What is meant by “Trump Accounts”?
When President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law on July 4, 2025, one provision tucked inside that massive piece of legislation quietly stood out from everything else — Trump Accounts. Officially classified as Section 530A accounts under the Internal Revenue Code, this program creates a brand-new category of tax-advantaged investment accounts built exclusively for American children. Every single child born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, who holds U.S. citizenship and a valid Social Security number is eligible to receive a one-time $1,000 seed contribution directly from the U.S. Treasury Department. That money gets invested immediately into a low-cost U.S. stock index fund, and from that point on, it starts compounding — year after year, decade after decade. It is a straightforward idea on paper, but the numbers building behind it are anything but small.
The official Trump Accounts Launch Summit took place on January 28, 2026, at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., with President Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, rapper Nicki Minaj, “Shark Tank” judge Kevin O’Leary, billionaire Michael Dell, and Senator Ted Cruz all in attendance. Within just 3 days of the 2026 tax filing season opening on January 26, 2026, approximately 600,000 American families had already filed IRS Form 4547 to elect a Trump Account for their children, as confirmed by Bessent to NBC News and CNBC on the day of the summit. Then, by January 29 — just one single day after the high-profile summit — that number doubled to roughly 1 million sign-ups, with Bessent announcing the surge during a Cabinet meeting and crediting the visibility of the event for driving enrollment. Treasury Secretary Bessent has projected that 25 million Americans will eventually take advantage of the program. The accounts don’t officially open for contributions until July 4, 2026, but the early momentum and the corporate pledges pouring in from names like Dell, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, BlackRock, Charles Schwab, and dozens of others are already painting a picture of what could become one of the most widely participated-in government financial programs in modern American history.
Key Facts About Trump Accounts in the US 2026
| Category | Verified Statistics | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Legislation Name | One Big Beautiful Bill Act | U.S. Congress, signed July 4, 2025 |
| Account Classification | Section 530A Accounts | IRS Notice 2025-68, December 2025 |
| Government Seed Contribution | $1,000 one-time per eligible child | U.S. Treasury Department |
| Eligibility for $1,000 Seed | U.S. citizen children born Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2028 | IRS (irs.gov/trumpaccounts) |
| Accounts Open for Contributions | July 4, 2026 | U.S. Treasury / IRS |
| Sign-Ups as of Jan 28, 2026 | 600,000 families | Treasury Sec. Bessent to NBC & CNBC |
| Sign-Ups as of Jan 29, 2026 | Roughly 1 million families | Treasury Sec. Bessent, Cabinet meeting |
| Projected Total Participants | 25 million Americans | Treasury Sec. Bessent, Jan 28, 2026 |
| Annual Contribution Limit | $5,000 per child (after-tax) | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| Employer Contribution Cap | $2,500 per employee per year (pre-tax) | One Big Beautiful Bill Act |
| Investment Options | Low-cost U.S. stock index funds / ETFs only | One Big Beautiful Bill Act |
| Maximum Expense Ratio | 0.10% (10 basis points) | One Big Beautiful Bill Act |
| Account Converts To | Traditional IRA at age 18 | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| IRS Election Form | Form 4547 | IRS, January 2026 |
| Enrollment Website | TrumpAccounts.gov | White House / Treasury |
| Companies Matching So Far | 25+ major corporations confirmed | NewsNation / CBS News, Jan 28, 2026 |
Data Source: U.S. Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov), U.S. Department of the Treasury (treasury.gov), White House (whitehouse.gov), NBC News, CNBC — January 2026
The table above lays out the core structure of Trump Accounts in the US 2026, and a few numbers in particular deserve a closer look. The $1,000 government seed is the foundation — it is free, available to every eligible family regardless of household income, and critically, it does not count against the $5,000 annual contribution cap. That cap covers contributions from parents, grandparents, friends, and employers combined. Treasury Secretary Bessent made a point during his January 28 speech at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium that the compound growth from that initial $1,000 alone, assuming historical average stock market returns, could grow into at least half a million dollars by retirement age. The early sign-up numbers back up genuine public interest — going from 600,000 families in 3 days to 1 million within a single week shows the program is gaining traction faster than many analysts expected.
What sets Trump Accounts apart from existing savings vehicles like 529 plans or custodial Roth IRAs is how open the contribution structure is. There is no earned-income requirement to open one, no income ceiling that disqualifies a family, and virtually anyone can put money in — parents, grandparents, family friends, employers, nonprofits, and even state governments. Donations from qualifying charitable organizations and government entities sit entirely outside the $5,000 annual cap, meaning a child could receive money from the Dell Foundation, a state program, and their own family all in the same year without hitting any limit. The lock on investments to low-cost U.S. index funds with a 0.10% maximum expense ratio strips out the possibility of high-fee managed accounts eating into long-term returns.
Trump Accounts Growth Projections in the US 2026
| Contribution Scenario | Balance at Age 18 | Balance at Age 28 | Return Assumption |
|---|---|---|---|
| No contributions beyond $1,000 seed (Low) | $2,577 | — | 5.4% annual (low S&P rolling returns) |
| No contributions beyond $1,000 seed (Medium) | $5,800 | $18,100 | Medium S&P rolling returns |
| No contributions beyond $1,000 seed (High) | $21,229 | $40,179 | 14.1% annual (high S&P rolling returns) |
| $250 deposited annually (Medium) | $20,700 | — | Medium S&P rolling returns |
| Half-max contributions — $2,500/yr (Medium) | $154,800 | $555,000 | Medium S&P rolling returns |
| Half-max contributions — $2,500/yr (Low) | $94,993 | — | 5.4% annual (low S&P rolling returns) |
| Maximum contributions — $5,000/yr (Low) | $187,400 | $772,200 | 5.4% annual (low S&P rolling returns) |
| Maximum contributions — $5,000/yr (Medium) | $303,800 | $1,091,900 | Medium S&P rolling returns |
| Maximum contributions — $5,000/yr (High) | $730,400 | $1,904,300 | 14.1% annual (high S&P rolling returns) |
| $1,000 seed compounded to retirement age | — | ~$500,000+ | Historical avg returns to age 65 |
Data Source: White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) Report, August 2025; U.S. Treasury Office of Tax Analysis; Fox Business, The Hill, Money.com (January 2026)
The growth projection numbers are where Trump Accounts really start to grab headlines, because the math behind them tells a compelling story about what happens when you combine a government-funded starting point with decades of compounding. The Council of Economic Advisers published their analysis in August 2025, using actual rolling historical S&P 500 returns over 18-year and 28-year holding periods ending from 1975 through the present to build three scenarios — low, medium, and high. Under the medium-returns scenario with maximum annual contributions of $5,000, a child born in 2026 could see their account reach $303,800 by age 18 and cross $1,091,900 by age 28. President Trump himself referenced these numbers at the summit, stating that the most likely outcome lands in the $200,000 to $300,000 range by age 18 under average conditions. Bessent went further, projecting that the single $1,000 seed deposit — with zero additional contributions — could eventually reach roughly $500,000 by retirement age at a 10.5% historical annual growth rate.
Even the most conservative scenario carries real weight. If a family simply takes the $1,000 seed and never adds another dollar, the low-returns projection still puts that account at $2,577 by age 18 — more than doubling the original deposit without a single extra contribution. Critics, including financial advisor Sheryl Rowling at Morningstar, have pointed out that this amount is too small to meaningfully help low-income families on its own. The high-returns scenario, which projects up to $1.9 million by age 28, relies on a 14.1% annual return assumption — a figure that Money.com flagged as historically optimistic. The reality likely falls somewhere in between, but even the conservative half-max contribution scenario at low returns yields nearly $95,000 by age 18, which represents a significant nest egg for a young adult entering the workforce.
Trump Accounts Corporate Pledges in the US 2026
| Company / Individual | Pledge Type | Amount / Details |
|---|---|---|
| Michael & Susan Dell | Philanthropic donation | $6.25 billion total — $250 per child for 25 million kids under 10 in ZIP codes with median income below $150,000 |
| Ray & Barbara Dalio | Philanthropic donation | $75 million — $250 per child under 10 in Connecticut ZIP codes with median income below $150,000 (~300,000 children) |
| Brad Gerstner (Altimeter Capital) | Philanthropic donation | $250 per child under age 5 in Indiana (~406,000 children) |
| Nicki Minaj | Celebrity pledge | $150,000 – $300,000 for fans’ children (eligibility details TBD) |
| JPMorgan Chase | Employer match | $1,000 match for eligible employees’ children (190,000+ U.S. employees) |
| Bank of America | Employer match | $1,000 match for eligible employees’ children; pretax payroll deduction option enabled |
| BlackRock | Employer match | $1,000 match for employees’ children |
| Charles Schwab | Employer match | $1,000 match for eligible newborn children of U.S. employees |
| Intel | Employer match | $1,000 match for children of eligible employees born 2025–2028 |
| Robinhood | Employer match | $1,000 match for eligible children of Robinhood employees |
| Chime Financial | Employer match | $1,000 match for eligible employees |
| SoFi Technologies | Employer match | $1,000 match for eligible employees |
| Charter Communications | Employer match | $1,000 match (announced July 2025 — first major employer to commit) |
| Visa | Platform integration | Cardholders can deposit cash-back rewards directly into Trump Accounts |
| Uber | Employer participation | Confirmed participation; details pending |
| Nvidia | Employer pledge | Confirmed by President Trump at summit; details pending |
| Broadcom | Employer pledge | Confirmed by President Trump at summit; details pending |
| IBM | Employer pledge | Confirmed by President Trump at summit; details pending |
| Comcast | Employer pledge | Confirmed by President Trump at summit; details pending |
| Continental Resources | Employer pledge | Confirmed by President Trump at summit; details pending |
| Mastercard | Employer pledge | Confirmed contribution |
| Coinbase | Employer pledge | Confirmed contribution |
| Steak ‘n Shake | Employer match | $1,000 match for employees’ children born 2025–2028 |
| Bank of New York Mellon (BNY) | Employer match | $1,000 match — first major bank to publicly commit (December 2025) |
| State Street | Employer match | Confirmed match for employees |
| Block | Employer match | Confirmed match for employees |
| Russell Investments | Employer match | Confirmed match for employees |
Data Source: CBS News, NBC News, CNBC, NewsNation, USA Today / Yahoo Finance, Fox Business, Americans for Tax Reform (atr.org), White House Press Release — January 2026
The corporate pledge table reveals how fast private sector support assembled around Trump Accounts in the US 2026. The single largest commitment — and one of the largest individual charitable donations to U.S. children ever recorded — came from Michael and Susan Dell, who pledged $6.25 billion in December 2025 to seed $250 into the accounts of 25 million American children age 10 and under. That donation specifically targets kids living in ZIP codes where the median household income falls below $150,000, which the Dells estimate covers the vast majority of children in that age range across the country. Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, followed with a $75 million commitment covering approximately 300,000 children in Connecticut — becoming the first philanthropist to formally accept Treasury Secretary Bessent’s “50 State Challenge,” an initiative designed to recruit one major donor per state. CEO Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase framed his company’s $1,000 match as part of the bank’s long-standing commitment to employee financial wellbeing, noting that JPMorgan has over 190,000 U.S. employees.
On the employer side, the list reads like a snapshot of American corporate power. JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America — the two largest U.S. banks by total assets — both confirmed $1,000 matches on January 28, covering a combined U.S. workforce of over 355,000 employees. Bank of America went a step further by enabling pretax payroll deductions into Trump Accounts for employees. More than 25 companies have now confirmed participation spanning financial services, technology, telecommunications, energy, and even the restaurant industry with Steak ‘n Shake joining the list. Visa took a different approach entirely by announcing a platform that lets its cardholders deposit cash-back rewards directly into Trump Accounts — opening participation to everyday consumers beyond just corporate employees. Treasury Secretary Bessent stated at the summit that he foresees a future where matching contributions to Trump Accounts become as standard in employee benefits packages as a 401(k) match.
Trump Accounts 50 State Challenge in the US 2026
| Philanthropist / Entity | State / Scope | Pledge Amount | Children Targeted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael & Susan Dell | Nationwide | $6.25 billion | 25 million children under 10 (qualifying ZIP codes) |
| Ray & Barbara Dalio | Connecticut | $75 million | ~300,000 children under 10 (qualifying ZIP codes) |
| Brad Gerstner | Indiana | Undisclosed total | ~406,000 children under age 5 |
| States Considering Programs | 20 states | TBD | Confirmed by Bessent, Jan 28, 2026 |
| Philanthropic Contribution Cap | Nationwide | No annual cap | Exempt from $5,000 annual limit |
| State/Government Contribution Cap | Nationwide | No annual cap | States, tribes, localities all exempt |
| 87% of CT ZIP Codes Qualify | Connecticut | — | Census Bureau analysis via CNBC |
Data Source: Dalio Philanthropies (BusinessWire, Dec 17, 2025); CNBC; ABC News; U.S. Treasury Press Release sb0372 (Jan 28, 2026)
The 50 State Challenge is Treasury Secretary Bessent’s strategy to turn Trump Accounts into a movement that goes well beyond what federal funding or employer matches can accomplish alone. The concept is simple — find one major philanthropist or foundation for each of the 50 states and have them commit to seeding accounts for children in their home territory. Ray Dalio was the first to formally step up, and his $75 million commitment for Connecticut children immediately set a model that others could replicate. Dalio stated that his own early exposure to the stock market changed the trajectory of his life, and he sees this initiative as a way to extend that same opportunity to kids who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it. A Census Bureau analysis conducted by CNBC found that roughly 87% of Connecticut ZIP codes meet the income threshold Dalio set, meaning the overwhelming majority of children under 10 in the state would be eligible for the $250 deposit.
What makes this philanthropy layer genuinely different from a standard government program is that donations from philanthropists, charitable organizations, state governments, and tribes do not count against the $5,000 annual contribution cap that applies to families and employers. A child could theoretically receive $250 from the Dell Foundation, another $250 from a state-level program, and still have the full $5,000 available from family and employer contributions on top of all of that. Bessent confirmed during the summit that he expects up to 20 states to make their own contributions to the program, and he expressed confidence that philanthropists will eventually claim every state on the map. Brad Gerstner, the Altimeter Capital CEO who helped champion the Trump Accounts concept behind the scenes, confirmed on CNBC that the long-term goal is to create an account for every child in the U.S. who has a Social Security number, with private financial institutions eventually administering the accounts after the initial Treasury-managed setup.
Trump Accounts Withdrawal and Tax Rules in the US 2026
| Rule | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Growth Period | From account creation through Dec 31 of the year before the child turns 18 | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| Withdrawals During Growth Period | Generally prohibited — no distributions allowed | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| Account Conversion at Age 18 | Automatically converts to Traditional IRA | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| Roth Conversion Window | Ages 18, 19, or 20 considered optimal years to convert to Roth IRA | IRS / Tax advisors |
| Tax on After-Tax Contributions (Withdrawn) | Tax-free — taxes already paid on these funds | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| Tax on Pre-Tax Earnings (Withdrawn) | Taxed at beneficiary’s ordinary income tax rate | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| Early Withdrawal Penalty | 10% penalty on pre-tax earnings before age 59½ | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| College Tuition Exception | No 10% penalty for qualified education expenses | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| First-Home Purchase Exception | No 10% penalty for up to $10,000 toward first home | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| Tax-Free Withdrawals After Roth Conversion | Fully tax-free after age 59½ if converted to Roth | IRC §408(a) |
| Permitted Rollovers | Trustee-to-trustee between Trump Accounts only | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| ABLE Account Rollover | Allowed in the year the child turns 17 (qualifying disabled beneficiaries) | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| One Account Per Child | A child may never hold more than one Trump Account | IRS Notice 2025-68 |
| Account Ownership | Fully in the child’s name; parent/guardian is custodian until 18 | TrumpAccounts.gov |
Data Source: IRS Notice 2025-68 (December 2025); One Big Beautiful Bill Act (IRC §530A); Charles Schwab analysis; Fidelity (January 2026)
The withdrawal and tax rules governing Trump Accounts in the US 2026 are built around one central principle — keep the money invested and growing for as long as possible before anyone touches it. During what the IRS officially calls the “growth period,” which runs from the account’s creation through December 31 of the year before the child turns 18, withdrawals are essentially blocked. No hardship distributions, no early access, and the only permitted movement of funds is a rollover from one Trump Account trustee to another. This deliberate lock-up period is exactly why the projected balances in the CEA report get so large — the money has close to two full decades of uninterrupted compounding before any of it comes out.
Once the child reaches 18, the Trump Account automatically converts into a Traditional IRA, and from that point forward, standard IRA rules take over. Here is where it gets genuinely interesting for families thinking about long-term wealth building — financial advisors widely consider ages 18 through 20 to be the optimal window to convert that Traditional IRA into a Roth IRA. When you make that conversion, you only pay income tax on the pre-tax earnings portion of the balance, not on the original after-tax contributions that families put in over the years. If a family contributed the maximum $5,000 a year for 18 years and the account grew to around $303,800, a significant chunk of that balance is untaxed investment growth. Converting at age 18 — when the child likely has little to no earned income — keeps the tax bill small. After age 59½, a Roth IRA pays out completely tax-free. That conversion play is the real wealth-building mechanism hiding inside the Trump Accounts structure, and it’s something Schwab and Fidelity have both highlighted in their official program explainers.
Trump Accounts Summit Timeline in the US 2026
| Date | Event / Milestone | Key Number |
|---|---|---|
| July 4, 2025 | One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law | Trump Accounts provision enacted |
| August 2025 | White House CEA publishes growth projections | Up to $1.9 million by age 28 |
| December 2025 | IRS issues Notice 2025-68 with program guidance | Rules and contribution details confirmed |
| December 2, 2025 | Michael & Susan Dell announce $6.25 billion pledge | 25 million children targeted |
| December 17, 2025 | Ray & Barbara Dalio announce $75 million pledge | ~300,000 children in Connecticut |
| December 2025 | BNY becomes first major bank to publicly commit | $1,000 match for employees |
| December 2025 | Charter Communications confirms match | First major employer to commit (July 2025) |
| January 24, 2026 | Nicki Minaj previews support on social media | Pledge of $150K–$300K announced |
| January 26, 2026 | 2026 tax filing season opens; Form 4547 available | Enrollments begin immediately |
| January 28, 2026 | Trump Accounts Summit — Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium | 600,000 sign-ups confirmed |
| January 28, 2026 | JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America announce matches | 355,000+ combined U.S. employees |
| January 28, 2026 | Brad Gerstner announces Indiana pledge at summit | ~406,000 children under 5 in IN |
| January 28, 2026 | Visa announces cash-back rewards deposit platform | Cardholders nationwide eligible |
| January 29, 2026 | Bessent announces 1 million sign-ups at Cabinet meeting | Doubled in one day after summit |
| May 2026 (Expected) | Treasury begins sending account activation info | Identity verification begins |
| July 4, 2026 | Accounts officially open for contributions | America’s 250th Anniversary |
Data Source: U.S. Treasury Press Release sb0372 (Jan 28, 2026); Fox Business (Jan 29–30, 2026); NBC News; CNBC; The Hill; TIME — January 2026
The timeline above maps out how quickly Trump Accounts moved from signed legislation to real-world enrollment in the US 2026, and the pace is striking by any measure. From the moment the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed on July 4, 2025, it took less than seven months for the IRS to issue formal guidance, for billions of dollars in philanthropic pledges to land, and for over 1 million American families to sign up. The January 28 summit was clearly the inflection point for public awareness — Bessent confirmed 600,000 sign-ups in the first 3 days of tax season to both NBC News and CNBC, and by the very next morning after the high-profile event featuring Nicki Minaj, that number had doubled to 1 million. Bessent credited the summit’s visibility for the surge and noted that the Nicki Minaj segment alone had generated “a billion hits” across the internet.
The sign-up process is deliberately kept as simple as possible, which matters enormously when the goal is to get millions of families to act. Parents file IRS Form 4547 — a single election form — either alongside their 2025 tax return or on its own at any time. Major tax software providers like H&R Block and TurboTax have already built Form 4547 prompts into their filing workflows, which removes a significant barrier for the average household. Starting in May 2026, the Treasury will contact enrolled families with identity verification steps needed to finalize account activation. Then on July 4, 2026 — America’s 250th anniversary — the accounts officially open for contributions from families, employers, and philanthropists alike. The administration picked that date deliberately. Bessent framed Trump Accounts during his summit speech as “the defining policy of America’s 250th anniversary,” tying the program directly to the nation’s founding ideals of property ownership and the pursuit of prosperity.
Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.

