How to Claim a Trump Account After Auto-Enrollment

How to Claim an Auto-Enrolled Trump Account, Step by Step

To claim your child's account, complete the four steps Treasury lists in press release SB-0642:

1. Download the mobile app or visit the web portal. Install "Trump Accounts: Official App" on an Apple iOS device through the Apple App Store or on an Android device via Google Play. If you do not use a smartphone, navigate directly to the official browser portal at trumpaccount.com or access program tools through TrumpAccounts.gov.
2. Verify your identity and relationship. Follow the initial authentication prompts on screen. You must verify your own identity as the claiming adult and confirm your legal relationship as the parent or guardian of the child.
3. Review the child's information. Review the information Treasury has on file for your child and confirm it is correct.
4. Accept the account terms. Read the account terms. Once you accept the terms, the account is claimed, and family, friends and employers can start contributing.

If you find that an account does not exist for your child, review how to open a Trump Account to establish one directly. For technical bugs encountered during mobile setup, consult our guide to the Trump Account app.

What You Need Before Starting the Claim Process

Gather your details before you start. You will verify your own identity and your relationship to the child; Treasury has not published which identity documents the check asks for. You also need your child's legal name, date of birth, and valid Social Security number.

Make sure you only submit personal details through recognized federal entry points. The official app is listed as "Trump Accounts: Official App", published with the U.S. Department of the Treasury listed as seller. Web users should verify that their browser address bar points to trumpaccount.com or TrumpAccounts.gov before typing sensitive information.

If you experience identity mismatches during the claim flow, official support is available. Contact the official Treasury call center at 1-866-USA-4547 or request an official callback directly inside the application interface.

What Automatic Enrollment Accomplished on October 1, 2026

Treasury press release SB-0642 announced that automatic enrollment finished on October 1, 2026. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that over 60 million more eligible children received an account ready to be claimed, building upon the accounts established earlier by parents who enrolled manually.

Totals vary by source regarding the full enrollment volume. While Treasury cited over 60 million additional children in its announcement, reporting from CNBC on October 8, 2026, indicated nearly 70 million accounts exist nationwide. Invest America similarly reported that more than 70 million children hold accounts.

Automatic enrollment applied to every eligible child under age 18 holding a valid Social Security number.

What Happens to an Account Nobody Claims

An auto-enrolled account does not disappear if you take no immediate action, but its features remain heavily restricted. According to a tax-practitioner analysis of the regulations published under Treasury Decision (TD) 10056, unclaimed accounts are held in a Treasury master group trust. These accounts can receive only general contributions and the $1,000 pilot contribution, while family and employer contributions are blocked until claimed.

Treasury has published no formal deadline by which a parent must claim an account. According to a tax-practitioner analysis of the regulations, claiming remains available until the end of the year the child turns 17. Under the same practitioner analysis, if two individuals attempt to claim the same child, the first person to activate becomes the responsible party on file.

Once you claim it, you can track the account in the app and let family, friends and employers contribute.

Why Claiming Now Makes Sense

Claiming the account now is the right move if your family intends to contribute or if your child qualifies for the $1,000 federal seed. Family and friends can add up to $5,000 a year combined. Employers can add up to $2,500, which counts inside that $5,000, as our guide to Trump Account employer contributions explains. None of that capital can enter the account until you complete the claim workflow.

A family whose child was born outside the 2025 through 2028 window and who plans no personal contributions loses little by waiting. The underlying account remains open in the master trust, and a tax-practitioner analysis indicates claiming stays open through the calendar year the child turns 17. The primary reason not to delay is avoiding dispute over who manages the assets, because the first authorized person to activate becomes the legal responsible party.

Our answer would change if Treasury confirms whether an in-app claim counts as the pilot program election. Until it does, a family with a child born 2025 through 2028 should confirm the election is on file, as the next section explains.

The $1,000 Federal Seed and the Form 4547 Election Wrinkle

Children born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, who are U.S. citizens with valid Social Security numbers qualify for a one-time $1,000 federal seed deposit. Treasury press release SB-0642 explicitly states that a child's account must be claimed to receive this $1,000 seed. Claiming the account is a mandatory requirement, but it may not be the only procedural step needed.

Under temporary regulations T.D. 10056 published on September 30, 2026, Treasury established initial accounts but noted that the Secretary cannot make a pilot program election on behalf of an individual. An auto-enrolled account gets the $1,000 only if an eligible person has made the pilot election. It remains unknown whether completing the claim steps inside the mobile app counts as making the pilot election under federal rules.

If you have a child born between 2025 and 2028, do not assume an app claim alone delivers the seed. Call 1-866-USA-4547 to check that a pilot election is on file. The documented method to secure the deposit is submitting Part III of IRS Form 4547, as explained in our overview of Form 4547. Details on deposit processing schedules appear in our review of when Trump Accounts get funded.

Private Donations and the Dell $250 Deposit

Michael and Susan Dell pledged $6.25 billion to put $250 into the accounts of 25 million children born 2016 through 2024, in ZIP codes with a median family income of about $118,000 or less. The cutoff was $150,000 in the December 2025 announcement and fell because auto-enrollment added far more eligible children. There is no separate application; you can look up your ZIP's median family income in Census Reporter table B19113, and our Dell Trump Account $250 guide covers the rest. Elon Musk's October 19, 2026 pledge of one SpaceX share per child has no claim process yet; our guide on whether you can claim Musk's SpaceX share for your kid tracks what has been announced.

Account Structure After Claiming

You do not pick a broker after you claim. Robinhood Securities serves as the trustee on Treasury's behalf and developed the underlying application software. To learn more about how custody works under the program, consult our breakdown of Trump Account trustees.

All contributed balances are invested in a qualifying low-cost index fund tracking the S&P 500 or broad U.S. equities, as detailed in our guide on what Trump Accounts are invested in. The app interface lets you connect a bank account, set up recurring deposits, and monitor cumulative investment returns. Growth remains tax-deferred, and withdrawals are generally blocked until January 1 of the year your child turns 18, under policies explained in our summary of Trump Account rules.

Avoiding Fraudulent Messages During Account Activation

Official email correspondence regarding account activation originates only from the address no-reply@TrumpAccounts.Treasury.gov.

Ignore unsolicited text messages, phone calls, or social media advertisements claiming to activate your child's account for a processing fee. If you receive a questionable communication requesting your banking credentials or child's SSN, review our guide to Trump Account scams to identify common fraudulent tactics before taking any action.

Frequently asked questions