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Time in force controls what happens to the part of an order that can’t fill straight away. Set it under Advanced in the order form.

When to use each

  • GTC for normal limit orders you’re willing to wait on.
  • IOC when you want what’s available at your price now, and nothing left behind in the book.
  • FOK when a partial fill is worse than no fill, for example when an order is one leg of a larger trade.

Examples

You place a limit buy for 10 units at $100. Only 4 units are offered at $100 or less.
  • GTC: 4 units fill. An order for the remaining 6 rests at $100.
  • IOC: 4 units fill. The remaining 6 are cancelled.
  • FOK: nothing fills. The whole order is cancelled.
A limit buy of 10 with 4 available, under GTC, IOC and FOKThe same order under each time in force

The same order under each time in force.

Time in force applies to the order once it’s placed. A trigger order waits for its trigger first, then follows its time in force.
Your orders’ time in force is shown in each order’s details on the Order History page.