Cancel Atlas

The Cancellation Friction Index

Documented-Policy tier only. This score rates how clearly Betterment's public cancellation page is published (cited, dated), opinion grounded in disclosed facts, not a finding about the real cancel experience, and not legal advice. The behavioural Verified-Flow grade is pending.

67/ 100 · C

Personal finance & fintech · US

How hard is it to cancel Betterment?

Betterment scores 67/100 (grade C) for how clearly it documents cancellation in the US, a partially documented cancellation policy with notable gaps. Cancellation is available via online (self-serve), email.

Last reviewed 2026-06-05 · Documented-Policy tier · grade C

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 Before closing, all funds must be fully withdrawn; Betterment charges no trading fees or penalties for closure.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

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.

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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