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In general, you can think of unsettled funds in Robinhood much like you would with pending transactions in your bank account. They are funds that simply haven’t cleared yet. As a good rule of thumb, unsettled funds in Robinhood will take between 3 and 5 business days to settle.
At this point, you’re probably wondering if you can do anything with these funds, or do you have to wait until they settle first? What about crypto – do you need to wait the same length of time for funds from selling crypto to settle?
The answers might surprise you.
In This Post:
- Why Do I Have Unsettled Funds in Robinhood?
- Where Can I See Unsettled Funds in Robinhood?
- Can I Trade With Unsettled Funds in Robinhood?
- Do Funds from Crypto Sales Have to Settle First?
- What Happens if I Don’t Use Unsettled Funds in Robinhood?
- Why is Robinhood Saying I don’t Have Enough Buying Power?
- Can You Withdraw Unsettled Funds in Robinhood?
- How to Prevent Unsettled Funds from Happening in the Future
- Wrapping Up
- References
Why Do I Have Unsettled Funds in Robinhood?
When you see unsettled funds in your Robinhood account, don’t worry – you didn’t do anything wrong. In general, unsettled funds occur when you’ve recently transferred money from your bank account or sold stocks in Robinhood. It’s common to have some unsettled funds, depending on how often you trade or transfer money.
The bigger question is usually what you can use the unsettled funds for.
Unsettled Funds from Bank Account Deposits
The first common type of unsettled funds is from bank account deposits. When you deposit money into your Robinhood account from your bank account, there is a standard 3-5 day waiting period for the funds to settle.
You can still use these funds in your account during this time – however, there are some restrictions on how you can use them.
For example, you can use unsettled funds to:
- Buy stocks or crypto
- Exercise options
- Transfer money out of Robinhood (using ACH transfer)
You cannot use unsettled funds to:
- Place a sell order for stocks or crypto that you own
- Cover a margin call
- Withdraw money from Robinhood using Instant or Standard transfers
If you try to do any of the latter things, you’ll likely see an error message that says you have insufficient funds.
Unsettled Funds from Selling Stocks
The second common type of unsettled funds is from selling stocks in Robinhood. When you sell stocks in Robinhood, the funds from that sale are typically available for use immediately – however, the funds are still considered unsettled.
Again, there are some restrictions on what you can do with these funds. For example, you can use unsettled funds to:
- Buy stocks or crypto
- Exercise options
- Transfer money out of Robinhood (using ACH transfer)
You cannot use unsettled funds to:
- Place a sell order for stocks or crypto that you own
- Cover a margin call
- Withdraw money from Robinhood using Instant or Standard transfers
If you try to do any of the latter things, you’ll likely see an error message that says you have insufficient funds.
So, if you’re wondering what unsettled funds are and how long it takes for them to settle – now you know. In general, these funds will take 3-5 business days to settle. In the meantime, you can still use them in your account – just be aware of the restrictions on how you can use them.
Where Can I See Unsettled Funds in Robinhood?
To see your unsettled funds in Robinhood, simply go to the Accounts tab and scroll down to the Settlement Funds section. Here, you’ll see a breakdown of your settled and unsettled funds.
For example, if you have $500 in your account and you’ve recently deposited $100 from your bank account, you’ll see $400 in settled funds and $100 in unsettled funds.
If you’ve recently sold stocks for $200, you’ll see $700 in unsettled funds ($500 from your account + $200 from the sale).
Once the funds have settled, you’ll see the full amount reflected in your account balance.
Can I Trade With Unsettled Funds in Robinhood?
Your ability to trade and the amount you can use with unsettled funds in Robinhood really depends on what type of Robinhood account you have. If you have a regular (non-gold) Robinhood account, you can instantly trade with up to $1,000 without having to wait for those funds to settle first.
However, if you’ve upgraded your account to Robinhood Gold, then you are able to trade instantly using unsettled funds for up to $5,000.
So, if you’re planning on doing some serious trading, it might be worth it to upgrade to Gold. Otherwise, you’ll just be limited to $1,000 worth of trades until your funds have settled.
RELATED: Robinhood Crypto Questions
Do Funds from Crypto Sales Have to Settle First?
If you’re wondering whether or not you have to wait for your crypto sales to settle before you can use the funds – the answer is no. When you sell crypto in Robinhood, the funds from that sale are available immediately.
So, if you’ve sold $100 worth of Bitcoin and you want to buy $100 worth of Ethereum, you can do that right away. You don’t have to wait for the Bitcoin sale to settle first.
The only time you have to wait for your crypto sales to settle is if you’re trying to withdraw those funds from Robinhood. When you sell crypto in Robinhood, the funds are immediately deposited into your account.
However, if you want to withdraw those funds, you’ll have to wait for them to settle first. So, if you’ve sold $100 worth of Bitcoin and you want to withdraw that money from Robinhood, you’ll have to wait 3-5 business days for the sale to settle before you can do that.
What Happens if I Don’t Use Unsettled Funds in Robinhood?
If you don’t use your unsettled funds within the 3-5 day settlement period, those funds will automatically be deposited into your bank account. So, if you have $100 in unsettled funds and you don’t do anything with them within the 3-5 day period, that money will be transferred to your bank account.
However, there is one exception to this rule. If you have unsettled funds in your Robinhood account and you close your account before those funds have settled, those funds will be frozen and you won’t be able to access them. So, if you’re thinking about closing your Robinhood account, make sure you use or withdraw any unsettled funds first.
Why is Robinhood Saying I don’t Have Enough Buying Power?
If you’re trying to buy a stock and Robinhood is telling you that you don’t have enough buying power, it’s most likely because you have unsettled funds in your account.
Remember, when you buy or sell a stock, the money from that trade isn’t available immediately. It takes 3-5 business days for the trade to settle and the funds to be deposited into your account. So, if you’re trying to buy a stock and you have unsettled funds in your account, Robinhood won’t let you do that.
You can check to see if you have any unsettled funds in your Robinhood account by going to the Accounts tab and scrolling down to the bottom. If you have any unsettled funds, they will be listed under the Unsettled Funds section.
If you don’t have any unsettled funds and Robinhood is still saying you don’t have enough buying power, then it’s possible that the stock you’re trying to buy is just too expensive. For example, if you’re trying to buy a stock that’s $1,000 per share and you only have $500 in your account, Robinhood won’t let you do that.
The bottom line is that you need to have enough money in your Robinhood account to cover the cost of the stock you’re trying to buy. If you don’t have enough money, you’ll either need to deposit more money into your account or buy a different stock.
Can You Withdraw Unsettled Funds in Robinhood?
If you want to withdraw your unsettled funds from Robinhood, you’ll have to wait for those funds to settle first. It takes 3-5 business days for a stock sale to settle and the funds to be deposited into your account. So, if you’ve sold stock and you’re trying to withdraw the money from Robinhood, you’ll have to wait 3-5 business days for the sale to settle before you can do that.
The only exception to this rule is if you close your Robinhood account before your funds have settled. If you have unsettled funds in your Robinhood account and you close your account before those funds have settled, those funds will be frozen and you won’t be able to access them. So, if you’re thinking about closing your Robinhood account, make sure you use or withdraw any unsettled funds first.
In summary, you can’t withdraw unsettled funds from Robinhood until those funds have settled.
How to Prevent Unsettled Funds from Happening in the Future
If you don’t want to deal with unsettled funds in the future, there are a few things you can do.
First, if you’re going to be selling a stock, make sure you wait at least 3-5 business days after the sale goes through before trying to withdraw the money from Robinhood.
Second, if you’re going to be closing your Robinhood account, make sure you use or withdraw any unsettled funds before doing that.
Finally, if you want to avoid having any unsettled funds in your account, you can always use cash accounts instead of margin accounts. With cash accounts, you can only buy stocks with the money you have in your account. So, if you don’t have enough money to buy a stock, you can’t do that. This prevents you from having any unsettled funds in your account.
Wrapping Up
Unsettled funds are the money from a stock sale that hasn’t been deposited into your account yet. It takes 3-5 business days for a stock sale to settle and the funds to be deposited into your account. So, if you’ve sold stock and you’re trying to withdraw the money from Robinhood, you’ll have to wait 3-5 business days for the sale to settle before you can do that.
If you have any unsettled funds in your Robinhood account, they will be listed under the Unsettled Funds section. You can’t withdraw unsettled funds from Robinhood until those funds have settled.
To avoid having any unsettled funds in your account, you can either wait 3-5 business days after selling a stock before trying to withdraw the money or you can use cash accounts instead of margin accounts. With cash accounts, you can only buy stocks with the money you have in your account.
So, if you don’t have enough money to buy a stock, you can’t do that. This prevents you from having any unsettled funds in your account.