BROKERAGE ACCOUNTS
tastytrade offers margin and cash accounts, including individual and joint accounts, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), as well as entity and trust accounts.
STANDARD BROKERAGE ACCOUNTS
A standard brokerage account is the most common account type that offers margin, options & futures trading, and more. Learn more about each account type below.
1. INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT
As the name suggests, an individual account only has one account owner, and is available in cash or margin. Margin accounts provide leverage and greater flexibility in trading different strategies and products. Please see Trading Permissions for further detail and apply for a trading level that best aligns with your financial goals and risk tolerance.1
2. TENANTS IN COMMON (TIC) JOINT ACCOUNT
Tenants in common is a joint account in which two owners have a specific percentage of the account's assets determined by the owners themselves. If an account owner dies, the deceased owner’s assets are passed onto the person’s estate. Both cash and margin are available for this account.
3. JOINT WITH RIGHTS OF SURVIVORSHIP ACCOUNT
This account can be used when two owners have equal share of assets. If one owner dies, the surviving owner will have full rights to the account. Choose cash or margin when applying.
RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS
Take an active approach to your retirement with an IRA3. Choose from one of the available retirement accounts below and take advantage of potential IRA tax benefits.
1. TRADITIONAL IRA
The traditional IRA is a retirement account eligible for persons with earned income or who file a joint return with a spouse who earns income. Allowable contributions of $7,000 in tax-deferred earned income may be made in 2024 for those who qualify. Typically, earnings grow tax deferred and are taxed at your ordinary tax rate upon withdrawal once the age requirement is met. Early withdrawal penalty may apply. Please speak to a tax professional for further detail and tax advice.
External retirement accounts like a 401k can be moved to a tastytrade IRA as well. This way, you can decide how to invest your retirement funds. You can roll over your employer-based retirement account to a traditional or Roth IRA based on your plan’s specifications.
2. ROTH IRA
The Roth IRA is an individual retirement account eligible for persons with earned income. After-tax contributions are made, and they are available to withdraw tax-free and penalty-free at any time. Contribution limits are determined by the IRS and are subject to change on a yearly basis. Earnings may be withdrawn tax-free and penalty-free for qualified distributions. Please speak to a tax professional for further detail and tax advice.
External retirement accounts like a 401k can be moved to a tastytrade IRA as well. This way, you can decide how to invest your retirement funds. You can roll over your employer-based retirement account to a Traditional or Roth IRA based on your plan’s specifications.
3. SEP-IRA
The SEP-IRA is an individual retirement account eligible for self-employed individuals and small business owners or employees. Typically, earnings grow tax-deferred and are taxed at your ordinary tax rate upon withdrawal when eligible. Please speak to a tax professional for further detail and tax advice.
4. BENEFICIARY TRADITIONAL IRA
The beneficiary traditional IRA is a retirement account that is opened when a designated beneficiary inherits an IRA after the original owner is deceased.
Qualifying contributions are generally made with "before tax" money, profits grow "tax-deferred", and qualifying withdrawals are taxed at your ordinary income rate. Please speak to a tax professional for further detail and tax advice.
5. BENEFICIARY ROTH IRA
The beneficiary Roth IRA is a retirement account that’s opened when a designated beneficiary inherits a Roth IRA after the original owner is deceased. It’s similar to the original Roth IRA. A benefit of this account is the required minimum distributions are generally tax free. Please speak to a tax professional for further detail and tax advice.
ENTITY
CORPORATE
Corporate accounts are opened on behalf of a legally established US entity.
We currently offer the following corporate accounts:
- C Corp - C Corporations are established legal entities that have been authorized by a US state to conduct business. C Corps pay income taxes at the corporate level.
- S Corp - S Corporations are established legal entities that have been authorized by a US state to conduct business. S Corps do not pay income taxes at the corporate level and have no more than 100 shareholders.
- LLC - A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is an unincorporated legal entity that provides limited liability to its owners and a pass-through income tax status.
- Partnership accounts - A Partnership is a legally established entity consisting of two or more individuals. Partnerships do not pay income taxes; profits and losses are passed through to the individual partners.
Please speak to a tax professional for further detail and tax advice for entity accounts.
TRUST
A trust account can be opened on behalf of a revocable trust or an irrevocable trust. A copy of the Certificate of Trust and Investment Powers must be provided at account opening.
INTERNATIONAL
You can trade in a cash or margin account in eligible countries. Find the full list and more details in our Help Center.
TRADING PERMISSIONS
From a basic cash account, you can upgrade to trade on margin, trade different options strategies, futures and more by applying for additional trading permissions.5 Learn more about the details below.
MARGIN TRADING
Increased buying power isn’t the only benefit of trading on margin. Other benefits include access to more financial products and trading strategies.1 Learn more about the types of strategies and products you can trade with a margin account.
Our most flexible margin account for active retail traders is called ‘The Works’.
- Access to trade all available products:
- Stocks/Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
- Covered and uncovered options
- Covered and uncovered option spreads
- Futures
- Options on futures
- Access to use any options strategy available on the tastytrade platform
- Portfolio margin available for accounts with appropriate suitability.2 Learn More
OPTIONS TRADING
There are three levels of options trading- Limited, Basic, and The Works. Please see the link below for a full breakdown of the different levels.
Trading Levels and Permissible Strategies
How To Upgrade Your Trading Level
FUTURES TRADING
You must have ‘The Works’ in order to trade futures at tastytrade.
Learn how to enable futures trading when you have ‘The Works’
PORTFOLIO MARGIN TRADING
Portfolio margin offers the highest leverage for retail traders. It allows up to 6.7 times the buying power for eligible products compared to twice the buying power in a standard margin account. Individual, joint, international, and entity (LLC, S-Corp, C-Corp, Partnership) margin accounts with ‘The Works’ approval can apply for portfolio margin when the funding requirement is met.
Learn more about portfolio margin and its requirements2
CRYPTO TRADING
Only individual accounts can trade cryptocurrencies at this time. Log in to your account to enable cryptocurrency trading.
WHY OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH US?
EFFORTLESS ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
Access your statements, security preferences, account transfers, communications, and more in one easy management portal
SECURE PLATFORM WITH INTERFACE FLEXIBILITY
Benefit from trading on a reliable platform with innovative features to keep you on top of market conditions
TRANSPARENT COMMISSIONS AND FEES
Take advantage of low rates to open and close trades and make your capital go further
WIDE RANGE OF FINANCIAL PRODUCTS
Access options, futures, stocks, crypto and exchange traded funds all on one platform
INNOVATIVE PLATFORM
Start or continue your trading journey with the tastytrade platform designed for self-directed investors
DIFFERENT TRADING LEVELS
Select the appropriate account type for your financial goals and apply for the trading level suitable for your investment objectives, financial standing, and risk tolerance
FAQs
A margin account enables account owner to trade marginable securities and other eligible products on borrowed funds from the brokerage firm. The borrowed funds, also known as credit or loan, are based on the qualifying assets in the brokerage account which serve as collateral.
There are no minimum deposits needed to open and maintain an account at tastytrade. However, if you want to trade with margin privileges, you’ll need a margin account with a minimum account balance of $2,000.
You can transfer an existing employer-based retirement account to tastytrade using the steps below:
- Open a tastytrade IRA
- Contact the institution that holds the account to initiate the rollover
- The institution needs to make a check payable to Apex Clearing Corporation FBO
- Mail the check to: tastytrade, 1330 W. Fulton Market Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60607
Standard domestic account application process takes about 1 to 3 business days. Any issue in the application may delay this processing time. The Accounts team will reach out via email for any application related issues with the appropriate instructions to follow.
International account processing takes around 5 to 7 business days when all required information is provided.
You can access the tastytrade platform on a desktop, browser or mobile phone.
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Desktop
An immersive trading experience with a simple, intuitive interface.
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Browser
Use our web platform on any browser. Manage accounts, fund, and trade in one place.
Mobile
Stay on top of your trading while you’re on the move. Never miss a market minute.
All investments involve risk of loss. Please carefully consider the risks associated with your investments and if such trading is suitable for you before deciding to trade certain products or strategies. You are solely responsible for making your investment and trading decisions and for evaluating the risks associated with your investments.
Cryptocurrency transactions and custody services are powered by Zero Hash LLC and Zero Hash Liquidity Services LLC. When you enable cryptocurrency trading access on your tastytrade account, you must also agree to the Zero Hash LLC and Zero Hash Liquidity Services LLC terms and conditions and enable your Zero Hash account. Cryptocurrency assets are held and custodied by Zero Hash LLC, not tastytrade. Services may not be available in all states. Cryptocurrency assets are not subject to FDIC or SIPC coverage. The value of any cryptocurrency, including digital assets pegged to fiat currency, commodities, or any other asset, may go to zero. Zero Hash LLC is licensed to engage in Virtual Currency Business Activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services.
TASTYTRADE, INC. IS A MEMBER OF NFA AND IS SUBJECT TO NFA'S REGULATORY OVERSIGHT AND EXAMINATIONS. HOWEVER, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT NFA DOES NOT HAVE REGULATORY OVERSIGHT AUTHORITY OVER UNDERLYING OR SPOT VIRTUAL CURRENCY PRODUCTS OR TRANSACTIONS OR VIRTUAL CURRENCY EXCHANGES, CUSTODIANS OR MARKETS.