TradeUP just launched IRA accounts on their platform and I’ve partnered with them to offer an exclusive sign-up bonus for first-time TradeUP IRA account holders. An Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a type of retirement savings account in the U.S. that offers various tax advantages and investment options.
You can get 3 shares of SGOV (worth $300), up to 5 free stocks, and up to a 3% cashback bonus for ACATS transfers. Full details of the IRA bonuses below!
Ninja Update 5/22/25: There has been A LOT of interest in this and I received clarifications to questions some readers had. Please see the updates below.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission at no cost to you if you decide to make a purchase through my links. Visit this page for more information. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the offers mentioned may have expired.
TradeUP IRA Advantage Promotion
This promotion is available to both new and existing TradeUP users who are opening an IRA account for the first time on TradeUP. You can take advantage of both the deposit and transfer bonuses from April 15 to May 31, 2025:
You can claim all the bonuses by clicking on the blue button above or copying and pasting this link to your browser to register an account: https://www.tradeup.com/ira?invite=NINJA&group_id=CG9000000534&f=BCS®ion=USA&lang=en_US
Deposit Bonuses:
- 3 SGOV Shares: Open an IRA account and deposit at least $7,000 to receive three shares of SGOV (value of ~$300). The deposit must be maintained for at least 90 days.
- 5 Free Stocks: Earn up to 5 free stocks upon account opening and first deposit. Each free stock is randomly awarded with a value between $10 and $1,800.
| First Deposit | Free Stocks |
| $100 – $2,499 | 2 |
| $2,500 – $9,999 | 3 |
| $10,000 – $99,999 | 4 |
| $100,000+ | 5 |
Free stocks will be awarded within 5 business days of the initial deposit’s settlement.
Transfer Bonuses:
- 2% Fixed Cashback: Receive 2% cashback, up to $1,000, for transferred assets that are maintained for 90 days (payout is in 4 quarterly installments and begins after a 90-day holding period).
- Additional 1% Cashback: Receive an extra 1% cashback, up to $1,000, for transferred assets of $100,000 or more, that are maintained for 1 year (payout is in 4 quarterly installments and begins after the 1-year holding period).
- Transfer Fee Reimbursement: For assets over $3,000, TradeUP will reimburse up to $300 in ACATS transfer fees.
You must maintain the initial transfer amount until the final payout, otherwise, you won’t be entitled to receive future payout installments.
Note: TradeUP has confirmed these terms are better than the public offer. The public offer requires a 5-year holding period, which is NOT required here. Additional answers to specific questions can be found in the comments section below as well. Please note that for accounts opened after May 31, 2025 will require a 5-year holding period.
How To Claim Reward
After successful registration, please use your registered email to send a screenshot or copy of the promotion poster (the featured image of this article) to businessdev@tradeup.com with the subject line: [IRA Promotion]. The TradeUP team will verify your eligibility and process your reward promptly.
I know this is a little different than other promotions, but this is a highly exclusive offer and not available through any other channels or platforms.
IMPORTANT: Existing TradeUP users with a brokerage account are still eligible for this promotion and can take part in both account offers, be aware that each unique promo can only be claimed once:
- Transfer bonus
- 2 to 5 free stocks bonus
- 1 Share of NVDA bonus
- 3 Shares of SGOV Bonus
So for example, if you received a share of NVDA stock and the transfer bonus from the brokerage account offers, you can still get the 2-5 free stock offer and 3 shares of SGOV with the IRA account. However, you can’t claim the transfer bonus again.
How To Fund or Transfer Your IRA Account
TradeUP offers several deposit methods, including ACH electronic transfer and wire
transfer.
- ACH Transfer: Link your U.S. bank account in TradeUP and initiate the ACH deposit
directly. TradeUP will contact your bank to process the transfer. Currently, only U.S.
local bank accounts are supported. - To Deposit Funds: Go to Profile >TradeUP Account > Deposit > ACH Transfer
- Wire Transfer: Go to Profile > Trading Account > Deposit > Bank Transfer
To initiate a wire transfer, contact your bank and be sure to include your TradeUP account
number and name in the wire memo for faster processing. Missing account information
may result in delays or returns.
- IRA Account Transfer (Rollover): Contact your current institution to understand their rollover process. Then, submit a transfer application via TradeUP. For more details, refer to the IRS Rollover Guide.
IRA Account Types
TradeUP offers three types of IRA accounts: Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and Rollover IRA.
Each type has its own unique benefits to consider when planning for retirement.
- Traditional IRA: Contributions may be tax-deductible, and earnings grow tax-
deferred until withdrawn. Withdrawals during retirement are typically taxed as ordinary income. - Roth IRA: Contributions are made with after-tax dollars (non-deductible). Earnings
grow tax-free, and qualified withdrawals during retirement are also tax-free (must
meet certain requirements). Income eligibility limits apply. - Rollover IRA: Specifically designed to receive eligible rollovers from employer-
sponsored plans (such as 401(k), 403(b), 457, TSP) or other IRAs. Funds continue to grow tax-deferred after the rollover. Allows for tax-free and penalty-free consolidation of retirement savings.
Most individuals under age 701⁄2 (for Traditional IRAs) or those with earned income (for Roth
IRAs) are eligible to open an IRA. Specific rules and income limits vary by IRA type. A Social
Security Number (SSN) is required to open an IRA account.
The Bottom Line
This is a very lucrative bonus for people who are willing to open a new IRA account or transfer an existing IRA account from another brokerage to TradeUP.
TradeUP’s IRA accounts offer $0 commissions, no fees, and no platform charges, supports U.S. stocks and ETFs, and allow fractional shares. This is great as many readers understandably don’t want to open an account for juicy bonuses only to be hit with fees that reduce the overall deal.
If I open a Roth IRA, can I transfer my Roth from Fidelity that’s been maxed out this year?
Yes! Funded Roth IRA transfers are valid for this offer.
Hold times are 1 year as confirmed by support. Paid in 3 quarters following the quarter after transferring in. It says 90 days to earn the bonus, but if you withdraw after 90 days, the bonus stops posting and bonus already posted will be clawed back.
John, would you be able to confirm this? This contradicts the 90 days stated here. It seems like the terms are not very clear and tradeup does not seem to be very transparent. Their live chat has not instilled a lot of confidence in me.
Today, I inquired about the stocks and was asked if I wanted them to pull the stocks. After some back and forth they said that the stocks would be in my account in 1-3 days. I also asked about SGOV as was told that they distribute shares in the middle of the month and the end of the month.
Hi guys. I received clarity today from TradeUP and have updated the post with the relevant details. This offer is better than the public offer that requires a five-year holding period, but what Robert said is correct. I think they learned a valuable lesson here that they need to provide better details for future promotions.
Do the assets need to be in the account by end of May, or do we get some more time after signing up?
Hi Elizabeth! I confirmed with the TradeUP team that as long as you sign up before the deadline, you’ll qualify for the bonus if you meet the offer requirements.
That’s great news!
What’s the deadline where the assets need to be in the account?
They didn’t specify, but said as soon as you can. Their team knows the terms weren’t crystal clear so they’re willing to be flexible, but I wouldn’t wait *too* long.
John, can you confirm what the hold times are? Thanks!
Sure! For the 3 SGOV shares, you need to hold the deposit for 90 days. There’s no hold time for the free stocks – those are awarded within 5 business days after the initial deposit settlement. For the 2% cashback, transferred assets need to be held for 90 days. For the extra 1% cashback, transferred assets need to be held for one year.
Awesome. Thank you.
This is tempting, but I already signed up under the brokerage promotion you posted about. I did the free stock + NVDA share + transfer cash back bonus. Since each offer can only be used once, then I would only be eligible for the 3 SGOV shares?
Yes, you’d still be eligible for the 3 SGOV shares as that is a unique bonus that wasn’t offered with the brokerage account!
I love that you’re able to partner with brands and give us these custom offers, John! I’ll definitely signing up for this, but like what Olympia wrote below, the cashback bonus is worded weird.
If I’m transferring $50,000 then I’ll reach the maximum of $1,000 in cashback for the 2%. The extra 1% doesn’t come into play unless I transfer $100,000. But if I do transfer $100,000 I’ll get $2,000 in cashback which is still 2%.
It’s still a GREAT deal plus the free shares of SGOV is another $300, but yeah, they need to work on wording.
Agreed, the wording is a little confusing. I’ve shared feedback with their team so hopefully future promotions, if any, will be more clear.
Hi:
Does this IRA promotion apply if I already have a tradeup individual brokerage account and already transferred in asset to take part in their transfer promotion?
Hi Chris – yes, you’re still eligible if you have both accounts, but each promo can only be claimed once:
So for example, if you received the NVDA stock and a transfer bonus with your brokerage account, you can still get the free stock offer and 3 shares of SGOV with the IRA account.
Just remember to submit the promo image to them for the IRA bonus as I wrote in the post.
Revised on 5/7/25: Edited to provide more clarity.
Please see my revised response that provided more clarity.
I’m not sure where they are getting 3%. If I’m reading the terms correctly, it’s a max of $1000 at 2% (so $50k deposit max) and then an additional “1%” on $100k capped at $1000. So, it seems the max you can get is $2% on 100k. Or by their math it would be 3% on $50k and 1% on the second $50k ($50,001-100,000).
Still a great bonus but some convoluted math/terms. The addition SGOV and small stocks are a great value too.
I agree that it’s confusing math and logic. Your example is what I’m doing though; depositing $50k first to get the 2% match for $1k and then transferring $100k to get the extra 1% bonus.
But that’s still $2000 bonus on $150k transfer, which is only 1.33% bonus. Can someone show how it’s 3%
thanks ninja! just to be sure i get the bonus, are these the right steps?
That’s correct, Lyzet! Let me know if there are any issues. I’m happy to be the liaison for you and other readers with TradeUP.
It would be awesome if you could be a liaison and let them know that the terms here did not state that a 1 year hold would be required for the $50k/2%/$1000 promotion. Here it states 90 days but the business team is now saying it will require 1 year. That is a big difference and feels deceptive. They have provided a link with different terms than linked here: https://www.tradeup.com/transfer-terms. It would be great if you could advocate for your readers to receive the bonus with the 90 days hold requirement stated here rather than 1 year.
Totally agree. I’ve reached out to them regarding the 2% cashback bonus and what was understood before compared to what is clarified now. Stay tuned.
I’ll take part of the fault here for not asking specific questions that would have called this out. My readers are financially smart and that was a miss on my side.