When selling shares, etc through a stock broker, do unsettled funds always settle?

What could go wrong?

The person who says they want to buy the stock not getting enough money in time.

Do you always end up getting the funds eventually? How long can you be delayed from getting the funds?

Your questions assume that the other person immediately gets your shares, but you don't immediately get the money. That's not what happens.

https://www.schwab.com/resource-center/insights/content/stock-settlement-why-you-need-to-understand-t2-timeline

What is settlement?

Settlement marks the official transfer of securities to the buyer's account and cash to the seller's account.

When does settlement occur?

For most stock trades, settlement occurs two business days after the day the order executes. Another way to remember this is through the abbreviation T+2, or trade date plus two days. For example, if you were to execute an order on Monday, it would typically settle on Wednesday. For some products, such as mutual funds, settlement occurs on a different timeline.

What counts as settled funds?

• Incoming cash (such as a check deposit or wire)

• The available margin borrowing value in a margin account (doesn't apply to a cash account)

• Settled sale proceeds of fully paid-for securities

In the era before trading systems were fully computerized, if the prospective buyer can't come up with the cash within two days, the trade falls through, and you get your shares back.

But now, though, modern computerized brokers go to great length to ensure that buyers have enough cash (or margin) to pay for your shares, so trades never fall through.

When selling shares, etc. through a stock broker, do unsettled funds always settle?

In the US, an account holder with a cash account (your counterparty) must have 100% of the cost of the security to purchase it and the funds must be settled. A purchase made without sufficient funds is a riding violation and may lead to account restriction.

Per Reg T, a margin account (your counterparty) must have 50% of the cost of the security to buy it (leveraged ETFs have higher requirements). Your broker can impose a higher margin requirement. If the counterparty has a subsequent margin maintenance issue, that's between him and his broker.

In both cases, you will receive the proceeds from the sale of your stock in two business days (T+2). This addresses you question about selling your security.

Should I just not worry about it and go ahead and buy stock with unsettled funds?

That's a confusing question since your question's title is about selling your security. Buying stock with unsettled funds in a cash account is a violation. It's not a problem in a margin account because that is the idea of a margin account - you don't have to wait settlement to trade again.

I'd request that rather than repeated editing of your question that you ask additional questions in comments (or a new question) because changing your question can make previous answers appear inapplicable.