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M1 Finance Bonuses: Current Sign-Up and Transfer Offers
If you have been comparing brokerage promotions lately, M1 Finance bonuses stand out for one specific reason: they reward money you move, not just money you spend. Unlike checking account promotions that hinge on direct deposit gymnastics, M1 Finance bonuses are built around deposits and account transfers, which makes them a natural fit for anyone with an existing brokerage or retirement account sitting somewhere else. That structure also means the payouts scale — the more you bring over, the larger the reward.
This guide walks through how M1 Finance bonuses typically work, what the qualifying requirements look like, how the holding periods affect your real return, and the practical mistakes that cost people their payout. Offer amounts change frequently, so always verify current terms on M1’s official site before funding an account.
How M1 Finance Bonuses Are Structured
M1 runs two broad promotion types. The first is a new-account deposit bonus: open an M1 Invest, IRA, or Custodial account, fund it with a minimum amount within a set window, and receive a cash bonus deposited into that account. The second — and usually the more lucrative — is an ACATS transfer bonus, where you move an existing brokerage or retirement account to M1 and earn a tiered reward based on the transferred value.
Transfer tiers have historically started around $10,000 and climbed into six and seven figures, with payouts scaling accordingly. Some promotional cycles have offered a flat percentage of transferred assets instead of fixed tiers. The key detail across nearly every version of M1 Finance bonuses is that the bonus lands in your M1 account, not your bank account.
Qualifying Requirements You Need to Meet
Most M1 Finance bonuses share the same three-part structure, and missing any one of them voids the reward.
- Enrollment or promo code: Many offers require you to opt in or enter a code before or during funding. A deposit made before enrollment often does not count retroactively.
- Funding window: You typically have 14 to 30 days from account opening to hit the minimum. ACATS transfers can take five to ten business days to settle, so initiating on day 28 is risky.
- Holding period: This is the requirement people underestimate. M1 usually requires the qualifying balance to remain in the account for 60 days to a full year, depending on tier size.
Withdraw below the threshold during the holding window and M1 can claw the bonus back. Market losses generally do not count against you — it is your withdrawals that trigger forfeiture — but read the specific terms, since language varies between promotions.
Comparing M1 Finance Bonuses to Other Brokerage Offers
Brokerage promotions are competitive right now, and M1 Finance bonuses are not automatically the best deal for every situation. Here is how they generally stack up:
- Versus Robinhood: Robinhood’s transfer match is often paired with a Gold subscription requirement and a multi-year holding period. M1’s holding windows are usually shorter, but Robinhood’s percentage can be higher on large transfers.
- Versus Schwab and Fidelity: These firms offer transfer bonuses less consistently and often only through targeted mailers or advisor relationships.
- Versus Public or Webull: Both run aggressive transfer promos, but their platforms lack M1’s automated pie-based rebalancing, which matters if you are staying long term.
The honest comparison point is not just the headline number. Divide the bonus by the holding period and the amount locked up, and you get an effective annualized yield. A $500 bonus on $50,000 held for a year is roughly 1% — worth taking if you were moving the money anyway, but not worth abandoning a better platform for.
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Practical Tips for Maximizing M1 Finance Bonuses
A few habits separate people who reliably collect M1 Finance bonuses from people who watch them expire.
- Screenshot the terms the day you enroll. Promotional pages get updated and archived. If you need to dispute a missing payout six weeks later, your own record of the original offer is the strongest evidence you have.
- Initiate transfers early in the window. ACATS transfers stall over mismatched account titling, fractional shares, and unsupported securities. Build in two weeks of buffer.
- Do a full transfer when possible. Partial transfers require you to specify individual positions, which creates more room for error and often processes more slowly than a full account move.
- Check what M1 supports first. Mutual funds, options positions, and certain OTC securities may not transfer. Unsupported holdings can be liquidated or kicked back, potentially dropping you below a bonus tier.
- Use an IRA transfer if you qualify. Moving a Traditional or Roth IRA is a non-taxable event, so the bonus does not force any capital gains realization on your existing positions.
- Ask about outgoing transfer fee reimbursement. Your current broker will likely charge $50 to $100 to send the account out. M1 has periodically covered that fee on qualifying transfers — but you generally have to submit the statement showing the charge.
- Calendar your holding period end date. Set a reminder for the day the lockup expires so you know exactly when the money is free to move.
Taxes and the Fine Print Most People Skip
Cash from M1 Finance bonuses is taxable. Brokerages typically report promotional cash as miscellaneous income on Form 1099-MISC when it exceeds $600, though some report smaller amounts too. Even if you never receive a form, the income is reportable. Plan to set aside roughly your marginal rate so the bonus does not create an April surprise.
There is one wrinkle worth flagging: if the bonus is deposited into an IRA, it is generally treated as earnings inside the account rather than a contribution, meaning it should not count against your annual contribution limit. That treatment can differ by promotion, so confirm it before assuming.
Also watch account-level costs. M1 charges a platform fee on some account types unless you maintain a qualifying balance, and there are fees for outgoing transfers and certain account services. A $250 bonus loses its appeal quickly against an annual fee you did not plan for. The FTC’s guidance on evaluating financial offers is a useful reminder to read past the headline number on any promotion.
The Bottom Line
M1 Finance bonuses work best as a reward for a move you already wanted to make. If you have been meaning to consolidate a scattered old 401(k) rollover or an underused brokerage account, a transfer bonus turns routine housekeeping into a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
What they are not is a reason to switch platforms you otherwise like. Run the math on the effective annualized return, factor in the holding period, subtract taxes, and compare it honestly against competing offers. Verify current terms directly with M1 before you fund anything, enroll before you deposit, initiate transfers with time to spare, and mark your holding period on a calendar. Do those four things and M1 Finance bonuses become one of the more reliable, lower-effort wins available in personal finance right now.
Browse all bonuses at Bonus Bank Daily.