Commission refunds and IB links: tracking them transparently
Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2026 10:48 am
Many traders sign up through an introducing broker (IB) link and receive part of the commission back as a rebate. That's legitimate, but the tracking is often poor, and rebates end up as a vague "bonus" rather than a line in the trading accounts.
A transparent way to handle it:
1. Record the agreed rebate per lot when you sign up. Save the email or page.
2. Each month, calculate expected rebate from your own volume (lots traded x rate).
3. Compare with what was actually paid.
4. Book the rebate as a reduction in trading cost, not as profit.
The fourth point matters for decision-making. If your all-in cost is 0.9 pips before rebate and 0.7 after, then 0.7 is the number to use in expectancy calculations, but only if the rebate is reliably paid.
Warning signs:
- Rebates paid late or irregularly.
- The IB encourages more volume rather than better trading.
- Rebate terms change without notice.
On this forum, we'd ask that anyone posting about IB arrangements discloses the relationship clearly. It keeps discussions honest.
How do you track rebates? Has an IB arrangement ever changed how you trade?
A transparent way to handle it:
1. Record the agreed rebate per lot when you sign up. Save the email or page.
2. Each month, calculate expected rebate from your own volume (lots traded x rate).
3. Compare with what was actually paid.
4. Book the rebate as a reduction in trading cost, not as profit.
The fourth point matters for decision-making. If your all-in cost is 0.9 pips before rebate and 0.7 after, then 0.7 is the number to use in expectancy calculations, but only if the rebate is reliably paid.
Warning signs:
- Rebates paid late or irregularly.
- The IB encourages more volume rather than better trading.
- Rebate terms change without notice.
On this forum, we'd ask that anyone posting about IB arrangements discloses the relationship clearly. It keeps discussions honest.
How do you track rebates? Has an IB arrangement ever changed how you trade?