What is the difference between brokerage cash and withdrawable cash?
Brokerage cash is a top-line cash total in your investing account. It's the cash amount before stripping out items like unsettled trades and collateral. Buying power is the bottom-line amount of cash available to you immediately. It might be called "cash available for withdrawal" or some variant on that.
Can you pull money out of a brokerage account? Yes, you can pull money out of a brokerage account with a bank account transfer, a wire transfer, or by requesting a check. You can only withdraw cash, so if you want to withdraw more than your cash balance, you'll need to sell investments first.
Proceeds from selling a stock or security will settle in your brokerage account 2 business days after the sale. Once the proceeds from your sales have settled, they will be available to withdraw.
Brokerage cash is the amount of uninvested cash in your investment account. It's a top-line number, meaning it does not factor in unsettled trades or margin collateral, and so it's possible not all of the cash is available to invest or withdraw.
Uninvested brokerage cash is any available cash that you have in your brokerage account that you have not yet invested or spent. This money is what is swept (or moved) to program banks where it starts to earn interest. For those with a Robinhood Gold account, this doesn't include margin.
Funds are not available to withdraw before they have fully settled. Stock trades settle on a T+2 basis. Options trades take one business day to settle.
In the context of fund withdrawals, trade settlement is when proceeds from a trade convert to cash that can be withdrawn. If you have not made a trade or your trades have already settled then there may be a withdrawal hold due to anti-money laundering rules/regulations, see below.
To transfer funds to your bank from your brokerage account: Go into your Cash tab. Tap Transfer. Tap Transfer to Your Bank.
- Tap “Account”
- Tap “Transfers”
- Select “Transfer to your bank” (or “Transfer to debit card”)
- Select your bank account (or debit card)
- Enter the amount you'd like to withdraw.
- Confirm the amount and details.
- Tap “Transfer”
You'll pay taxes on brokerage account income in the tax year you earn it. What matters for taxable brokerage accounts is when the money is earned or gains are realized, not when it is withdrawn and enjoyed.
What should I do with brokerage cash?
It can be reinvested or left alone to wait for the next investing opportunity. Another option is to set up a cash management account and pay bills with the cash. Or have some fun and go on vacation!
Before you can process any withdrawals through Robinhood, your funds need to “settle”, which means that at least 2 trading days need to pass before your sale funds will turn into withdrawable funds.
Options for Managing Your Cash
Typical options for your uninvested cash include leaving it in your brokerage account, “sweeping” (automatically transferring) it to a bank deposit account as part of a bank sweep program, or sweeping it to a money market mutual fund as part of a money market sweep program.
Insurance – Robinhood sweeps cash balances into F.D.I.C. insured banks each day. This means that cash balances at Robinhood are insured up to $250,000 per user. In addition, all stocks and ETFs in the platform are insured up to $500,000 through the Security Investors Protection Corporation (SIPC).
You can transfer securities and cash to outside brokerages through ACATS (Automated Customer Account Transfer Service). If you want to keep your Robinhood account, you can initiate a partial transfer. Otherwise, you can initiate a full transfer and we'll put your account on hold.
Robinhood withdrawal rules and limits
Trade settlement: If you're trading in the US, it takes 3 days to settle. Robinhood Gold or Instant users may have instant settlement for quick withdrawals after selling stocks, ETFs, or options. Withdrawal limit: You can make up to 5 transfers per business day.
Withdrawals. When withdrawing money from your spending or brokerage account, it depends on what type of account you're transferring money to: Standard bank transfer: No fee for withdrawals. External debit card account: Withdrawals have up to a 1.75% fee based on the amount being transferred out.
In general, withdrawing money from a Robinhood trading account may be subject to taxes depending on the specific circ*mstances, such as the amount of gains or losses and the holding period of the assets sold.
Capital gains
They're usually taxed at ordinary income tax rates (10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, or 37%). Long-term capital gains are profits from selling assets you own for more than a year. They're usually taxed at lower long-term capital gains tax rates (0%, 15%, or 20%).
“Ideally, you'll invest somewhere around 15%–25% of your post-tax income,” says Mark Henry, founder and CEO at Alloy Wealth Management. “If you need to start smaller and work your way up to that goal, that's fine.
What is the best brokerage account?
- Interactive Brokers: Best Online Broker for Traders.
- TD Ameritrade: Best Online Broker for Beginners and Best for Mobile App Users.
- Fidelity Investments: Best Online Broker for Everyday Investors.
- Charles Schwab: Best Online Broker for Customer Service.
Is it safe to keep more than $500,000 in a brokerage account? It is safe in the sense that there are measures in place to help investors recoup their investments before the SIPC steps in. And, indeed, the SIPC will not get involved until the liquidation process starts.
If you've got a large chunk of cash, you might secure better returns outside of a brokerage account. You could lose money. If your money is swept into a money market fund, that cash won't be insured by the FDIC or SIPC. It's possible to lose money.
The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) is a nonprofit membership corporation that protects customers of SIPC-member broker-dealers if those firms were to fail financially. SIPC protects brokerage accounts of each customer up to $500,000, including up to $250,000 for cash.
- Robinhood Cash Management isn't available to new customers.
- No mobile check deposit.
- Limited customer service options.
- $2.50 ATM fee.
