Selling Options After Hours on Robinhood: What You Can and Cannot Do
You cannot sell options during after-hours trading on Robinhood
Robinhood does not allow options trades — buying or selling — outside regular market hours. Options markets close at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time when the stock market closes. If you hold an options contract and want to exit the position after 4:00 p.m., you will have to wait until the next trading day to sell it.
This is not a Robinhood-specific rule. No retail brokerage allows options trading after hours because the options exchanges themselves do not operate after 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Your only option after hours is to hold the contract overnight or until you can sell during regular market hours.
If you are holding a contract that expires the same day you want to sell it after hours, the contract will expire at the close of market that day. You cannot prevent that expiration by selling after hours — the sale window has already closed.
Key Takeaways
- Options can only be sold during regular market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern) on Robinhood, the same as on any brokerage.
- After-hours trading on Robinhood applies only to stocks, not to options contracts.
- If you hold an options contract that expires after hours, it will expire at 4:00 p.m. Eastern regardless of whether you tried to sell it.
- The options exchanges that Robinhood connects to simply do not operate after 4:00 p.m., so no brokerage can offer after-hours options trading.
Why options markets close before stocks do
Options contracts are derivatives — their value depends on the price of the underlying stock. Once the stock market closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, there is no new price information for options to react to, so the options exchanges shut down. The stock market itself stays open for after-hours trading from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., but options do not follow.
After-hours stock trading happens on electronic communication networks (ECNs) that operate independently of the main exchange. Options, by contrast, are standardized contracts that trade on centralized exchanges — the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and others. These exchanges have fixed operating hours and do not extend them for after-hours sessions.
Robinhood offers after-hours stock trading to its users, but that feature does not extend to options. If you want to trade options, you are limited to the hours when the options exchanges are open.
What happens if you hold an options contract at market close
If you own an options contract and do not sell it before 4:00 p.m. Eastern on the day it expires, the contract will expire worthless or be exercised automatically, depending on whether it is in the money. You cannot prevent this by trying to sell after hours — the sale window is closed.
If your contract is in the money at expiration (meaning it has intrinsic value), Robinhood will exercise it automatically. For a call option, this means you will buy 100 shares of the underlying stock at the strike price. For a put option, you will sell 100 shares at the strike price. This happens overnight, and you will see the stock position in your account the next morning.
If your contract is out of the money at expiration, it expires worthless and you lose the premium you paid. There is no way to recover that money after the market closes.
How to avoid being stuck with an expiring contract
The safest approach is to close any options position you do not want to hold before 3:50 p.m. Eastern on expiration day. This gives you a 10-minute buffer in case of delays or technical issues. Robinhood's order entry system may slow down near market close, so placing your order earlier is better.
If you realize after 4:00 p.m. that you still hold an expiring contract, you cannot undo it. Check your account the next morning to see whether the contract expired worthless or was exercised. If it was exercised, you will own 100 shares of the underlying stock (or be short 100 shares if it was a put), and you can sell those shares during regular hours.
Setting a calendar reminder for expiration day is a practical step. Many traders set two reminders — one at 3:00 p.m. and one at 3:45 p.m. — to make sure they do not forget.
The difference between expiration and exercise
Expiration is the moment when an options contract stops existing. Exercise is what happens if you own an in-the-money contract at expiration — Robinhood automatically converts it into a stock position. These are two different events, and understanding the difference matters for your account.
When you sell an options contract before expiration, you close the position and lock in your profit or loss. The contract still exists, but you no longer own it. When expiration arrives, that contract expires, but it no longer affects you because you sold it.
If you hold a contract until expiration and it is in the money, Robinhood exercises it automatically without asking. You cannot opt out of this. If you do not want to own the stock, you will have to sell it the next trading day.
Robinhood's options trading hours and limitations
Robinhood allows options trades only during regular market hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. This applies to opening new positions, closing existing positions, and rolling contracts (selling one contract and buying another to extend your position).
You cannot place options orders during pre-market hours (before 9:30 a.m.) or after-hours (after 4:00 p.m.), even if you have Robinhood's after-hours stock trading feature turned on. The two systems operate separately, and after-hours access does not carry over to options.
On days when the market closes early — like the day before Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve — options also close early. Robinhood will show you the early close time in the app, usually 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Plan accordingly if you hold expiring contracts on these days.
What to do if you cannot sell before market close
If you are unable to sell an options contract during regular hours and expiration is approaching, your only choice is to let it expire or be exercised. You cannot reverse this decision after 4:00 p.m.
If the contract expires worthless, you lose the money you paid for it. If it is exercised, you will own 100 shares of the stock (or be short 100 shares for a put). You can then sell those shares the next trading day during regular hours.
Some traders use this situation as a way to enter a stock position they wanted anyway — if you own a call that expires in the money, exercise is the same as buying the stock. But this only works if you actually want to own the stock. If you do not, you will need to sell it quickly the next morning, which may happen at a different price than you expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell options on Robinhood at 5:00 p.m.?
No. Options trading on Robinhood ends at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, and you cannot place any options orders after that time. The options exchanges do not operate after 4:00 p.m., so no brokerage can offer trading at 5:00 p.m. or any time after market close.
What if my options contract expires after 4:00 p.m.?
Options contracts expire at 4:00 p.m. Eastern on their expiration date, not after. If you hold the contract at that moment and it is in the money, Robinhood will exercise it automatically overnight. If it is out of the money, it expires worthless. You cannot sell it after 4:00 p.m. to prevent this.
Does Robinhood's after-hours stock trading let me trade options after hours?
No. After-hours trading on Robinhood applies only to stocks. Options trading is limited to regular market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern) regardless of whether you have after-hours stock trading turned on.
Can I place an options order before 9:30 a.m. on Robinhood?
No. Options orders can only be placed during regular market hours, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Pre-market options trading is not available on Robinhood or any retail brokerage.
What happens if I forget to sell an options contract before market close?
If the contract expires that day and you still hold it at 4:00 p.m., it will expire or be exercised automatically. If it is in the money, you will own 100 shares of the stock the next morning. If it is out of the money, you will lose the premium you paid. You cannot undo this after market close.