From ESI Brokerage Operations:
Last month, we shared an important update about the 2025 NFS IRA Maintenance Fee Cycle—including key dates and details. If you need a refresher, please take a moment to log into the agent portal to review Field Notice 2025-24: IRA Maintenance Fee Cycle for a quick recap.
Let’s be honest—no one looks forward to the IRA Maintenance Fee Cycle. But what would make us all very happy here in Brokerage Operations come February 2026? Seeing $0.00 in unpaid IRA Fee postings charged back to our Registered Representatives!
Help me, help you—by working proactively with your clients throughout the remainder of 2025 to ensure these fees are covered and avoid chargebacks altogether.
To make things easier, we’re rolling out an automatic NFS report via the Wealthscape Automated Alerts system. You’ll receive an email with a hyperlink—simply log in to Wealthscape, and the report will display all accounts subject to the $40.00 Maintenance Fee that currently have less than $40.00 in available cash. This report will be delivered on or around the first of each month through January 2026.
Clients may cover the $40.00 IRA annual maintenance fee using one of the following methods:
- Deduction from the qualified account’s money market position (default option)
- Check deposit of $40.00 through the Wealthscape Investor Mobile App, coded as Retirement Maintenance Fee (available only via mobile deposit)
- Journal entry from a nonretirement brokerage account (must be eligible for contribution)
- First-party Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) from a client’s bank account (must be eligible for contribution)
Pro tip: If you’re placing a trade to cover the fee, we recommend raising at least $120.00 to cover the next few years of fees and help avoid unnecessary transaction costs.
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