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To stop borrowing for investments, first determine whether you need to disable margin investing or formally convert your brokerage account to cash. Those are different changes at some firms. Disabling margin may leave the account classified as margin while removing leverage; a cash conversion changes the account type and can change trading features.
Use your broker’s current account-settings workflow or contact support. The exact menu, eligibility rules, treatment of open positions and timing vary by broker, account registration and account status.
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Decide which change you actually need
A cash account requires you to pay the full purchase price for securities. The broker does not lend you money to complete a purchase. You may still hold stocks, exchange-traded funds, options where permitted and other securities; “cash” describes how purchases are funded, not an account that can contain only uninvested cash.
A margin account can let the brokerage lend against securities held as collateral. Borrowing can create interest charges. If the account’s equity falls below the firm’s requirements, the broker can demand additional funds or sell securities to cover a shortfall.
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Disable margin investing
This normally means turning off the borrowing or leverage feature while retaining the existing account classification. It can be useful when you want to keep some margin-account infrastructure but do not want the broker to extend credit. The resulting account may still display as a margin account, and other features may remain governed by that classification.
Convert to a cash account
A conversion changes the formal account type to cash. You then trade under cash-account payment and settlement rules and lose features that require margin eligibility. Whether the broker permits conversion with a debit balance, short position, open options position, pending order or unsettled transaction is firm-specific.
| Question | Disable margin investing | Switch to cash account |
|---|---|---|
| Formal classification | May remain a margin account | Changes to a cash account if approved |
| Broker borrowing | Leverage or credit may be turned off | No borrowing to pay for purchases |
| Unsettled-sale proceeds | Rules and availability depend on the broker and remaining account type | Cash-account payment and settlement rules apply |
| Options and other features | May remain available subject to the broker’s rules | Some margin-dependent levels or features may be removed |
| Process | Often a setting or support request | May require an account-type conversion and eligibility review |
This table describes the distinction, not a universal feature promise. Ask your broker what the account will be called after the change and which permissions will remain.
Check these items before submitting a request
Changing a setting does not automatically resolve obligations already attached to the account. Review the following before you tap a confirmation button:
- Debit balance: Ask how any amount already borrowed will be repaid and whether the broker requires the balance to be zero before disabling margin or converting the account.
- Short positions: A cash account generally cannot sell short under the rules described by FINRA. Confirm whether any short position must be closed first.
- Options positions and permissions: Margin eligibility can affect options tiers and strategies. Ask whether open positions may remain and whether new trading permissions will change.
- Open orders: Find out whether pending orders are canceled, rejected or left in place while the request is processed. Do not assume they are handled automatically.
- Unsettled trades: Note recent sales, their settlement dates and whether a purchase was funded by proceeds that have not settled.
- Account registration: Individual, joint, retirement and other registrations can have different conversion rules.
- Available balances: Record the figures labeled settled cash, cash available to trade, buying power and any similar balances. They can represent different things.
If the setting is missing, ask support three direct questions: “Can you disable margin while leaving the account classified as margin?”, “Do I need a full cash-account conversion?”, and “What must happen to my debit balance, open orders, short or options positions and unsettled trades first?”
Broker-specific ways to make the change
Menu names change, so treat these as current examples rather than a universal procedure. Verify the final account type and permissions after the broker confirms the request.
Robinhood (United States)
- In the mobile app, select Account (the person icon).
- Open Menu, then Investing.
- Select Account type.
- Choose Switch to cash account and follow the confirmation screens.
On the classic web interface, use 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.
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Robinhood’s cash-account information says cash accounts do not trade with unsettled funds from stock and options sales and do not provide Level 3 options trading. It gives a one-trading-day settlement time for stocks and options. Those are Robinhood-specific statements; another broker may use different settlement displays, options levels or timing.
Public
- Open Menu.
- Select Manage Margin.
- Choose either Turn off margin investing or Request to switch to cash account.
Public’s help article dated August 5, 2025 explicitly presents those as separate choices. Select the first when you want margin investing disabled but do not necessarily want a formal account-type conversion. Select the second when you want the account changed to cash, subject to Public’s review and conditions.
Fidelity
Fidelity’s margin FAQ says the Account Features screen can be used to remove margin and return to cash trading. The same FAQ separately describes eligibility for its “Margin with Debt Protection” feature, including conditions such as no debit balance, no short equity position and restrictions tied to options tiers. Those conditions apply to that particular feature and should not be treated as universal prerequisites for every broker’s margin-removal request.
If your broker’s option is absent
Do not infer that the account cannot be changed. Brokers may hide the control when a balance, position, order, account registration or compliance review requires manual handling. Contact support through the authenticated app or website and request a written explanation of the required steps. Ask the representative to state whether the result will be “cash,” “margin with margin investing disabled” or another classification, and which trading permissions will change.
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What changes when you trade in cash
No broker-funded purchases
In a cash account, you must provide the full amount needed for a purchase. You cannot rely on a margin loan to cover a shortfall. If a position’s value drops, there is no margin loan secured by that position, but you still bear the investment loss.
Settled funds become central
“Settled” money is sale proceeds that have completed the market’s settlement process and are available for a new purchase under the broker’s cash-account rules. A screen may show both total cash and settled cash. It may also show an available-to-trade amount calculated under separate rules. Read the trade-specific settlement date rather than assuming every visible balance is immediately usable.
FINRA’s description of cash-account trading generally requires payment in full by settlement, use of settled funds and no short selling in a cash account. The exact display and additional restrictions depend on the broker.
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Features can disappear or change
Converting to cash can remove margin-dependent borrowing, certain options levels and other permissions. The exact list is not universal. A broker may also impose its own limits on unsettled proceeds, recurring transactions or intraday activity. Check the permissions page after conversion before placing an order.
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The SEC’s Trading in Cash Accounts – Investor Bulletin, updated August 7, 2026, states: “A cash account is a type of brokerage account in which the investor must pay the full amount for securities purchased.” In practice, match each purchase to money that will be available under the broker’s settlement rules.
Example: wait for a sale to settle
Suppose you sell stock that was fully paid for and already settled. The sale creates proceeds, but those proceeds may not be settled immediately. Waiting until the broker marks the proceeds as settled before buying another security is the straightforward approach for a cash account.
Example: buying with unsettled proceeds
The SEC bulletin describes a situation in which a purchase funded by unsettled sale proceeds may be permissible if you do not sell the newly purchased security before the sale that supplied the funds settles. Your broker may present this as a warning, restrict the order or apply a stricter internal policy, so check the order-preview message and account agreement.
Freeriding and a possible freeze
If you buy a security using proceeds from a sale that has not settled and then sell the newly purchased security before the original sale settles, you can create a cash-account violation commonly called freeriding. The SEC bulletin says freeriding is prohibited under Regulation T and may require the broker to freeze the account for 90 days. During such a freeze, purchases may still be allowed when they are fully paid on the trade date. A 90-day freeze is a regulatory consequence described by the bulletin, not a statement about how often freezes occur.
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What happens to existing positions and balances
There is no single industry-wide conversion sequence. Some brokers may require you to close or transfer a position; others may permit it to remain while restricting new trades. The evidence available for the named broker examples does not establish a universal treatment for every pending order, debit balance, open options position, short position or unsettled transaction.
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Debit balance
A debit means the broker has funded part of a purchase or another obligation. Ask for the exact payoff amount, the deadline and whether interest continues until payment. Do not assume that selecting “cash” automatically pays the debit or liquidates securities.
Short positions
Because cash-account rules generally do not permit short selling, a broker may require a short position to be closed or transferred before conversion. Confirm any borrow fees, buy-in risk and tax consequences with the broker or a qualified professional.
Options
Ask whether open options contracts can remain, whether exercise or assignment treatment changes and which strategies will be blocked after conversion. An options permission level shown before the change may not survive it.
Unsettled trades and open orders
Request the settlement date for each recent sale and ask what happens to open orders while the account is reviewed. Keep enough settled cash to cover purchases that have already been accepted under the broker’s terms.
A practical request-and-verification workflow
- Write down your objective. State whether you want to prevent borrowing, remove the margin classification, or both. This avoids selecting a feature switch when you actually need a formal conversion.
- Capture the account snapshot. Record the account type, debit or credit balance, settled cash, total cash, available-to-trade amount, open orders, positions and settlement dates. A screenshot or downloaded statement can help you compare the account before and after the change.
- Read the confirmation language. Look for words such as “disable margin investing,” “remove margin,” “cash account” or “conversion.” A button that sounds similar may produce a different status.
- Pause until unclear items are answered. If the broker displays a warning about unsettled proceeds, options, short positions or an outstanding debit, do not guess. Ask what action is required and whether the request is pending or complete.
- Obtain the effective date. Ask when the change applies to new orders and whether orders already accepted remain governed by the former status. Keep the support ticket or confirmation email.
Do not treat a lower buying-power number as proof that borrowing is gone. Confirm both the formal account label and the margin feature status. Likewise, do not treat a cash label as proof that every visible dollar is settled and available for a particular trade.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Timing questions that require a broker answer
Some firms process a setting immediately; others review a conversion before changing the account. The sources do not establish one standard processing time. Ask whether the request can be submitted while markets are open, whether it is limited to one change per trading day, and whether a pending transfer or order delays the effective date.
Until the broker confirms completion, continue to follow the rules that apply to the account currently shown in your profile. If you see a debit, margin interest, a short position or a warning about a rejected order after the supposed change, stop placing new trades and ask support to reconcile the account.
Choosing between the two approaches
Disabling margin is usually the narrower change
Choose this route when your main goal is to prevent accidental borrowing or leverage and you are comfortable retaining a margin classification. It may preserve access to features that the broker ties to that classification, but it may also leave you subject to margin-account procedures. Confirm exactly what “off” means at your firm.
A cash conversion is the clearer classification change
Choose conversion when you want the account formally governed as cash and are prepared to manage purchases with full payment and settled funds. Expect a review of balances, positions and permissions, and verify the final classification afterward.
Common mistakes and safer fixes
- Mistake: assuming every broker uses the same menu. Fix: use the broker’s current help center and authenticated support channel.
- Mistake: treating total cash as settled cash. Fix: read the settlement date and the broker’s settled-funds label before ordering.
- Mistake: assuming conversion closes positions automatically. Fix: obtain written instructions for debits, shorts, options and open orders.
- Mistake: selling a new purchase too soon. Fix: make sure the funding sale has settled to avoid a freeriding violation.
- Mistake: confusing a disabled feature with a cash classification. Fix: verify both the account type and the margin-investing status.
- Mistake: relying on an old help article or remembered menu. Fix: check the broker’s current authenticated workflow and the date of any confirmation.
- Mistake: assuming a broker’s rule applies everywhere. Fix: treat Robinhood, Public and Fidelity examples as firm-specific and ask your own broker about its policy.
Questions to ask support
- What will my formal account classification be after this request?
- Will borrowing, margin interest and margin calls be unavailable?
- Must I pay a debit balance or close any position first?
- What happens to open orders, unsettled sales and pending transfers?
- Which options levels, short-selling permissions or other features will change?
- When will the change take effect, and where will I see confirmation?
- Can I disable margin investing without converting the account?
- Which balance should I use to determine whether a purchase is fully funded?
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I turn off margin trading without changing my account type?
Look for a setting called “disable margin investing,” “turn off margin” or similar. Public, for example, separates that choice from a cash-account conversion. Ask your broker to confirm in writing that the account will remain classified as margin but will not offer borrowing or leverage.
How do I switch my brokerage account to cash?
Use the broker’s current account-type workflow or contact authenticated support. Robinhood lists Account, Menu, Investing and Account type, followed by “Switch to cash account.” Other firms use different menus and may review debits, short positions, options, open orders or unsettled trades before approving the conversion.
What happens to unsettled funds if I switch to a cash account?
Unsettled sale proceeds may not be immediately available for another purchase under cash-account rules. Check the trade-specific settlement date and the balance labeled settled cash or its equivalent. A purchase using unsettled proceeds may be allowed in some circumstances, but selling the new security before the funding sale settles can be freeriding.
Can I keep my stocks and exchange-traded funds after converting?
A cash account can hold securities; “cash” describes how purchases are funded. Whether particular positions, open orders, options contracts or short positions can remain is broker-specific. Ask what must be closed, transferred or left untouched before the conversion takes effect.
Will converting to cash remove options trading?
It can remove margin-dependent options levels or strategies, but the exact permissions vary. Ask which level remains, whether open contracts can stay open, and how exercise or assignment will be handled. Do not assume the permissions displayed before conversion will continue.
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There is no universal processing time established for all brokers. Some settings may be available immediately, while a formal conversion can require review. Ask for the effective date and continue following the account status currently shown until the broker confirms completion.
What is the consequence of freeriding in a cash account?
The SEC Investor.gov bulletin updated August 7, 2026, says freeriding is prohibited under Regulation T and may require a 90-day account freeze. During a freeze, purchases may still be allowed when fully paid on the trade date.
The Bottom Line
First decide whether you need margin investing disabled or a formal cash-account conversion. Then check debits, positions, orders and settlement dates, use your broker’s current workflow, and obtain confirmation of both the account classification and remaining permissions. In a cash account, pay in full and track settled funds carefully; selling a newly purchased security before the funding sale settles can lead to a 90-day freeze for freeriding.
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