Short answer
To cash out crypto to a US bank account, sell it for dollars on the exchange or app that holds it, then withdraw the dollars to a bank account in your own name. Standard ACH withdrawals are free at Kraken and take 0–2 business days; Coinbase lists 1–5 business days. Instant options exist for a fee, and the sale is reportable for taxes.
On this page
At a glance
- Step 1get the crypto onto a platform that can sell it (skip if it’s already there)
- Step 2sell or convert it to USD; fees and any spread are shown in the order preview
- Step 3withdraw USD to a bank account in the same name as your account
- Standard timingACH, 0–2 business days at Kraken; 1–5 business days at Coinbase
- TaxesUS brokers report crypto sales on Form 1099-DA for transactions from January 1, 2025
Sources: Kraken: Cash withdrawal options · Coinbase: Payment methods for US customers · IRS: Understanding your Form 1099-DA · Checked on September 27, 2026
The two steps
Your bank can’t receive bitcoin or USDC. Something has to sell the crypto for dollars first, and then those dollars travel over a normal bank rail: ACH, a wire or an instant payment. So a cash-out is always two steps, each with its own fee and its own wait.
- Sell. On an exchange or app, sell the crypto for USD. The platform shows its fee and any spread in the preview before you confirm.
- Withdraw. Send the USD to your linked bank account. Coinbase requires the name on the payment method to match your Coinbase account; Kraken requires a US bank account under the same legal name as your Kraken account.
If your crypto is in a self-custody wallet, add a step zero: send it to your exchange account, on a network the exchange supports. See how to send crypto before you do.
Withdrawal options, as platforms publish them
| Platform and method | Fee | Minimum | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kraken, ACH | Free | $1 | 0–2 business days; same day if submitted before 2:00 PM ET (under $1 million) |
| Kraken, Fedwire | $4 | $20 | 0–1 business days |
| Kraken, Instant transfer (RTP) | 1.50%, maximum $50 | $20 | Near-instant, 24/7; bank must support RTP |
| Coinbase, bank account (ACH) | Shown before you confirm | 1–5 business days | |
| Coinbase, wire transfer | Shown before you confirm | 1–3 business days | |
| Coinbase, instant bank cashout (RTP) | “Standard transaction fees apply”; shown before you confirm | Up to $100,000 per transaction | Typically about 30 minutes, up to 24 hours |
Sources: Kraken: Cash withdrawal options (last updated September 3, 2026) · Kraken: ACH withdrawals · Kraken: Instant transfer (RTP) · Coinbase: Payment methods · Coinbase: Instant cashouts · Checked on September 27, 2026
Eligibility limits apply. Kraken says New York residents can’t use its ACH withdrawals, and Maine and New York residents can’t use its instant transfers. Coinbase says instant bank cashouts go from a USD or USDC balance to an RTP-enabled US bank account; other crypto has to be sold or converted first.
How long a cash-out really takes
Timeline
- You sellthe crypto becomes USD in your exchange balance
- You request the withdrawalbefore the cutoff if there is one (Kraken ACH: 2:00 PM ET for same-day processing)
- The platform starts the bank transferat Coinbase, an evening order starts the ACH transfer on the next business day
- The ACH network settlesbusiness days only; weekends and bank holidays don’t count
- Money landsin your bank account (Kraken ACH: within two business days; Coinbase ACH: 1–5 business days, usually by 11:59 PM PT on the completion day)
Sources: Kraken: ACH withdrawals · Coinbase: Why does a sell take so long? · Checked on September 27, 2026
If the crypto first has to travel from your own wallet to the exchange, add the network’s confirmation time (see crypto network fees). How ACH itself works, and why weekends stretch it: how long does ACH take. For wires: how long do wire transfers take.
Holds that block a withdrawal
Platforms can hold new money before it can leave. Kraken’s page is specific: ACH, PayPal, debit or credit card and digital wallet purchases trigger a 72-hour withdrawal hold, cash deposits via ACH Plaid are held for 7 days, and the hold applies to both crypto and cash withdrawals. If you bought crypto with a card yesterday, you may not be able to cash it out today.
Cashing out stablecoins
USDC is the shortest path at Coinbase: its instant bank cashout works directly from a USDC balance. For USDT and other stablecoins, sell or convert to USD first. Coinbase charges a 0.10% processing fee only on net USDC-to-USD conversion volume above $5 million in 30 days. More on moving stablecoins between networks: stablecoin transfer.
Cashing out from Cash App
In Cash App, selling bitcoin moves dollars to your Cash balance; from there, a transfer to your bank is a normal Cash App cash-out. Cash App publishes a tiered fee table for market bitcoin buys and sells on its Bitcoin pricing page, may add a spread of 0% to 0.75% depending on market conditions, and shows both on the confirmation screen before you sell. The bank leg is covered in instant transfer fees and cash app limit.
Taxes: Form 1099-DA
The IRS says US brokers must report gross proceeds from digital asset sales on Form 1099-DA for transactions on or after January 1, 2025, and basis for certain transactions from January 1, 2026. Whether or not you receive a 1099-DA, you must report all income, gains and losses from digital asset transactions on your federal return. The IRS also says you must calculate basis before you file, so keep your purchase records.
Warning
Withdraw only to a bank account in your own name, as the platforms require. Be wary of anyone who offers to “cash out” crypto for you, or a job that involves converting cash to crypto for a “client”: the FTC describes these as scams in which the money is gone and you may owe your bank. Check FTC: What to know about cryptocurrency and scams · Checked on September 27, 2026
This guide explains the mechanics of converting crypto to dollars. It is not financial or tax advice.
