Where to find your profit or loss on Robinhood

Open the Robinhood app and tap the Account icon at the bottom right. From there, tap Investing to see your portfolio overview. The number displayed under your account value shows your total gain or loss — this is the difference between what you paid for all your holdings and what they are worth right now. If the number is green and positive, you are ahead. If it is red and negative, your holdings are worth less than you paid.

That single number combines all your positions. To see the profit or loss on one specific stock, ETF, or option, tap the individual holding from your portfolio list. The detail screen shows the current price, your average cost per share, and your total gain or loss for that position alone.

Robinhood displays this information in two ways: as a dollar amount and as a percentage. The percentage tells you how much your money has grown or shrunk relative to what you put in. A holding up 5% means it has gained 5% of the original purchase price; down 5% means it has lost 5%.

Key Takeaways

  • Your total profit or loss appears on the Account screen under your portfolio value, updated in real time during market hours.
  • To see profit or loss on a single stock or ETF, tap that holding from your portfolio list and look at the gain/loss figure on its detail screen.
  • Robinhood shows both dollar amounts and percentages; the percentage tells you how much your money has grown or shrunk relative to your original investment.
  • The profit or loss calculation includes only holdings you currently own; it does not include stocks you have already sold.
  • Gains and losses update throughout the trading day but freeze after market close until the next open.

Understanding realized versus unrealized gains

When you still own a stock, your profit or loss is unrealized — meaning it exists only on paper and can change at any moment. Robinhood shows this as your current gain or loss on holdings you have not sold yet. If Apple stock is up $10 per share since you bought it, you have an unrealized gain of $10 per share, but you do not have that money in your account until you sell.

Once you sell a holding, your gain or loss becomes realized. That is when the profit or loss is locked in and the cash moves into your account. Robinhood does not display realized gains and losses in the same place as unrealized ones — you have to look at your trade history or tax documents to see what you actually sold at a profit or loss.

This distinction matters for taxes. Realized gains are what you owe tax on, not unrealized ones. If you sell a stock for a profit, you may owe capital gains tax depending on how long you held it and your income level.

How Robinhood calculates your average cost

Robinhood uses your average cost per share to calculate profit and loss. If you bought 10 shares of a stock at $50 each, then bought 10 more at $60 each, your average cost is $55 per share. Robinhood multiplies that average by the number of shares you own to show your total cost basis — the amount you have invested in that position.

Your profit or loss is then the difference between your current holdings' total value and that cost basis. If you own 20 shares at an average cost of $55 and the stock is now trading at $65, you have a $200 unrealized gain (20 shares × $10 per share).

This averaging method is the standard way brokers calculate gains, but it matters if you are tracking your own taxes or trying to understand which specific purchase is making or losing money. Robinhood does not let you choose a different cost method like FIFO (first in, first out) or specific lot identification directly in the app.

Why your profit or loss changes during the day

Stock prices move constantly during market hours — roughly 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays. As prices change, your unrealized gains and losses change with them. A stock you bought at $50 might be worth $51 at 10 a.m. and $49 by 3 p.m., and your profit or loss updates each time.

After the market closes, prices freeze and your gain or loss stays the same until the next trading day begins. If you check Robinhood at 8 p.m., the numbers you see are the same as they were at 4 p.m. — they will not update again until the market opens the next morning.

Extended-hours trading (before 9:30 a.m. and after 4 p.m.) does move prices, and Robinhood will update your gains and losses during those times if you have extended-hours trading turned on. But most of the day's movement happens during regular hours.

Checking profit on options and fractional shares

Options work the same way as stocks on Robinhood — your profit or loss appears on the option's detail screen. Because options prices move faster and more dramatically than stock prices, your gain or loss can swing wildly in a single day. Robinhood shows your average cost per contract and your current gain or loss just as it does for stocks.

Fractional shares — pieces of a share that Robinhood lets you buy — also show profit and loss the same way. If you own 2.5 shares of a stock, Robinhood calculates your gain or loss based on 2.5 shares at your average cost, not rounded up or down.

Crypto holdings on Robinhood work the same way too. Your profit or loss on Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other cryptocurrencies appears on the holding's detail screen and updates in real time whenever the market is open.

What profit and loss does not include

Robinhood's profit or loss calculation does not account for fees, commissions, or taxes. Robinhood does not charge commissions on stock trades, but if you trade options or use margin, there may be fees that reduce your actual profit. Those fees are not subtracted from the gain or loss figure you see in the app.

Similarly, the profit or loss shown is before taxes. If you have a $1,000 unrealized gain on a stock, you do not owe $1,000 in cash to the government — you owe taxes only on realized gains, and the amount depends on your tax bracket and how long you held the stock. Robinhood does not calculate or deduct taxes from the numbers it displays.

Dividends you have received are also not reflected in the profit or loss number. If a stock paid you a $50 dividend, that cash is in your account, but it is not added to the gain or loss figure for that holding. You have to track dividends separately if you want to know your true total return.

Using the portfolio chart to track gains over time

Robinhood's portfolio chart shows your account value over time — usually displayed as a line graph on the Account screen. You can tap different time periods (1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, or all time) to see how your total portfolio has performed. This gives you a visual sense of whether you are up or down and how volatile your holdings have been.

The chart does not break down which individual stocks or positions caused the gains or losses — it shows only your total account movement. If you want to know which holdings are dragging down your returns, you have to check each position individually.

This chart resets if you close your account or if Robinhood resets your data for any reason, so it is not a permanent record. For tax purposes or long-term tracking, keep your own records or export your trade history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Robinhood show profit and loss for stocks I already sold?

No, Robinhood only shows profit and loss for holdings you currently own. Once you sell a stock, it disappears from your portfolio and the gain or loss is no longer displayed on the main screen. You can find the details of past sales in your trade history or statements, but you have to look there — the app does not keep a running total of realized gains.

Why does my profit or loss look different on my statement than in the app?

Your statement may include realized gains and losses from stocks you sold, while the app shows only unrealized gains and losses from holdings you own. Statements also account for fees, dividends, and other activity that the app's simple gain/loss number does not include. Check your statement for the full picture of your account activity.

Can I see my profit or loss broken down by day or week?

Robinhood does not break down gains and losses by time period in the app. The portfolio chart shows your total account value over time, but not which specific days or weeks were profitable. You would have to track that yourself or use a third-party portfolio tracker.

What happens to my profit or loss if I buy more shares of a stock I already own?

Your average cost recalculates to include the new purchase. If you bought 10 shares at $50 and then buy 10 more at $60, your average cost becomes $55. Your total profit or loss updates to reflect the new average cost and your new total number of shares.

Is the profit or loss shown in the app the same as what I owe in taxes?

No. You owe taxes only on realized gains — stocks you have sold at a profit. Unrealized gains (stocks you still own) are not taxable. Even then, the amount of tax depends on your tax bracket and how long you held the stock, which Robinhood does not calculate. Use your trade history and a tax professional or tax software to figure out your actual tax liability.