Margin is the amount you must maintain to trade. Delivery equity needs the full value; intraday and F&O need exchange-prescribed margins (SPAN + exposure for derivatives). You can also pledge existing holdings to get collateral margin, after a haircut, while the shares stay in your demat account. Estimate requirements with the margin calculator.
Margin by segment
| Segment | Margin required |
|---|---|
| Equity delivery | Full value of the trade |
| Equity intraday | Exchange-prescribed intraday margin |
| F&O (futures/short options) | SPAN + exposure margin |
| Option buying | Full premium upfront |
Peak margin & shortfall penalty
Peak margin is a SEBI rule requiring the full prescribed margin upfront throughout the day. If your margin falls short of the required level, the exchange levies a margin-shortfall penalty — so keep adequate funds or collateral. See how these costs sit alongside brokerage and other charges.
Pledging shares for collateral margin
- Submit a pledge request for the holdings you want to use as collateral.
- Authorise it through the CDSL link using the OTP sent to your registered mobile and email.
- Collateral margin is credited after an exchange-defined haircut; the shares remain in your demat account.
- Unpledging follows a similar OTP-authorised process.
HaircutA haircut is the percentage reduction applied to the value of pledged securities when calculating the margin you receive, to account for price risk.
Explore more ATS help topics
- Demat Account FAQs — CDSL demat services — holdings, DIS, CMR, transfers, statements and re-KYC.
- Joint Demat & Trading Account — Open and operate a joint demat & trading account — holders, KYC and documents.
- Brokerage & Demat Charges — Brokerage, DP charges, AMC, STT, GST and every trading cost, explained.
- Tax on Stock Trading — STCG, LTCG, STT, intraday & F&O taxation, and downloading your tax P&L.
- Corporate Actions — Dividends, bonus, splits, rights and buybacks — how they hit your demat.
- Buyback of Shares — How share buybacks work, eligibility, and tendering shares through ATS.
- Mutual Funds & SIP — Start SIPs, invest in mutual funds, redeem, switch and track your folios.
- Nomination for Demat Account — Add, change or opt out of a nominee, and transmission of holdings.
- Account Closure & Reactivation — Close, reactivate or modify your account — dues, KYC and dormant accounts.
- Account Security & Fraud Prevention — Two-factor login, phishing, safe passwords and reporting unauthorised trades.
- Grievance Redressal — Raise a complaint, the escalation ladder, SEBI SCORES and Smart ODR.
- NRI Trading Account — NRE/NRO, PIS, repatriation and NRI demat & trading account rules.
- Trading Platform & App Support — Login, orders, charts, reports and troubleshooting on the ATS apps.
- Refer & Earn / Partner Program — Refer friends, earn rewards and become an ATS authorised partner.