The basic steps to sell shares
To sell shares on Robinhood, open the app or website, find the stock you own in your portfolio, tap or click it, then tap the sell button. You'll enter how many shares you want to sell, review the price you'll receive, and confirm the sale. The order executes during market hours — typically 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays when the market is open.
After you confirm, Robinhood sends your order to the market. The sale usually fills within seconds during regular trading hours, though the exact price may shift slightly from what you saw on screen. Once filled, the cash lands in your Robinhood account immediately, but you cannot withdraw it for two business days due to a federal settlement rule called T+2 (trade plus two days).
Key Takeaways
- Selling shares takes three steps: find the stock in your portfolio, tap sell, enter the number of shares, and confirm the order.
- Market orders sell at the current market price and fill almost instantly during trading hours; limit orders let you set a price but may not fill if the stock doesn't reach it.
- Cash from a sale lands in your account right away but cannot be withdrawn for two business days under federal settlement rules.
- Selling during market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, weekdays) gives you the tightest prices; after-hours orders may execute at wider spreads or not at all.
- Robinhood charges no commission on stock sales, but the bid-ask spread (the gap between buy and sell prices) is your real cost.
Market orders versus limit orders
A market order sells your shares at whatever price the market is offering right now. This is the fastest way to exit a position — your order almost always fills immediately during market hours. The tradeoff is that you don't control the exact price. If the stock is moving fast, the price you receive may be a few cents lower than what you saw when you tapped sell.
A limit order lets you set a minimum price. Robinhood will only sell your shares if the stock reaches that price or higher. This protects you from selling into a sudden dip, but it also means your order might never fill. If the stock never hits your limit price, your shares stay in your account and the order expires at the end of the trading day (or whenever you cancel it). Limit orders are useful when you're willing to wait for a better price, but they require you to monitor the stock or check back later.
Timing: market hours and after-hours trading
Robinhood lets you trade during regular market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday) and also during extended hours — 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern in the evening and 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in the morning. Regular hours have the most buyers and sellers, so your order fills faster and at tighter prices.
After-hours trading is thinner — fewer people are trading, so the gap between the bid price (what buyers offer) and the ask price (what sellers want) widens. This means you'll receive less money per share if you sell after hours. For most stocks, selling during regular market hours gives you a better result. After-hours orders can also fail to fill if no one wants to buy at your price.
Understanding the two-day settlement rule
When you sell shares, the cash appears in your Robinhood account instantly. However, you cannot withdraw that money to your bank account for two business days. This is not a Robinhood rule — it's a federal requirement called T+2 settlement. The "T" stands for trade day, and "+2" means two business days after the trade. Weekends and market holidays don't count as business days, so a Friday sale won't settle until Tuesday.
During those two days, you can use the cash to buy other stocks, but you cannot move it out of Robinhood. Once the settlement period ends, the money is yours to withdraw. This rule exists because the stock market needs time to confirm that the buyer actually has the money and the seller actually owns the shares.
What happens if you sell at a loss
Selling shares for less than you paid is a capital loss. Robinhood will show you the loss in your account, and you can use it to reduce your taxes. If you sell a stock at a loss, you can claim that loss on your tax return to offset capital gains from other investments or, in some cases, to reduce your ordinary income by up to $3,000 per year.
Be aware of the wash-sale rule: if you sell a stock at a loss and buy the same stock (or a substantially identical one) within 30 days before or after the sale, the IRS disallows the loss deduction. Robinhood does not prevent you from doing this, so you have to track it yourself or consult a tax professional. The rule applies to the same security, not to similar companies in the same sector.
Fees and costs you should know about
Robinhood charges zero commission on stock sales. You don't pay a flat fee per trade the way you might at an older brokerage. However, you do pay an invisible cost called the bid-ask spread. This is the difference between what buyers are willing to pay (the bid) and what sellers are asking (the ask). When you sell, you receive the bid price, which is always lower than the ask price. For a liquid stock like Apple or Tesla, this spread might be a penny or two per share. For a thinly traded stock, it could be much wider.
Robinhood also does not charge for after-hours trading, but the wider spreads during those hours mean you'll lose more money to the bid-ask gap. If you're selling a large number of shares, the spread cost adds up quickly, so timing your sale during peak market hours usually saves you money.
Selling fractional shares
Robinhood lets you sell fractional shares — pieces of a share that add up to less than one full share. If you own 10.5 shares of a stock, you can sell all 10.5 shares in a single order. This is useful if you've been reinvesting dividends or if you bought fractional shares to begin with. The process is identical to selling whole shares: find the stock, tap sell, enter the amount (10.5), and confirm.
Fractional shares sell at the same market price as whole shares, with no extra fee. You can place a market order or a limit order for fractional shares just as you would for whole shares. The settlement period and withdrawal rules are the same whether you're selling fractional or whole shares.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell shares immediately after I buy them?
Yes. Robinhood has no holding period — you can buy a stock and sell it seconds later if you want. However, if you do this repeatedly (more than three day trades in five business days), Robinhood will flag your account as a pattern day trader and require you to maintain a $25,000 minimum balance. This rule comes from the SEC, not Robinhood.
What if my sell order doesn't fill?
If you placed a limit order and the stock never reached your price, the order expires at the end of the trading day and your shares remain unsold. You can place a new order the next day. If you placed a market order and it didn't fill, contact Robinhood support — this is rare during market hours but can happen if the stock is halted or if there's a technical issue.
Do I pay taxes when I sell?
Robinhood does not withhold taxes when you sell. You owe capital gains tax on the profit (or can deduct the loss), but you pay it when you file your tax return, not at the time of sale. Robinhood sends you a tax document (Form 1099-B) in January showing all your sales from the previous year.
Can I cancel a sell order after I place it?
If your order hasn't filled yet, yes — you can cancel it from the orders screen. Once the order fills, it's complete and cannot be undone. If you want to reverse a sale, you'd have to buy the shares back, which is a separate transaction.
Why is the price I received different from the price I saw?
Stock prices move constantly during market hours. Between the moment you tap sell and the moment your order reaches the market, the price may have shifted. This is called slippage. Market orders accept whatever price is available when they execute. Limit orders prevent this by letting you set a floor price, but they may not fill if the stock doesn't reach it.