So, you're ready to move your investments from Robinhood to Fidelity? Great choice! Many investors make this move to get access to a wider range of accounts, like IRAs (retirement accounts), better research tools, and Fidelity's well-known customer service.

Moving your account might sound complicated, but it's a surprisingly common and set process. The entire transfer is called an ACATS (Automated Customer Account Transfer Service), and the best part is, you do almost all the work from your new Fidelity account.

Here’s the step-by-step guide to get it done.

Before You Start: The Pre-Flight Checklist

Getting these few things in order first will prevent 99% of common transfer problems.

  • 1. Open Your Fidelity Account: You must have an active Fidelity account open before you can start the transfer.
  • 2. Match Your Account Type: The transfer must be "like-for-like." If you have a regular individual brokerage account at Robinhood, you must open a regular individual brokerage account at Fidelity. If it's a Roth IRA, you need a Roth IRA at Fidelity.
  • 3. Find Your Robinhood Account Number: Log in to your Robinhood app. Go to the "Account" tab (person icon) > "Investing" > and scroll down. Your account number will be at the top of your account summary (e.g., 1AB12345).
  • 4. Know Robinhood's Fee: Robinhood charges a $100 fee for any outgoing ACATS transfer (whether it's a full or partial transfer). This fee is standard in the industry.
  • 5. Stop All Activity: Do not buy or sell any stocks or options in your Robinhood account for at least a week. The transfer needs a "snapshot" of your account, and pending trades will cause it to fail.
  • 6. The "Crypto & Fractional Shares" Warning: This is the most important part!
    • Crypto: Robinhood will not transfer your cryptocurrency (like Bitcoin or Ethereum) to Fidelity. Robinhood will automatically sell your crypto for cash, and that cash will be transferred.
    • Fractional Shares: Fidelity only accepts full shares. If you own 1.5 shares of Apple, Robinhood will automatically sell the 0.5 share for cash and transfer the 1.0 full share.

The Step-by-Step Transfer Guide

You will start this process from your Fidelity account, not your Robinhood account.

  1. Log in to Fidelity.com.
  2. In the top menu, hover over "Accounts & Trade" and select "Transfers" from the dropdown menu.
  3. On the Transfers page, find the section "Transfer an account to Fidelity" and click "Get Started."
  4. Fidelity will ask you to enter the name of the firm you are leaving. Type in "Robinhood." It should pop up as "Robinhood Securities, LLC."
  5. It will then ask for your Robinhood account number. Enter the number you found earlier.
  6. You will be asked to choose between a "Full Transfer" or a "Partial Transfer."
    • Full Transfer: This moves everything (all your stocks, options, and cash) and automatically closes your Robinhood account. This is what most people do.
    • Partial Transfer: This lets you pick specific stocks to move, leaving your Robinhood account open.
  7. Fidelity will then show you a summary of your Fidelity accounts. You must select the Fidelity account that matches the Robinhood account (e.g., individual-to-individual).
  8. Review all the information to make sure it's correct, then formally submit the transfer request.

What Happens Next?

You're all done, but it's not instant.

  • The Wait: The transfer typically takes 5 to 7 business days to complete. During this time, your Robinhood account will likely be frozen or "locked" to prevent trades.
  • See Your Stocks Arrive: You will see your full shares (like your 1.0 share of Apple) show up in your Fidelity account first.
  • See Your Cash Arrive: A day or two later, the cash from your fractional shares, your crypto, and any settled cash you had in Robinhood will arrive.
  • The Fee: The $100 transfer fee from Robinhood will be deducted from your cash balance.

Pro-Tip: How to Ask for a Fee Reimbursement

Here’s the deal: Fidelity (and many other large brokers) might reimburse the $100 transfer fee, but it is not guaranteed and not automatic.

  • Who is it for? Reimbursement requests are reviewed case-by-case. It is most commonly successful for accounts with a total value of $25,000 or more.
  • What to do: Once the transfer is 100% complete and you see the $100 fee has been taken out, call Fidelity's main customer service number.
  • What to say: "Hi, I just completed a full account transfer from Robinhood, and they charged me a $100 transfer fee. I was wondering if you offer a reimbursement for that fee for new customers."

The worst they can say is no. If your account is smaller than $25,000, it's less likely, but it is always worth a polite five-minute phone call to ask.