No, Robinhood does not let you trade options after regular market hours

Robinhood's options trading is limited to regular market hours only — 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. You cannot place, modify, or close options trades outside those windows, even though the app stays open and you can still trade stocks during extended hours.

This is a hard limit built into Robinhood's system, not a setting you can change. The restriction exists because options markets themselves close at 4:00 p.m. ET. Unlike stocks, which trade on after-hours exchanges, options have no meaningful after-hours market on any broker.

If you try to place an options order after 4:00 p.m. or before 9:30 a.m., Robinhood will reject it with an error message. The order will not queue up to execute at market open — it simply will not go through.

Key Takeaways

  • Options trading on Robinhood closes at 4:00 p.m. ET every trading day, with no after-hours window available.
  • Stock trading on Robinhood continues until 8:00 p.m. ET, but options orders placed during that time will be rejected.
  • The restriction is not unique to Robinhood — all brokers stop options trading when the options market closes, because there is no after-hours options market to trade on.
  • If you need to close a position before market close, you must do so during regular hours or accept holding it overnight.

Why options close before stocks do

The options market and the stock market operate on different schedules. Stock exchanges have after-hours trading sessions run by electronic communication networks (ECNs) where buyers and sellers can still trade from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. Volume is lower and spreads are wider, but the market exists.

Options markets have no equivalent. The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), which settles all options trades in the United States, closes at 4:00 p.m. ET. Without a clearing mechanism, there is nowhere for after-hours options trades to settle, so brokers cannot offer them. This applies to every broker — Robinhood, Fidelity, TD Ameritrade, Interactive Brokers, and all others.

If you hold an options position at 4:00 p.m., it stays open overnight and carries risk until the market reopens. You cannot exit it until 9:30 a.m. the next trading day.

What happens if you try to trade options after hours

Robinhood will show you an error message if you attempt to place an options order outside market hours. The message typically says something like "Options orders can only be placed during market hours" or "This order type is not available at this time."

The order will not be saved as a pending order. It will not execute at market open. Robinhood simply rejects it, and you have to place it again during the next trading session. This is different from a stock order, which can be placed after hours and will execute at market open if it matches the opening price.

If you are holding an options position and want to close it after 4:00 p.m., you have no choice but to wait until 9:30 a.m. the next day. This is one of the real risks of options trading — you can be forced to hold a position overnight if you miss the close.

Planning around the 4:00 p.m. options cutoff

If you trade options regularly, you need to build the 4:00 p.m. close into your routine. Set a phone reminder 15 to 30 minutes before market close if you have open positions you want to manage. Robinhood's app does not send automatic alerts when market hours are ending, so the burden is on you.

On days when major news breaks after 4:00 p.m. — earnings announcements, economic data, geopolitical events — your options position is locked in place until the next morning. The underlying stock may move significantly, but you cannot adjust or close your trade. This is why many options traders avoid holding positions into overnight gaps.

If you are new to options, this constraint is worth testing with small positions first. Place a trade during market hours, hold it overnight, and see how you feel about the inability to exit. Some traders find it stressful; others adapt to it quickly.

Extended hours stock trading does not help with options

Robinhood offers extended-hours stock trading from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (pre-market) and 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (after-hours). You might assume you could use this window to hedge an options position or adjust your portfolio, but options orders placed during extended hours will fail.

You can buy or sell stock during extended hours, but you cannot touch options. This creates a gap: if you want to close an options position and also rebalance your stock holdings, you have to do the options trade during regular hours and the stock trade during extended hours in separate transactions.

Comparing Robinhood to other brokers on options hours

Every major broker has the same options cutoff time: 4:00 p.m. ET. Fidelity, Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, E*TRADE, and Interactive Brokers all stop accepting options orders at market close. The reason is always the same — the options clearing system closes, so there is nowhere for the trades to go.

Some brokers offer slightly different features around options — for example, some let you set up alerts or conditional orders during extended hours that will execute at market open — but none of them let you actually trade options after 4:00 p.m. If you are considering switching brokers partly for this reason, you will find the same limitation everywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I place an options order before 9:30 a.m. on Robinhood?

No. Options orders must be placed during regular market hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. If you try to place one during pre-market hours (before 9:30 a.m.), Robinhood will reject it. You can place stock orders during pre-market, but not options.

What if I have an options position open at 4:00 p.m.?

Your position stays open overnight and carries all the risk of a gap move. You cannot close it, adjust it, or take any action until 9:30 a.m. the next trading day. If the underlying stock moves sharply overnight, your position value will change, but you cannot trade until the market reopens.

Can I set a stop-loss or limit order on options after hours?

No. Robinhood does not accept any options orders after 4:00 p.m., including stop-loss orders or conditional orders. You must place all options orders during regular market hours. If you want to protect a position overnight, you have to close it before 4:00 p.m.

Do options trade on weekends or holidays?

No. Options markets are closed on weekends and on market holidays (like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Independence Day). Robinhood will reject any options order placed on those days. You can only trade options Monday through Friday during regular market hours.

Why can't Robinhood let me trade options after hours like some other brokers do?

No broker offers after-hours options trading because the options clearing system itself closes at 4:00 p.m. ET. There is no after-hours options market to connect to. Robinhood, Fidelity, and every other broker face the same constraint — it is a market-wide limitation, not a Robinhood choice.