Blog Guide
How Wealthsimple's $25 referral bonus works in 2026
What Wealthsimple's referral promotion pays, the $100 outside-money condition, the 30-day and 7-day windows, why the bonus needs a chequing account, and the 180-day hold, from Wealthsimple's own terms.
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Disclosure: This site lists a Wealthsimple referral link and code on its Wealthsimple page. If you sign up using them, the people who run Kairo receive a referral reward. The links to Wealthsimple in this guide are plain links to its Help Centre, not referral links. This guide is not financial advice. How this works
The short version
- Wealthsimple's referral promotion pays $25 to the new client and $25 to the existing client who referred them.
- The new client has to be new to Wealthsimple, link to a referrer (by signing up through their link, or by entering their code within 7 days of first funding), and bring in at least $100 from outside Wealthsimple within 30 days.
- The $25 is paid only into a Wealthsimple chequing account, within 24 hours of the qualifying funding being processed.
- The bonus has to stay in your Wealthsimple accounts for 180 days, or Wealthsimple may take it back from your final withdrawal.
Everything below comes from two pages in Wealthsimple's Help Centre, the Wealthsimple Referral Bonus Promotion 2026 terms and the Confirm your referral article, as they read on October 15, 2026. The terms say they were last updated September 11, 2026, and that Wealthsimple can cancel or change the promotion at any time without notice. Read both before you rely on any number here.
Who counts as a new client
The terms say the person being referred must be a legal resident of Canada, at least the age of majority in their province or territory, and must "not have previously registered for or created any Promotion Account". A Promotion Account is a Wealthsimple Trade, Crypto, Managed Investing or Chequing account. The one exception is an account created within seven days of funding, which matches the seven-day window for adding a code.
On a joint account, an RESP or a spousal RRSP, only the primary account holder can be registered for the bonus. The secondary holder gets nothing.
Two ways to link to a referrer
The terms say the referral relationship starts when the new client either:
- signs up for the first time through the referrer's link, or
- enters the referrer's code in the app within seven days of funding a Wealthsimple account for the first time.
The Help Centre article says the code is six digits and is entered from the gift icon on the Home page, under Invite friends. It also gives a quick check: if you can still see the option to enter a referral code, no referrer is linked to your account yet. That option is shown only to clients who funded their account within the last seven days.
If your first deposit was more than seven days ago, the article says to contact support to have a referral set up manually, and that after 30 days support "cannot guarantee" it can be done.
The $100 condition
The new client has to bring in at least $100 within the 30-day funding period, into one of the four Promotion Accounts. The terms measure it as "Net Deposits": transfers and deposits in, "less withdrawals and any transferred margin debit balances". So putting in $100 and taking some of it back out may leave you short.
Only money from outside Wealthsimple counts. The Help Centre lists what does: deposits from your bank account, transfers from other investment institutions, and crypto transfers from external wallets. It also lists what doesn't:
- peer-to-peer transfers within Wealthsimple
- transfers between your own Wealthsimple accounts
- Wealthsimple-issued bonuses or promotional credits
- GRSP contributions or group transfers
- deposits or transfers from affiliates of Wealthsimple
The minimum used to be lower. The Help Centre says referral relationships created before February 25, 2026 needed only $1.
When the 30 days start
The funding period starts on the day the referral relationship is established and lasts 30 days. If you funded an account for the first time and then entered a code within seven days, the terms backdate the start to seven days before the code went in, and the period still ends 30 days after the relationship was established.
The terms add that the funds "must be received by Wealthsimple" within those 30 days. A transfer from another institution can take time to arrive, so starting it early in the window is the safer choice.
Where the $25 goes, and how fast
The bonus is paid only into a Wealthsimple chequing account where you are the primary owner. The terms say it is applied within 24 hours after the qualifying funding "has been completed and processed".
If you don't have a chequing account when the bonus is issued, the terms give you 90 days from the first notice to open one. A bonus not applied to a chequing account within 90 days of being issued expires, and Wealthsimple says it will not be reissued.
The 180-day hold
The terms say anyone who receives a bonus "must keep the Bonus in their Wealthsimple account(s) for 180 days from the day the Bonus is applied", or it "may be deducted from their final withdrawal amount or otherwise recovered by Wealthsimple". The wording is about your accounts in general, not the chequing account alone. The $100 you deposited is a separate condition, measured during the 30-day funding period.
Taxes
The terms say bonuses like this have tax implications "in most instances", that Wealthsimple will not issue a tax slip for bonuses paid to a non-registered account, and that reporting is your responsibility. They suggest asking an accountant or tax professional. This guide can't tell you how your bonus will be taxed.
Can you combine it with other Wealthsimple offers?
The terms say two different things. One paragraph says the promotion "may be combined with other offers or promotions", and a section titled Combinability says it can be combined "unless specified in the terms of other promotions". The General section says it "cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional offer, unless specified herein". The terms also say that where they conflict with other material, they prevail, but they don't say which of their own clauses wins. If your plan depends on stacking offers, read the terms of the other offer too and ask Wealthsimple first.
If you entered the wrong code
The Help Centre article says a referral can be changed only if you haven't funded your account yet and more than 30 days have passed since the wrong code was entered. Once a $25 bonus has been paid on the existing referral, it can't be changed at all. In practice, the code you use first is the one that counts.
Fine print that is easy to miss
- The referrer has a condition too. The terms say the referrer must have $100 in net deposits from outside Wealthsimple at the moment the new client funds their account. You can't check that about a stranger's code; with a friend, you can ask.
- The referrer must send the invite through the app. The terms say the referrer must provide their promo link "via the Wealthsimple app".
- Transfer fees from your old institution are yours. The terms say Wealthsimple reimburses the transfer-out fee automatically only when a single account transfer is $25,000 or more.
- Wealthsimple can remove the bonus. It reserves the right to remove promotions, take back the bonus or close accounts if it suspects abuse or "gaming of the system".
- No bonus into registered accounts now. The Help Centre says that since July 3, 2025 bonuses go automatically to chequing, and that an older bonus paid into an RRSP or TFSA was reported to the CRA as a contribution.
If you are the one referring
The Help Centre says there is no limit on how many people you can refer, with one bonus per unique person. The terms add that two people can't refer each other. The Help Centre also says referrers "may also receive an additional bonus" based on how much the new client deposits during the 30 days, paid up to 14 business days after the funding period ends or after all funds have settled, whichever is later. The two pages I read don't give the amounts for that additional bonus, so I don't either.
Before you sign up for the $25
A one-time $25 is small next to what an investing or banking account costs or earns over years. Compare fees and account types with other platforms first, and treat the bonus as a tiebreaker, not a reason. Investing carries risk.
Common questions
How long do I have to add a Wealthsimple referral code?
Wealthsimple's Help Centre says you can apply a code up to 7 days after you first fund your account, from the gift icon on the Home page. After that it says to contact support, and that after 30 days support cannot guarantee a referral can be added.
Does moving money between my Wealthsimple accounts count toward the $100?
No. The Help Centre says internal transfers, peer-to-peer transfers within Wealthsimple, Wealthsimple bonuses and group transactions don't count. The $100 has to come from outside Wealthsimple, such as your bank, another investment institution or an external crypto wallet.
Do I need a Wealthsimple chequing account to get the referral bonus?
Yes. The terms say the $25 is paid only into a Wealthsimple chequing account where you are the primary owner. Without one, you have 90 days from the first notice to open it, or the bonus expires.
Can I withdraw the referral bonus right away?
The terms say the bonus must stay in your Wealthsimple accounts for 180 days from the day it is applied, or it may be deducted from your final withdrawal or otherwise recovered.
Sources
- Wealthsimple Help Centre: Wealthsimple Referral Bonus Promotion 2026 (the terms and conditions; the page says they were last updated September 11, 2026)
- Wealthsimple Help Centre: Confirm your referral (how to add or check a code, what funding counts, and its FAQ)