GTT Order: Meaning, Validity and Trigger Examples

GTT order full form and meaning in one line

GTT stands for Good Till Triggered. It is an order instruction that your broker stores for you and sends to the exchange only after the price you named is reached. Until then, nothing is waiting in the exchange. This is different from a normal order, which goes to the exchange straight away. See also good till cancelled order, a similar idea known as GTC in other markets.

GTT means Good Till Triggered: an instruction stored with a broker that submits an order when your price condition is met. The waiting trigger and the resulting exchange order are different stages. Triggering does not guarantee a completed trade. As checked on 16 October 2026, Zerodha documents both limit orders and market orders with price protection through GTT. Validity and supported products depend on the broker; a derivative contract cannot outlive its expiry.

Trigger price, order price and actual trade price

The trigger price tells the broker when to submit the order. For a limit-order GTT, the limit price sets the most you will pay to buy or the least you will accept to sell. The actual trade price depends on a matching buyer or seller being available within that limit.

Those prices can differ. A buy limit can trade at its limit or lower, while a sell limit can trade at its limit or higher. The stop-limit order explanation covers the same trigger-versus-price distinction for that order type.

Zerodha’s terms say no actual exchange order is placed until the trigger conditions are met. A GTT therefore does not give your later order a place in the exchange queue in advance. Check the broker’s triggered-order status to see whether it was placed, rejected, partly traded or completed.

GTT vs stop-loss order

Both a GTT and a stop-loss order wait for a price level. The difference is where the instruction waits and how long it lasts. A regular stop-loss order is placed in your order book for the day and, once placed, it is handled by the broker or the exchange system for that session. A GTT is held by the broker, can last much longer, and sends a fresh order only when the trigger is met.

Neither one guarantees the price you get. If you want the plain definition of the day order, read stop loss order, stop-limit order and SL-M order. A GTT with a limit price behaves like a stop-limit, and it can stay unfilled in the same way.

How long is a GTT valid?

The validity of the trigger is separate from the life of an exchange order it submits. Zerodha says an unfilled triggered order is cancelled at that trading session’s end and a fresh GTT is needed. Do not assume a trigger will keep submitting new orders every day.

Single, OCO and trailing triggers

A single trigger covers one condition. OCO means “one cancels the other”: linked stop-loss and target conditions, where activating one cancels the other. Cancellation happens at the trigger stage in Zerodha’s guide, so it does not prove the first order actually closed your position.

Zerodha’s current support guide also describes a trailing stop-loss, where the trigger follows favourable price moves. It offers this through controls on Single and OCO orders. This is a broker facility, distinct from a regular stop-loss order.

GTT across Indian brokers: validity compared

The idea is the same at most brokers, but each one sets its own rules. This table lists only what the broker's own pages or terms say, as seen in search results. A blank means this page did not confirm the point.

Do not copy a rule from one broker to another. Supported segments, order choices (limit or market with protection), cancellation reasons and charges are each broker-specific. Where this page does not give a charge, check the broker's brokerage schedule. For the broader picture of costs on a trade, see the trading charges log.

A worked example: the trigger fires, the order does not fill

Illustrative limit-buy example: a fictional stock last traded at ₹205. You create a GTT with a ₹200 trigger, a ₹202 buy limit and a quantity of 10 shares. These prices show the mechanics and are not suggested trading levels.

If the trigger condition is met and the broker places the order, an assumed full fill at ₹201 would cost 10 × ₹201 = ₹2,010 before charges. The maximum purchase value at the chosen limit would be 10 × ₹202 = ₹2,020, also before charges.

Now assume a different path: the stock jumps below the trigger at the opening, the trigger activates, and the lowest available sell offer moves to ₹204 before the order can match. A ₹202 buy limit cannot buy at ₹204. It can remain unfilled even though the trigger already fired. No fill means no purchased position to record.

For a sell stop, a sharp downward gap can leave the market below your minimum acceptable selling price. A limit order then waits rather than accepting a lower price. The planned stop amount is not a guarantee of the realised loss.

GTT in F&O: what changes

A GTT on an index or stock option is limited by the contract itself. The contract expires on a fixed date, and Zerodha's terms say a pending derivative instruction is invalidated after expiry. Angel One's GTT terms likewise say that derivative GTT orders are valid only during the contract period. This means you must re-check the date of every GTT on a derivative contract, especially around Tuesday expiries for Nifty. Stock derivatives and Bank Nifty expire monthly, so those GTTs can last longer.

Three more points matter for derivatives. First, you place the quantity as lots. The Nifty lot is 65 in the NSE lot size file for the Nov-26 contracts, and lot sizes are revised from time to time, so check the current size before setting the quantity. Second, an order bigger than the exchange's freeze quantity is rejected, so large quantities must be split. Look at the freeze quantity page. Third, option prices can move a lot between your trigger and the fill.

Here is a made-up example. You hold one lot of 65 units of a Nifty option bought at 100. You set a GTT sell with a trigger at 80 and a limit of 78. If the premium falls gradually, the order is placed and may fill near 80. A planned loss at 80 is (100 − 80) × 65 = 1,300 rupees before charges. If the premium gaps down to 60 before the order can match, your sell limit at 78 cannot fill, and the position is still open. If you then exit at 60, the loss is (100 − 60) × 65 = 2,600 rupees, which is double the planned figure. This is an illustration with invented prices.

Does a protected market order solve the fill problem?

Zerodha’s market protection help explains that execution is attempted within a price range. If prices move beyond that range, an unexecuted balance becomes a resting limit order at the protection boundary. The feature limits acceptable execution prices; it can still leave some quantity unfilled.

With a protected market order, check how much actually traded and whether a limit order remains open. A trigger notification confirms that the price condition activated; it does not confirm a completed exit.

Placing and checking a GTT on Kite

• On Kite web, hover over the instrument in marketwatch, open its menu and choose Create GTT.
• Choose the available transaction side and trigger type for that instrument.
• Enter quantity, trigger price and the supported limit or protected-market choice.
• Review the product, contract expiry where relevant, and order settings before placing it.
• After a trigger activates, inspect the resulting order and the position still open.

These steps follow Zerodha’s guide checked on 16 October 2026. App controls differ: its guide says to select the instrument and tap Create GTT. A screen tutorial for another broker does not establish the controls or eligibility in your account.

Modify, cancel and check a GTT order

A GTT that has not triggered can normally be edited or deleted from the broker's GTT list. Change the trigger and the limit price together, since a new trigger with an old limit can leave a gap. If you no longer want the instruction, delete it. Do not leave stale GTTs on a stock you have sold or on a contract near expiry.

A GTT can stop being usable without your action. Zerodha's cancellation guide lists splits, bonuses, other corporate actions and contract expiry among the reasons. Check the GTT list after any corporate action. Also check it after you change your holdings, because a sell GTT needs the shares to be there when it triggers.

Does a GTT trigger outside market hours?

A GTT does not create an exchange order until its trigger condition is met. The trigger is checked against traded prices, and an order can reach the exchange only when the exchange accepts orders. This page has not confirmed how each broker handles pre-open or after-hours prices, so do not assume a GTT fills at the first price of the day. If you want certainty, read your broker's GTT terms and test with a very small quantity.

Common GTT mistakes

• Assuming a triggered GTT means a filled order. The trigger only sends the order. Check order status afterwards.
• Setting the limit too close to the trigger. In a fast move the market can pass your limit, and the order stays open.
• Forgetting expiry. A derivative GTT dies with its contract, even if the validity looks long.
• Not having funds or holdings. A buy needs cash and a sell needs the shares at the time of the trigger.
• Leaving old GTTs live. After you exit manually, a forgotten sell GTT could open an unwanted position in some setups. Delete what you no longer need.
• Treating the trigger price as the expected fill. Only your limit price is a bound. The actual price is whatever the market gives within it.

A GTT is only an instruction, so log what you planned and what really happened. OneTradeJournal records trades by hand; note the trigger, the limit, the executed price and whether you followed your plan, and review the gap over time.

Funds, holdings, cancellations and costs

Zerodha’s terms require adequate funds and holdings for successful triggered orders. Its guide says equity sell orders need depository authorisation unless a valid Power of Attorney or Demat Debit and Pledge Instruction is in place. A stored trigger is not proof that a later order will pass those checks.

Its cancellation guide also lists splits, bonuses, other corporate actions and contract expiry among reasons a GTT may stop being usable. Review affected instructions after these events instead of assuming the broker adjusted them in the way you intended.

Zerodha’s placement guide says creating a GTT is free. An executed trade can still have ordinary charges under the relevant tariff. For the charge categories, see brokerage and trading charges; do not treat the absence of a trigger fee as a cost-free trade.

Recording the result

Keep the trigger, limit, submission date and reason in your notes. After an order trades, record the executed quantity, price and costs. If it did not trade, keep it as an unfilled instruction rather than inventing a profit or loss. OneTradeJournal is a manual journal; it does not place or manage GTT orders.

An exit order that closes a position is called a square-off. Confirm the quantity still held before creating another exit instruction, especially after a partial trade.

Sources

• Zerodha GTT terms and conditions; checked 16 October 2026.
• Zerodha GTT types and placement; checked 16 October 2026.
• Zerodha Validity of a GTT order; checked 16 October 2026.
• Zerodha Market protection on the order window; checked 16 October 2026.
• Zerodha Disabled, cancelled, expired or rejected GTTs; checked 16 October 2026.
• Upstox Validity by segment; checked 16 October 2026.