- Is this an official determination that I'm an accredited investor?
- No. It's an educational self-assessment based only on what you enter. Nobody — including you, AmIAccredited.org, or any issuer — may rely on it. Issuers make their own determination and, for Rule 506(c) offerings, must verify your status.
- What does it mean to be an accredited investor?
- It's a category in SEC Rule 501(a) of Regulation D. Accredited investors may be offered securities in private placements that are exempt from SEC registration, such as private real estate funds, which carry different risks and disclosure than registered investments.
- What are the main tests today?
- Net worth over $1,000,000 alone or with a spouse or spousal equivalent, excluding your primary residence; or income over $200,000 (or $300,000 jointly) in each of the last two years with the same expectation this year; or holding a FINRA Series 7, 65, or 82 license in good standing. Narrower paths exist for family clients of qualifying family offices, issuer insiders, and knowledgeable employees of private funds.
- How do I count my home and mortgage?
- Leave your primary residence out of your assets. Leave the mortgage out of your liabilities up to the home's fair market value; any amount you owe above that value counts as a liability, and so does any new home-secured borrowing in the 60 days before you invest (unless it was to buy the home).
- Can I use my own income one year and joint income the next?
- No — use the same basis for both years. The SEC's guidance allows an exception if you married during that period.
- What is verification, and why does it matter?
- In offerings that use general advertising (Rule 506(c)), issuers must take reasonable steps to verify that every purchaser is accredited — for example by reviewing tax forms or account statements, or getting a letter from a CPA, attorney, broker-dealer, or registered adviser. Since 2025, a large minimum investment plus written representations can also satisfy the rule. This site does not verify anyone.
- Are the thresholds changing?
- They have not changed since 1982, but change is being debated. The House passed the INVEST Act (H.R. 3383) on December 11, 2025; it would index the dollar amounts to inflation and add license-, education-, and exam-based paths, and it has sat with the Senate Banking Committee since December 15, 2025. The SEC's Spring 2026 rulemaking agenda lists possible amendments to the definition, though no proposal has been issued, and the SEC's August 2026 crypto-offering proposal leaves the definition untouched. When rules change, this site's checks are updated and versioned.
- Is the check up to date with the latest rules?
- Yes. It tests the definition as amended by the SEC effective December 8, 2020 — still the current rule — including everything that amendment added: the Series 7, 65 and 82 licenses, spousal equivalents, knowledgeable employees of private funds, family offices and family clients, LLCs and registered investment advisers as entities, and the $5 million-in-investments catch-all for any entity. We re-verified the rule on September 16, 2026, and every result records the ruleset version that evaluated it.
- Is 'qualified client' or 'qualified purchaser' the same thing?
- No. Those are separate definitions under the Investment Advisers Act and the Investment Company Act with much higher thresholds (the qualified client figures were raised in June 2026). This site only covers the accredited investor definition.
- I invest through a trust, LLC, or IRA. Does this apply?
- Yes. Choose the trust or entity path and the check walks through the entity tests: more than $5 million in assets (and not formed just for the investment), more than $5 million in investments, every equity owner being accredited — a sole owner can be checked personally — or being a regulated institution or qualifying family office. A revocable trust is generally looked through to the people who created it. A self-directed IRA is evaluated on you, the owner, so take the individual path.
- What happens to my information?
- We store your yes/no answers, your name, email, and anything else you choose to share, plus the consent language you agreed to. We never store dollar figures. Your information is used to send your result and, if you agree, to contact you about education and opportunities from AmIAccredited.org and its affiliates. See the Privacy Policy.