Pattern Day Trade Protection | Robinhood (2024)

FAQs

How to bypass pattern day trading rule? ›

Buy and swing trade overnight. Since the PDT rule only applies to day trades, you buy and sell a stock within the same day, there's a time loophole that works in your benefit. When you buy a stock overnight and sell the next morning, that does not count as a day trade.

Monitor your day trades.

Placing fewer than 4 day trades in any rolling 5 trading day period will help avoid a PDT flag.

Switch to a cash account.

A cash account isn't subject to PDT regulation. This will allow you to continue day trading and regain access to our Stock Lending and Brokerage cash sweep programs.

Yes, there are two ways to have the restriction removed. You may call 855-525-7634 and request to use your one-time reset request. The removal of the restriction may take 1-2 business days.

According to FINRA rules, you're considered a pattern day trader if you execute four or more "day trades" within five business days—provided that the number of day trades represents more than 6 percent of your total trades in the margin account for that same five business day period.

What is the 3 5 7 rule in trading? A risk management principle known as the “3-5-7” rule in trading advises diversifying one's financial holdings to reduce risk. The 3% rule states that you should never risk more than 3% of your whole trading capital on a single deal.

The simplest way to avoid being labeled a PDT is to refrain from making more than three day trades within five rolling business days. Additionally, keep the following in mind: Individual options contracts aren't necessarily considered day trades if they're part of a spread or larger order.

An account will be restricted for 90 calendar days upon being flagged as a Pattern Day Trader (PDT) account, during which no new positions can be purchased.

What happens if you get flagged as a PDT? ›

When a customer with more than $25,000 is flagged as a PDT, the customer can day trade for unlimited times if he/she has sufficient day-trading buying power(DTBP). Your DTBP is equal to the excess maintenance margin that is available in your account multiplied by two (or by four, brokers can adjust the leverage).

There is nothing wrong with being a pattern day trader, but it does mean you have to follow day trading rules. The most significant rule that pattern day traders must follow is the $25,000 minimum account balance. Margin accounts that are not flagged as pattern day traders have a minimum account value of $2,000.

While the practice is legal, investors who trade the same securities often in a single day are potentially flagged as “pattern day traders" (PDT), which requires adherence to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) requirements.

With a cash account, you can day trade without the $25k minimum, but you're limited by the settlement period of funds, typically two business days after a trade. Margin accounts offer more flexibility but come with the PDT rule and increased risks due to leverage.

If you violate these restrictions, what might happen next will vary depending on your broker. But in many cases, your account will be restricted to exiting (i.e., liquidating) positions only. That means you can sell what you own, but you can't buy anything for a specified period of time determined by your broker.

Once your account value is above $25,000, the restriction no longer applies to you. You usually don't have to worry about violating this rule by mistake because your broker will notify you. If you ignore their warnings, they will freeze your brokerage account for 90 days.