What Is GTT in Zerodha - Explained Clearly

You saw a great stock, knew it would be a bargain at a lower price, but got busy with life. By the time you checked back, the price had dipped and shot back up, leaving you on the sidelines. Or perhaps you own a stock and wish you could set a long-term profit target and a safety net stop-loss that doesn't vanish at the end of the trading day.

If that sounds familiar, you're in for a treat. The GTT in Zerodha feature is the perfect sidekick for investors and swing traders who can't keep their eyes glued to the market all day. It’s a powerful tool designed to automate your entry and exit strategies with incredible patience.

This guide will break down everything you need to know about the GTT Zerodha feature. We will cover what the GTT order is in Zerodha, explain the nitty-gritty of its charges, and give you a foolproof, step-by-step walkthrough on placing your first order. Get ready to trade smarter, not harder.

Table of Contents

• GTT Full Form in Zerodha: Unpacking "Good Till Triggered"
• How GTT Works in Zerodha: The Trigger Mechanism Explained
• GTT Order in Zerodha vs Regular Orders: A Clear Comparison
• How to Place a GTT Order in Zerodha: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Zerodha GTT Charges: Is It Really Free?

GTT Full Form in Zerodha: Unpacking "Good Till Triggered"

Let’s get the basics out of the way. The GTT full form in Zerodha (or any other platform) is Good Till Triggered. This feature allows you to set a buy or sell instruction for a stock that remains active until your specified price condition is met. Unlike regular orders that expire at the end of the trading day, GTT orders stay valid for up to one year from the date they’re created.

That said, the order doesn't go to the exchange immediately. It sits in Zerodha’s system until your trigger price hits. Only then is it sent to the exchange as a live order. This gives you more control over your entries and exits without needing to monitor the market constantly.

There are a few things to keep in mind. GTT orders can expire earlier if you cancel them manually or if the stock undergoes corporate actions like splits, bonuses, or dividends. Also, there's a limit: you can place up to 250 active GTTs per account at a time.

If you're looking for a way to automate your strategy without being online all day, GTT is one of the most practical features Zerodha offers.

How GTT Works in Zerodha: The Trigger Mechanism Explained

Understanding how GTT works in Zerodha is crucial to using it effectively. A common misconception is that a GTT is a live order sitting on the stock exchange. However, a GTT is an instruction you place with your broker, Zerodha, which is stored on its servers.

The magic happens in a simple two-step process that executes your trading plan with precision.

1. You set a trigger price: First, you define a "trigger price". This is the specific price point you're interested in. For a buy order, this would be the price at which you want to enter. For a sell order, it could be your profit target or your stop-loss price.
2. Zerodha places the order: When the Last Traded Price (LTP) of the stock on the exchange hits your trigger price, your GTT is activated. At this moment, Zerodha automatically sends a corresponding order (usually a limit order) to the exchange on your behalf. This order then gets executed based on market liquidity.

This two-step system is the core of the GTT trade in Zerodha. Because the instruction rests with Zerodha and not on the exchange servers, it can have a special one-year validity. It’s your own personal, long-term market alert system that also places the trade for you.

GTT Order in Zerodha vs Regular Orders: A Clear Comparison

Traders, especially those new to the platform, often wonder how a GTT order in Zerodha differs from a standard order they place every day. The differences are significant and are designed for entirely different trading and investing goals. Using a GTT Zerodha order gives you advantages that daily orders simply can't offer.

• Validity: GTTs remain active (up to one year) or until the trigger is met. After triggering, the placed limit order follows exchange rules and may expire at day's end if not executed.
• Order type: A GTT always places a limit order upon trigger (even for stop-losses or target exits). It does not support market, stop-loss, or stop-loss market as order types—these are for regular day orders.
• Margin: You don't need margin/funds to set a GTT. Funds are required at the time the trigger hits and the actual order is placed. If funds/holdings are insufficient at that moment, the order will fail.
• Exchange visibility: GTT triggers and instructions are stored on Zerodha’s servers, not on the exchange, and become visible to the exchange only after the trigger condition is met and an order is sent.
• Automation and use case: GTTs serve long-term strategies with automated triggers, while regular orders are best for active traders who react daily to price changes.

To highlight the differences, here’s a direct comparison between a GTT order in Zerodha and a standard Day order.

Feature	GTT Order in Zerodha	Regular Day Order
Validity Period	One full year (365 days) or until triggered.	Expires at the end of the trading day (3:30 PM IST).
Exchange Visibility	Not visible on the exchange order book until triggered.	Visible on the exchange order book immediately.
Order Type	An instruction that places a Limit order once triggered.	Can be a Market, Limit, Stop-Loss, or Stop-Loss Market order.
Margin/Funds	No margin required to create the GTT. Funds are only needed when the order is triggered and placed on the exchange.	Margin/Funds are blocked as soon as the order is placed.
Primary Use Case	Long-term investing, swing trading, setting long-term targets and stop-losses.	Intraday trading, short-term trades, and immediate execution.
Best For	Investors who can't monitor markets constantly.	Active traders who are monitoring the market in real-time.
Automation	Fully automates your entry/exit strategy over a long period.	Requires manual placement each day if the price is not met.

This comparison makes it clear that the Zerodha GTT feature is built for strategic, long-term plays, freeing you from the need for daily manual intervention.

How to Place a GTT Order in Zerodha: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now for the practical part. Learning how to place a GTT order in Zerodha is surprisingly simple. The Kite platform has made the process intuitive for both buying new stocks and protecting the ones you already own. Let's walk through how to create GTT in Zerodha for both scenarios.

If you don't know how to use the Zerodha Kite interface or want to navigate its tools more efficiently before setting up GTT orders, this comprehensive walkthrough of the Kite platform ensures you're executing your trades with full confidence and precision.

How to Add GTT in Zerodha for Buying (GTT Buy Zerodha)

Imagine you've been eyeing a stock currently trading at ₹120, but your analysis suggests that ₹100 would be a fantastic entry point. Instead of setting daily price alerts, you can use the GTT buy Zerodha feature to automate this purchase.

Here is how to add GTT in Zerodha for a buy order:

1. Log in to Zerodha Kite: Open your Kite web platform or mobile app and log in.
2. Select the stock: Find the stock you want to buy from your watchlist or by using the search bar.
3. Open the GTT window: Click on the stock, and then click the three-dots menu icon (⋮). From the dropdown, select "Create GTT".
4. Configure the buy GTT: A new window will pop up.
   1. Transaction type: Ensure 'Buy' is selected.
   2. Trigger price: This is the most important field. Enter the price at which you want your order to be activated. In our example, you would enter ₹100.
   3. Quantity: Enter the number of shares you wish to buy.
   4. Price: This is the price for the limit order that Zerodha will place on the exchange once the trigger is hit. It's wise to set this slightly higher than your trigger price (e.g., ₹100.10) to increase the chances of execution in a fast-moving market.
5. Place the GTT: Review all the details and slide or click the 'Create GTT' button at the bottom.

That's it! Your instruction is now set. If the stock price falls to ₹100 anytime in the next year, Zerodha will automatically place a buy order for you.

How to Put GTT Order in Zerodha for Selling (Target and Stop-Loss)

The real power of the GTT on Zerodha shines when you use it to protect your existing investments. For any stock in your holdings, you can set both a profit target and a stop-loss simultaneously using a special type of GTT called OCO (One-Cancels-the-Other).

If one of the conditions (target or stop-loss) is met, a sell order is placed. The other pending trigger is automatically cancelled. This ensures you either lock in your profits or cut your losses without any manual effort.

Here's how to put a GTT order in Zerodha for your holdings:

1. Navigate to your holdings: Log in to Kite and go to your 'Holdings' tab.
2. Select the stock: Find the stock you want to protect and click on it to expand the options.
3. Create GTT: Just like before, click on the three-dots menu (⋮) and select "Create GTT".
4. Configure the OCO sell GTT: This window will have two sections: 'Stoploss' and 'Target'.
   1. Stop-loss section:
      1. Trigger price: Enter the price below the current market price that will act as your stop-loss trigger. For a stock at ₹150, you might set this to ₹135.
      2. Price: Enter the limit price for the sell order. This should be slightly lower than the trigger (e.g., ₹134.90) to ensure it gets executed.
   2. Target section:
      1. Trigger price: Enter the price above the current market price where you want to book profits. You might set this to ₹180.
      2. Price: Enter the Limit price for your target sell order. This can be the same as or slightly lower than the trigger (e.g., ₹179.95).
5. Confirm and place: Enter the quantity you wish to cover with this GTT. Review both your stop-loss and target triggers, then click 'Create GTT'.

You have now created a protective shield around your investment that is active for a full year. This is how a simple GTT trade in Zerodha can bring discipline and peace of mind to your portfolio management.

Zerodha GTT Charges: Is It Really Free?

This is a question on every investor's mind: what's the catch? With a feature this useful, there must be some hidden fees, right?

Here’s the fantastic news: there are absolutely no Zerodha GTT charges for creating, modifying, or even cancelling a GTT instruction. You can set up as many GTTs as you need (up to the account limit of 250 active GTTs at a time) without paying a single paisa.

The standard brokerage and other statutory charges (like STT, transaction charges, GST) only apply after your GTT is triggered and the subsequent order is successfully executed on the exchange. In essence, you are only charged when an actual trade happens, just like any other normal buy or sell order.

So, feel free to use the GTT in Zerodha feature extensively to plan your trades. It’s a completely free tool to set up, making it one of the most cost-effective ways to implement a disciplined trading strategy.

To avoid surprises and calculate your exact cost per trade—even when using GTT—run a quick simulation using the Zerodha brokerage calculator tailored to your trades.

Conclusion

The GTT in Zerodha is a remarkably powerful yet simple feature that transforms how you interact with the stock market. However, a tool like GTT is only as useful as the platform it runs on. If your broker slows you down with clunky tech, hidden fees, or limited features, you're leaving money (and control) on the table.

Take a deeper look at the Zerodha review to ensure it aligns with your long-term trading strategy.

The smarter move is to choose a broker that matches how you trade. That means looking beyond surface-level perks and digging into real costs, platform quality, and support that doesn’t vanish when you need it.

To help you cut through the noise, Finology Select gives you access to clean, unbiased comparisons of India’s top stock brokers, ranked on what actually matters. So, if you’re serious about trading better, start by picking better.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What happens to my GTT order in Zerodha after one year if it's not triggered?
   If your trigger price is not met within the 365-day validity period, the GTT order will automatically expire and be cancelled. You will receive a notification, and you can simply create a new GTT if you wish to continue with the same strategy.
2. Can I use the GTT buy Zerodha feature for intraday trading?
   While you technically can, it's not what the GTT feature is designed for. GTTs are meant for long-term price alerts and executions (for CNC trades). For intraday trading, regular Stop-Loss (SL) or Stop-Loss Market (SL-M) orders are more appropriate as they are designed for single-day validity and are visible on the exchange.
3. How is a GTT order different from a regular stop-loss order?
   A regular stop-loss order is valid only for a single trading session and is placed on the exchange. A GTT order in Zerodha, when used as a stop-loss, is an instruction that remains valid for one year. It only places the actual stop-loss order on the exchange when your trigger price is hit.
4. Are there any hidden Zerodha GTT charges I should be aware of?
   No, there are no hidden Zerodha GTT charges. Creating, deleting, or modifying a GTT is completely free. You only pay the standard brokerage and statutory taxes when the GTT is triggered and your trade is committed on the exchange.
5. What is the process to create GTT in Zerodha for my existing stock holdings?
   The process is simple. Go to the 'Holdings' section on Kite, click on the stock you own, select 'Create GTT' from the options menu, and set up your OCO (One-Cancels-the-Other) order with both a target price and a stop-loss price.
6. Why did my GTT order get cancelled by Zerodha even before the trigger was hit?
   A GTT can be cancelled automatically before the trigger is hit due to corporate actions like stock splits, bonuses, or extraordinary dividends. These actions change the stock's price structure, so Zerodha cancels existing GTTs to prevent unintended executions at outdated prices. You will need to place a new GTT after the corporate action is complete.
7. How many active GTTs can I have on Zerodha at one time?
   You can have a maximum of 250 active GTTs at any given time per account. This includes single buy/sell GTTs and OCO (target + stop-loss) GTTs. This limit is usually sufficient for most retail investors and traders.