Can you sell to close an option on the expiration date?

Asked by: Maegan Davis V  |  Last update: June 27, 2025
Score: 4.6/5 (48 votes)

When expiration hits, the investor has a few choices, including selling the option, exercising it, or letting the contract expire worthless. Keep in mind, though, that if the option is in the money (even by a penny), the broker automatically exercises it. That is unless the option holder instructs them not to do so.

Can you sell options on the day of expiration?

Yes, selling options on expiration day is possible. This is true both whether your question concerns the mere sale of an option you own or whether you refer to the shorting of options in general as a means of directly making money on expiry day. Yes, you can also exercise a call option before expiration.

What is the best option selling strategy on expiry day?

1> Close the Position Before Expiry: Especially if the option is out-of-the-money (OTM) and unlikely to become profitable by expiry. * Avoids the risk of losing the entire premium paid for the option. 2> Roll Over the Position: * Close the current position and open a new position with a later expiration date.

Is it better to close an option or let it expire?

Closing a position is the opposite of risky, nothing can happen to you after you close a position, staying in it is what is risky. There is always risk that an option will go ITM and you will be assigned. Always better to close prior to expiration.

What happens to option selling on expiry?

In the case of options contracts, you are not bound to fulfil the contract. As such, if the contract is not acted upon within the expiry date, it simply expires. The premium that you paid to buy the option is forfeited by the seller. You don't have to pay anything else.

How To EXIT AN OPTION Trade Before Expiration On Robinhood

35 related questions found

What happens if I sell a call option and it expires out of the money?

When options expire, in-the-money options are typically exercised automatically, leading to the purchase or sale of the underlying asset at the strike price. Meanwhile, out-of-the-money options expire worthless, resulting in the loss of the premium paid by the holder. Nasdaq.

What happens if I don't square off my options on expiry?

If your Option expires OTM, it expires worthless. ITM Options are settled at their Intrinsic Value.

When should you sell to close an option?

If the price of the underlying asset increases more than enough to offset the time decay the option will experience (the closer it gets to expiration) then the value of the call option will also increase. In this case, a trader can sell to close the long call option for a profit.

Do options lose value closer to expiration date?

Generally, as expiration approaches, the levels of an option's time value decrease or erode for both puts and calls. This effect is most noticeable with at-the-money. options. The effect of implied volatility is subjective and difficult to quantify.

What happens if option price goes to zero?

Option value is zero so the premium paid is the loss incurred. Option value is zero so the premium paid is the loss incurred.

Which option selling strategy is most profitable?

The most profitable option strategy varies based on market volatility and risk appetite. Strategies like selling covered calls or cash-secured puts can generate consistent income, while directional strategies such as long straddles or iron condors thrive in high volatility environments.

How to make money on expiry day?

The expiry day trading strategy can be highly profitable if executed with discipline and careful analysis. By purchasing options on their expiry day and holding them until the end of the trading session, traders can capitalise on short-term price movements.

What strategy do most day traders use?

Scalping is one of the most popular strategies. It involves selling almost immediately after a trade becomes profitable. The price target is whatever figure means that you'll make money on the trade. Fading involves shorting stocks after rapid moves upward.

Why are 0DTE options so popular?

With 0DTE options available every trading day, you have more flexibility in your trading strategy – take advantage of short-term price movements, react quickly to news events and adjust your position based on market conditions.

Which option has unlimited loss?

An option strategy has unlimited loss if it is net short call options or underlying.

How to make money on covered calls?

A covered call is an options trading strategy that involves an investor holding a long position in an underlying asset, such as a stock, while simultaneously writing (selling) call options on the same asset. This approach aims to generate additional income from the premiums received by selling the call options.

Which option decays fast?

ATM options have the highest rate of decay (all else equal). As options move either OTM or ITM, the rate of decay drops and approaches zero. Also, shorter-term options decay faster than longer-term options (again, all else equal). This rate of options decay speeds up as an option gets closer to expiration.

What is the best time to sell options?

While selling options is generally effective all the time, they are even better in high-volatility markets because volatility has been shown to be mean-reverting over time. Still, it can make sense to add long spreads to your portfolio when volatility is on the lower end of its range.

Is it better to sell at market open or close?

If you're looking for the best time to either buy or sell a stock during the trading day it is; During the last 10-15 minutes before market close. Or about an hour after the market opens.

When should you close the sale?

Determining when to close a sale requires you to look for buying signals that demonstrate your prospect's interest, needs, and readiness. These buying signals can be verbal or non-verbal cues that show your prospect is engaged, curious, or committed to your solution.

What if I don't sell my option on expiry?

What Happens If I Don't Sell My Options on Expiration? At expiration, one of two things happens depending on whether one's option is in-the-money (ITM) or out-of-the-money (OTM). If an option expires in-the-money, it will be automatically converted into long or short shares of stock in the associated underlying.

How to avoid auto square off charges?

What can you do to avoid these charges? To avoid these charges, you can square off the intraday positions yourself anytime before 3:00 PM for Equity and F&O; before 4:30 PM for Currency Derivatives and 10:00 PM for the Commodities segment.

Which options become zero on expiry?

OTM and ATM option contracts expire worthlessly. Seller retains the entire premium amount. Brokerage will only be charged on one side, which is when the options were sold, and not when they expire worthless on the expiry day. To learn more, see What are the brokerage charges for resident individual accounts at Zerodha?