Can I access my money during a 1031 exchange?
No. During the exchange your sale proceeds are held by your Qualified Intermediary and you cannot access or control them — if you could, the IRS would treat it as constructive receipt and your exchange would fail. The funds stay in a segregated escrow account until they’re used to buy your replacement property.
This is the point of the whole structure: the money is deliberately placed where you can’t touch it. Even briefly routing proceeds through your own bank account can disqualify the exchange.
Any cash you deliberately take out instead of reinvesting is called boot and is taxable. See how funds are held safe in escrow and how your money is protected.
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General education — not tax or legal advice. This explains how §1031 exchanges work in general terms and uses simplified assumptions. Rules and tax rates change and your situation is specific. Talk to a qualified CPA or tax attorney before you rely on any of it. See our full terms & legal notice.