Time in Force

Time in Force for Orders

The time in force for an order defines the length of time over which an order will continue working before it is canceled. We support many time in force selections including those described below.

Note that the selections available for any order are valid based on the order type, exchange and product. Not all TIFs are available for all orders.

DAY - A Day order is canceled if it does not execute by the close of the trading day. Unless otherwise specified, every order is a Day order.
GTC - A Good-Til-Canceled order will continue to work within the system and in the marketplace until it executes or is canceled by the customer.

NOTE: GTC orders will not be reduced for dividends. If you would like to adjust your order on ex-dividend date you may use IB’s Good until Date and Good after Time/Date order types. GTC orders will also automatically be cancelled under the following conditions:

If any type of corporate action is taken on a security.
If you do not log into your IB account for 90 days.

For certain market centers including market centers that do not accept "native" GTC orders, IB simulates the GTC order type by resubmitting the relevant order each business day upon the opening of the market center.

OPG - Use OPG to send a market-on-open (MOO) or limit-on-open (LOO) order.
IOC - Any portion of an Immediate-or-Cancel order that is not filled as soon as it becomes available in the market is canceled.
GTD - A Good-Til-Date order will remain working within the system and in the marketplace until it executes or until the close of the market on the date specified. When you select GTD as the time in force, both an Exp. Date and Exp. Time field is displayed on the order management line. Enter the date up until which you want the order to continue to work in the format YYYYMMDD. To set a time, enter the time in the format HH:MM(:SS). If desired, enter a time zone using an accepted three-letter acronym. Note that if you do not enter a specific time zone, the time zone to which your computer is set will be used.
FOK - If the entire Fill-or-Kill order does not execute as soon as it becomes available, the entire order is canceled.
DTC - A Day 'Til Cancelled order is similar to a day order, but instead of being cancelled and removed from the trading screen at the end of the day, the order is deactivated. This means that the order is cancelled AT THE EXCHANGE but remains on your trading screen to be re-transmitted whenever you click the Transmit button.

Fill/trigger outside RTH - When displayed, checking this option allows orders the flexibility to fill (and/or trigger in the case of stop and other trigger orders) both during regular hours and outside of regular trading hours.

Note that this option may not be available for particular products that are not listed on an exchange. IB customers are solely responsible for ensuring that this parameter is available for the product involved.