You cannot sell options during after-hours trading on Robinhood

Options trading on Robinhood stops when the regular market closes at 4 p.m. Eastern time. After-hours trading — the period from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern — does not include options. If you hold an options contract and the market closes, you cannot sell it until the next trading day begins at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.

This is a hard limit set by the options exchanges themselves, not by Robinhood alone. All brokers, including Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and E*TRADE, follow the same rule. The options market straightforward does not operate outside regular market hours.

The only exception is if your options contract expires on that day. On expiration day, you can close a position during regular hours, but once 4 p.m. arrives, you are locked in until the next morning.

Key Takeaways

  • Options contracts can only be sold during regular market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern), not during after-hours trading.
  • If you need to close an options position after 4 p.m., you must wait until the next trading day to sell it.
  • This restriction applies to all brokers and all types of options — calls, puts, spreads, and all expiration dates.
  • On expiration day, you must close or roll your position before 4 p.m., or it will be handled automatically by the broker based on whether it is in or out of the money.

Why options stop trading at market close

Options are contracts tied to the price of an underlying stock. Once the stock stops trading, the price that matters for your contract is locked in. The options exchanges — primarily the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) — do not operate after 4 p.m. because there is no active stock market to reference.

After-hours stock trading exists because individual stocks can still trade on electronic networks. But options are standardized contracts that depend on an official closing price. Without a live market, there is no way to price an options contract fairly, and no way to may provide that both sides of a trade are getting a real market price.

Robinhood does offer after-hours stock trading to its users, but that feature does not extend to options. The two markets operate on different schedules for this reason.

What happens if you hold options when the market closes

If you own an options contract at 4 p.m., it stays in your account overnight. The contract does not disappear or expire early. You straightforward cannot sell it until 9:30 a.m. the next trading day.

If the contract is set to expire that same day, Robinhood will handle it automatically at 4 p.m. based on whether it is in the money or out of the money. An in-the-money contract will be exercised (converted into shares or cash). An out-of-the-money contract will expire worthless and disappear from your account. You do not have a choice in this — it happens automatically unless you close the position before 4 p.m.

If the contract expires on a future date, it will straightforward sit in your account until you sell it during regular hours or until its expiration date arrives.

How to avoid being stuck with an options position

The most common mistake is waiting too long to close a position. If you want to sell an options contract, do it before 3:50 p.m. Eastern. This gives you a small buffer in case your order takes a few seconds to process.

On expiration day, close your position even earlier — by 2 p.m. if possible. The closer you get to 4 p.m. on expiration day, the wider the bid-ask spread becomes (the difference between what buyers will pay and what sellers are asking). This means you will get a worse price if you wait.

If you forget and end up holding an options contract after hours, you have two choices: wait for the market to open the next day and sell it then, or hold it until expiration if you believe the price will move in your favor. There is no way to force an early sale.

Rolling options after hours

Rolling an options contract means closing your current position and opening a new one with a later expiration date or a different strike price. You cannot roll after hours on Robinhood because you cannot sell the original contract after 4 p.m.

If you want to roll a contract, you must do both legs of the trade during regular market hours. Some brokers offer a "roll" feature that lets you do this in a single order, but you still have to place that order before 4 p.m.

If you miss the window and the contract expires after hours, you will have to wait until the next trading day to open a new position. The automatic exercise or expiration will happen first, and then you can start fresh with a new contract.

Comparing Robinhood to other brokers on after-hours options

Robinhood's after-hours options restriction is not unique. Every major broker has the same rule because the options exchanges set it, not individual brokers. Fidelity, Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Interactive Brokers, and TD Ameritrade all stop options trading at 4 p.m. Eastern.

Some brokers offer slightly different features — for example, some let you set up alerts or automatic orders that will trigger at market open — but none of them let you actually sell an options contract after hours. The underlying market structure is the same across all platforms.

If after-hours options trading is important to your strategy, you should know that it is not available anywhere in the United States retail market. This is a regulatory and market structure limitation, not a Robinhood policy you can work around by switching brokers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sell options on Friday after 4 p.m. if they expire Monday?

No. Options stop trading at 4 p.m. every day, including Friday. If you want to sell a contract that expires Monday, you must do it before 4 p.m. on Friday. On Monday morning, you can sell it again during regular hours, but you cannot sell it over the weekend.

What if I have a day trade restriction and need to sell options after hours?

The day trade restriction does not change the after-hours rule. Options still cannot be sold after 4 p.m., regardless of your account status. If you are concerned about day trade limits, you need to plan your trades during regular hours.

Will Robinhood let me place an order to sell options after 4 p.m. that executes at market open?

Robinhood does not offer this feature for options. You can place after-hours orders for stocks, but not for options contracts. You have to wait until 9:30 a.m. and place your sell order manually during regular trading hours.

What happens if my options contract is about to expire and I am not near my phone at 4 p.m.?

Robinhood will automatically exercise or expire your contract based on whether it is in the money. If it is in the money, you will receive shares (for a call) or cash (for a put). If it is out of the money, the contract straightforward expires and disappears. You cannot prevent this, so set a reminder for expiration day.

Can I sell options during pre-market trading before 9:30 a.m.?

No. Options trading begins at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, the same time the stock market opens. Pre-market stock trading does not include options. You must wait for the regular market to open to sell any options contract.