Every eligible newborn in America can now get a government-seeded investment account bearing President Trump’s name, and Treasury says automatic enrollment is already finished for every qualifying child under 18.
Story Snapshot
- Trump Accounts are now federal law under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, which added a new tax code section creating the program.
- Children born from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2028, can get a one-time $1,000 federal deposit invested in an index fund.
- Treasury finished automatic enrollment on October 1, 2026, covering every eligible child with a valid Social Security number.
- About 500,000 families had already chosen to open accounts during early 2026 tax filing, before automatic enrollment began.
- Michael and Susan Dell publicly pledged billions to the program, joining a wider push by businesses and donors to add private money.
A New Savings Program Built Into Federal Law
Trump Accounts are not just a campaign promise. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025, added Section 530A to the tax code. This gives Treasury the legal power to create and run the accounts. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) describes them as a new kind of retirement account made just for kids.
The accounts work like a long-term investment plan. The IRS says eligible children can get a one-time $1,000 federal deposit, and Treasury invests that money in an index fund right away. Parents, relatives, employers, and even charities can add more money over time, building toward larger balances by the time a child becomes an adult.
Treasury rolled out the program in stages. A nationwide app launched May 28, 2026, letting families check balances and add money from a phone or tablet. The agency called July 4, 2026, the official full-scope launch, giving every household a way to open and manage an account online.
Automatic Enrollment Now Covers Every Eligible Child
Treasury announced on October 1, 2026, that automatic enrollment was complete for every eligible child under 18 with a valid Social Security number. Families did not need to apply first. Federal Register rules describe how Treasury sets up these “auto accounts” for kids whose parents had not already opened one themselves.
One important limit applies here. The $1,000 federal seed deposit only goes to children born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028. Older eligible children can still get an account through automatic enrollment, but without that one-time payment.
Early numbers show real public interest. Treasury reported that roughly 500,000 Americans chose to open an account for their children during the first tax-filing season of 2026, months before the government’s automatic enrollment finished the job.
Private Donors Join the Federal Push
Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell and his wife Susan Dell publicly pledged billions of dollars to support Trump Accounts, calling the program a bipartisan idea for building wealth early in life. Treasury separately announced it would accept philanthropic stock contributions, opening the door for companies and foundations to add shares directly into children’s accounts.
What History Shows About Children’s Savings Accounts
Trump Accounts fit a pattern researchers have studied for years. The SEED Oklahoma program, an earlier child savings demonstration, found that automatic enrollment raised the share of families holding a college savings account by about 15 percentage points. That history suggests signing families up automatically, rather than waiting for them to apply, tends to boost participation sharply.
Because these are investment accounts rather than guaranteed savings, balances can rise or fall with the market. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s staff statement on Trump Accounts notes that Treasury regulates the program’s structure, but investment performance still depends on market conditions over time. Families won’t know the real payoff until today’s babies grow up and start using the money.
The program now reaches millions of households through one federal system handling sensitive financial and identity data for children. How well Treasury protects that information, and how account balances actually grow, will shape how this program is judged in the years ahead.
Sources:
home.treasury.gov, irs.gov, sec.gov, federalregister.gov, files.eric.ed.gov
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