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To stop using margin, first determine whether you want to disable the margin feature or formally convert the account to cash. Disabling margin can leave the account classified as a margin account with borrowing and leverage unavailable. A cash-account conversion changes the formal classification. Your broker may offer one option, both, or neither for a particular account, so confirm the result with its current help center or support team before submitting a request.
This guide explains the difference, shows current menu examples from several US brokers, and lays out the settlement rules you must follow after moving to cash. It does not assume that a conversion automatically closes positions, removes a debit balance, or happens immediately; those details depend on your broker, account registration, positions, and pending transactions.
Margin investing and cash investing are not the same setting
A cash account requires you to pay the full purchase price of securities. The broker does not lend you money to complete a purchase, although the account can still hold stocks, exchange-traded funds, options that your broker permits, and other securities. A margin account allows the firm to lend against eligible securities held as collateral. Borrowing can create interest charges, and a fall in account equity can lead to a demand for additional funds or forced sales.
That distinction creates two different requests that people often describe as “turning off margin trading”:
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- Disable margin investing: keep the account’s formal margin classification but remove the ability to borrow or use leverage. Some brokers retain other margin-account features in this arrangement.
- Switch to a cash account: change the formal account type so purchases must be fully paid under cash-account rules.
These choices can affect options permissions, short selling, the treatment of unsettled proceeds, and the balances displayed in the app. Ask the broker exactly which status will appear after the change and which features will remain.
What changes when you move from margin to cash
| Question | Disable margin investing | Convert to a cash account |
|---|---|---|
| Formal account classification | May remain a margin account; the broker decides which features stay enabled. | Changes to cash classification if the broker approves the conversion. |
| Borrowing for purchases | Should be unavailable, but confirm the broker’s definition of the setting. | Not available; you pay the full purchase price. |
| Leverage and margin interest | Leverage is generally removed; ask whether any existing debit balance must be cleared first. | No new margin borrowing or margin-interest balance should be created. |
| Unsettled sale proceeds | Handling depends on the account’s remaining features and broker policy. | Cash-account payment and settlement rules apply; using proceeds before settlement can create violations. |
| Short selling and options | Permissions vary by broker and may not change exactly as you expect. | Short selling is generally unavailable in a cash account under the rules described by FINRA; options levels and features vary. |
| How you verify the result | Look for margin status, borrowing power, and available leverage in account details. | Look for a displayed cash-account classification and a settled-cash balance. |
The table is a decision aid, not a universal feature list. Brokers use different definitions and may impose account-specific conditions. If the requested option is missing, ask whether the firm can disable margin while retaining the account, whether a full conversion is required, and what must happen to open positions or balances first.
Before you submit a request
Decide what problem you are solving
If your only concern is accidentally borrowing or paying margin interest, disabling margin investing may meet your goal without changing the registration. If you want the account governed by cash-account settlement rules and displayed as cash, request a formal conversion. Tell support the outcome you want rather than relying on the phrase “turn off margin,” which can mean either action.
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Check for conditions that can block or delay a change
Review the account before changing anything. Ask the broker how it handles each item below:
- An existing margin debit or accrued interest.
- Open buy or sell orders, including orders with conditions or extended-hours instructions.
- Short equity positions or other positions that require borrowing.
- Open options positions, assignment risk, or an options level that the cash account cannot support.
- Recent sales whose proceeds are still unsettled.
- Account registrations such as an individual, joint, retirement, trust, or custodial account.
No cited broker policy establishes one universal conversion process for these situations. Do not assume that requesting a change will liquidate positions, cancel orders, remove a debit, or complete on the same day.
Record your balances and settlement dates
Before you send the request, note the figures labeled settled cash, cash available to trade, buying power, and any account debit. These labels are not interchangeable. Write down the settlement date shown for each recent sale and keep a copy of the request and the broker’s response. Having a snapshot makes it easier to identify whether a later trade used settled or unsettled money.
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Broker-specific ways to switch or disable margin
Menu labels change, and eligibility can differ by account. Use these examples as starting points, then verify the current workflow in your own account.
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- Open the app and select Account (the person icon).
- Open Menu, then choose Investing.
- Select Account type.
- Choose Switch to cash account and follow the confirmation prompts.
On the classic web interface, open Account → Settings → Investing → Account type, then choose Switch to cash account. Robinhood says an account cannot be switched more than once in a trading day. Its cash-account information also says that stock and options sales settle in one trading day, that cash accounts cannot trade with unsettled funds from those sales, and that Level 3 options trading is unavailable. Those are Robinhood-specific statements; do not apply them automatically to another broker.
Public
- Open Menu.
- Select Manage Margin.
- Choose either Turn off margin investing or Request to switch to cash account.
- Read the confirmation screen carefully to see which status you are requesting.
Public’s help article dated August 5, 2025 explicitly presents those as two different choices. Turning off margin investing is not the same request as changing the account type. If you need a cash classification, select the conversion request rather than assuming the first option will do it.
Fidelity
Fidelity’s margin FAQ says the Account Features screen can be used to remove margin and return to cash trading. Open the relevant account, go to Account Features, and look for the margin setting; the exact labels can change. The same FAQ discusses eligibility for a separate “Margin with Debt Protection” arrangement, including no debit balance, no short equity position, and restrictions tied to options tiers. Those conditions describe that particular Fidelity feature, not a universal checklist for removing margin at every broker.
When you cannot find the setting
Contact support through the secure message center or the telephone number shown inside your account. Ask three precise questions:
- Can you disable margin investing without changing the formal account type?
- If I convert to cash, what happens to my debit balance, open orders, short positions, options, and unsettled trades?
- After approval, where will the account type and remaining trading permissions be displayed?
Request written confirmation of the resulting status. A generic message that says “margin is off” may not tell you whether the account was reclassified or merely had borrowing disabled.
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How cash-account settlement works
In a cash account, you generally must pay in full by settlement and use funds that are available under the broker’s cash-account rules. FINRA explains that a cash account does not permit short selling under the rules it describes. The SEC’s Investor Bulletin, updated August 7, 2026, defines the arrangement this way: A cash account is a type of brokerage account in which the investor must pay the full amount for securities purchased.
For US stocks and options, many brokers display a one-trading-day settlement cycle, but your broker’s trade confirmation is the controlling record. Always check the settlement date attached to the particular transaction instead of relying only on a general cycle description.
Settled cash versus buying power
Settled cash is money whose transactions have completed settlement and that can normally be used for a new cash-account purchase. Available to trade may include amounts that are not yet settled, depending on the broker’s policy. Buying power is often a margin concept and can disappear or be renamed after a conversion. Read the definitions in the account’s balances screen and use the most conservative figure when deciding whether you can pay for a trade.
The SEC’s good-faith example
The SEC bulletin says a purchase may be made when you have sufficient funds or when the broker accepts, in good faith, that full cash payment will promptly be made before the security is sold. For example, you could sell stock that is fully paid and settled, wait for the proceeds to settle, and then buy another security. If you buy with proceeds from a sale that has not settled, you must not sell the newly purchased security before the funding sale settles.
What freeriding means
Selling the newly purchased security before paying for it with settled funds can be freeriding. The SEC says freeriding is prohibited by Regulation T and that the broker may be required to freeze the account for 90 days. During that freeze, purchases may still be allowed when they are fully paid on the trade date. A violation can therefore restrict your ability to trade even when you have enough money for a particular transaction, so keep the original funding sale open until its settlement is complete.
What happens to unsettled funds after conversion
Unsettled proceeds do not become settled merely because you changed an account setting. A sale has its own settlement date, and the broker may restrict how those proceeds can fund a purchase after the account becomes cash. Ask whether pending proceeds remain available for a specific transaction, whether the broker will place a hold, and which date appears on the trade confirmation.
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Use this conservative workflow:
- Identify the sale that generated the proceeds and note its stated settlement date.
- Check whether the cash balance is labeled settled or unsettled.
- Do not sell a security purchased with unsettled proceeds until the funding sale has settled.
- After settlement, refresh the balances screen and confirm that the amount is included in settled cash.
If you need to trade before settlement, ask support for written guidance on that exact sequence. A rule that works in a margin account may not apply after conversion to cash.
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Debit balances and margin interest
Turning off new margin borrowing does not by itself prove that an existing debit has been paid. Ask for the exact payoff amount, including interest through the expected completion date, and ask whether the broker will reject the conversion until the balance is zero.
Short positions
A cash account generally cannot support short selling under FINRA’s described rules. If you hold a short position, ask whether it must be closed before conversion and whether closing it creates a new settlement obligation.
Options positions and permissions
Options approval is tied to the broker’s risk controls and account type. Some options strategies require margin capacity; others may be allowed in cash with different payment requirements. Ask which positions can remain, whether the options level will change, and how an assignment or exercise would be funded.
Pending orders
An order can execute after you submit a conversion request but before the broker processes it. Cancel orders you no longer want, or ask support whether the request automatically cancels them. Never assume that a pending order will be removed for you.
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Verification checklist after the broker processes the request
- Open the account details page and confirm whether it says cash, margin, or another status.
- Check that margin buying power, borrowing capacity, and margin-interest indicators are gone or clearly marked unavailable if that was your goal.
- Review options permissions, short-selling permissions, and any other features you expected to change.
- Verify that settled cash and available-to-trade balances are labeled distinctly.
- Download or save the broker’s confirmation message and the account statement showing the effective date.
- For your next purchase, use settled cash and review the settlement date before placing a sell order.
If the account still displays margin status or borrowing power, stop trading and ask support to explain whether the request was denied, is pending, or only disabled a specific feature.
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Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Assuming “margin off” always means “cash account”
A broker may disable leverage while retaining a margin classification. Confirm the formal account type if that classification matters for settlement or permissions.
Using the wrong balance
Buying power or total cash can include money that is not settled. Use the settled-cash figure and the transaction-specific settlement date.
Selling too soon after a purchase
When unsettled proceeds funded the purchase, selling the new security before the original sale settles can be freeriding. Track both trade dates and settlement dates.
Expecting an instant change
Processing time, eligibility checks, and account-specific restrictions vary. Keep enough settled cash available and avoid placing trades that depend on the request completing at a particular time.
Applying one broker’s rules everywhere
Robinhood’s once-per-trading-day limit, its Level 3 options restriction, and its settlement explanations are not universal. Public’s two-choice menu and Fidelity’s Account Features path likewise describe those firms’ systems. Use your broker’s current documentation for the final answer.
Choosing the right request
Choose margin disabling when
- Your priority is preventing new borrowing or leverage.
- You want to retain a margin-account registration for a feature your broker still permits without leverage.
- Your broker confirms that existing positions and permissions can remain under the disabled setting.
Choose cash conversion when
- You want the account formally classified as cash.
- You accept that purchases must be fully paid and that unsettled-proceeds rules will govern your trading.
- You do not need short selling or margin-dependent strategies.
If you are unsure, ask support to describe the practical result of each option in your account before selecting one. The correct choice depends on the feature you are trying to remove, not on the label alone.
US regulatory context and scope
This guidance is for consumer brokerage accounts in the United States. The SEC Investor Bulletin on trading in cash accounts was updated August 7, 2026, and broker help materials can change without notice. Retirement accounts, joint accounts, professional accounts, and accounts subject to special agreements may follow different procedures. Regulatory rules also do not tell you how a particular app names its balances or processes an internal conversion request.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFor a definitive answer, use the broker’s current help center and obtain account-specific confirmation from its support team. Keep records of the account status, balances, open orders, and settlement dates at the moment the change is made.
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