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A platform asked you to verify - here is how

The short answer. The platform is running a Rule 506(c) offering, so it is legally required to take reasonable steps to verify you are accredited before you can invest - a checkbox is not enough. The cleanest way to satisfy it is a CPA-signed verification letter: you give your documents to the CPA once, and the platform receives only a signed letter and a certificate it can check - never your tax returns or balances. Most letters are ready within 24 hours.

Why you are being asked

If a fund, syndication, or investment platform reached you through an ad, an email, a public listing, or any kind of open marketing, they are almost certainly raising under Rule 506(c). That exemption is what lets them advertise the deal publicly - but in exchange, the SEC requires the issuer to take reasonable steps to verify that every investor is accredited. It is their legal obligation, not a formality they can waive, and it is why your own say-so does not clear it.

This trips people up because the older 506(b) exemption does let an investor self-certify. But 506(b) cannot advertise. The moment a deal is marketed openly, it is 506(c), and self-certification stops being enough.

What the platform actually needs

The SEC gives issuers a few accepted ways to verify you. The platform will accept one of these:

The first two mean uploading your financial documents to the platform. The third means the platform never sees them. For most investors - especially anyone investing across more than one deal - the letter is the better trade.

The fastest clean path

  1. Start a verificationTell us how you qualify - income, net worth, or a professional license - and upload the matching documents. It takes a few minutes.
  2. A licensed CPA reviews itA real CPA reviews your documents privately and signs a letter confirming you meet the SEC's accredited definition. Usually within 24 hours; a rush option is available for same-day.
  3. Hand the letter to the platformYou get a signed PDF and a public certificate ID. Give the platform the letter, or just the ID - they can confirm it is valid without seeing any of your financials.

If you want to see what you will receive first, look at the sample verification letter, or the documents a verification needs.

What it costs

An individual verification is $99, with an optional same-day rush. If you qualify on a professional license (Series 7, 65, or 82), that path is $49. Many investors are told by the sponsor that the sponsor is covering the cost through a prepaid seat - if the platform sent you a branded link, your verification may already be paid for. Either way, the letter is yours and you can reuse it within its validity window. See how long verification stays valid.

Get verified and get back to investing

Upload once, a CPA signs, and you hand the platform a letter - usually within 24 hours. Your financials never leave the CPA.

Start verification - $99

Common questions

A platform asked me to verify I am an accredited investor. What do I do?
The platform is running a Rule 506(c) offering, which requires them to take reasonable steps to verify every investor is accredited. You can satisfy this by providing income or asset documents directly, or - more privately - by giving them a verification letter signed by a licensed CPA, attorney, or registered broker-dealer or investment adviser. The letter confirms your status without the platform ever seeing your financial figures.
Why can't I just check a box that says I am accredited?
Because the platform is advertising the offering publicly, it is relying on Rule 506(c), and under 506(c) self-certification alone is not enough - the issuer must take reasonable steps to verify. A checkbox satisfies the older 506(b) exemption, which cannot advertise. If a platform found you through an ad, email, or public listing, it needs third-party verification, not just your word.
What is the fastest way to get verified?
A CPA-signed verification letter is usually the fastest clean option. With AccreditedNow you upload your documents, a licensed CPA reviews them, and you receive a signed letter - usually within 24 hours, with a rush option for same-day. You hand the letter to the platform, or they verify your public certificate ID directly, and you are cleared to invest.
Will the platform see my tax returns and account balances?
Not if you use a third-party letter. The CPA reviews your documents privately and the platform receives only the signed conclusion that you qualify, plus a certificate ID it can check. Your tax returns, brokerage statements, and credit report never go to the platform. That privacy is the main reason investors prefer a letter to uploading financials to each platform.

This page is general educational information about Rule 506(c) verification, not legal or investment advice. Each platform sets its own acceptable evidence; confirm what yours requires. AccreditedNow is not a law firm; verification letters are issued by independent licensed CPAs.