Withdrawing Cash From TradeStation
TradeStation offers several methods to withdraw available cash from an account. There are some really salient differences among all these methods. Here are the details:
TradeStation Withdrawal Fee
Withdrawing cash from TradeStation by ACH is free of charge. Using a wire transfer has a $25
fee for domestic wires, and $35 fee for international wires.
TradeStation ACH Withdrawals
First up is the easiest and cheapest system: the Automated Clearing House. ACH transfers are called Smart Transfers at TradeStation. To find the transfer tool on the broker’s website, click on the green Transfer Funds tab in the top menu after logging in.
On the next page, you’ll see several columns of transfer choices. The Transfer Cash column is a good place to start. Click on Smart Transfer to get the ACH transfer form.
You’ll need to specify the outgoing account in case you have more than one TradeStation account. It can be a securities or futures account. In the To field, you’ll need to specify the receiving account. Other fields on the digital transfer form include amount, currency, frequency, and transfer date.
It’s possible to establish a future transfer, which is really convenient. And there are four transfer choices: weekly, twice monthly, monthly, and quarterly. There is no charge for any type of ACH transfer at TradeStation.
Linking an External Account
The To field mentioned above will show no available accounts if you haven’t yet linked an external bank account. To do this, go back to the Deposits & Transfers page we started on (just click on the Transfer Funds tab at the top of the site if you get lost).
In the External Accounts column, there is a link to add a new account. Click on this to get the tool to add a checking or savings account. You will need your login credentials for that third-party deposit account to get it linked immediately.
It’s also possible to connect a bank account with a paper form. This will require the account’s routing and account numbers plus a few other pieces of information. It takes TradeStation 1 to 2 business days after receipt of the form to get the deposit account hooked up to the TradeStation account.
Moving Money to Another TradeStation Account
In case you have two or more TradeStation accounts, available cash can easily be moved among them. Just go back to the same Smart Transfer form we have already seen. This time, instead of a checking or savings account being selected as the receiving account, you’ll want to choose a second TradeStation account. This will automatically be linked, so there’s no need to go through the connection process mentioned above.
The same transfer features for bank accounts are also available for TradeStation accounts. These include frequency and future transfers. There’s also a checkbox to specify a withdrawal of the account’s entire cash position.
Withdrawal by Wire on TradeStation
Besides ACH transfers, TradeStation also offers wire transfers. A withdrawal by wire will cost $25 per transaction ($35 if the withdrawal goes to a foreign bank). Once again, the bank account must first be linked to the TradeStation account. Any account that has previously been used in a wire transfer will show up in the To field. To add another account, select the link in the receiving field for this. There are several fields that need to be filled in for a wire transfer. These include Fed wire numbers, SWIFT codes, IBANs, and the like. An intermediary bank can be added if necessary.
Once the details for the receiving bank have been added, it’s time to specify the transfer details. The features already mentioned, such as frequency, are once again available.
Withdrawal by Check
The third and final withdrawal method under the Transfer Cash column is check. This is perhaps the least convenient method, but if you don’t currently have a bank account to use for an electronic withdrawal, having a check cut is a reasonable solution. There is no cost for receiving a check in the mail, which means it also offers a cost savings over the wire transfer option.
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Withdrawal by ACAT
TradeStation participates in the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS), which means it’s possible to move assets out of a TradeStation securities account into a securities account at another brokerage firm. The starting point for this type of transfer is at the receiving brokerage house, so there are no steps to show here. The receiving brokerage firm will contact TradeStation, who will then send over the requested cash.
Although securities are typically the transfer target in ACATS transfers, cash alone can be moved. The major disadvantage of choosing an ACATS transfer to move cash out of a TradeStation account is cost. The broker charges $125 per withdrawal. ACATS movements also take more time than other transfer types.
Although securities could be moved in an ACATS transfer along with the account’s available cash position, futures never can be.
TradeStation Withdrawal Limits
Wires, checks, and ACATS transfers have no maximum amounts, which is their primary advantage. An ACH withdrawal out of a TradeStation futures or securities account is capped at $50,000.
An ACH withdrawal takes about 3 business days to complete. Once the transfer arrives in the receiving banking account, that bank will have its own funds availability policy.
A wire transfer will arrive in the incoming account the next business day if the wire request is received by TradeStation no later than 12 pm, EST.
Why Can’t I Withdraw Funds From TradeStation?
Financial companies like TradeStation place time-bound restrictions on cash in their customers’ accounts. Deposits of cash take 6 business days to clear in a TradeStation account.
Cash generated from sales of futures, and securities must go through the assets’ settlement timeframes. For securities, this means at least one business day after the trade date. Trades of stocks and ETFs have a T+1 settlement period, which means one business day after the trade date. Cash from a trade cannot be withdrawn during this settlement period. For instance, if you sell shares of Microsoft stock on Friday, you’ll have to wait until Tuesday morning to withdraw the cash.
Cash from a sale inside a TradeStation securities account also cannot be used to purchase other securities until the trade settles.
Tracking an Account’s Balance Details
There are several places in the TradeStation universe where an account’s balances can be tracked. One of the lines shown will be the amount of cash that is available for withdrawal.
The ACH withdrawal form on the website we have been working with shows an account’s cash availability amount. First, the outgoing account must be selected. The available cash amount will be shown underneath the selected account.
An account’s available cash amount will also be shown on the broker’s browser platform, desktop program, and mobile app. Once again, the correct account must be selected first if there is more than one account under the same login credentials.
On the browser platform, balances are shown under the Balances tab, conveniently enough. On the mobile app, look for the Overview page (it is in the main menu, represented by three horizontal bars in the upper-left corner).
Checking the Status of a Withdrawal
TradeStation’s website displays an account’s transfer history. On the same Deposits & Transfers page, find the Transfer History column. Click on the relevant link and you’ll find a list of scheduled and completed transfers. Only transfers from the past 365 days are available.
TradeStation Mobile App Withdrawals
So far, we have mainly been looking at TradeStation’s website for withdrawals. The broker’s mobile app has the same transfer form on it, and this can be used to request a withdrawal via check, wire, or ACH.
To find the form, tap on the main menu icon in the upper-left corner and select Transfer Funds from the list of available options. The mobile transfer form has the same choices that the website has.
An external bank account can be linked to a TradeStation account using the mobile app. Just tap on the Accounts link that appears at the very top of the mobile transfer widget.
On the mobile app, an account’s transfer history can be accessed by going to the transfer form and tapping on the History tab. It appears in the very top-right of the transfer form.
The same withdrawal maximums mentioned above apply to withdrawal requests submitted through the mobile app.
Updated on 2/7/2025.
Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience
as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing
expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found
managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.
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