Selling stock on Robinhood takes three steps: open the stock detail page, tap the sell button, and confirm the order

To sell a stock you own on Robinhood, find the stock in your portfolio, tap or click the sell icon, enter how many shares you want to sell, review the price, and submit the order. The sale executes during market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays) at the current market price, or during extended hours (4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.) if you turn on that setting. Cash from the sale lands in your Robinhood account when ready after the order fills, but you cannot withdraw it for two business days due to a federal settlement rule called T+2 (trade plus two days).

The process is the same whether you are selling one share or many, and Robinhood does not charge a commission on stock sales. You do pay taxes on any profit when you sell, which is your responsibility to report to the IRS — Robinhood sends you a tax form at the end of the year but does not withhold money automatically.

Key Takeaways

  • Open your Robinhood portfolio, find the stock you own, and tap the sell button to start an order.
  • You can sell during regular market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern) or extended hours if you enable that feature in settings.
  • Cash from your sale appears in your account right away but cannot be withdrawn for two business days.
  • You owe taxes on any profit from the sale, and Robinhood reports your transactions to the IRS on Form 1099-B.

Finding and opening the stock you want to sell

Start by opening the Robinhood app or website and going to your portfolio. Your portfolio shows every stock you currently own, listed with the number of shares, the price you paid, and the current value. Tap or click on the stock name or ticker symbol to open its detail page.

Once the detail page opens, you will see a chart of the stock's price over time, news about the company, and buttons at the bottom. Look for the button labeled "Sell" — it is usually next to a "Buy" button. Tap or click "Sell" to begin your order.

Entering the number of shares and reviewing the price

After you tap "Sell", a window appears asking how many shares you want to sell. Type the number or use the plus and minus buttons to adjust it. Robinhood will not let you sell more shares than you own, so the app will stop you if you try.

Below the share count, you will see the current market price per share and the total dollar amount you will receive (before taxes and fees). This price updates in real time during market hours. If you are selling during extended hours, the price may be different from the regular market price because fewer traders are active. Review the total amount and make sure it matches what you expect.

Choosing when to sell: market hours versus extended hours

By default, Robinhood sells your stock during regular market hours, which run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays. This is when the most traders are active, so your order usually fills at a price very close to what you see on the screen.

If you want to sell outside those hours, you can turn on extended hours trading in your Robinhood settings. Extended hours run from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (pre-market) and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (after-hours). During extended hours, fewer traders are active, so prices can swing more and your order may fill at a different price than you expected. Robinhood shows you the current extended-hours price before you confirm the sale, so you can decide whether to proceed.

Confirming the order and watching it execute

Once you have entered the number of shares and reviewed the price, tap or click the button to confirm the order (usually labeled "Sell" or "Review Order"). Robinhood will show you a final summary with the number of shares, the price, and the total amount. If everything looks right, confirm again.

Your order then goes to the market. During market hours, it usually fills within seconds. You will see a notification in the app saying "Order Filled" along with the exact price and time. If you sold during extended hours or placed an order when the market was closed, it will fill when the market opens or during the extended-hours window.

Understanding when you can use the cash from your sale

The moment your sale order fills, the cash appears in your Robinhood account balance. However, you cannot withdraw that money or use it to buy certain investments for two business days. This delay is called T+2 settlement and is a federal rule that applies to all stock brokers, not just Robinhood.

You can use the cash to buy other stocks when ready — Robinhood lets you do this even during the two-day settlement period. But if you want to move the money to your bank account, you have to wait. If you try to withdraw before the two days are up, Robinhood will show you an error message telling you when the cash will be available.

What happens to fractional shares when you sell

If you own a fractional share (less than one full share) of a stock, you can sell it just like a whole share. For example, if you own 5.5 shares of a stock, you can sell all 5.5 shares in one order. Robinhood will calculate the total based on the current price and sell the fractional share at the same price per share as the whole shares.

Some stocks do not allow fractional-share sales during extended hours, so if you own a fractional share and want to sell during pre-market or after-hours trading, Robinhood may require you to wait until regular market hours. The app will tell you this when you try to place the order.

Taxes and record-keeping after you sell

When you sell a stock for more than you paid for it, you owe capital gains tax on the profit. If you sell for less than you paid, you have a capital loss, which can offset other gains. Robinhood does not withhold taxes automatically — you are responsible for reporting the sale to the IRS when you file your tax return.

At the end of each tax year, Robinhood sends you a Form 1099-B showing all your stock sales, the price you sold at, and the date. You can also read a detailed tax report from Robinhood's website showing every transaction. Keep your own records of what you paid for each stock (called your cost basis) so you can calculate your gain or loss correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I sell a stock I just bought?

Yes. Robinhood has no rule against selling a stock the same day you buy it. However, if you buy and sell stocks frequently using unsettled cash (money from a recent sale that has not yet completed its two-day settlement), you may trigger a pattern-day-trader flag if your account has less than $25,000. This can restrict your trading for 90 days.

What if my order does not fill?

During regular market hours, stock orders almost always fill when ready at or near the price you see. During extended hours, if there are not enough buyers at your price, your order may not fill. You can cancel an unfilled order and try again, or wait until regular market hours when more traders are active.

Do I pay a commission to sell stock on Robinhood?

No. Robinhood does not charge a commission on stock sales. You do owe taxes on any profit, but that is separate from a trading commission and is paid to the government, not to Robinhood.

Can I sell stock if the market is closed?

You can place a sell order anytime, but it will not fill until the market opens or during extended hours if you have that turned on. If you place an order after the market closes, it will wait until the next market open (or the next extended-hours session) to execute.

What if I sell by mistake?

Once your order fills, the sale is final and cannot be undone. If you sold by mistake, you would need to buy the stock back at the current price, which may be higher or lower than what you just sold it for. Robinhood does not have an undo button for filled orders.