How to ask for money instead of toys this holiday

On the official site, you pay from a linked bank account or a debit card.

Paper checks, wire transfers, credit cards, and prepaid cards are not accepted. The program says most US-issued Mastercard, Visa, and Discover debit cards are supported. Bank linking uses a routing number and ACH. A recurring gift can be set up only from a bank account. Contributions could not be made before July 4, 2026.

A debit-card gift usually arrives within minutes and can take up to 30 minutes. A bank transfer can take up to five business days.

The program says a debit-card contribution is typically processed instantly, and may take up to 30 minutes depending on the bank. A standard bank contribution can take up to five business days and shows as pending until it settles.

In 2026, ordinary contributions to one child's Trump Account share a $5,000 cap.

The child, parents, family, friends, employers, and anyone else giving personally all draw from that same $5,000. An employer can contribute up to $2,500 a year for an employee, across all of that employee's children, and those dollars count toward each child's $5,000. The IRS says the employer amount is not included in the employee's taxable income, and that the yearly limits adjust for inflation after 2027. As of this review, the program's contributions page still says employer contributions are coming soon.