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How Old Do You Have To Be To Open a Robinhood Account?
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Minimum Age Requirement
To open a standard Robinhood brokerage account, you must be at least 18 years old. Robinhood’s current account-opening requirements also say you need a valid Social Security number and a legal U.S. residential address within the 50 states or Puerto Rico. That means minors cannot open a regular Robinhood investing account in their own name.
This age rule applies to Robinhood’s normal self-directed investing accounts. So if you are under 18 and want to trade stocks, ETFs, options, cryptocurrencies, or other products on the platform, you cannot simply create a regular Robinhood account and start investing on your own. A minor needs an adult’s help through a different account structure.
Can Someone Under 18 Use Robinhood?
Yes, but not through a regular individual brokerage account. Robinhood now offers custodial accounts, which let an adult open and manage an account for a minor. These accounts are governed by the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, or where applicable the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act, and the minor is the legal owner of the assets in the account. The adult custodian controls the account until the child reaches the age of termination under the governing state’s law.
That means a child does not open the account personally. Instead, an adult opens the custodial account on the child’s behalf. Robinhood’s current materials also make clear that the account must be opened while the beneficiary is still considered a minor under the UTMA law that applies to the account.
Robinhood Kids Account
Open Robinhood Account
How Robinhood Custodial Accounts Work
A Robinhood custodial account is different from a regular brokerage account because the assets belong to the child, not the adult custodian. Any money or securities contributed to the account become an irrevocable gift to the minor. The custodian manages the investments, but the account must be handled for the child’s benefit. Robinhood’s customer agreement also states that standard margin investing is not available in custodial accounts.
Robinhood also launched custodial accounts as part of its broader family-finance rollout in 2026. Families can use them in a self-directed format, and Robinhood Strategies also accepts custodial accounts for those who want a managed option. Robinhood Strategies’ advisory brochure states that the minimum to open and maintain a managed custodial account is $50.
Why a Custodial Account Can Be Useful
A Robinhood custodial account gives parents and other adults a way to start investing early for a child. It can be used to build long-term savings and teach investing while the child is still underage. It also puts the assets in the child’s name from the beginning, which may create some tax advantages compared with keeping the same assets in a parent’s taxable account, although custodial accounts are not tax-free accounts like Roth IRAs or 529 plans.
There are tradeoffs, of course. Because the money belongs to the child, the gift cannot simply be taken back later. Robinhood’s agreement also notes that custodial-account assets may affect eligibility for certain means-tested government benefits, including SSI and Medicaid.
Final Answer
If you want to open a regular Robinhood account, you must be 18 or older. If you are younger than 18, the way to invest through Robinhood is a custodial account opened by an adult. That makes Robinhood accessible to minors, but only through the custodial-account route rather than through a standard personal brokerage account.
Robinhood Child Account
Open Robinhood Account
Written by Alex Bost
Updated on 7/6/2026.
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