How to get rid of a stock that no longer trades?

Asked by: Hilton Gottlieb  |  Last update: July 27, 2025
Score: 4.8/5 (37 votes)

In many cases you cannot liquidate a worthless stock because it is no longer traded. You can abandon the shares by calling your broker and having them remove the shares from your account.

Do I lose my money if a stock is delisted?

The only thing delisting does is that the stock doesn't trade on whatever exchange it got delisted from. It would still exist and you would still own it. No one is going to pay you out. It would trade over the counter.

How do you abandon a stock?

To abandon a security, you must permanently surrender and relinquish all rights in the security and receive no consideration in exchange for it. Treat worthless securities as though they were capital assets sold or exchanged on the last day of the tax year.

How to get rid of stocks that no longer exist?

If the security cannot be sold in the market, it may be possible to dispose of the worthless security by gifting it to another person who can be related or unrelated to you. If you gift the worthless security to a family member, you will need to ensure that the person is not your spouse or minor child.

How to get rid of non-tradeable shares?

If the security is no longer being traded on any exchange, this means that it is no longer possible to close any open positions in that security through a normal transaction. The security can only be removed from your portfolio by waiving your economic ownership.

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How do I sell my delisted stock?

If a company is delisted, you are still a shareholder, to the extent of a number of shares held. And yet, you cannot sell those shares on any exchange. However, you can sell it on the over-the-counter market. This means you can look for a buyer outside the stock exchange.

What to do with non-tradeable shares?

Non-tradable securities are typically expected to be and remain near or entirely worthless. If you have open positions in non-tradable securities at the time your investment account is closed, you agree, as part of our Terms of Business, to have these securities removed from your account.

How to get rid of non-traded stocks?

Simple. Submit a Remat request and make the shares physical. Than they will be removed from the demat electronic form and sent to you from the registrar in physical paper form. Than you can close the account and keep physical copy of shares if in future the shares list on bse again, you can submit them for demat again.

Can you write off a delisted stock?

You can use a capital loss to offset ordinary income up to $3,000 per year If you don't have capital gains to offset the loss. You can take a total capital loss on the stock if you own stock that has become worthless because the company went bankrupt and was liquidated.

How do I get rid of dead shares?

Let's find out how to turn slow-moving stock into cash.
  1. Offer customers a free gift. ...
  2. Bundle products. ...
  3. Clearance sales. ...
  4. Return items to a supplier. ...
  5. Donate dead stock items. ...
  6. Seek out partnership opportunities. ...
  7. Sell items on marketplaces. ...
  8. Refresh or re-merchandise.

How do I get rid of unwanted stocks?

5 tips to get rid of excess stock
  1. Discounts/sales.
  2. Consider liquidation companies.
  3. Remarket products.
  4. Bundling products.
  5. Donate unwanted stock.

When should you get rid of a stock?

Like having insurance to safeguard against severe damage, this one simple rule for when to sell stocks is there to protect you from a potentially crippling loss. Once a stock begins to plunge, there's no telling where the bottom is. Limit your loss to 7% or 8% and get out.

How do you surrender a stock?

In short, a member can voluntarily surrender their shares to the company upon receiving the capital he invested into the company as consideration. Any surrender of shares that would lead to the reduction of a company's share capital will first need the passing of a special resolution by company members.

What happens when a stock becomes untradeable?

If a stock becomes delisted, the liquidity drops immensely. In fact, they are considered illiquid. In many cases, they are untradeable on most brokerage platforms that don't support OTCBB or Pink Sheets trading.

How do I recover money from delisted shares?

However, there is one way to claim the losses on shares which are delisted and still lying in your demat account. You can transfer these shares from your demat account through off market transaction for a very nominal price to any of your friends or relatives.

Is a delisted stock worthless?

You don't automatically lose money as an investor, but being delisted carries a stigma and is generally a sign that a company is bankrupt, near-bankrupt, or can't meet the exchange's minimum financial requirements for other reasons. Delisting also tends to prompt institutional investors to not continue to invest.

Do you lose all your money if a stock gets delisted?

The value of shares doesn't automatically rise or fall with a delisting, but when an involuntary listing takes place, it's often a sign that a company is approaching bankruptcy. In this case, there's a chance investors might lose their investment.

How to write off stock that is worthless?

Here's what you need to do to report your loss: Report any worthless securities on Form 8949. You'll need to explain to the IRS that your loss totals differ from those presented by your broker on your Form 1099-B and why. You need to treat securities as if they were sold or exchanged on the last day of the tax year.

How do you dispose of delisted shares?

Only through off-market transactions can the investor get rid of such shares. These investors can contact specialised brokers who deal with unlisted shares.

How do you get rid of expired stocks?

Check expiration dates and if they are nearing the end of life. Sell them at a discounted price or donate them to a charity rather than having to throw them out.

What are the rules for delisting stocks?

Companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market must meet requirements for continued listing. If a company can't maintain the minimum requirements to remain listed, Nasdaq will delist it. Failure of a company to meet a minimum closing bid price of at least $1 for 30 consecutive trading days can trigger delisting.

How do I get rid of unwanted shares?

Whatever the reason is for their removal, the shares they held must be dealt with and cannot be left un-allocated. When the shares are given up by the shareholder, they will need to be transferred to someone else; this can be done through sale or through gifting.

Can a stock come back after delisting?

If a delisted company can return to stability and meet the listing criteria, it may re-list later. A company may also voluntarily delist shares due to a merger or acquisition, going private, or if it feels that the costs outweigh the benefits to remain listed.

How do I sell non traded shares?

As these stocks are not listed on the stock exchange, you need to approach the broker or buyer privately to sell unlisted shares in India. You need to provide Demat A/c details, CMR copy, and bank details to the buyer after which the shares need to be transferred.

What happens to shareholders when a stock is delisted?

If a company's stock is delisted from an exchange, shareholders still own their shares in the company, but the stock may trade over-the-counter, which could lead to decreased liquidity and less transparency for investors.