Brokerage cash sweep program interest rate (APY)
You can disable the cash sweep program by repeating these steps and selecting Disable cash sweep.
Robinhood doesn’t pay interest. Instead, we move your eligible uninvested cash (unrestricted cash intended for investing that hasn't yet been invested or spent) into our network of FDIC insured program banks that hold and invest your cash. These FDIC insured program banks then pay interest on those deposits, minus any fees or charges paid to Robinhood, which you receive as part of the brokerage cash sweep program.
You’ll earn a 4.25% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) as a Robinhood Gold member on your uninvested brokerage cash that is swept to the banks in our program.
If you start January 1 at 4.25% APY with $10,000 in uninvested brokerage cash that is swept to a program bank, you could earn $450 by January of the following year. This includes compounding, assuming you don’t deposit, invest, or withdraw funds during the entire year.
Robinhood Gold is offered through Robinhood Gold, LLC and is a subscription offering premium services available for a monthly or annual membership charge.
You’re paid interest by the program banks monthly, and you can keep track of how much interest you’ve earned in the app in Account (person icon) → Menu (3 bars) → Investing → Cash sweep program.
The brokerage cash sweep annual percentage yield (APY) paid by program banks minus fees or charges paid to Robinhood is 4.25% for Robinhood Gold members as of Nov 15, 2024. The APY your cash earns is subject to change.
The Federal Reserve Bank (or the Fed) and market conditions are factors in APY fluctuations. Changes in fees or charges that Robinhood receives from program banks can also cause the APY to fluctuate.
Congress assigns 3 main goals to the Fed: maximum sustainable employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. The Fed uses various tools to meet these goals, but interest-rate changes often get the most attention because they directly impact how much interest you can earn and how much it costs to borrow.
When you opt your individual investment account into the brokerage cash sweep program, your money is held at one or more of the banks in our program. These banks pay interest rates that are determined in part by the federal funds rate, which moves up and down as mandated by the Fed. When the federal funds rate fluctuates, the rate you receive through the brokerage cash sweep may also change.
The impact of a fed funds rate decrease isn’t all bad. When the rate goes down, mortgage rates and other loan rates often do as well.
For example, a rate change of 1% would mean that for every $1,000 held at the program banks for a year, you’d earn a difference of $10 in annual interest.
You earn interest on your uninvested brokerage cash that’s swept to the program banks. You only start earning interest once these banks receive your cash. This is affected by the timing of trades, deposits, or withdrawals.
For example, when you purchase a stock, the cash might not be taken out of your account until 1 business day after the trade occurs. In this case, you would continue to earn interest during that trade day, even if that cash is no longer available to spend.
The reverse is true as well—if you sell a stock, you may not get the cash until 1 business day after the trade settles. In this case, you would only start earning interest on that cash after it settles and is swept to the program banks.
Uninvested brokerage cash is any available cash that you have in your individual investment account that you haven't 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.
You can find your swept cash balance in the app in Account (person icon) → Menu (3 bars) → Investing → Cash sweep program.
If you carry a margin debit balance, you won’t earn interest through the cash sweep program because you need a cash balance. If you have a margin balance, there is no cash balance to earn interest. Additionally, if you’ve been flagged as a pattern day trader (PDT), you can still sign up for the brokerage cash sweep program, but you won't be eligible to earn interest until your PDT flag is removed.
No, you’ll start earning interest on your first cent. There’s also no maximum brokerage cash sweep balance that you can earn interest on, but cash deposited to these banks will only be covered by FDIC insurance coverage up to $2.5 million (up to $250,000 per program bank, inclusive of deposits you already hold at the bank in the same ownership capacity). If you opt out of one or more program banks, your FDIC insurance coverage may be reduced.
Interest is accrued daily based on your end of day balance at the program banks. Your balance is multiplied by the daily interest rate, which is derived from the 4.25% APY for Robinhood Gold members.
At 4.5% APY and $1,000 end of day balance, the daily interest accrual can be calculated as follows:
Daily interest rate = (1 + 0.045)^(1/365) - 1 = 0.012060147%
Daily interest accrual = $1,000 * 0.012060147% = $0.1206
This means someone with $1,000 would earn about $0.12 in interest that day. With daily compounding, the next day's interest would be calculated on a $1,000.12 balance, and assuming no deposits, changes to the uninvested cash balance, or withdrawals, the account could end the year with $1,045 at 4.5% APY.
For leap years, we would use the same formula as above for daily interest but divide by 366 days instead of 365.
Calculations provided are hypothetical and not guarantees of future results. Actual results will vary. Interest rates are subject to change.
Yes, interest on your uninvested brokerage cash that is swept to the program banks will be compounded daily. Each day, you earn interest on your balance, and that earned interest itself also earns interest. Over time, your uninvested brokerage cash multiplies and grows on its own. Compound interest is a powerful tool to help build and accumulate wealth over time. Interest is paid on a monthly basis.
You’ll be paid interest once a month on the last business day of the month*, which will include interest through the end of the month. If the last day of the month falls on a non-business day, you'll be prepaid interest for those days on the last business day.
For example, if the last day of the month is a Sunday, that month’s interest will be paid on the preceding Friday, along with what you would earn on Saturday and Sunday.
*In rare cases, you may be paid interest early. This can happen if you leave the program, if your cash moves to a different program bank (e.g. opting out of a bank), or if you make multiple transactions in your account in a short period of time.
No, your Robinhood Cash Card and spending account are separate from your individual investment account. Although the spending account doesn’t earn interest, our brokerage cash sweep program allows Robinhood Gold members who opt in to earn 4.25% APY on uninvested brokerage cash that is swept to the banks in our program. That means you can put your money to work, even if you’re not currently investing it. Rates are subject to change.
The brokerage cash sweep is an added feature to your Robinhood Financial, LLC individual investment account. Robinhood Gold is offered through Robinhood Gold, LLC. For more information, review the Robinhood Gold User Agreement.
Interest is earned on eligible uninvested cash swept from your individual investment account to program banks. Program banks pay interest on your swept cash, minus any fees or charges paid to Robinhood. The Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is 4.25% for Robinhood Gold members as of Nov 15, 2024. The APY might change at any time at the program banks' discretion. Additionally, any fees or charges Robinhood receives may vary and are subject to change. Neither Robinhood Financial LLC nor any of its affiliates are banks.
With the brokerage cash sweep program, the eligible uninvested cash in your individual investment account (cash intended for investing but that you have not yet invested or spent) is swept to program banks, where it becomes eligible for FDIC insurance up to $2.5 million or $250,000 per program bank, inclusive of any other deposits you may already hold at the bank in the same ownership capacity. If you opt out of one or more program banks, your FDIC insurance coverage may be reduced.
Until funds are swept to a program bank, they're held in your individual investment account which is protected by SIPC. Once funds are swept to a program bank, they are no longer held in your individual investment account and aren't protected by SIPC. However, these funds are eligible for FDIC insurance through the program banks subject to FDIC insurance coverage limits and any capacity limitations at the banks. Review the IntraFi Network Deposit Sweep Program Agreement for more information.