How to sell stock on Robinhood
To sell stock on Robinhood, open the app, tap the stock you own, tap the sell button, enter how many shares you want to sell, review the price and order type, then confirm. The sale goes through during market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern on weekdays) or gets queued for the next market open if you sell after hours. Cash from the sale lands in your Robinhood account immediately after the order fills, but you cannot withdraw it for two business days due to a federal settlement rule called T+2.
The process takes about 30 seconds once you know where to tap. The harder part is deciding what to sell and when — but the mechanics themselves are straightforward.
Key Takeaways
- Selling stock on Robinhood requires opening the app, finding your position, tapping sell, entering the number of shares, and confirming the order.
- Orders placed during market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, weekdays) execute immediately at the current market price; orders placed after hours queue for the next market open.
- Cash from a sale appears in your Robinhood account right away, but federal rules prevent you from withdrawing it for two business days after the sale settles.
- You can sell partial shares on Robinhood, so you do not have to own a full share to sell — you can sell $50 worth of a $200 stock if you own that fractional amount.
- Robinhood charges no commission on stock sales, but the price you receive depends on the bid-ask spread at the moment your order executes.
Finding and opening your stock position
Tap the Stocks tab at the bottom of the Robinhood app (it looks like a chart). Scroll through your holdings or use the search bar to find the stock you want to sell. Tap on it to open the detail page, which shows your current shares, the current price, and your gain or loss.
If you own fractional shares (which Robinhood allows), the app displays the exact amount — for example, 2.5 shares instead of rounding to 2. This matters because you can sell any amount you own, down to a fraction of a cent's worth.
Entering your sell order
On the stock detail page, tap the sell button (usually a red or downward-pointing icon near the top). The app opens a sell screen where you enter the number of shares. You can type a specific number, use the plus and minus buttons to adjust, or tap "Sell all" to liquidate the entire position at once.
After you enter the quantity, Robinhood shows you the estimated proceeds — the amount you will receive before any fees. Since Robinhood charges no commission, this is the cash that will land in your account (minus any taxes you owe, which Robinhood does not withhold automatically).
Choosing your order type
Robinhood defaults to a market order, which sells your shares at whatever price the market is trading them for right now. This executes almost instantly during market hours, but you do not know the exact price until the order fills — it could be a few cents higher or lower than what you see on screen.
You can also place a limit order, which lets you set a minimum price you are willing to accept. If the stock never reaches that price, your order does not sell. Limit orders are useful if you want to avoid selling at a bad moment, but they carry the risk that you will miss the sale entirely if the price moves the wrong direction.
For most people selling a small number of shares, a market order is simpler and faster. Limit orders make more sense if you are selling a large position and want to control the price.
Confirming and timing your sale
After you choose your order type, review the details: the number of shares, the estimated proceeds, and the order type. Tap confirm or submit. The order goes through immediately if you are selling during market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday). If you sell after hours or on a weekend, your order queues and executes at the next market open.
Once the order fills, you see a confirmation screen with the exact price per share and the total proceeds. This cash appears in your Robinhood account balance right away, but you cannot transfer it to your bank account for two business days. This delay is a federal rule (T+2 settlement) that applies to all brokers, not just Robinhood.
What happens to your cash after the sale
The money from your sale sits in your Robinhood account as cash. You can use it to buy other stocks immediately, but you cannot withdraw it to your bank account until two business days have passed since the sale executed. If you try to withdraw before then, Robinhood blocks the transfer.
This two-day wait exists because stock trades do not actually settle instantly — the exchange and your broker need time to confirm the transaction and move the shares and cash between accounts. It is not a Robinhood policy; it is a rule set by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Depository Trust Company (DTC).
Understanding bid-ask spread and execution price
When you place a market order to sell, you receive the bid price — the price a buyer is willing to pay right now. This is usually slightly lower than the price you see displayed on your screen, which is often the ask price (what a seller is asking). The difference is called the bid-ask spread.
For popular stocks like Apple or Tesla, the spread is usually just a penny or two per share. For less-traded stocks, the spread can be wider, meaning you lose more between the displayed price and the price you actually receive. This is why market orders on thinly traded stocks can feel like you got a worse deal than you expected — you did, but that is how markets work.
A limit order lets you avoid this by setting a minimum acceptable price, but again, your order might not fill if the stock never reaches that price.
Selling fractional shares and partial positions
Robinhood lets you sell any amount you own, including fractional shares. If you own 2.347 shares of a stock, you can sell all 2.347, or sell just 1 share and keep the rest. You can also sell a dollar amount instead of a share count — for example, "sell $100 worth" rather than "sell 0.5 shares."
This flexibility means you do not have to own a full share to participate in selling. It also means you can trim a position without having to sell in whole-share increments, which is useful if you want to rebalance your portfolio or raise cash without liquidating an entire holding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell stock on Robinhood after market hours?
You can place a sell order after market hours (after 4 p.m. Eastern or before 9:30 a.m.), but it will not execute until the market opens the next trading day. Your order sits in the queue and fills at the market open price, which may be different from the price you saw when you placed the order.
What if I want to cancel a sell order?
If your order has not filled yet, you can cancel it from the order history screen in the app. Once the order fills, it is complete and cannot be reversed — you would have to buy the shares back separately if you changed your mind.
Do I have to pay taxes when I sell stock on Robinhood?
Yes, you owe capital gains tax on any profit when you sell. Robinhood does not withhold taxes automatically, so you are responsible for reporting the sale on your tax return. Robinhood sends you a tax form (1099-B) at the end of the year with your sale details.
Why is my sale price different from the price I saw on screen?
Market prices move constantly during trading hours. If you place a market order, you get whatever price the market is at the moment your order executes — which could be a few cents different from what you saw when you tapped sell. This is normal and happens at every broker.
Can I sell stock I just bought?
Yes, you can sell immediately after buying. There is no holding period. However, if you buy and sell the same stock multiple times in five business days, Robinhood may flag your account as a pattern day trader, which comes with account restrictions and higher minimum balance requirements.