Pricing
Lime Trading offers affordable pricing for a range of investment products
Plans
Overview
*Commission-free trading only available through the Lime Trading platform. Free commission trading does not include options, OTCBB or Pink Sheets, or extended hours trading.
Other fees, such as regulatory, service, or other fees, may apply.
All investing incurs risk, including but not limited to loss of principal. Further information may be found on our Disclosure Statements page.
Stocks, ETFs, ADRs
| No Commission Route | $0.00 |
| Extended Hours | $0.003/share |
| Direct Access Routes | $0.005/share, $1 min |
Options
| Single-leg | $0.50/contract |
| Multi-leg | $0.50/contract on each leg |
Overview
This is our plan for active traders using Sterling Trader® Pro, powered by Lime’s low latency network infrastructure.
All applicable fees are billed to the account.
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Platform Fee
| Platform | Platform Fee |
| Sterling Trader® Pro | $200/Month* |
*Score Priority receives compensation from Sterling Trader Pro subscriptions.
API Fee
| Platform | Platform Fee |
| Sterling Trader® Pro | $1000/Month |
Market Data Fees
Stocks as low as
$2.50
per trade
Options as low as
$0.50
per contract
Pricing
| Stocks | $2.50 per trade |
| ETFs | $2.50 per trade |
| ADRs | $2.50 per trade |
| Exchange Listed Stocks Under $1.00 | $2.50 + $0.003 per share for entire order |
| OTC Securities | $2.50 + $0.003 per share for entire order* |
| Options | $2.50 + $0.50 per contract |
| Spreads(per leg) | $2.50 + $0.50 per contract |
| Straddle (per leg) | $2.50 + $0.50 per contract |
| International Stocks | $2.50 + $75.00 Foreign Stock Transaction Fee |
| Mutual Funds | $12.50 + Note |
| Broker-assisted Trades | $20.00 Including applicable commission |
* Pink Sheets, OTC Bulletin Board (OTC-BB) and Leveraged ETFs / Stocks are NOT margin eligible.
Fees
Account Types & Minimums
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Regulation T Day Trading Accounts
Day Trading Accounts are margin accounts offered for qualifying customers with a minimum balance of $30,000 or higher to open the account, and a balance of $25,000 must be retained in order to trade, as a regulatory requirement. FINRA rules stipulate that “Day-Trading buying power” means the equity in a customer’s account at the end of the prior day minus any maintenance margin requirement, multiplied by 4, this is available Intraday. Regulation T governs margin accounts and allows for Margin based on strategy, and typically requires investors to have 50% of the trade value for overnight equity positions although special regulatory or broker requirements may apply for specific securities, and some securities may not be marginable.
Clearing is through Wedbush Securities. Please read our Day Trading Risk Disclosure for more information on the risks of day trading.
| Timing | Buying Power Leverage |
| Intraday | 4x Cash Buying Power |
| Overnight | 2x Cash Buying Power |
Financing Fees
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Margin Debit Charges
Margin Financing is available at the Fed Funds Target Rate + 4%.
Commissions and Passthrough Fees
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Tiered Commissions
Commissions are based on non-retro tiers by monthly volume, which reset at the beginning of each month.
The first 500,000 shares are priced at $.0030/share, and the next 500,000 are priced at $.0025/share, etc.
No minimum commission per trade.
No extra commissions for odd lots (orders below 100 shares).
| Volume per month | Commission Reate per Share |
| <= 500,000 Shares | USD 0.0030 |
| 500,001-1,000,000 | USD 0.0025 |
| 1,000,001 – 2,000,000 Shares | USD 0.0020 |
| 2,000,001 -4,000,000 Shares | USD 0.0018 |
| 4,000,001 – 20,000,000 Shares | USD 0.0015 |
| 20,000,001 – 50,000,000 Shares | USD 0.0010 |
| 50,000,001 – 100,000,000 Shares | USD 0.0007 |
| > 100,000,000 Shares | USD 0.0005 |
Lime Smart Router
In addition to commissions, orders routed through the Lime Smart Router are charged a fee of $.0005/share.
Direct Market Acces (DMA) Passthrough Fees
With this offer, Score Priority will pass through fees charged and rebates given by execution venues.
Rebates for adding liquidity (posting orders to order books) are available up to $.0020/share, depending on venue.
Fees for removing liquidity (executing against orders posted to order books) are charged up to $.0030/share, depending on venue.
In addition, some venues charge fees for routing out to other venues up to $.0035/share.
Certain venues have an inverted fee structure, meaning they rebate for removing liquidity and/or charge for adding liquidity.
Special fee schedules may also apply to certain order types available at the venue, restrictions such as non-display, or based on the price of the securities, with securities priced below $1 typically having higher fees.
Certain venues, typically Dark Pools, have trade reporting fees that are passed on, and some venues charge fees for odd lot executions.
The fee schedule and fees are updated monthly and subject to change. A complete schedule can be provided on request.
Trading & Regulatory Fees
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Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Fee
SEC Section 31 transaction fees are charged by the government to recover the costs of regulating the securities markets. The fee is charged on all security sales, based on the total principal (dollar) amount sold. The current rate is 0.0000051 per dollar of your sale proceeds.
For example, if you sold 100 shares of stock at $25.00 netting total proceeds of $2.500.00 you would be charged $0.02 for the transaction: (2,500 x 0.0000051) = $0.01275 = $0.02 (rounded up to the nearest penny). Effective Feb 25, 2021.
Trading Activity Fee
Trading Activity Fee rates are as follows: Each member shall pay to FINRA: (1) $0.000119 per share for each sale of a covered equity security, with a maximum charge of $5.95 per trade; (2) $0.002 per contract for each sale of an option; (3) $0.00008 per contract for each round turn transaction of a security future, provided there is a minimum charge of $0.01 per round turn transaction; In addition, if the execution price for a covered security is less than the Trading Activity Fee rate ($0.000119 for covered equity securities, $0.002 for covered option contracts, or $0.01 for a security future) on a per share, per contract, or round turn transaction basis then no fee will be assessed.
National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) Fee
The National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) Fee is a fee of $.0055 per execution, charged to offset costs charged by the Depository Trust Clearing Corporation (DTCC).
Required Minimum Balance
U.S. Accounts
Foreign Accounts
Foreign Accounts
Cash Accounts
Your account value must be at least $1,000 to begin trading.
Under $1,000: trading capability ceases until equity is raised (liquidation only orders)
Margin Accounts
Your account value must be at least $2,000 to begin trading.
Under $2,000: trading capability ceases until equity is raised.
Non-Enhanced Due Diligence & High Risk Countries
Your account value must be at least $1,000 to begin trading.
Under $1,000: trading capability ceases until equity is raised (liquidation only orders).
Margin Accounts
Your account value must be at least $2,000 to begin trading.
Enhanced Due Diligence & High Risk Countries
Your account value must be at least $5,000 to begin trading.
Under $5,000: trading capability ceases until equity is raised (liquidation only orders).
Margin Accounts
Your account value must be at least $5,000 to begin trading.
Required Balances and Fees
U.S. Accounts
Foreign Accounts
Foreign Accounts
Your account value must be at least $1,000 for Cash & for Margin to begin trading.
A breakdown of our commission structure is below:
Cash Accounts
| $1,000 or more | $2.50 per trade |
| Under $1,000 | Trading capability ceases until equity is raised. $4.00 on sell orders |
Margin Accounts
| $2,000 or more | $2.50 per trade |
| $1,000 – $1,999 | $4.00 per trade |
Non-Enhanced Due Diligence & High Risk Countries
Your account value must be at least $1,000 to begin trading
A breakdown of our commission structure is below:
| $1,000 or more | $2.50 per trade |
| Under $2,500 | Trading capability ceases until equity is raised. $4.00 on sell orders |
Enhanced Due Diligence & High Risk Countries
Your account value must be at least $5,000 to begin trading
A breakdown of our commission structure is below:
| $5,000 or more | $2.50 per trade |
| Under $5,000 | Trading capability ceases until equity is raised. $4.00 on sell orders |
Trading & Regulatory Fees
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Electronic Communication Network (ECN) Fees/Extended Hours Trading
Trading during extended hours is subject to a commission surcharge of $0.003 per share. This fee applies to orders executed on the Electronic Communication Network (ECN). Extended pre-market trading is between 7:05 a.m. – 9:30 a.m., EST. Extended after-hours trading is between 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Fee
SEC Section 31 transaction fees are charged by the government to recover the costs of regulating the securities markets. The fee is charged on all security sales, based on the total principal (dollar) amount sold. The current rate is 0.0000051 per dollar of your sale proceeds.
For example, if you sold 100 shares of stock at $25.00 netting total proceeds of $2.500.00 you would be charged $0.02 for the transaction: (2,500 x 0.0000051) = $0.01275 = $0.02 (rounded up to the nearest penny). Effective Feb 25, 2021.
Trading Activity Fee (TAF)
Trading Activity Fee rates are as follows: Each member shall pay to FINRA: (1) $0.000119 per share for each sale of a covered equity security, with a maximum charge of $5.95 per trade; (2) $0.002 per contract for each sale of an option; (3) $0.00008 per contract for each round turn transaction of a security future, provided there is a minimum charge of $0.01 per round turn transaction; In addition, if the execution price for a covered security is less than the Trading Activity Fee rate ($0.000119 for covered equity securities, $0.002 for covered option contracts, or $0.01 for a security future) on a per share, per contract, or round turn transaction basis then no fee will be assessed.
Direct Market Access (DMA) Passthrough Fees
The Options Regulatory Fee (ORF) is a transaction-based fee charged by options exchanges and collected by the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) to offset the costs of supervising and regulating the options market. This fee varies based on industry volumes and is assessed to buy and sell option orders at a rate of $0.0023 per contract. Effective Aug 4, 2020.
Index Fees
Lime Financial charges an additional $0.35 per contract on purchases and sales of certain index products where the exchange charges fees.
Other Fees
We are proud to offer you straightforward pricing without any hidden charges.
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ACH
| ACH Deposit/Withdrawal | Free |
| ACH Returned | $50.00 |
| (Returned as uncollectible or for insufficient funds.) | |
| Check Stop Payment | $25.00 |
| Overnight Delivery (Weekday) | $50.00 |
| Overnight Delivery (Saturday) | $50.00 |
| Overnight Delivery (International) | $80.00 |
Account Transfer Fee
| ACAT Incoming Transfer | Free |
| ACAT Outgoing Transfer | $80.00 |
| Additional charges will apply for transfers involving non-DTC eligible domestic and foreign securities. See “Foreign Settlement Fee and Physical Settlement Fee” listed below | |
| ACAT Outgoing Partial Transfer | $25.00 |
| DWAC Delivery | $250.00 + TA Fees |
| DRS Transfer | $60.00 |
| DTC Delivery | $25.00 per position |
| Letter of Authorization Transfer | $10.00 |
| Worthless Securities minimum account balance | $250.00 |
|
The balance is to offset the fees incurred for holding these types of securities, minimum amount required may be greater than $250.00 and will depend on the number of positions held
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|
| Fee to remove a worthless security from account | $30.00 per security |
Clearing Firm Fees
| Mandatory Corporate Action Fee | $30 |
| W-8Ben Processing Fee | $60.00 |
Client Services
| Records Research | $100.00 per hour (1/2 hour minimum) |
| Transfer On Death Agreement | $50.00 One-time setup charge. |
| Returned Mail | $30.00 |
| Quarterly fee charged to accounts with returned mail associated with the address on file. To update your new address, please submit a Change of Address Form | |
| Returned Mail Maintenance Fee | $30.00 |
| Worthless Security Processing | $30.00 |
Dividends & Corporate Actions
| Dividend Reinvestment (DRIP) | Free |
| Tenders (Voluntary Corporate Actions) | $50.00 per item |
| Mandatory Corporate Actions | $30.00 per item |
Inactivity Fee
| Inactivity Fee | $15 per quarter |
| The inactivity fee will be waived under one of the following conditions: | – At least 5 trades have been placed per quarter |
|
Or: |
|
| – At least $25,000 is maintained in the account |
IRAs
| IRA Annual Fee | $50.00 |
| This fee will be reimbursed if your account has over $10,000 in assets, and at least 40 trades have been placed (options & equities only). | |
| IRA Closing Fee | $75.00 Includes outgoing transfer via ACAT. |
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Market Data
| Market Depth Feature | $7.99 per month |
Statements/Confirmations
| E-Statements | Free |
| E-Confirmations | Free |
| Paper/Duplicate Statements | $5.00 per statement. |
| Paper/Duplicate Confirmations | $3.00 per confirmation. |
Stock Loan
| Borrow Fee | Daily stock loan charges assessed to short trades. |
Tax Reporting
| Form 1099 Copy Request (Dated within the last 2 years) | $5.00 |
| Form 1099 Copy Request (prior last 2 years) | $10.00 |
Trade Settlement
| Foreign Settlement Fee (ADRs exempt) | At cost. |
|
This fee varies based on the number of counterparties involved. The fee applies to transactions and account transfers involving foreign securities that are not registered in the U.S. and not DTC eligible
|
|
| Physical Settlement Fee | Physical Settlement Fee At cost per certificate. |
| Applies to transactions and account transfers involving domestic securities that are not DTC eligible. Fee may also apply to transactions involving securities with a DTC “chill” restriction.) | |
| Regulation T Extension | $25.00 per request, plus margin interest |
| NSCC Illiquid Margin Charge | Click here for explanation of fee |
Trading & Regulatory Fees
| ECN Fee | $0.003 per share |
| Option Exercise/Assignment | $20.00 per exercise/assignment |
| Sell-Out/Buy-In Notices | $25.00 |
| SEC Fee | $0.0000231 per dollar (sells only) |
| TAF (Trading Activity Fee) – Equity | $0.000119 per share (equity sells) |
| TAF (Trading Activity Fee) – Options | $0.002 per contract (option sells) |
| ORF (Options Regulatory Fee) | $0.0407 per contract (buys and sells) |
| Index Fee | $0.35 per contract |
| Foreign Stock Transaction Fee | $75.00 per trade |
Wire
| Wire – Outgoing – Domestic | $35.00 |
| Wire – Outgoing – Foreign | $80.00 |
| Wire Return Fee | $25.00 |
|
We do not accept third party wires. Incoming third party wires will be returned and the Wire Return Fee will be charged to the account. |
Other Fees
These other fees are fees charged by Wedbush Securities, the clearing firm for this offer, and are subject to change.
- Account Transfer (ACAT) Out: ACAT Transfer Out is $95.00.
- ACH Transfer: No Fee for ACH Transfers.
- Limited Partnership Annual Fee: $50.00
- DTC Transfer out: $25.00 Fee for DTC Transfers.
- ESOP Processing Fee (Employee Stock Options): $30.00
- Paper Confirms, Statements & Tax Documents: Paper Confirms, Statements & Tax Documents are available for $2.50 per month plus $2.00 per confirm plus postage. There is no charge for Electronic access.
- Hard Copy Requests: $2.00 per page
- IRA Set-Up Fee and First Year Fee: $20.00
- IRA Annual Fee: $35.00
- Letter of Authorization (LOA): $25.00
- Lost Certificates: $20.00 Plus any out of pocket fees
- Monthly Credit Plus Fees (Check Writing and Visa Card): $7 per Month
- NSF Checks: $25.00 per check
- Physical Certificate Processing Fee for Deliveries over 50,000 Shares: $100.00
- Physical Certificate Request: Minimum of $525 (Includes $500.00 DTC fee plus any applicable pass-through fees)
- Qualified Retirement Plan Annual Fee: $70.00
- Reorganization Items (Subscriptions, Redemptions, Tenders, Exchanges, and Conversions): $20.00 per Issue
- Reg T Extensions: $10.00
- Request for Special Services: Varies- TBD based on service.
- Rush Transfer of Securities: $25.00
- Securities Returned from Transfer Agent: $15.00
- Stop Payment/Returned Checks: $25.00
- Transfer of Securities Requiring Legal Opinion/Documents: $50.00 per issue
- Wire Transfer: Domestic Wire Transfers are $20.00, International Wire Transfers are $25.00.
- Worthless Security Processing: TBD based on specific situation.
Margin Rates
Enjoy some of the lowest margin rates in the industry. Trading on margin is not appropriate for every investor.
Please see our Margin Disclosure Statement for information on risks.
| Debit Balance | Lime Financial | TD Ameritrade | Schwab | Etrade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.01 – $9,999 | 7.50% | 9.50% | 8.33% | 9.20% |
| $10,000 – $24,999.99 | 6.50% | 9.25% | 8.33% | 8.95% |
| >$25,000 – $49,999.99 | 6.00% | 9.00% | 7.83% | 8.70% |
| $50,000 – $99,999.99 | 5.75% | 8.00% | 6.88% | 8.20% |
| $100,000 – $249,999.99 | 5.50% | 7.75% | 6.83% | 7.70% |
| $250,000 – $499,999.99 | 5.25% | 7.50% | 6.58% | 7.20% |
| $1,000,000 or more | Contact us for rate | 7.50% | 6.58% |
The base rate is subject to changes in the broker call rate, industry conditions relating to the extension of margin credit and the general credit markets. Competitor information sourced from their respective websites as of March 17th, 2022.
Margin Requirements
Trading on margin is not appropriate for every investor. Please see our Margin Disclosure Statement for information on risks.
Long Stock
| Price | Initial Requirement | Maintenance Requirement |
| $3.00 or less | 100% | 100% |
| $3.01 – $5.00 | 50% | Greater of $2.00 per share or 50% |
| $5.01 or more | 50% | 30% |
If one long, equity position accounts for more than 50% of the total margin account’s value, then the maintenance requirement for that equity security will be adjusted to no less than 50%.
Please note that Lime Trading reserves the right to set a higher concentration requirement on certain stocks if it deems it too volatile. Additionally, stocks priced below $5.01 has a requirement of no less than 50%.
Short Stock
| Price | Initial Requirement | Maintenance Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| $3.00 – $5.00 | $2.50 per share. Cannot open short positions for stock priced below $3.00 | Greater of $2.50 or 100% |
| $5.01 or more | The greater of $5.00 or 50% | The greater of $5.00 or 40% |
Options
| Option Order | Initial Requirement | Maintenance Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Short Calls | Options Premium | (Whichever is greater): |
| 35% of the underlying market price minus out-of-the-money | ||
| $5.01 or more | The greater of $5.00 or 50% | The greater of $5.00 or 40% |
| OR | ||
| 10% of the underlying market price | ||
| Short Puts | Option premium | (Whichever is greater): |
| 35% of the underlying market price minus out-of-the-money | ||
| OR | ||
| 10% of the strike price | ||
| Credit Spreads* | Difference between Strike Prices | Option Premium x Number of Contracts |
| Debit Spreads* | Net debit paid multiplied by the number of contracts | |
| Short Straddles | Short Call or Short Put requirement (whichever is greater) | Number of Contracts Premium received before the other leg |
Minimum Equity Requirements for Options
| Short Calls | Short Puts | Spreads | Credit Straddles |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100,00 | $25,000 | $5,000 (when Short Leg expires AT or BEFORE Long Leg expires) | $100,00 |
| $25,000 for Put Spreads (when Short Leg expires AFTER Long Leg expires) | |||
| $100,000 for Call Spreads (when Short Leg expires AFTER Long Leg expires) |
Note:
- Pink Sheets, OTC Bulletin Board (OTC-BB) and Leveraged ETFs / Stocks are NOT margin eligible.
- For a list of Lime Trading non-marginable securities, email us at [email protected]
- Margin Calls & Flags Guidelines
- Maintenance requirements may be set higher for certain stocks if considered necessary by our clearing firm.