Best Brokerage Transfer Bonuses in Canada
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Canadian brokers are paying real money to win your account right now. Brokerage transfer bonuses of 1% to 3% are on the table at TD, RBC, Scotiabank and Wealthsimple, and a few smaller platforms pay flat cash for deposits as low as $500 CAD. Moving a $50,000 CAD portfolio can be worth $1,500 CAD in cash, which is more than most people earn from a year of careful stock picking.
Below you will find every offer we could verify as of August 2026, with the deposit minimums, deadlines and holding periods that actually decide whether a bonus is worth chasing. For background on the platforms themselves, see our guide to the best online brokers in Canada.
A brokerage transfer bonus pays you a percentage of the assets you move in from another institution. The broker wants assets under administration, and paying 1% once is cheaper than buying that client through advertising. You keep your holdings invested the whole time, because an in-kind transfer moves the securities themselves rather than selling them.
Three variables decide how much an offer is really worth. First, the bonus rate, which is usually higher on registered accounts such as a TFSA, RRSP or FHSA. Second, the holding period, because a 3% bonus locked in for two years earns less per year than a 1% bonus you can walk away from in eleven months. Third, the cap, since most large offers stop paying above a set dollar amount.
Most brokers also reimburse the transfer-out fee your current institution charges, typically $150 CAD per account. Consequently, you can usually move without paying anything out of pocket, as long as you submit the fee statement within the window the new broker specifies.
The table below compares every offer we verified in August 2026. The annualized column divides the bonus by the holding period, which is the fairest way to rank offers that lock up your money for very different lengths of time.
| Broker | Minimum | Bonus | Register by | Hold until | Annualized |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wealthsimple (1% Match) | $25,000 | 1% on first $2M, 0.2% above | Aug. 31, 2026 | 730 days | 0.5% |
| Wealthsimple (Active Trader) | $25,000 | 3%, capped at $2M transferred | Rolling, 30-day window | 24 months | 1.5% |
| TD Direct Investing / Easy Trade | $2,500 | 3% registered, 1% non-registered, max $15,000 | Oct. 23, 2026 | Nov. 30, 2028 | 1.3% registered |
| RBC Direct Investing | $2,500 | 3% registered, 1% non-registered, max $15,000 | Fund by Nov. 30, 2026 | Nov. 30, 2028 | 1.3% registered |
| Scotia iTRADE (Summer Offer) | $2,500 | 1% cash back, max $6,000 | Aug. 31, 2026 | Jul. 30, 2027 | 1.1% |
| Qtrade Direct Investing | $1,000 | $100 to $2,000 by tier | Aug. 31, 2026 | Sep. 30, 2027 | 1% to 10% |
| Scotiabank (advice-based, not iTRADE) | $20,000 | 1.5% registered, max $3,750 | Oct. 31, 2026 | 6 months | 3% |
| BMO InvestorLine Self-Directed | $5,000 | 0.5%, doubling to 1% with a longer hold | Aug. 31, 2026 | Up to 11 months | 1.1% |
| Meridian (Aviso Wealth) | $10,000 | 1% registered, max $5,000 | Nov. 30, 2026 | About 1 year | 1% |
| Webull Canada | $500 | $50 to $250 flat | Sep. 21, 2026 | 14 to 90 days | Very high, capped |
| Moomoo Canada | $10,000 | Stock cash coupons, up to about $2,300 | Aug. 31, 2026 | 90 days | 1.25% to 3% |
| RBC GoSmart | $2,000 | $100 flat | Nov. 2, 2026 | Paid within 7 days | Very high, capped |
| Questrade | n/a | No transfer bonus, $150 fee rebate only | n/a | n/a | n/a |
The four offers below combine a meaningful payout with terms that most investors can actually satisfy. We link to each offer page directly, and we may earn a commission if you open an account through those links.
Wealthsimple runs two parallel promotions. The standard 1% Match pays 1% on the first $2,000,000 CAD you transfer in and 0.2% on anything above that, up to a net funding amount of $10,000,000 CAD. Registration ran from July 8 to August 31, 2026, and that window has now closed; transfers started before registering did not count.
Clients who hold Active Trader status get a separate 3% match on transfers of $25,000 CAD or more, capped at $2,000,000 CAD transferred. In both cases Wealthsimple pays the bonus in monthly instalments over 24 months rather than as a lump sum, and you need a Wealthsimple Chequing account in good standing to receive the payments.
The hold is 730 days with a 20% withdrawal buffer. In other words, you can take out up to a fifth of the qualifying funds without penalty. Beyond that, Wealthsimple reduces future monthly payments proportionally but does not claw back what it already paid you.
TD pays 3% on assets you move into an eligible registered account and 1% on non-registered accounts, up to a combined $15,000 CAD. The minimum is $2,500 CAD, which makes this the most accessible of the large-bank offers. Both new and existing TD clients qualify, and the offer covers TD Easy Trade as well as TD Direct Investing.
You register between July 2 and October 23, 2026, using promo code CASHBACK on a new account application. Assets transferred from outside TD Bank Group count toward your total until November 30, 2026. However, the hold runs all the way to November 30, 2028, and any withdrawal in between reduces your qualifying total.
Assets that already qualified for a previous TD reward do not count again. If you took part in the earlier 2% offer this year, therefore, check which dollars are genuinely new money before you register. See the TD Direct Investing offer.
The Scotia iTRADE Summer Offer pays 1% cash back on transfers from outside Scotiabank, capped at $6,000 CAD, plus commission rebates on trades placed in the mobile app. Registration with code SUM26 closed on August 31, 2026; opened accounts must be funded with at least $2,500 CAD by September 30, 2026, and held until July 30, 2027.
That eleven-month hold is the shortest of any percentage-based offer from a big bank, which is why the annualized return beats several offers with a bigger headline number. Existing iTRADE clients can enrol through an online form instead of the promo code. See the Scotia iTRADE offer.
Qtrade pays flat amounts by tier rather than a straight percentage, which works strongly in your favour at the low end. A $1,000 CAD deposit earns $100 CAD, an effective 10%. The tiers then run $250 CAD at $5,000, $500 CAD at $50,000, $1,000 CAD at $100,000 and $2,000 CAD at $200,000 or more.
New clients could apply with promo code SPRING26 through August 31, 2026, a window that has now closed; approved accounts must be funded by September 30, 2026, and held until September 30, 2027. Qtrade pays out on or around October 31, 2027, and reimburses eligible transfer-out fees from your previous brokerage. See the Qtrade Direct Investing offer.
Several of the offers below are competitive even though most of these institutions are not partners of ours. We flag them anyway, because the point of this page is the full picture.
Headline percentages mislead because holding periods differ so much. Divide the bonus by the number of years you must stay put, and the ranking changes immediately. TD and RBC both advertise 3%, but the money sits until November 2028, which works out to roughly 1.3% a year. Scotia iTRADE advertises only 1%, yet the eleven-month hold produces about 1.1% a year.
Next, compare that annualized figure against what the money would earn elsewhere. A high-interest savings account paying 3% is not a fair comparison, because your portfolio stays invested during a transfer. The real cost is the flexibility you give up, not forgone interest.
Finally, check whether the offer restricts you to new clients. Wealthsimple, TD and Scotia iTRADE accept existing clients under at least one variant. RBC Direct Investing, Qtrade and BMO InvestorLine do not, so a past account closes the door for two years at RBC.
August 2026 was an unusually good moment to move a portfolio. TD and RBC are both paying 3% on registered transfers with a $2,500 CAD minimum, which is the highest big-bank rate we have recorded in several years. Wealthsimple pays 3% to Active Trader clients on the same terms with a shorter two-year clock.
For smaller balances, Qtrade’s flat tiers pay far better than any percentage match. For anyone who wants their money back sooner, the eleven-month hold at Scotia iTRADE is the shortest commitment among the percentage offers. Whichever route you take, register before you initiate the transfer and keep the fee statement.
We update this page whenever the terms change. To catch new offers as they launch, browse our investing section or subscribe to our newsletter.
It depends on where the broker deposits it. A bonus paid into a non-registered account generally counts as income and the broker issues a tax slip. A bonus paid into a TFSA, RRSP or FHSA usually lands inside the registered plan, so it grows tax-sheltered, although it may count against your contribution room. Terms vary by institution, so confirm how each broker treats the payment before you assume the money is tax-free.
No. An in-kind transfer moves the securities themselves, so your holdings stay invested and you avoid triggering capital gains in a non-registered account. The receiving broker handles the paperwork once you submit the transfer form. However, some proprietary products such as bank mutual funds cannot move in kind, in which case the sending institution sells them and transfers cash instead.
Most transfers between Canadian brokers settle in two to four weeks. Registered accounts take longer than non-registered ones because both institutions must confirm the plan details. Transfers involving mutual funds or GICs can stretch past a month. Since promotional deadlines are firm, start the process at least six weeks before the funding cut-off.
Yes, provided you have enough assets to meet each minimum separately. Investors often split a portfolio across two brokers to collect both offers. Within a single institution, though, offers rarely stack. RBC is the exception here, since the GoSmart $100 CAD reward can be combined with the main Direct Investing promotion.
Most brokers subtract withdrawals from your qualifying total, and dropping below the minimum voids the bonus entirely. Wealthsimple is more forgiving, allowing a 20% buffer before it reduces future monthly instalments, and it does not claw back payments already made. TD and RBC apply the stricter approach, so treat their holding periods as firm commitments.
Almost always, and the standard charge is $150 CAD per account plus tax. The good news is that nearly every broker running a promotion reimburses that fee, including Qtrade, Questrade and Webull. You submit the statement showing the charge, usually within 60 days, and the new broker credits your account.
Run the numbers on annual cost first. A 3% bonus on $50,000 CAD pays $1,500 CAD, which easily covers a few years of higher commissions at most platforms. On the other hand, if your current broker offers commission-free ETF purchases and the new one charges $9.99 per trade, an active trader can spend the bonus in a year. Compare the fee schedules in our best online brokers comparison before you commit.
