How Long Is Accredited Verification Valid?

Two clocks, side by side

90 days

Letter freshness

How recent a verification review is when a sponsor first relies on it. Not an SEC-fixed number - a market convention, and the window AccreditedNow dates its letters for.

5 years

Issuer re-reliance

How long the same issuer may re-rely on a prior verification for a later sale, using your written representation - under Rule 506(c)(2)(ii)(E), absent contrary information.

People conflate these constantly, so it is worth being precise: the 90-day figure is about freshness, and the five-year figure is about re-use by the issuer who already verified you. They do not contradict each other, and neither is a hard "your accreditation expires" date on your personal status.

The 90-day freshness window

The SEC does not put a specific expiration date on a verification letter. What it requires under Rule 506(c) is that the issuer take reasonable steps to verify each investor at the time of the sale. A verification done long before an investment is weaker evidence than a recent one, so the market settled on treating a verification as current for roughly 90 days. AccreditedNow dates each letter with a 90-day validity for exactly this reason: a sponsor relying on it wants to know the CPA's review was recent.

In practice, if you are about to invest, a sponsor will usually want a letter dated within about 90 days. If yours is older, a quick re-verification refreshes it.

The five-year re-reliance rule

This is the part most investors have never heard of, and it is written directly into the rule. Rule 506(c)(2)(ii)(E) provides a safe harbor for re-relying on an earlier verification:

"A written representation from such person at the time of sale that such person qualifies as an accredited investor … will satisfy the issuer's obligation to verify the person's accredited investor status … for a period of five years from the date the person was previously verified as an accredited investor" - so long as the issuer is not aware of information to the contrary. 17 CFR § 230.506(c)(2)(ii)(E) (paraphrased from the rule text)

Two things make this narrower than it first sounds. First, it applies to the same issuer that previously verified you - it is a re-reliance provision for follow-on sales in that sponsor's offerings, not a transferable five-year badge. Second, it depends on the issuer having no information to the contrary; if something suggests you no longer qualify, the safe harbor does not apply. Within those limits, it means one verification can support several investments with the same sponsor over five years, on the strength of a short written representation rather than a fresh document review each time.

If you are returning to a sponsor who already verified you, our re-confirmation flow captures that written representation so the sponsor can rely on the five-year window.

What this means for you

Investing with a new sponsor? Expect to provide a recent letter - dated within their freshness window, commonly 90 days. See verifying for a platform or sponsor.
Investing again with a sponsor who already verified you? A written re-confirmation may be all that is needed, under the five-year rule.
Letter gone stale? A re-verification is quick, and if your situation has not changed it is mostly a document refresh.

None of this changes your underlying status. If you still meet one of the accredited investor tests, you are still accredited - the clocks are only about how an issuer documents and re-uses that fact.

Need a current letter?

A licensed CPA reviews your documents and signs a fresh, dated verification letter - usually within 24 hours.

Get verified - $99

Common questions

How long is an accredited investor verification letter valid?

There is no single SEC-mandated expiration date for a verification letter. In practice, issuers treat a verification as fresh for a limited window - 90 days is a common convention, and it is the window AccreditedNow dates its letters for. A sponsor collecting a verification shortly before an investment wants it to be recent, so most ask for a letter dated within about 90 days of the investment.

Can an issuer re-use a verification for five years?

Under Rule 506(c)(2)(ii)(E), a written representation from the investor that they continue to qualify will satisfy the issuer's verification obligation for a subsequent sale for a period of five years from the date the person was previously verified - as long as the issuer is not aware of information to the contrary. This is a re-reliance provision for the same issuer, not a blanket five-year expiration on the letter itself.

Why are there two different time periods?

They measure different things. The 90-day window is about how fresh a given verification review is when a sponsor first relies on it. The five-year period under Rule 506(c)(2)(ii)(E) is about how long that same issuer may re-rely on an earlier verification for later investments, using a written representation instead of a new document review. One is freshness at first use; the other is permitted re-use by the same issuer over time.

Do I need to get verified again for a new sponsor?

Usually yes. The five-year re-reliance runs to the issuer who previously verified you; a different sponsor generally needs its own reasonable steps to verify you for its offering. A fresh CPA letter dated within their freshness window is the simplest way to satisfy a new sponsor. If you are investing again with a sponsor who already verified you, a re-confirmation may be all that is needed.

This page is general educational information about Rule 506(c) verification, not legal advice. The 90-day figure is a market convention and AccreditedNow's letter-dating practice, not an SEC-fixed expiration; the five-year re-reliance is set by 17 CFR § 230.506(c)(2)(ii)(E) and has conditions. How these apply to a specific offering is a question for the issuer's securities counsel. AccreditedNow is not a law firm.