How to Delete a Public.com Account
If you have a brokerage account with Public.com that you no longer use, it’s usually a good idea to close it. Doing so can help reduce the risk of unauthorized activity. Here’s how to shut down the investment account:
Closing Public Account by Liquidation
There are two ways to close an account at Public.com. With the first method, you sell everything in the account, withdraw the cash balance, and then request that the account be closed.
To begin, sign in to your account and liquidate all positions. Stocks, cryptocurrencies, fine art, and anything else in the account need to be dealt with. It is possible to move some securities in a partial transfer and leave cash behind. The idea here is simply to reduce the account to cash.
After the account holds only cash, the balance needs to be withdrawn. Public supports withdrawals by ACH, paper check, or wire. To add a bank account for ACH transfers, go to the website and click on the menu icon in the upper-right corner. From the drop-down menu, open Settings. On the next page, go to the Transfers section to add an external bank account.
The withdrawal option is also available from the menu. Use that link to move cash out of the account.
The mobile app can be used for the same tasks. After signing into the app, tap the icon with three horizontal lines in the upper-left corner. Open Settings. From there, you can access the same basic transfer and account tools.
Once the account shows a zero balance, double-check that there are no pending deposits on the way in. If there are none, the next step is to request closure of the account.
Under the Settings menu on either the website or mobile app, go to Help and then select the link to close the account. Click or tap on this link to shut down the account. The next page will confirm that all positions have been closed and that there are no pending deposits or cash left in the account. If everything looks good, close the account.
Broker Promotions
If you are opening a new investment account or are moving your Public account to another company,
check if the new firm offers promotions for opening an account.
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Closing Public Account by Full ACATS Transfer
The partial transfer mentioned above to remove securities will not actually close the account. You would still need to go back and request closure. If you would rather skip that final step, you can do a full outgoing transfer to another investment firm. That will move the transferable brokerage cash and securities to the other firm and automatically close the brokerage account at Public. This method does require opening a second account at the receiving firm, although the advantage is that transferable holdings do not need to be sold first.
Only eligible securities and cash can be transferred through the ACATS electronic network, which is the system being used here. If you have any cryptocurrencies or other non-transferable assets tied to your Public relationship, those will require separate handling.
To perform a full outgoing ACATS transfer from Public to another firm, you’ll need to contact the incoming firm and request the transfer.
Cost of Closing Public Account
Public.com has a
$100 outgoing ACATS fee. It applies to either a partial or full transfer. Choosing
the first method could also cost something. Although there is no fee to close an account, Public does
charge for instant cash withdrawals, outgoing wires, and overnight check delivery. Charles Schwab
will reimburse this fee if you move $7,500+ account to them.
Updated on 4/14/2026.
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