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Retired or Not Working

Problem Overview​

Your account verification is delayed because you indicated that you are retired or not currently employed, but we do not have sufficient documentation to confirm this. The stock and options exchanges require us to independently verify the employment status of every paid subscriber before activating real-time data — a self-reported status of "retired" alone is not sufficient.

Why This Is Required​

Exchange regulations require Market Data to classify every subscriber as either a professional or non-professional data user. We cannot classify you as non-professional until we receive external confirmation that you are no longer employed in a role that would qualify as professional use.

These rules come directly from the exchanges and apply before we can activate access to real-time market data. See Account Verification Policy and Professional Status Policy for full details.

How to Fix​

Provide one of the following documents to confirm your retirement or unemployment status:

  1. A link to your LinkedIn profile that clearly shows your most recent role with an end date, or otherwise indicates that you are retired.
  2. A resume or CV that includes the end date of your last position and indicates you are no longer working.
  3. An official retirement letter or documentation from your previous employer.
  4. A pension award letter, Social Security benefit statement, or other government retirement document.
  5. Tax documentation showing retirement income (e.g., Form 1099-R in the U.S.). You may redact your Social Security Number and any other sensitive financial details — we only need to confirm that the document reflects retirement income.
  6. Any other reasonable documentation that confirms you are no longer actively employed in any professional capacity.

Contact our support helpdesk with any of the documents listed above. All documentation will remain confidential and used solely to verify your status.

What We Look For​

The key detail in any document is a clear end date for your most recent position. A LinkedIn profile or resume that only lists a job title and employer without an end date does not confirm that you have left the role — it looks the same as a current position.

Special Circumstances​

Consulting or Part-Time Work​

If you are doing consulting work, even on a part-time basis, this may affect your classification. Include details about the nature of the consulting you perform when contacting support so we can determine the correct classification.

Retired From One Field, Working in Another​

If you have retired from one career but are now working in a different field, please provide details of your current role. As long as the work is not securities-related, we can typically classify your account as non-professional.

Selected "Retired" for Privacy Reasons​

If you are still employed and selected "retired" because you preferred not to share your employment details, you can simply provide your current job title and employer instead. As long as your work is not securities-related, we can typically process your account as non-professional. See Account Verification Policy for details on what information we collect and how we use it.

Still Need Help?​

If you are unsure what documentation to provide, please contact our support helpdesk and our support team will let you know exactly what is needed to complete your verification.

We typically respond within a few hours during market hours or within 1 business day outside of market hours.