Forex brokers with IRA accounts

IRA accounts can be opened with the following brokers:

ATC brokers
BBFX
FastBrokers
FOREX.com
FX Solutions
FXCM
FXDD
Gain Capital (Forex.com)
Interactive brokers
Lightspeed
MB Trading
thinkorswim
TradeStation Securities

Did we miss any Forex broker who open IRA accounts?
Please suggest by adding a comment below.

What is IRA account?

IRA (Individual Retirement Account) - is one of the investment account options available to Forex traders in the U.S. that allows them to avoid taxation of their trading income and also save for the retirement.

There is a whole set of rules and requirements for IRAs. If you have not decided on whether an IRA account is for you, consider consulting your tax advisor. Also you can find information about IRA accounts at U.S. Treasury and IRS.

Traditional self-directed IRA & Roth IRA

There are two main types of IRA accounts:
- Traditional self-directed IRA - set in between a broker and an individual and controlled by an individual. The contribution is made with pretax dollars. The balance on the account accumulated tax-free until the funds are withdrawn at retirement, where the taxes on profits should be paid.
- Roth IRA - could be opened through a broker, bank or a mutual fund. The contributions are to be made with after-tax dollars. The balance on the IRA is accumulated again tax-free, and if withdrawal of funds is made at the retirement age, you won't have to pay any taxes.
There is also an option to open a professionally managed IRA account.

Pros and Cons of different IRA accounts

Broker discussion area


trader September 28, 2011

thinkorswim and zecco don't offer IRA for Forex.
All others I checked work through a Trust that charges $200 per year maintenance fees. You should mention that :)


trader October 25, 2011

I spoke with the three IRA Custodians that I could find that allow customers to trade FOREX. All three indicated that they would set up accounts with any broker that would accept "trust accounts". They generally expected the broker to be a regulated US broker but that might not be an absolute rule - I didn't press them on it. The three I found are Equity Trust (www.trustetc.com), The Entrust Group (www.entrustiraadmin.com), and The Millennium Trust Company (www.mtrustcompany.com). They all have different fee schedules. For a small account ($0-$15K) I found Equity Trust to be the cheapest at $190/yr maintenance with a $50 initial setup fee.


trader February 10, 2012

Please note that ThinkorSwim is a division of TD Ameritrade. Thus it is secure and well supported. But you cannot trade Forex in a ToS IRA.


James N.W. Brown April 23, 2012

I am looking for an IRA Custodian that can legally trade the funds, with an automated software company in a foreign forex fund, using foreign brokers, that has allowable margin of 200:1 for example, even 400:1. The U.S. forex, which I prefer, has an 50:1 margin limits per the CFTC. Is there any broker that will fit the requested profile? Cordially,

James N.W. Brown


trader May 15, 2012

You do not answer questions..... JNWB


BrokerGuru May 16, 2012

Hello James,
sorry for the missed post. There are no US brokers that would allow higher than 50:1 margin. The NFA/CFTC limits are true for all US brokers.
While we don't have information about the availability of IRA accounts in the foreign branches, for example, in FXCM UK or Australia, MB Trading UK etc.


trader August 12, 2012

some of the Lite-Forex decorated as real-accounts are IR-accounts, giving clients IR-: as deposite/withdrawal, you can found out personally with real-accounts of lite-forex


trader November 5, 2012

I just opened a self-directed fx account with Institutional Liquidity (ILQ) through BBFX.


BrokerGuru November 7, 2012

Thank you!
Will be listed.

Forex brokers choice: