How to connect Interactive Brokers

Step by step

1. 1

   Open Flex Queries

   1. Performance & Reports
   2. ›Flex Queries

   Log in to IBKR's website (the Client Portal, not the trading app). In the top menu, open Performance & Reports, then Flex Queries.

   This is where IBKR lets you design reports about your own account.

2. 2

   Create an Activity Flex Query

   1. Activity Flex Query
   2. ›+

   Find Activity Flex Query and press the + next to it. Name it something you'll recognise, such as Allown.

   A Flex Query is a saved recipe for a report: which parts of your account go into it, and in what form.

3. 3

   Choose the sections

   IBKR lists many sections. Allown needs the ones below. Open each, pick the option shown, tick Select All for its fields and save the section. Extra sections do no harm.

   Setting	Choose
   Account Information	Select All
   Open Positions	Summary
   Trades	Execution
   Cash Transactions	Deposits & Withdrawals, Dividends, Payment in Lieu of Dividends, Withholding Tax; Detail
   Cash Report	Currency level
   Transfers	Include
   Corporate Actions	Detail

   iTicking Select All matters most for ISIN and Listing Exchange: they tell Allown exactly which share you own when two companies share a ticker.

4. 4

   Set delivery and dates

   Under the sections, set how the report is delivered and how dates are written, so the file comes out in a shape Allown reads.

   Setting	Choose
   Format	XML
   Period	Last 365 Calendar Days
   Date Format	yyyyMMdd
   Time Format	HHmmss
   Date/Time Separator	; (semi-colon)

5. 5

   Save and note the Query ID

   Press Continue, then Create. The query appears in the list with a number next to its name: the Query ID (for example 987654). Allown uses it to ask for the right report.

6. 6

   Switch on Flex Web Service and copy the token

   1. Flex Web Service Configuration
   2. ›Generate New Token

   On the same page, open Flex Web Service Configuration (the gear icon). Switch the service on and press Generate New Token. Choose how long it lasts (the longest saves you renewing it) and copy the long number it shows: your Flex token.

   iThe token only downloads reports. It can't log in, trade or move money.

7. 7

   Paste both into Allown

   In Allown, open the account you want to fill, choose Add connection and pick Interactive Brokers. Paste the Flex token and the Query ID, then press Connect. Allown checks them with IBKR before saving anything.

After you connect

The first sync starts right away and usually takes a minute or two: your holdings appear first, then the year of history behind them. After that Allown syncs every few hours on its own.

A query reaches back one year. For older years, run the same query in IBKR with a custom date range, download each year as XML and upload the files on the connection (Upload statements). They slot in without doubling anything.

Questions