Robinhood, SoFi, and Public Are Offering 3% to Leave Webull — Here's the Fine Print

If you've been watching the headlines about Webull's alleged ties to the Chinese government, you've probably wondered whether it's worth moving your money. Three brokerages are betting yes. Robinhood, SoFi, and Public each rolled out a 3% transfer bonus for assets coming over from Webull via ACATS — but the caps, payout schedules, and clawback rules are wildly different. Here's how to tell which one actually fits your situation.

Why three brokerages are suddenly so eager to poach Webull customers

The timing isn't a coincidence. Recent congressional scrutiny over Webull's potential connections to the Chinese government has a lot of account holders thinking about jumping ship. Robinhood, SoFi, and Public all spotted the same opportunity and launched near-identical 3% ACATS bonuses within days of each other.

A 3% match on transferred assets is unusually generous. Standard brokerage transfer promos usually top out around 1% or pay a flat cash bonus. But these are time-limited and come with strings attached — mostly around how long you have to leave the money parked.

Robinhood: uncapped 3%, but only for taxable accounts and a five-year lock-in

Robinhood's offer is the simplest on the surface: transfer assets from Webull via ACATS and get a flat 3% bonus with no cap. That's the headline, and for large balances it's genuinely appealing.

But there's a catch — actually a few. The bonus applies only to self-directed taxable individual or joint brokerage accounts. IRAs don't qualify. And while the bonus posts quickly after your transfer settles, you need to keep the Net Transferred Asset Value in your account for five years to avoid a chargeback. Robinhood's terms do suggest the chargeback amount may be reduced based on how far along you are toward that five-year mark, so leaving early isn't necessarily an all-or-nothing loss.

One more thing: only net new transfers count. If you move money out of your Robinhood account during the offer period and then move some back in, the amount that left first doesn't count toward your bonus. Robinhood gives the example of transferring $4,000 out on September 21 and $10,000 back in on October 16 — only the $6,000 net difference would earn the bonus.

• No maximum bonus — 3% of whatever you transfer
• Taxable brokerage accounts only; no IRAs
• Must initiate the ACATS transfer during the offer window (Oct 7–16, 2026)
• Five-year holding period on Net Transferred Asset Value
• Up to $75 in transfer fee reimbursement for transfers of $7,500+

SoFi: bigger cap than Public, but the clawback rules are the strictest

SoFi matches the 3% rate and raises the ceiling to $150,000 in bonus — which means you'd need to transfer $5 million to hit the cap. That's a high bar, but for someone with a large taxable brokerage or IRA at Webull, it's the most generous cap of the three.

The bonus posts quickly, similar to Robinhood. The five-year holding requirement is where SoFi gets tricky. Based on the terms, if you pull money out before the five-year earn-out period ends, you lose the 3% bonus proportionate to the amount you withdraw. So if you pull out $1,000 one day before the five years are up, you could lose the full $30 bonus attributable to that $1,000. It's not a total forfeiture, but it's a proportional clawback that could sting if you need liquidity.

SoFi's offer works for both taxable brokerage and IRA accounts. How the bonus is treated for IRA purposes is less clear from the terms, so if you're transferring an IRA, it's worth asking SoFi directly before you commit.

• $150,000 maximum bonus (on $5M transferred)
• Taxable brokerage and IRA accounts eligible
• Five-year holding period with proportionate clawback on early withdrawals
• Offer window: October 8–15, 2026

Public: smaller cap, but you can leave anytime and keep what you've been paid

Public's 3% bonus caps out at $30,000, which corresponds to $1 million in transferred assets. That's lower than SoFi's ceiling, but Public's payout structure is fundamentally different — and for some people, better.

Instead of a lump sum, Public pays the bonus over six years in 72 monthly increments. The upside? If you leave early, you keep whatever bonus payments you've already received. No clawback. That's a meaningful difference from Robinhood and SoFi, where leaving early can trigger a chargeback.

Public also accepts both taxable brokerage and IRA accounts. For IRAs, the bonus is treated as earnings inside the IRA — meaning it gets the IRA's tax treatment and doesn't count against your annual contribution limits. That's a clean way to handle it.

• $30,000 maximum bonus (on $1M transferred)
• Paid out monthly over 72 months (6 years)
• Leave anytime and keep bonus payments already received
• Taxable brokerage and IRA accounts eligible
• Longest offer window: October 7–26, 2026

Which one makes sense for you?

It depends on two things: how much you're moving and how confident you are that you'll stay put for five years.

If you have a large taxable brokerage account and you're sure you won't touch it for five years, Robinhood's uncapped 3% is hard to beat. The lack of a cap means big balances get the full benefit. But if there's any chance you'll need to move the money sooner, the potential chargeback is a real risk.

SoFi's higher cap makes it the better choice for very large balances — especially if you're transferring an IRA, since Robinhood doesn't accept IRAs for this offer. Just go in knowing that pulling money out early triggers a proportionate clawback.

Public's lower cap and slower payout schedule make it less exciting on paper, but the flexibility is real. If you want the bonus without a multi-year commitment hanging over your head, Public is the safest bet. You get monthly payments and no penalty for leaving.

One more consideration: if your Webull assets are currently locked into a separate bonus promotion there, transferring them out could forfeit that bonus. Run the numbers before you move anything.

Bottom Line

• All three brokerages offer a 3% ACATS transfer bonus for assets leaving Webull, but caps and holding rules differ significantly.
• Robinhood is uncapped but taxable-accounts-only and carries a five-year holding requirement with a possible chargeback.
• SoFi has the highest cap at $150,000 but imposes a proportionate clawback if you withdraw before five years.
• Public caps at $30,000 and pays over six years, but you keep whatever you've received if you leave early.
• Only Robinhood excludes IRAs; SoFi and Public accept both taxable and IRA accounts.
• If your Webull assets are locked into a different bonus, transferring out may forfeit it — check before you move.

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