What is a GTT order?
A GTT (good till triggered) order is an instruction that waits, often for days or weeks, until a stock reaches your trigger price. When it does, your broker places a limit order at the price you set. A single GTT has one trigger; an OCO GTT has two — a stop-loss and a target — and cancels one when the other fires.
The stock has failed at ₹500 twice. You want to buy only if it breaks above, without watching the screen.
The GTT is set and waiting. Press Play.
- 1Keep the limit buffer at 0% and press Play. The breakout day gaps past your limit — the order doesn't fill.
- 2Raise the buffer to 1% and replay. Same trigger, but now the order fills.
- 3Switch to OCO and move the target above the highest price. Which leg fires instead?
How a GTT works
A normal order lasts one day. If it doesn't fill, it's cancelled at the close. A GTT stays waiting across days. Most large Indian brokers offer GTT orders, sometimes under another name.
- 1You set a trigger price and a limit price.
- 2The GTT sits with your broker, not on the exchange, while it waits.
- 3When the stock trades at the trigger, the broker sends a limit order to the exchange.
- 4The limit order fills only at your limit price or better.
Validity, limits and charges differ by broker, so check your broker's help page before you rely on one.
Single vs OCO GTT
| Single GTT | OCO GTT | |
|---|---|---|
| Triggers | One | Two: one above, one below |
| Common use | Buy at a level, or one exit | Stop-loss and target on a holding |
| When one fires | Order is placed | Order is placed, the other trigger is cancelled |
OCO stands for "one cancels the other". It suits swing traders who planned both exits before buying: you set them once, and you don't need to watch the screen.
How to set an OCO GTT, step by step
Screens differ between brokers, but the steps are much the same. Do this after your buy order has filled and the shares show in your holdings.
- 1Open the stock from your holdings and choose GTT, then OCO (it may be called "stop-loss and target").
- 2Enter the stop-loss trigger from your plan, and a limit price a little below it.
- 3Enter the target trigger and a limit price a little below it.
- 4Set the quantity to the number of shares you hold. Not more, not less.
- 5Review the summary. Check that the stop is below the current price and the target above it.
- 6Save, then open your GTT list to confirm it shows as active.
Write the GTT details in your journal next to the trade plan, so you can see at a glance what is waiting in the market.
An OCO GTT in rupees
- You hold
- 100 shares bought at ₹500
- Stop-loss trigger
- ₹480, limit ₹478
- Target trigger
- ₹540, limit ₹539
- If ₹480 trades first
- Sell order at ₹478 or better; target cancelled
- If ₹540 trades first
- Sell order at ₹539 or better; stop cancelled
Your plan from the risk-reward calculator is now waiting in the market. The small gap between trigger and limit gives the order room to fill when price moves fast.
The risk: a gap past your limit
A GTT places a limit order, not a market order. If bad news makes a stock open far below your stop trigger and your limit, the sell order may sit unfilled while price keeps falling. Try it in the lab: set a tight limit and watch what happens on a gap day.
A wider gap between trigger and limit makes a fill more likely, but at a worse price. There's no setting that removes gap risk. Keeping your position size sensible is what limits the damage.
After a trigger fires, check that the order actually filled. A triggered GTT is not the same as an exit.
How far should the limit be from the trigger?
The gap between trigger and limit is a trade-off between the price you get and the chance of getting out at all. Here is the same stop set three ways, with the trigger at ₹480.
| Limit | On a normal day | On a gap-down open at ₹470 |
|---|---|---|
| ₹479.50 (very tight) | Fills close to ₹480 | Does not fill; you still hold the shares |
| ₹476 (moderate) | Fills between ₹476 and ₹480 | Does not fill; you still hold the shares |
| ₹465 (wide) | Usually fills near ₹480 | Fills at ₹470 or better, as the open is above the limit |
A limit sell fills at the limit or better, so a wide limit does not mean you get the wide price on a normal day. It only matters when price moves fast. Even so, no limit protects you from every gap: if the stock had opened at ₹455, all three orders would sit unfilled.
If a triggered order does not fill, decide calmly: sell at the market, set a new limit, or hold with a new stop. Write the decision down before you act.
Using a buy GTT to enter at your level
GTTs are not only for exits. A single buy GTT can wait for a pullback to your planned entry, so you don't have to watch the screen.
- Stock C closes at
- ₹1,040
- Your planned entry
- ₹1,000, at support
- Buy GTT
- Trigger ₹1,002, limit ₹1,004
- Stop-loss plan
- ₹970
- Shares
- ₹1,500 risk ÷ ₹34 = 44 shares
If the pullback comes, the buy order goes in at your level. Then place the OCO GTT for the stop and target as soon as the shares show in your holdings. Until then, the position has no stop.
Size the trade from the worst entry you might get, here ₹1,004, not the ideal one. The position size calculator does the arithmetic.
Common GTT mistakes
- Wrong quantity. After selling part of a position, the GTT may still be set for the full quantity. Update it.
- Forgetting old GTTs. If you exit by hand, delete the GTT so it can't fire later on a new position in the same stock.
- Trigger too close to the price. Normal daily movement fires it, and you are out of a trade that was fine.
- Not checking after corporate actions. Splits, bonuses and similar events change prices. Brokers may cancel or adjust GTTs, so check yours.
- Assuming it filled. A triggered GTT only placed an order. Confirm the fill in your order book.
GTT vs stop-loss order
A regular stop-loss order sits on the exchange and lasts only for that day. A GTT waits for days or weeks at your broker and only becomes an order once triggered. Swing traders often use GTTs because their trades last longer than one session. Learn where to place the stop itself in swing trading stop-loss.
Quick check
Key terms
- GTT
- Good till triggered: an order instruction that waits across days until a trigger price trades.
- Trigger price
- The price that, once traded, makes the broker send your order to the exchange.
- Limit price
- The worst price you'll accept; the order fills at this price or better.
- OCO
- One cancels the other: two linked triggers where the first to fire cancels the second.
Common questions
How long is a GTT order valid?
Many brokers keep GTTs active for a long time, but the exact validity differs. Check your broker's help page.
Is GTT better than a stop-loss order?
For swing trades, a GTT is often more practical because it lasts across days. Both can fail to fill if price gaps past the limit.
Can I use GTT to buy a stock?
Yes. A single buy GTT can wait for price to reach your planned entry, such as a pullback to support.
Does a GTT guarantee my stop-loss price?
No. It sends a limit order when triggered, and a gap can skip past your limit.
Are there charges for a GTT order?
Placing a GTT usually costs nothing extra, but normal brokerage and other charges apply when the triggered order executes. Charges differ by broker, so check yours.
Can I modify or cancel a GTT?
Most brokers let you modify or delete a GTT any time before it triggers. Once it triggers, you manage the order it placed like any other open order.
What happens to a GTT if the stock gaps past the trigger?
The GTT still triggers when the stock trades at or beyond the trigger, and sends a limit order. If the price is already past your limit, that order waits unfilled until price returns to it.
GTT order kya hota hai?
GTT ek aisa order hai jo kai dinon tak wait karta hai. Jab stock aapke trigger price tak pahunchta hai, broker aapke limit price par order bhej deta hai.
Keep going
Education only — not investment advice. Trading in the stock market carries risk. Charts on this page use made-up prices for practice — they are not real stocks or recommendations. Examples are for learning only.