GTT order: what it is and how to use it for stop losses and targets

A GTT, short for good till triggered, is an order your broker holds until the price reaches a level you choose. When it does, the broker sends a limit order to the exchange for you. A normal order lasts only until the market closes. A GTT can wait for up to a year at Zerodha. Most Indian brokers offer GTTs, and their rules differ in the details.

How a GTT works

You set two prices. The trigger is the price at which the broker sends your order. The limit is the worst price you accept for it.

While a GTT waits, only your broker has it, and it holds none of your money. Your broker watches the last traded price. When the price touches your trigger, the broker places a limit order at your limit price. At that moment it checks that you have the cash for a buy, or the shares for a sell.

The two kinds of GTT

Single. One trigger and one order. Use it to buy when a stock reaches a price, or to sell a stock you own at a stop loss or a target.

OCO, or one cancels the other. Two sell orders on shares you hold, a stop loss below the price and a target above it. Whichever price comes first fires, and the broker cancels the other one.

Two examples

Buying a breakout. A stock trades at ₹1,485 and you want to buy only if it goes above ₹1,500. Set a buy GTT with a trigger of ₹1,500 and a limit of ₹1,505. If the price touches ₹1,500, the broker sends a buy order that fills at ₹1,505 or less. If the price never gets there, nothing happens.

Protecting shares you own. You bought 100 shares at ₹750. You want out if the price falls to ₹700, and you want to take profit at ₹800. Set an OCO GTT with a stop trigger of ₹700 and a target trigger of ₹800. The GTT stays in place for up to a year, so you don't have to place a new stop loss every morning.

Choosing the limit price

The gap between the trigger and the limit decides how likely the order is to fill. Zerodha suggests a buy limit a little above the trigger and a sell limit a little below it. For a stop at ₹700, a limit of ₹695 fills in more cases than a limit of ₹700. A wider gap means a better chance of a fill and a worse price if the market moves fast.

What a GTT can't do

It can't protect you from a gap. If a stock closes above your stop and opens far below it, the trigger fires at the open. But a sell limit can only fill at your limit price or better, so the order waits while the price stays below it.

A lower limit fills in more of these cases, but no order guarantees a price after a gap. What a gap can cost you depends on how many shares you hold, and the position size calculator works out that number from your stop.

A GTT also has these limits, using Zerodha's rules as the example:

• It fires once. If the order it sends doesn't fill, you have to place the GTT again.
• It triggers only during market hours.
• The broker cancels GTTs on a stock before a bonus issue, a stock split or a large dividend. Place them again afterwards.
• A sell GTT on shares in your demat needs your CDSL TPIN authorisation, unless you have signed a DDPI or POA.
• It expires after one year if it hasn't triggered.
• You can have up to 100 active GTTs at a time.

GTT and a stop-loss order

A stop-loss order also uses a trigger price, but it goes to the exchange straight away and lasts only for the day. A GTT waits with the broker for weeks or months, which suits swing trades and long-term holdings. For a trade you close the same day, a normal stop-loss order is enough. Where to put a stop loss covers where to set the price.

Zerodha's GTT rules come from its GTT announcement and GTT terms, checked on 24 October 2026. Other brokers' rules differ in the details, so check yours.