How to sell stock on Robinhood

To sell stock on Robinhood, open the app or website, find the stock in your portfolio, tap or click "Sell," choose how many shares you want to sell, review the price, and confirm the order. The stock leaves your account immediately, but the cash may take one to two business days to settle into your account balance — during that time it shows as "unsettled" and you cannot withdraw it.

The process is the same whether you use the mobile app or the desktop website. Robinhood does not charge a commission to buy or sell stocks, so you pay no fee for the transaction itself. The price you see when you place the order is the price you will receive, though the actual execution price can shift slightly if the market moves between when you submit and when the order fills.

Key Takeaways

  • Selling stock on Robinhood takes less than a minute: find the stock, tap Sell, enter the number of shares, and confirm.
  • Cash from a sale takes one to two business days to settle; until then it shows as unsettled and cannot be withdrawn or used to buy other stocks.
  • Robinhood charges no commission on stock sales, but the price you receive depends on market conditions at the moment your order fills.
  • If you sell a stock you bought less than 30 days ago, Robinhood flags it as a wash sale, which affects how you report the loss on your taxes.

Finding and opening the sell screen

Open Robinhood and go to your portfolio. Tap or click on the stock you want to sell — this opens the stock detail page showing your position, the current price, and your gain or loss. At the bottom of the screen (mobile) or in the right panel (desktop), you will see a "Sell" button. Tap or click it.

The sell screen appears. At the top, Robinhood shows the stock symbol, the current bid price (the price you will receive), and how many shares you own. If you own fractional shares — for example, 10.5 shares — you can sell all of them or just a whole number.

Entering the number of shares and reviewing the order

On the sell screen, enter the number of shares you want to sell. You can type a number or use the plus and minus buttons to adjust. Robinhood shows you the estimated proceeds — the amount of cash you will receive before any taxes or fees. This is a real-time estimate; the actual amount may shift slightly if the stock price moves before your order fills.

Below the share count, Robinhood displays the order type. By default, this is a market order, which means your shares will sell at the current market price as soon as the order reaches the exchange. You can tap "Order Type" to switch to a limit order if you want to set a minimum price you are willing to accept, though this means the order may not fill if the price does not reach your limit.

Review the estimated proceeds and the number of shares one more time. Once you tap "Submit Order" or "Sell," the order is live and cannot be cancelled.

What happens after you submit the order

Once you confirm, Robinhood sends the order to the market. For stocks, this usually fills within seconds during market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays). The stock immediately disappears from your portfolio and the cash appears in your account — but it shows as "unsettled" or "pending" rather than available to spend.

The settlement period is one to two business days. During this time, you cannot withdraw the cash or use it to buy other stocks. After settlement completes, the cash moves to your available balance and you can use it freely. Weekends and market holidays extend the settlement window.

Selling after hours or before market open

If you place a sell order outside regular market hours (before 9:30 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays), Robinhood queues the order and sends it to the market when trading opens. The price you receive may be different from the price shown when you placed the order, because stock prices change overnight and at market open.

Robinhood does not let you set a specific time for the order to execute. If you want to sell at a particular price rather than at market open, use a limit order instead. A limit order stays active until it fills or until you cancel it, and it will execute as soon as the stock price reaches your limit — even if that happens after hours on a future day.

Tax reporting and wash sales

When you sell a stock at a loss, Robinhood flags the transaction if you bought the same stock (or a substantially identical one) within 30 days before or after the sale. This is called a wash sale. The IRS does not allow you to deduct the loss on your taxes if a wash sale applies, though the loss is added to the cost basis of the new shares you bought.

Robinhood shows a wash sale warning on the sell screen if one applies. You can still complete the sale — the warning is informational only. When you file your taxes, you will need to report the sale on Schedule D (Form 1040) and note any wash sale adjustments. If you use tax software or a tax professional, they can usually import your Robinhood transactions directly.

Selling fractional shares

Robinhood lets you sell fractional shares — for example, if you own 5.25 shares, you can sell all 5.25 or just 0.25. The proceeds are calculated the same way: number of shares times the current price. Fractional shares settle on the same one- to two-business-day timeline as whole shares.

You cannot place a limit order on fractional shares; fractional share sales are market orders only. If you want to sell a fractional share at a specific price, you must wait until the stock reaches that price and then place a market order.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I cancel a sell order after I submit it?

No. Once you tap Submit Order, the order is live and cannot be cancelled. If the order has not filled yet (which is rare for stocks during market hours), you can contact Robinhood support, but they cannot may provide a cancellation. The best practice is to review the order twice before confirming.

Why does my cash show as unsettled?

Stock sales take one to two business days to settle — this is a rule set by the financial industry, not by Robinhood. During settlement, the cash is yours but locked from withdrawal or use. After settlement completes, it moves to your available balance. Weekends and market holidays add extra days.

What if I sell a stock and the price drops the next day?

You have already locked in your sale price. The price after you sell does not affect you. If you regret the sale, you can buy the stock back at any time, but you will pay whatever the current price is — which may be higher or lower than what you sold it for.

Do I pay taxes when I sell?

Robinhood does not withhold taxes from your sale proceeds. You owe capital gains tax on the profit (or can deduct the loss) when you file your tax return. Short-term gains (stocks held less than one year) are taxed as ordinary income; long-term gains (held one year or more) usually have a lower tax rate. Keep records of your purchase and sale dates and prices.

Can I sell stock I bought on margin?

Yes. If you have Robinhood Gold (the margin account), you can sell stocks you bought on borrowed money the same way you sell stocks you bought with cash. The proceeds still take one to two business days to settle. Selling does not automatically pay back the margin loan — you must do that separately through your account settings.