How much money do I need in my account to invest on margin?
To purchase a security on margin, FINRA (a government-authorized regulator of brokerage firms) requires that you have at least $2,000 or 100% of the security’s purchase price (whichever value is less) deposited into your account. This is called the margin minimum.
If you’re flagged as a pattern day trader, you must have $25,000 in portfolio value (minus any crypto positions) before you can continue day trading.
Robinhood Securities, LLC (RHS) may also impose additional requirements and certain customers may not be eligible to use margin based on RHS internal guidelines.
If you’re borrowing on margin and fall under $2,000 portfolio value, you’re at risk of a margin call and potential liquidation.
Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all customers. Customers must read and understand the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before engaging in any options trading strategies. Options transactions are often complex and may involve the potential of losing the entire investment in a relatively short period of time. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk, including the potential for losses that may exceed the original investment amount.
Margin investing involves interest charges and risks, including the potential to lose more than deposited or the need to deposit additional collateral in a falling market. Before using margin, customers must determine whether this type of trading strategy is right for them given their specific investment objectives, experience, risk tolerance, and financial situation.
Robinhood Financial can change its maintenance requirements at any time without prior notice. If the equity in your account decreases to less than the total maintenance requirement, you’ll have to deposit additional cash or acceptable collateral. If you fail to meet your minimums, Robinhood Financial may be forced to sell some or all of your securities, with or without your prior approval.
Robinhood Financial charges a margin interest rate that varies depending on your settled margin balance and the upper bound of the Target Federal Funds Rate, which is set by the Federal Reserve and is subject to change without notice. The formulas used to calculate the margin interest rate are subject to change at Robinhood Financial’s discretion.
For more information, review FINRA’s Investor Alert and Robinhood Financial’s Customer Relationship Summary, Margin Disclosure Statement, and Margin Agreement. These disclosures contain important information on Robinhood Financial’s products and services, conflicts of interests, lending policies, interest charges, and the risks associated with margin investing enabled accounts.