How to Trade
on PredictIt

1. 1
   Create a PredictIt account

   Go to predictit.org and click "Sign Up." You'll provide your email, create a password, and enter your full name and date of birth. PredictIt requires lighter KYC than CFTC-regulated exchanges like Kalshi: they do not require a Social Security Number upfront. However, you will need to verify your identity for larger deposits or withdrawals.
2. 2
   Verify your email and complete profile

   Confirm your email address. PredictIt will ask for your country and state of residence. PredictIt is available to US residents in all 50 states: there are no state-level restrictions for the politics-only markets it offers under its CFTC no-action exemption. Complete your profile information.
3. 3
   Fund your account

   PredictIt accepts funding via debit card, credit card, and bank transfer (ACH). Minimum deposit is $10. Note the CFTC no-action limits: you can invest a maximum of $850 per contract (per individual market question), not per platform. There is no overall account size limit, but the $850-per-contract cap limits how much you can deploy in any single market.
4. 4
   Browse available markets

   PredictIt exclusively covers US political markets: federal elections (presidential, Senate, House), state gubernatorial and legislative races, congressional approval ratings, policy outcome markets (Will bill X pass?), and selected political event markets. Each market is structured as a YES/NO binary, or as a multiple-choice market where each answer is a separate contract (e.g., "Who will win the 2026 Senate race in Ohio?" with each candidate as a separate tradeable share).
5. 5
   Understand the $850 contract limit

   The most important PredictIt-specific rule: you can invest a maximum of $850 in any single contract in any single market. This is a condition of PredictIt's CFTC no-action letter, not a trading preference. It means position sizing is fundamentally constrained: you cannot put more than $850 at risk on any one binary outcome. Multi-choice markets allow you to trade multiple contracts (e.g., multiple candidates), but each individual contract is capped at $850.
6. 6
   Place your order

   Select a market and choose which contract to trade (YES or NO, or a specific candidate/outcome). Enter your price (in cents per $1 payout) and quantity. PredictIt uses a standard limit orderbook. The minimum trade is 1 share at 1¢. PredictIt charges a 10% fee on profits and a 5% fee on withdrawals: see the fee section below for the full breakdown.
7. 7
   Monitor and manage positions

   Open positions are tracked in your PredictIt portfolio. You can sell at any time before resolution in the secondary market. PredictIt markets close when the underlying question resolves (election held, bill passes or fails, etc.). Markets can remain open for months or years: presidential markets have 2+ year lifespans. You'll receive email notifications on important market events.
8. 8
   Withdrawal and taxes

   Withdraw funds via the same methods as deposit (debit card, ACH). Note the 5% withdrawal fee: this is deducted from your withdrawal amount. For tax purposes, PredictIt issues 1099 forms covering your annual net activity. Net profits are ordinary income at federal and state rates. The fee structure means you need to account for both the 10% profit fee and the 5% withdrawal fee in your returns calculation.

When to use PredictIt: You're a politics specialist who values the platform's deep liquidity on specific US political races, the established community, and the range of hyper-specific political markets (individual congressional races, state-level elections) that Kalshi may not carry. Many serious political traders use both platforms. When Kalshi is better: You want to bet more than $850 per contract, you want economics or sports in the same account, or the fee difference matters to you on large positions.