What Is an SEC Whistleblower Award?

Discovering information regarding investment fraud and other violations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) can be overwhelming. You may be unsure of how you should proceed or why you should risk it all to report your information to the SEC. 

Fortunately, the SEC understands these risks and rewards whistleblowers who have the courage to come forward. Read on to learn more about the purpose of awarding whistleblowers and how you could qualify for a whistleblower award. 

The Purpose of Awarding Whistleblowers

If you work in the securities industry, then you understand how risky it is to bring forward information about securities fraud. Risks often include retaliation by your employer in the form of demotion, defamation, intimidation, harassment, and even termination. 

Recognizing these risks, the SEC continues to encourage would-be whistleblowers to report their tips to the SEC and in exchange, provides substantial whistleblower awards to individuals who assist them with stopping securities fraud by exposing the fraudsters in question.

How to Qualify for a Reward

You could be eligible for a whistleblower award if you meet all of the criteria. The following is a list of said requirements:

  • Whistleblowers must come forward voluntarily.
  • Whistleblower tips must be original.
  • The SEC must be able to take enforceable action.
  • Recovered sanctions must exceed $1 million.

If all of the previously mentioned criteria have been met, you could be awarded up to 30 percent of whatever the SEC recovers.

Reach Out to an SEC Whistleblower Lawyer

If you have additional questions regarding the requirements for winning a whistleblower award, or if you have information about possible investment fraud or other securities violations and are interested in blowing the whistle, meet with an experienced SEC whistleblower lawyer at Meissner Associates to discuss your case.


We provide free, confidential tip evaluations to would-be whistleblowers across the country. You can take advantage of this opportunity by giving our office a call at 1-866-764-3100 or filling out the secured contact form below.