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 the sell button, enter how many shares you want to sell, review the order details, and confirm the sale. The order executes during market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays) or enters a queue for the next market open if you place it outside those hours. Your cash appears in your account when ready after the sale settles, which takes one business day.
The process is the same whether you use the Robinhood app on your phone or the website on a computer. You do not need to contact support or fill out forms — the entire transaction happens inside the app.
Key Takeaways
- You can sell stock during market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays) and see the order execute the same day, or place an order outside those hours and it will execute when the market opens.
- The cash from your sale settles one business day after the sale, meaning you cannot use it to buy stock until the next day.
- You can sell a partial number of shares — you do not have to sell all 100 shares at once if you own 100.
- Selling stock triggers a taxable event, and Robinhood reports your sales to the IRS on Form 1099-B, so keep track of which shares you sold and when.
Step-by-step: selling a stock you own
Open Robinhood and tap the Stocks tab at the bottom of the screen (on the app) or click Stocks in the left menu (on the website). Scroll to find the stock you want to sell, or use the search bar at the top to type the company name or ticker symbol.
Tap or click the stock name to open its detail page. You will see a chart, news, and at the bottom a section showing your position — how many shares you own and what you paid for them. Tap or click the Sell button (usually green or highlighted).
A sell order window opens. It shows the current price and asks how many shares you want to sell. Enter the number. If you own 50 shares and want to sell 20, type 20. If you want to sell all of them, tap "All" or the number shown. Robinhood displays the estimated proceeds — the amount you will receive before any fees.
Review the order details: the number of shares, the current price, and the total. Tap or click the Sell button again to confirm. The order is now placed.
What happens after you place a sell order
If you place the order during market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday), it executes when ready at or near the price shown. You will see a confirmation message in the app, and the stock will disappear from your portfolio.
If you place the order outside market hours — before 9:30 a.m., after 4 p.m., on weekends, or on holidays when the market is closed — the order enters a queue and executes at the market open the next trading day. You can cancel the order before the market opens if you change your mind; after the market opens, the sale is final.
The cash from your sale appears in your Robinhood account balance when ready, but you cannot use it to buy stock until one business day has passed. This is called the settlement period. If you sell on a Monday, you can use the cash to buy on Tuesday. If you sell on a Friday, you can use the cash on Monday (assuming the market is open).
Selling partial shares
Robinhood allows you to sell fractional shares — meaning you can sell 10.5 shares instead of only whole numbers like 10 or 11. This is useful if you want to sell a specific dollar amount rather than a specific number of shares.
When you tap Sell and enter the number of shares, you can type a decimal. For example, if you own 100 shares and want to sell $5,000 worth, you can calculate the number of shares needed at the current price and enter that decimal amount. Robinhood will execute the sale for that exact number of shares.
Understanding settlement and when you can use the cash
Settlement is the time it takes for your sale to officially clear through the financial system. On Robinhood, stock sales settle in one business day. This means if you sell on Tuesday, the cash is available to use on Wednesday. Weekends and market holidays do not count as business days.
During the settlement period, the cash sits in your account but is marked as unsettled. You can see it in your account balance, but Robinhood will not let you use it to buy stock until it settles. If you try to buy before settlement is complete, you will see an error message.
This rule exists because the stock exchange and your bank need time to confirm the sale and transfer the money. It is not a Robinhood rule — all brokers follow the same settlement timeline.
Tax reporting and keeping records
When you sell stock, you create a taxable event. The profit or loss you make is subject to capital gains tax. Robinhood tracks all your sales and reports them to the IRS on Form 1099-B, which you will receive by January 31 of the year after you sell.
To calculate your gain or loss, you need to know the price you paid for the shares and the price you sold them for. Robinhood shows this information in your transaction history. Tap the Account tab (on the app) or click Account in the left menu (on the website), then find the Statements or History section. You can view and read a record of every sale you made.
If you sold shares at different times or bought them at different prices, keep track of which specific shares you sold. Some people use the "first in, first out" method (selling the oldest shares first), while others choose shares that minimize their tax bill. Robinhood lets you specify which shares to sell if you bought the same stock multiple times.
Selling during market hours versus after hours
Robinhood offers extended hours trading, which means you can place sell orders before the market opens (4 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time) and after it closes (4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time). However, not all stocks trade during extended hours, and the price may be different from the regular market price.
If you try to sell a stock during extended hours and it does not trade during those hours, your order will not execute until the regular market opens. The price shown during extended hours is an estimate based on recent trades, not a may provide. If you want certainty about the price, place your order during regular market hours.
For most people, selling during regular market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time) is simpler and offers better prices because more buyers and sellers are active.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell stock when ready after I buy it?
Yes, you can sell stock the same day you buy it. There is no holding period. However, if you buy and sell the same stock multiple times within five trading days, Robinhood may flag your account as a pattern day trader, which comes with account restrictions. Check Robinhood's day trading rules if you plan to buy and sell frequently.
What if I place a sell order and the price drops before it executes?
If you place an order during market hours, it executes at or near the price shown when you placed it. If the price drops after you place the order but before it executes, you may receive a slightly lower price, but the difference is usually small. If you place an order outside market hours, it executes at the market open price the next day, which could be higher or lower than the previous close.
Do I pay a commission to sell stock on Robinhood?
No, Robinhood does not charge a commission to buy or sell stocks. You pay no fee per transaction. The only cost is the difference between the bid and ask price (called the spread), which is the same on any broker.
Can I cancel a sell order after I place it?
Yes, you can cancel a sell order if it has not executed yet. If you placed the order during market hours and it already executed, you cannot cancel it — the sale is final. If you placed the order outside market hours, you can cancel it before the market opens. Open the order in your app or website and tap or click Cancel.
What happens if I sell stock in a retirement account like an IRA?
Selling stock in a Robinhood IRA works the same way as selling in a regular account, but the tax treatment is different. In a traditional IRA, you do not pay capital gains tax when you sell — the tax is deferred until you withdraw money in retirement. In a Roth IRA, you do not pay tax on the sale or the withdrawal if you follow the rules. The mechanics of selling are identical; only the tax consequences change.