How to Become an Accredited Investor (2026)

There is nothing to join

The most common misconception is that "accredited investor" is a designation you register for, like an LLC or a professional license. It is not. Accredited investor is a status defined by SEC rule (17 CFR § 230.501(a)). If you meet one of the tests below, you already are one. If you do not, there is no form that changes that - you meet a threshold or you hold a qualifying credential, or you wait until you do.

The status only becomes practical when an issuer relies on it. In a Rule 506(c) offering - the kind that is allowed to advertise publicly - the issuer must take reasonable steps to verify that every investor is accredited before accepting the investment. That verification step is where "becoming" an accredited investor turns into documenting it.

The financial paths

For a natural person, two long-standing financial tests cover most investors. You only need to satisfy one.

Test	What it requires
Income	Over $200,000 on your own, or $300,000 with a spouse or spousal equivalent, in each of the two most recent years - with a reasonable expectation of the same in the current year. You cannot average the two years; each must independently clear the threshold you rely on.
Net worth	Net worth over $1 million, alone or with a spouse or spousal equivalent, excluding the value of your primary residence. Mortgage debt on that home is generally excluded too, up to the home's value; debt above the home's value, or new borrowing against it in the 60 days before you invest, counts against you.

Two tools can help you sanity-check where you stand before anyone reviews documents: the net-worth calculator and the free eligibility quiz. Neither is a verification - they are only a self-check.

The license path (the newest route)

Since the SEC's December 2020 amendments, you can also qualify on a professional credential, with no income or net-worth test at all. A natural person in good standing who holds one of these FINRA licenses is an accredited investor:

Series 7 - the general securities representative license.
Series 65 - the investment adviser representative license.
Series 82 - the private securities offerings representative license.

The Series 65 is the one people pursue deliberately for this reason: in most states you can sit for the exam without being sponsored by a firm, which makes it the only accreditation path a person can earn through study rather than income or assets. It is a real exam on investment-adviser law and ethics, not a formality, but it is an option that did not exist before 2020. If you verify on this basis, what you are proving is the license in good standing, not a dollar figure.

Other ways a person qualifies

A handful of narrower categories also make a person accredited:

Company insiders - directors, executive officers, or general partners of the company selling the securities (or of its general partner).
Knowledgeable employees of a private fund, for investments in that fund.
Family clients of a family office that itself qualifies as accredited.
A spouse or spousal equivalent - you may combine income or net worth with a spouse, or with a spousal equivalent (a cohabitant in a relationship generally equivalent to a spouse), to clear the joint thresholds.

Entities - LLCs, trusts, and the like - have their own routes (generally $5 million in assets, or an entity in which every equity owner is accredited). Those are covered on the entity verification page.

None of these tests require US citizenship or residency - a non-US or international investor can qualify on income or net worth and verify with a CPA letter even when their documents are not US tax forms.

How to actually prove it

Here is the part that trips people up. Meeting a test and proving you meet it are two different things, and for a 506(c) deal only the second one counts. Self-certification - checking a box that says "I am accredited" - satisfies a 506(b) offering but not a 506(c) one. For 506(c), the SEC's non-exclusive methods are:

Reviewing income documents (tax returns, W-2s, 1099s) for the last two years;
Reviewing assets and liabilities (bank, brokerage, and credit-report documents); or
Obtaining a written confirmation from a licensed CPA, attorney, or registered broker-dealer or investment adviser who has verified you within the prior three months.

The third route is why verification letters exist. You hand your documents to the professional once; the sponsor receives only a signed letter confirming your status, and never sees your tax returns or account balances. That is exactly what AccreditedNow does - a CPA reviews your documents and signs a letter you can hand to any sponsor, with a public certificate they can check independently.

Ready to prove your status?

A licensed CPA reviews your documents and signs a verification letter - usually within 24 hours. Your financials never go to the sponsor.

Get verified - $99

Where to go next

Self-check

Am I an accredited investor?

Compare

Accredited investor vs qualified purchaser

Timing

How long verification stays valid

Example

What the CPA letter looks like

Common questions

Do you have to apply or register to become an accredited investor?

No. Accredited investor is a status defined by SEC rule, not a license you apply for. There is no government registry, no application, and no card. You are accredited the moment you meet one of the SEC's criteria - a level of income, a level of net worth, or a qualifying professional credential. The only time it matters is when an issuer running a Rule 506(c) offering has to take reasonable steps to verify you meet one of those tests before you can invest.

What income makes you an accredited investor?

Income over $200,000 individually, or $300,000 together with a spouse or spousal equivalent, in each of the two most recent years, with a reasonable expectation of reaching the same level in the current year. You cannot average: both prior years must independently clear the threshold you are relying on.

Can a Series 65 license make you an accredited investor?

Yes. Since the SEC's December 2020 amendments, a natural person in good standing holding the Series 7 (general securities representative), Series 65 (investment adviser representative), or Series 82 (private securities offerings representative) license qualifies as an accredited investor regardless of income or net worth. The Series 65 is notable because, in most states, you can sit for it without sponsorship from a firm.

How do I prove I am an accredited investor?

For a Rule 506(c) offering, your own say-so is not enough - the issuer must take reasonable steps to verify. The common routes are to show income documents (tax returns or W-2s), to show assets and liabilities (bank, brokerage, and credit-report documents), or to provide a written confirmation from a licensed CPA, attorney, or registered broker-dealer or investment adviser who has verified you. A CPA-signed letter lets you prove status without handing your financial documents to the sponsor.

Does your primary residence count toward the net worth test?

No. The $1 million net worth test excludes the value of your primary residence. A mortgage on your primary residence generally does not count as a liability either, up to the home's value - but any amount of mortgage debt above the home's fair market value does count against you, and so does any increase in that borrowing in the 60 days before you invest.

This page is general educational information about the SEC's accredited investor definition (17 CFR § 230.501(a)), not legal, tax, or investment advice. The definition has conditions and nuances beyond what is summarized here; confirm how it applies to your situation with your own advisers. AccreditedNow is not a law firm. Verification letters are issued by independent licensed CPAs.