Current starting point: Treasury began broad automatic enrollment on or about October 1, 2026. Check official account status before attempting another account election.

What a Trump Account is

A Trump Account is a type of traditional individual retirement account owned by the beneficiary. Its “growth period” begins when the initial account is established and ends on December 31 of the calendar year in which the beneficiary turns 17.

Automatic enrollment

Treasury’s temporary regulations provide for an auto account for each person Treasury determines meets the age and Social Security number requirements and has no prior election. Periodic enrollment is expected to make elections by other people rare.

The baseline rules generally require the individual to be under age 18 at the end of the election year and to have an SSN within the meaning of Internal Revenue Code section 24(h)(7)—generally an SSN valid for employment—issued before the election.

Claiming and activating an auto account

A guardian or legal custodian with authority under state law to manage the beneficiary’s property or financial affairs—or a beneficiary with legal capacity—may use Treasury’s electronic process to claim an auto account. The claimant must authenticate identity, establish legal authority, and complete required return-information consents.

A claim alone does not establish the receiving account. The receiving trustee must provide activation instructions, including an account agreement. Until the receiving account is established and the balance can be transferred, the assets remain in the auto account.

Why account state matters for contributions

During the growth period, an unclaimed auto account generally accepts only qualified general contributions and an eligible $1,000 pilot contribution. Family and employer contributions require a permitted receiving Trump Account after the claim and activation steps are complete.

The separate $1,000 pilot election

Treasury cannot make the pilot election automatically. In addition to the baseline account requirements, the child generally must be a U.S. citizen born from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2028, and the person making the election must expect the child to be their qualifying child for that year. Check whether an election is pending or processed before submitting another one.

Check the account path and pilot status

Contributions and investments

For 2026 and 2027, most family, individual, and qualifying Section 128 employer contributions share a $5,000 annual limit. Section 128 employer contributions have a $2,500 per-employee ceiling within that total. The pilot amount, qualified general contributions, and qualified rollovers are excluded from the $5,000 limit.

During the growth period, ordinary assets are limited to qualifying index mutual funds or ETFs. An eligible investment fund may not impose annual fees and expenses above 0.10%; separate trustee or intermediary fees are analyzed separately.

Withdrawals and the age-18 transition

Distributions are tightly limited during the growth period. Starting January 1 of the year the beneficiary turns 18, most traditional IRA rules generally apply. Taxable early distributions may face an additional 10% tax unless an exception applies.

Next steps