Key Takeaways
- Check Transfer Status: If your incoming Robinhood ACATS transfer is pending, check History and allow 5 to 7 business days from when Robinhood received it. An in-app rejection notice can point to an incorrect account number, mismatched ownership, or an ineligible holding.
- Fix the Rejection: For a rejected Robinhood ACATS transfer, check the account number, owner names, and trust title, then exclude unsupported holdings and get any required margin or options approval. Consider a partial transfer, ask your old broker about holds, and resubmit after fixing the problem.
- Escalate the Delay: If your incoming Robinhood ACATS transfer stays pending past 7 business days, contact support through the app and confirm bonus eligibility if you resubmit after the offer closes. For an outgoing Robinhood ACATS transfer, start with your new broker and budget for the $100 fee.
If your Robinhood transfer is stuck on pending, check when Robinhood received it. The brokerage says incoming ACATS transfers typically settle within 5 to 7 business days of receipt. You can see your transfer’s progress in History, and if Robinhood can’t complete it, you’ll get an in-app notification explaining why.
Still within those 7 business days? Your transfer may simply need more time. If that window has passed or the app says your request was rejected, the next step depends on where it stalled.
This guide covers stocks, ETFs, options, and cash moving into or out of Robinhood through the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service, or ACATS. Let’s start with what counts as late.
How Long a Robinhood Transfer Should Take
For an incoming transfer, count from the day Robinhood receives your request. That can be later than the day you tap submit, and weekends and market holidays stay out of the count. Here’s when to expect the transfer itself and anything that follows it.
| What you’re waiting for | What to expect | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer into Robinhood | Usually 5 to 7 business days after Robinhood receives it | Robinhood charges no incoming fee. Your old broker may charge one, and eligible transfers of $7,500 or more can qualify for up to $75 in reimbursement. |
| Transfer out of Robinhood | Your new broker starts the request | Robinhood charges $100 for a full or partial transfer. A full transfer puts your account on hold for trading. |
| Cost basis | Up to 15 calendar days after settlement for your old broker to send it | Average cost and total return can stay blank while you wait. |
| Residual cash or shares | Incoming sweeps can continue for up to 6 months. Outgoing sweeps usually run weekly. | A late dividend or other eligible assets left behind can arrive separately. |
Once an incoming request is accepted, you lose access to the positions you’re moving at your old broker. You can manage them in Robinhood once the transfer completes.
Check Where Your Transfer Is First
The status in your app tells you whether to wait, fix the request, or ask a broker to check it. Start with History before changing anything.
Open History and Read the Notification
Open History in your Robinhood account and look for the transfer. If Robinhood couldn’t complete it, read the in-app notification for details. The reason there can save you from checking every holding and account field one by one.
If Robinhood rejected the transfer, correct the reason given and submit a new request. If History still shows the transfer as pending after 7 business days from receipt, ask Robinhood to check its status before submitting another one.
8 Fixes for a Stuck or Rejected Transfer Into Robinhood
A typo in your account number takes a minute to fix. A holding that Robinhood can’t accept may call for a partial transfer. Use the reason in your notification to find the fix that fits.
Re-enter the Outside Account Number in the Right Format
An incorrect account number is a common reason for rejection. Copy it from your old broker’s statement and check that it belongs to the account you want to move. If the app displays a nickname, pull up the statement to get the actual number.
Robinhood lists the formats below as a guide. If your statement shows something different, ask the old broker which number to use for ACATS.
| Outside broker | Account number format |
|---|---|
| Fidelity | 9 letters or digits |
| Charles Schwab and E*TRADE | 8 digits |
| Vanguard and JPMorgan | 8 or 11 digits |
| Merrill Lynch | 8 letters or digits |
| Webull, SoFi, Public, M1 Finance, and similar firms | 8 letters or digits |
| Cash App and Revolut | 17 characters made up of a 4-letter partner code, a 3-digit branch code, and a 10-character account number |
Make the Names on Both Accounts Match Exactly
The same people must own the accounts on both sides of the transfer. Move an individual account into an individual account in your name, or a joint account into a joint account with the same owners. You can’t use ACATS to move holdings into someone else’s account.
Compare the full names on both accounts. As a general check, look for a missing middle initial or a suffix such as Jr. If you find a difference, ask the broker with the incorrect registration to correct it before you resubmit.
Fix a Trust Title Mismatch
Robinhood uses your trust document to create the account title, and your old broker’s title must match it. An example format is “John Smith, TTEE, John Smith Revocable Trust dtd 1/1/20.”
Compare the full title, including the trustee’s name and the trust date. If the titles differ, ask your old broker how to update its registration. Robinhood accepts revocable trusts for incoming transfers.
Leave Mutual Funds Bonds and Other Unsupported Assets Behind
You can bring over eligible stocks, ETFs, options, and cash. Mutual funds, bonds, Treasury bills, CDs, annuities, and fractional shares can’t transfer in as holdings. Your old broker will generally sell fractional shares and send the proceeds in a later sweep.
If you want to keep unsupported holdings where they are, request a partial transfer of the eligible assets. If you still want a full transfer, ask whether you can move the holding to its issuer or obtain a physical certificate where available. Selling is another option, and it can have tax consequences in a taxable account.
Turn On Margin Before Moving a Margin Balance
If you’re bringing over a margin balance or an open short position, your receiving Robinhood account needs to support margin and have margin investing enabled. If you’re eligible, get approved and turn it on before you submit a new request. Managed accounts can’t accept margin balances.
Short positions have two additional requirements. You need enough excess margin, and Robinhood must be able to locate shares for the short. Check those requirements before retrying if the rejection involved a short position.
Get Options Approval Before Moving Options
Your receiving account needs approval for the options level your positions require, and options trading must be enabled before you submit the request. Robinhood accepts eligible options in self-directed individual, joint, and retirement accounts.
Send the required collateral in the same transfer. Assets you already hold at Robinhood can’t serve as collateral for the incoming positions. Contracts that expire within 7 days and unsupported strategies can’t transfer in.
Switch to a Partial Transfer
If one holding keeps blocking a full transfer, choose a partial transfer and select the eligible positions you want to move now. You can leave the problem holding at your old broker while you decide what to do with it.
If you’re transferring for a bonus, check which assets actually settle in Robinhood. An asset you leave behind or one Robinhood rejects stays out of the bonus calculation.
Ask the Old Broker About Holds or Pending Trades
As a general ACATS check, ask your old broker if it received and validated the request. If it’s still waiting on something, ask whether an unsettled trade, a negative balance, or an account restriction could be holding it up.
You can ask about outstanding forms or fees on the same call. If the broker identifies something you need to clear, take care of it and check History to see whether your request is still pending or needs to be submitted again.
When Your Transfer Out of Robinhood Is Stuck
Moving your account out of Robinhood starts at the brokerage you’re moving to. Check where you submitted the request, then look for anything at Robinhood that could delay it.
Start the Transfer From Your New Broker
Ask your new broker to initiate an ACATS transfer from Robinhood Securities. It may ask for your Robinhood account number and Robinhood’s DTC number, 6769. The DTC number identifies Robinhood, and the request itself still goes through ACATS.
To find your account number in the Robinhood app, open Account > Menu, scroll to Account No., and tap Show numbers. If you have several Robinhood accounts, give your new broker the number for the one you’re moving.
Clear Negative Balances and Restrictions First
Robinhood says a negative balance or account restriction can delay an outgoing transfer. Check the account you’re moving and resolve any outstanding balance or restriction before the new broker sends its request.
Robinhood charges $100 for either a full or partial transfer out. It takes the fee from your available Robinhood cash. If you’re short, the fee can come from your new account under the receiving firm’s policy.
Moving cash rather than stocks? Our Wise transfer delayed guide explains how bank transfers get held up.
Expect Trading to Freeze Until It Finishes
During a full transfer, Robinhood puts the account on hold. You can’t trade, place orders, deposit, or withdraw while it’s in progress. You still own the positions, and their values can change while you wait.
During a partial transfer, Robinhood restricts the entire position in each security you’re moving, along with options on that security. You can still trade other positions. On a full transfer, Robinhood sells fractional shares and sends the cash in a later sweep.
Will a Late Transfer Still Get the Robinhood Bonus?
Yes, an eligible transfer can settle after the offer closes if you started it during the offer window. Robinhood’s 2026 Hood Month offer allowed that, and both holders of a joint account had to consent for the transfer to count as started. Here’s what that means for your payout if some assets arrive late.
The bonus is based on your net settled assets. Rejected or unsettled assets stay out of the calculation, and later sweeps count from your original transfer’s start date. Some 2026 offers paid about two weeks after settlement. Hood Month also had a five-year holding requirement, with a proportional chargeback on withdrawals subject to the offer terms.
If your first request was rejected and you submit a new one after the offer closes, eligibility is uncertain. Ask Robinhood support whether the new request qualifies under your specific offer.
What to Do If It Is Still Stuck After 7 Business Days
If 7 business days have passed since Robinhood received your incoming request and History still shows it as pending, ask support where it stopped. Start with the app so you can discuss your account through Robinhood’s support channel.
Contact Robinhood Through the App
You can start a chat around the clock through the app or at robinhood.com/contact. Ask whether Robinhood received, validated, or rejected the request. If it’s waiting on something, ask which brokerage needs to act and whether you need to resubmit.
For eligible investing questions, you can request a callback from 7 AM to 9 PM ET on weekdays, excluding holidays. Robinhood says it typically connects you with an agent in under 30 minutes and sends a notification with the number it will call from.
Ignore Phone Numbers You Find in Search Results
Some pages advertise an “ACATS verification” line and ask for your account number or a code sent by text. Skip those listings and request a callback through Robinhood if you want to speak with someone.
Check the callback notification so you know which number to expect. Keep your login and text verification codes to yourself, even if a caller says they need one to release your transfer.
For more on fake support tricks, see our phishing email examples.
How to Avoid a Stuck Transfer Next Time
Most of the checks you’d make after a rejection can happen before you submit. Start with your old statement and the list of holdings you want to move.
Match Everything Before You Submit
Copy the account number from your statement and compare the owner names and account type on both sides. Check each holding against what Robinhood accepts. If you plan to move margin or options, get the necessary approvals and enable those features first.
Check for pending trades at your old broker before sending the request. If the account holds something Robinhood can’t take, decide whether to leave it behind with a partial transfer before you submit.
New to investing apps? Read how to invest in startups as an everyday investor.
FAQs
An incoming Robinhood ACATS transfer usually settles within 5 to 7 business days after Robinhood receives your request. Check History to see where your transfer stands. Weekends and market holidays don’t count toward the 7 business days.
You may be able to cancel your transfer, depending on how far it has progressed. For an incoming transfer, contact Robinhood support first. If Robinhood can’t cancel it, ask your old broker. For an outgoing transfer, contact the broker receiving your assets.
Your cost basis may be missing because your old broker hasn’t sent the data yet. It has up to 15 calendar days after settlement to send it, and your average cost and total return may stay blank in the meantime. If the data still hasn’t arrived after that, ask your old broker to send it.
The extra cash likely arrived through a residual sweep, which moves money left behind after the main transfer. It could be a dividend paid after your holdings moved or proceeds from the sale of fractional shares. Incoming sweeps can continue for up to 6 months.
Robinhood charges $100 for a full or partial ACATS transfer out. It deducts the fee from your available Robinhood cash. If there’s too little cash there, the fee can come from your receiving account under that broker’s policy.
Yes, you can request up to $75 in reimbursement if your eligible incoming transfer is worth at least $7,500. Robinhood bases eligibility on the value of qualifying equity, options, and cash, excluding later sweeps. Contact Robinhood support to request reimbursement.
