You must be at least 18 years old to open a Robinhood account

Robinhood requires all account holders to be 18 or older. This is a legal requirement set by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the organizations that oversee stock trading platforms in the United States. You cannot open an account, trade stocks, or hold investments through Robinhood if you are under 18.

When you sign up for Robinhood, you will need to provide your date of birth. The platform verifies this information during the account creation process and will reject any process from someone under 18. There is no way around this requirement — no parental consent, no exceptions, and no workarounds.

Key Takeaways

  • Robinhood accounts require you to be 18 years old or older at the time you open the account.
  • The age requirement comes from federal securities law, not from Robinhood's own rules, so no other brokerage will let you trade stocks before 18 either.
  • You will need to provide a valid date of birth during signup, and Robinhood verifies this before your account becomes active.
  • If you are under 18 and want to invest, a custodial account through a parent or guardian is the only legal option.

What happens if you try to open an account under 18

If you enter a date of birth that shows you are under 18, Robinhood will not let you complete the signup process. The platform checks your age automatically and stops the process before you can fund the account or place any trades. You will see an error message telling you that you do not meet the age requirement.

Providing false information about your age — such as using someone else's birth date or lying on your process — is fraud. This can result in your account being permanently closed, your funds being frozen, and potential legal consequences. Robinhood has systems in place to catch inconsistencies between the age you provide and other information in your process.

Custodial accounts for minors who want to invest

If you are under 18 and want to start investing, the legal option is a custodial account. A parent or guardian opens and controls the account on your behalf. The adult is responsible for all trades, deposits, and withdrawals until you turn 18. At that point, the account can be transferred to your control.

Robinhood does not offer custodial accounts directly. However, other brokerages do — Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and Vanguard all have custodial investment accounts that minors can use with parental supervision. These accounts work the same way as regular investment accounts but with an adult in charge of the decisions.

Why the age requirement exists

The 18-year-old minimum is set by federal law, not by individual brokerages. The SEC requires that anyone entering into a binding financial contract — including opening an investment account — must be a legal adult. This protects minors from making large financial decisions without the maturity and legal standing to do so.

Stock trading also involves real money and real risk. The law assumes that 18-year-olds have the legal capacity to understand the risks they are taking and to be held responsible for their decisions. Younger investors are protected by requiring parental involvement through a custodial structure instead.

What you need to open a Robinhood account at 18

Once you turn 18, you can open a Robinhood account on your own. You will need a valid government-issued ID (a driver's license, passport, or state ID card), your Social Security number, and a bank account to link for deposits and withdrawals. Robinhood will verify your identity and age during the signup process.

The entire process usually takes a few minutes. Your account will be created right away, though you may need to wait a few business days for your linked bank account to be verified before you can deposit money or start trading.

Other age-related rules on Robinhood

Being 18 is the only age requirement to open an account. There is no upper age limit — you can use Robinhood at any age as long as you are 18 or older. There are also no restrictions based on how much money you have or how often you trade, though Robinhood does have rules about pattern day trading if you have less than $25,000 in your account.

If you are 18 but still claimed as a dependent on your parents' taxes, you can still open your own Robinhood account. Your parents have no legal control over it, though they may have access to information about it if you share your login details with them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my parent open a Robinhood account for me if I'm under 18?

No. Your parent cannot open a regular Robinhood account in your name. They can only open a custodial account through a different brokerage that offers them. A custodial account is legally owned by your parent but held in trust for you until you turn 18.

What if I turn 18 soon — can I start the signup process now?

No. Robinhood checks your age at the moment you submit your process. You must be 18 at the time you sign up. You can wait until your 18th birthday and then complete the signup process, which takes just a few minutes.

Do I need to be 18 to use Robinhood's educational tools or watch lists?

Robinhood's educational content and market data are available to anyone, but you cannot create a real account or trade without being 18. Some features may require you to log in, which means you need an account, so the age requirement still applies.

Is there any way to trade stocks before I turn 18?

The only legal way is through a custodial account opened by your parent or guardian at a brokerage that offers them. You cannot trade on your own until you are 18. Paper trading (practice trading with fake money) is sometimes available through educational platforms and does not have an age requirement.