As a vendor of market data, IBKR is subject to various exchange agreements that specify and control the manner in which such data may be disseminated. In addition, some exchanges impose a monthly fee (also known as an Exchange Access Fee) on the vendor when real-time or delayed data is distributed.

The term Exchange Access Fee is generally used to describe an arrangement where the clients of an organization, such as a broker, obtain market data through our vendor agreement rather than through a direct agreement between the organization and exchange.

When an Exchange Access Fee exists, we allow an organization to opt out of the fee by restricting the ability of the organization's clients to subscribe to the exchange market data. However, the organization may enable client access to the market data subscriptions for a fee.

The table below illustrates existing Exchange Access Fees levied by Nasdaq, CBOE Global Markets and Deutsche Borse. Please note that the Exchange Access Fee for Deutsche Borse has been waived from February 1, 2021 until further notice. Exchange Access Fees for Nasdaq and CBOE Global Markets has been in effect since December 1, 2016.

The table reads as follows: An organization pays EUR 800 for the Nordic Equity Exchange Access Fee for Non-professional product, which gives the organization’s clients the option to subscribe to Nordic Equities (NP, L1) or Nordic Equities (NP, L2).

If you have additional linked, duplicate or consolidated accounts, the Billable Account section appears on the Market Data Subscriptions screen. Use the Billable Accounts panel to change the account that is currently being billed for market data.

To change your billable account

1. Click Settings > User Settings
2. In the Trading Platform panel, click the Configure (gear) icon for Market Data Subscriptions.

The Market Data Subscription screen opens.

3. Click the Configure (gear) icon in the Billable Account panel.
4. Select the account you want to be billed for market data, then click Save.

Beginning with the next billing cycle, your market data subscriptions will be billed to the account you selected.

Q: Which accounts are eligible for linkage?

A: Eligible accounts include Independent individual and IRA accounts which have matching country and state of legal residence and account title.

Q: What are the benefits of linkage?

A: The principal benefits of linkage are ease of access and potential savings in market data subscription fees. Following linkage, all accounts will be accessed via a single User Name, password and SLS device. After login to the trading platform or Client Portal Management you will be provided with a drop-down window for selecting the account you wish to trade or perform administrative tasks thereby eliminating the need to memorize multiple login information or maintain additional security devices. 

In addition, as market data subscriptions are billed at a session level (i.e., User Name) and only a single TWS session can be viewed for any one user at a given time, account holders previously maintaining duplicate market data subscriptions for multiple accounts have the opportunity to consolidate those following linkage.

Q: If I link two accounts enrolled in SLS, are there any restrictions with respect to the security device which will remain following linkage?

A: Yes. In the case of a linkage request where the two accounts are SLS enrolled but maintain different devices, IBKR requires that the account holder retain the device having the highest protection rating as noted at the time of your request.

Q: What do I do with security devices which no longer are operable following linkage?

A: In the case of Security Code Cards, you may discard of the device once the linkage has been processed. For all other devices, you will need to return the device to IBKR to ensure that your account is not assessed a lost device fee.  Click here for additional information regarding returning your device.

Q: Can I maintain multiple groups of linked accounts?

A: No. Once an account linkage has been requested and processed, all subsequent requests must be linked to that original grouping

Q: Can I unlink accounts which have already been linked?

A: No. Once a link has been established it is permanent and cannot be undone.

Q: Why has the linkage request which I submitted not been processed?

A: Linkage requests are automatically processed as of the close of business on the day submitted when accounts are SLS enrolled and the individual information on record identical (e.g. mailing address, telephone numbers, email address, etc.). If any of these conditions are not met, the linkage request will not be processed until SLS enrollment is complete and/or Compliance review of the information changes and any supporting documentation necessary to evidence the change has been received.

Q: Once linked, from which account will market data subscription fees be deducted?

A: Account holders are allowed to designate a billing account from which all market data fees may be deducted.  We recommend that you select the account which generates the greatest level of commission activity if your subscription provides for fee waiver should your monthly commissions reach a minimum threshold (e.g., U.S. Securities & Commodities Market Data Bundle). IBKR will only look to the activity conducted in the billing account to determine waiver eligibility rather than aggregating the commission activity across all linked accounts.  In selecting the billing account, consideration should also be given to selecting an account having the greatest level of equity as well as cash.  This will minimize situations where the account has insufficient cash and the billing serves to increase the margin debit balance or where the account does not have margin permissions or maintains insufficient equity with loan value which, in both cases, will result in the liquidation of positions to cover the fees. IBKR will not act to automatically transfer cash across linked accounts to meet subscription obligations.

Q: If I link two accounts, will I have any restrictions on short sales?

A: Accounts owned by the same beneficial owner are considered in a consolidated manner when determining the ability to sell a stock short. If account A is long 100 shares and account B is short 100 shares, a new order to sell shares in either account A or account B will be considered a short sale, as overall the accounts hold a 0 position. The new sell order would be subject to any applicable locate requirements.