How hard is it to cancel Betterment?

Betterment investment accounts are closed online via a web browser only (Settings > Accounts > Close account); a mobile app close path is not documented. Before closing, all funds must be fully withdrawn; Betterment charges no trading fees or penalties for closure. Fees are calculated daily and prorated — if you withdraw your entire balance mid-cycle you only pay for the days your funds were managed, with no additional charge for the remaining period. Downgrading from the Premium advisory plan (0.65%/yr) requires emailing [email protected]; it cannot be done self-service online.

How to cancel Betterment

• Channels: online (self-serve), email
• Official cancellation page: https://www.betterment.com/help/close-account
• Pause/freeze: not offered. No pause or freeze option documented. Accounts can be kept at a $0 balance without incurring fees, which serves as a de facto pause, but there is no formal pause feature.
• Account/data deletion: Data deletion requests can be submitted via [email protected] under CCPA and state privacy laws. However, Betterment is required to retain financial data for a minimum of three years due to FINRA, SEC, and US Patriot Act regulations. Requests acknowledged within 10 days, responded to within 45 days. https://www.betterment.com/legal/privacy-policy

Evidence

• {'title': 'How can I close my account? — Betterment Help Center (accessed 2026-06-05)', 'url': 'https://www.betterment.com/help/close-account'}
• {'title': 'Will I be charged the whole annual fee if I use Betterment for just part of the year? — Betterment Help Center (accessed 2026-06-05)', 'url': 'https://www.betterment.com/help/partial-year-cost'}
• Last reviewed 2026-06-05 · scope: documented public policy.

Scope & fairness

This is the Documented-Policy tier: it measures how clearly the cancellation policy is published (cited, dated facts), not the behavioural experience of cancelling (Verified-Flow audit pending). Every company is scored on the same five dimensions with the same published weights — scores cannot be bought or removed. It is opinion grounded in disclosed facts, and not legal advice.

Is this wrong? Companies can request a correction ->

Cite this. Cancel Atlas (2026). “Betterment — Cancellation Friction Index (US).” CES-1.1. https://www.cancelatlas.com/c/betterment (CC BY-SA 4.0).

See Betterment in the full index -> · How we score · Open data