GTT Order
A persistent conditional order that monitors your price trigger for up to a year — set it once, let the broker fire it when the market comes to you.
Definition
A GTT order (Good Till Triggered) is a broker-managed conditional order available on NSE and BSE equity and F&O segments through brokers such as Zerodha, Groww, and Upstox. Unlike a standard limit order that expires at day-end, a GTT order persists in the broker's system — typically for up to 365 days — and places a live exchange order only when the last traded price touches the pre-set trigger condition. It is not a native NSE/BSE order type; the exchange sees it as a regular limit order placed at the moment of triggering.
Why it matters
Indian equity investors who wish to accumulate positions at dips or exit at target prices face a practical problem: NSE orders expire at market close and must be re-entered each morning. For a position being held over weeks or months, this is operationally burdensome and creates the risk of missing a trigger due to forgetfulness. The GTT order solves this for the cash equity segment. In F&O, where positions are typically shorter-term and the segment has margin obligations, GTT use is more nuanced — traders primarily apply it to equity holdings with trailing stop-loss logic, while intraday F&O positions are better served by bracket orders or cover orders. GTT orders are invalidated automatically if a corporate action (bonus, split, dividend ex-date adjustment) changes the security's price structure materially, and the broker notifies the trader to reset.
How it works
When setting up a GTT, the trader defines one or two trigger conditions. A single-trigger GTT fires one limit order when the LTP crosses the specified price — used for target exits or breakout entries. A two-leg GTT (offered by some brokers) allows setting both a stop-loss trigger and a target trigger simultaneously, with the system cancelling the remaining leg once the first executes. The broker's surveillance engine checks LTP against the stored trigger on every tick during market hours (9:15 AM to 3:30 PM IST). On triggering, the broker submits a regular limit order to the exchange. This order is then subject to normal matching rules — it fills if the book has counterparty quantity at or better than the limit price, or it may remain partially filled or unfilled if liquidity is insufficient.
Example
Say you hold 100 shares of a large-cap PSU bank stock currently trading around ₹850. You want to set a stop-loss at ₹780 and a profit target at ₹950, but you cannot monitor the screen daily. You place a two-leg GTT: trigger at ₹780 → sell limit at ₹778; trigger at ₹950 → sell limit at ₹948. The broker's system watches the LTP every trading day. If the stock drifts down to ₹780 six weeks later, it fires the sell limit at ₹778 and cancels the target leg. If the stock rallies to ₹950 first, it fires the target sell at ₹948 and cancels the stop-loss leg. You needed to enter the order only once and the system managed it through multiple trading sessions.
Track option triggers with live data
Use TradePulse's option chain to identify key support and resistance levels before placing your GTT triggers.