associated with qualified dividends. IB will attempt to mitigate the payment of PILs by recalling shares prior to a dividend, however, IB cannot guarantee that the borrower will be able to return the shares within the necessary time frame to avoid PIL treatment.
Do participants in the Stock Yield Enhancement Program retain voting rights for shares loaned?
No. the borrower of the securities has the right to vote or provide any consent with respect to the securities if the Record Date or deadline for voting, providing consent or taking other action falls within the loan term.
How are loans reflected on the activity statement?
Loan collateral, shares outstanding, activity and income is reflected in the following 6 statement sections:
1. Cash Detail – details starting cash collateral balance, net change resulting from loan activity (positive if new loans initiated; negative if net returns) and ending cash collateral balance.

2. Net Stock Position Summary – for each stock details total Shares at IB, the number of Shares Borrowed, the number of Shares Lent (through AQS or the Stock Yield Enhancement Program) and the Net Shares (=Shares at IB + Shares Borrowed - Shares Lent). 
3. IB Managed Securities Lent – lists for each stock loaned through AQS or the Stock Yield Enhancement Program the Quantity of shares loaned, the Net Fee Rate (%) and the Collateral Amount. 
4. IB Managed Securities Lent Activity – details the loan activity for each security including Loan Return Allocations (i.e., terminated loans); New Loan Allocations (i.e., initiated loans); the share Quantity; the Net Fee Rate (%) and the Collateral Amount. 
5. IB Managed Securities Lent Activity Fee Details – details on an individual loan basis the Market Fee Rate (%); the Gross Lend Fee (represents the total fee charged to the borrower which is equal to {Collateral Amount * Market Fee Rate}/360); the IB Management Charge (equals 50% of the Gross Lend Fee); the Net Lend Fee Rate (represents the half of the Market Fee Rate which the client earns) and the Net Lend Fee (represents the client’s portion of the fee income. Equals the Gross Lend Fee - IB Management Charge).
Note: This section will only be displayed if the Net Lend Fee accrual exceeds USD 1 for the statement period. 
6. Interest Accruals – the loan fee income is accounted for here as an interest accrual and is treated as any other interest accrual (aggregated but only displayed as an accrual when exceeding $1 and posted to cash monthly). For year-end reporting purposes, this fee income will be reported as miscellaneous income on the Form 1099 issued to U.S. taxpayers.

If you have not yet been notified of an account transfer, you may send an email to clearinginformation@CMEGroup.com, an address established by the CME to assist MFG clients with tracking the status of their account. Inquiries submitted to this email address must contain your Name, MFG Account number, and the MFG Office or Branch code (if known). Click here for additional details as provided by the CME.
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

Understanding the basic facts about transferring accounts between US brokerage firms can be help to avoid delays. Through this article and other Knowledge Database resources, Interactive Brokers seeks to assist with your incoming and outgoing ACATS requests.
US brokerage firms utilize a standardized system to transfer customer accounts from one firm to another. Known as the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service or ACATS, the process allows assets to move seamlessly between brokerage firms in a unified time frame. ACATS transfers are facilitated by a third party, the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC), to assist participating members with timely asset transfers.
The majority of assets may be transferred between US brokerage firms and some banks through ACATS. This standardized system includes stocks, US corporate bonds, listed options, unit investment trusts, mutual funds, and cash. Information on assets eligible for transfer is provided at "Assets Eligible..." Though impacted by multiple factors and time constraints, the accepted or rejected transfers finalize within 10 business days in most cases.
4 simple steps of the ACATS process will help you understand the flow and minimize delays. Familiarizing yourself with the transfer process helps to ensure a successful transition.
The financial institution that is receiving your assets and account transfer is known as the "receiving firm." Investors always work with and through the "receiving firm" to move full or partial account assets into a new broker.
Contact the "receiving firm" (Interactive Brokers) to review the firm's trading policies and requirements. You should verify that your assets are eligible for trading at the "receiving firm" before initiating the transfer request. Not all ACATS transferable assets are acceptable for trading at every brokerage firm.
All outgoing ACATS transfers, full or partial, must be approved by the "delivering firm." Investors, however, should work with and through the "receiving firm" in order to begin the the transfer process or to status the progress of the request.
Investors must always begin the ACATS transfer with the "receiving firm." An ACATS transfer form or Transfer Initiation Form (TIF) must be submitted. The "receiving firm" takes your reqeust and communicates with the "delivering firm" via ACATS. The process begins with this request for transfer of the account.
For your Interactive Brokers Account, the transfer is usually submitted online. Video instruction on submitting the transfer is provided at "How to deposit funds via a full ACATS/ATON Transfer." or through Step-by-step instructions.
Note: Outgoing account transfers from your IB account should be directed to the other broker. Your request will be submitted to IB from the other broker through the ACATS electronically.
Brokers ensure the safety and security of transfer requests by only authorizing requests between open accounts that meet the following criteria:
Ultimately responsible for validating the transfer, the "delivering firm" may accept information from the "receiving firm" correcting data originally entered. Approved or validated requests result in the delivery of positions to the "receiving firm" for their acceptance. Assets may not be accepted by the "receiving firm" for the following:
Note: The most common reasons for ACATS rejections are outlined by clicking here.
The processing time for each transfer request is fixed. In general, approved transfers complete within 4 to 8 business days. Almost all transfers complete within 10 business days. Each firm is required to perform certain steps at specific intervals in the process. Feel free to review the Full ACATS transfer process flow.
While Interactive Brokers does not charge a fee to transfer your account via ACATS, some brokers do apply a fee for full and partial transfers. Prior to initiating your transfer, you should contact the "delivering firm" to verify any charge.
Interactive Brokers Customer Service stands poised to assist with your incoming ACATS transfer reqeust. Click here for Customer Service contact resources.
Note: Outgoing or ACATS transfers sending accounts to another broker should be directed to the "receiving firm." Their Account Transfer Group will work with Interactive Brokers directly to complete your outgoing request.
Who or What is an NRI?
An Indian Citizen who stays abroad for employment, carrying on business, vacations outside of India or stays abroad under circumstances indicating an intention for an uncertain duration of stay abroad is considered a NRI. In addition, persons posted in U.N. organizations and officials deputed abroad by Central/ State Government and Public Sector Undertakings on temporary assignments are also treated as NRIs. Non-resident foreign citizens of Indian Origin are treated on par with Non-Resident Indian citizens. According to the Indian Government, anybody who resides outside of India for period of 182 days in a calendar year is considered a Non Resident Indian.
IB provides NRIs with trading access on the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) through the IB-India subsidiary. Futures and Futures Options trading are available through the F&O Segment, however, at this time stock trading is not yet available.
In order to open an NRI account, applicants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the identity documentation and bank account prerequisites outlined below.
1. Identity - PAN Card
Clients and as well as prospective clients are encouraged to review our website where fees are outlined in detail. An overview of the most common fees is provided below:
1. Commissions - vary by product type and listing exchange and whether you elect a bundled (all in) or unbundled plan. In the case of US stocks, for example, we charge $0.005 per share with a minimum per trade of $1.00.
2. Interest - interest is charged on margin debit balances and IB uses internationally recognized benchmarks on overnight deposits as a basis for determining interest rates. We then apply a spread around the benchmark interest rate (“BM”) in tiers, such that larger cash balances receive increasingly better rates, to determine an effective rate. For example, in the case of USD denominated loans, the benchmark rate is the Fed Funds effective rate and a spread of 1.5% is added to the benchmark for balances up to $100,000. In addition, individuals who short stock should be aware of special fees expressed in terms of daily interest where the stock borrowed to cover the short stock sale is considered 'hard-to-borrow'.
3. Exchange Fees - again vary by product type and exchange. For example, in the case of US securities options, certain exchanges charge a fee for removing liquidity (market order or marketable limit order) and provide payments for orders which add liquidity (limit order). In addition, many exchanges charge fees for orders which are canceled or modified.
4. Market Data - you are not required to subscribe to market data through IB but if you do you may incur a monthly fee which is dependent upon the vendor exchange and their subscription offering. We provide a Market Data Assistant tool which assists in selecting the appropriate market data subscription service available based upon the product you wish to trade. To access, log into Account Management click on the Tools icon and then the IB Market Data Assistant link.
5. Minimum Monthly Activity Fee - as we cater to active traders we require accounts to generate a minimum in commissions each month or be charged the difference as an activity fee. The minimum is $10 per month for accounts maintaining a balance above $2,000 and $20 per month for accounts whose equity has fallen below $2,000.
6. Miscellaneous - IB allows for one free withdrawal per month and charges a fee for each subsequent withdrawal. In addition, there are certain pass-through fees for trade bust requests, options and futures exercise & assignments and ADR custodian fees.
For additional information, we recommend visiting our website at ww.interactivebrokers.com and from the Individuals page select the Fees menu option at the top of the page.