10/10/2026
Most children in the country now have an investment account in their name, whether or not a parent ever signed up. On Oct. 1, 2026, Treasury finished automatic enrollment for Trump Accounts, opening one for every eligible child under 18 with a valid Social Security number. Treasury puts that at over 60 million children.
The account exists, but it sits idle until a parent or guardian claims it. Claiming happens in the official Trump Accounts app, linked from TrumpAccounts.gov, where the parent verifies their identity and their relationship to the child. Until then, an automatically opened account can take only money from government or charitable programs plus the Treasury seed. Grandparents, other relatives and employers cannot add anything to an account that has not been claimed.
What is already inside depends on the birth year. Children born from 2025 through 2028 who are U.S. citizens can get a one-time $1,000 from Treasury, but it is not automatic. Treasury cannot make that election for a family. A parent makes it, using IRS Form 4547, and the account has to be claimed before the deposit arrives.
Children born from 2016 through 2024 may already have $250 from Michael and Susan Dell. The gift went to 25 million children, starting in the lowest-income ZIP codes and stopping at ZIP codes with a median family income of $117,300 or less, plus children living on military bases. It follows the ZIP code, not the family's own income, so two households with the same pay can get different answers. Invest America, the nonprofit running the gift, has a ZIP code lookup.
Children born from 2009 through 2015 have an account with no seed money in it. Claiming still matters, because it is what lets family and employers contribute. Children born in 2008 or earlier turn 18 by the end of 2026, which puts them past the cutoff.
Once an account is claimed, contributions are capped at $5,000 a year per child, and an employer can cover up to $2,500 of that without it counting as the employee's income. The money has to sit in funds that track a broad index of mostly U.S. stocks, with annual fees no higher than 0.1%. Legally, a Trump Account is a type of traditional IRA, so its tax treatment differs from a 529 plan or a Roth IRA, and it is worth comparing before choosing where extra money goes.
For many families the first step costs nothing: claim the account and see what is already there.
Source: U.S. Treasury press release, Oct. 1, 2026; IRS temporary regulations on Trump Accounts, T.D. 10056, Federal Register, Sept. 30, 2026; 26 U.S.C. 6434; IRS, About Form 4547; Invest America, Michael and Susan Dell contribution page. All read Oct. 10, 2026.
Educational information only, not financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. Eligibility depends on each child's age, citizenship and Social Security number, so confirm the details at TrumpAccounts.gov.
