FEES AND ACCOUNTING

Investment Adviser Accounting and Payment Methods

Investment adviser (IA) firms that use FINRA systems for regulatory activities may be assessed for certain fees. FINRA’s electronic billing system, E-Bill, facilitates the collection and disbursement of fees through:

Learn more about funding these accounts by E-Bill, check or wire/ACH on the page below.

Note: Firms may choose to withdraw excess funds from their Flex-Funding Account. Please see the Refunds section of the E-Bill User Guide for complete information about refund requests.

Flex-Funding Account

Many fees transacted through the Flex-Funding Account are related to licensing and registration activity conducted in FINRA Gateway, Web CRD, IARD, and/or PFRD. These fees are usually automatically assessed upon submission of a form filing. IA-related fees include:

All transactions facilitated by FINRA systems should be pre-paid. If there are insufficient funds on deposit, the system will either not allow the submission of the filing, or the requested registrations and/or exam enrollments will not be approved until the outstanding fees are paid.

Firms may fund their Flex-Funding Account by:

Renewal Account

The Renewal Account is available only during the Annual Renewal program. Investment adviser firms can use this account to pay renewal fees for the firm, branches and individuals.

Firms have three options to pay fees:

  1. Make an ACH deposit via E-Bill directly into their Renewal Account,
  2. Make a deposit into their Flex-Funding Account and then transfer the funds into their Renewal Account, or
  3. Wait for FINRA’s Flex-Funding to Renewal Transfer. Beginning on Dec. 11, 2023, and through Dec. 26, 2023, FINRA will transfer funds from Flex-Funding Accounts to Renewal Accounts if the entire renewal amount owed is available. This Flex-Funding Account-to-Renewal Account transfer process will be applied daily beginning Jan. 26, 2024, for firms that still owe fees on their Final Statement. Firms do not need to initiate transfers during this period as FINRA will transfer funds daily.

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Electronic Payment via E-Bill

E-Bill is an application that allows entitled users to view and export transaction detail for the firm’s Flex-Funding Account and Renewal Account. Please see the E-Bill User Guide for complete information.

Please note: Your bank may require FINRA’s Company ID to process transactions via E-Bill. In these instances, please use the following Company IDs: 1222528267, 1222528268 or 1222528269.

Payment via E-Bill Bank Account (Manual ACH) AutoPay (Automated ACH) Flex-Funding Transfers (Reallocations) Other
Flex-Funding Account Pay with a bank ACH Set Up AutoPay Affiliate firm Flex-Funding Account transfers N/A
Renewal Account Pay with a bank ACH N/A To the Renewal Account Automatic Renewal Transfer from the Flex-Funding Account

Note: E-Bill is the only payment method available to directly deposit funds from a bank account into the Renewal Account. See the Renewal Account section to learn more.

E-Bill payments and transfers requested before 9 p.m. ET post the next business day. FINRA does not charge firms any fees for utilizing E-Bill; however, firms should verify with their bank whether that bank will assess fees for utilizing E-Bill.

Entitlement is required to use E-Bill. For detailed information about how to request access to E-Bill or how to use this application, please review FINRA's SAA Self-Entitlement Guide for E-Bill and the E-Bill User Guide.

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Wire Transfer or ACH

Firms may transfer funds via wire* or ACH to fund their Flex-Funding Account. Wire payments intended for renewal fees are deposited into the firm’s Flex-Funding Account; see the Renewal Account section to learn more about depositing or transferring funds to pay renewal fees. Provide your bank with the following information to initiate a transfer: 

Bank Name

Bank of America

Transfer funds to

FINRA

Beneficiary

FINRA

Wire ABA Number

026009593

ACH ABA Number

054001204

FINRA Account Number

226005684771

Reference Number

Firm CRD or Org Number

SWIFT-BIC for Wires Sent in U.S. Dollars

SWIFT-BIC Code for Wires Sent in Foreign Currency

*Note: Foreign firms may be required to use the SWIFT-BIC code to submit a wire transfer; please contact your bank with any questions.

BOFAUS3N

BOFAUS6S

Please record the confirmation number of the transfer given to you by your bank. You will need this if you choose to call your bank later to confirm the transfer.

If FINRA receives the funds before 2 p.m. ET, the transaction should display the next business day in E-Bill. If it is received after 2 p.m., ET, then the deposit should be available in two business days. ACH bank transfers typically take several days longer. 

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Payment by Check:

Like Wire/ACH payments, check payments received before 2 p.m. ET should post in E-Bill the next business day. Checks received after 2 p.m. ET should post in two business days. You can review E-Bill to verify that your check has been deposited in your Flex-Funding Account.

  • Make checks payable to FINRA
  • FINRA will cash the check upon delivery; however, your firm’s CRD Number on the memo line informs the Finance department that it should be applied to your firm’s Flex-Funding Account.
  • You can review E-Bill to verify that your check has been deposited in your Flex-Funding Account within 1-2 business days of its receipt by FINRA.

Note: Check payments intended for renewal fees are deposited into the Flex-Funding Account. Please see the Renewal Account section for essential information about transferring funds to pay your firm’s renewal fees.

US Mail Express/Overnight Delivery

FINRA
P.O. Box 418911
Boston, MA 02241-8911

(Note: this P.O Box will not accept courier or overnight deliveries.)

Bank of America Lockbox Services
FINRA 418911
MA5-527-02-07
2 Morrissey Blvd.
Dorchester, MA 02125

Provide the following phone number if one is required for the recipient:
(800) 376-2703.

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