What happens when I do not have enough money to buy stocks to exercise a call options contract?

Asked by: Akeem Shields  |  Last update: October 21, 2025
Score: 4.3/5 (68 votes)

If your long option is ITM at expiration but your account doesn't have enough money to support the resulting long or short stock position, your broker may, at its discretion, issue a do not exercise (DNE) on your behalf, and any gain you may have realized by exercising the option will be wiped out.

What if I don't have enough money to exercise call option?

Since you don't have enough buying power to exercise the option, you close the trade by selling the contract at a higher premium – as long as the call contract is worth more than $10 at any point in your trade, you'd realize a profit if you closed the contract.

Should you exercise options when stock price is low?

Yes exercising the option would lower your avg. You should only exercise though if you believe that the stock price is still undervalued and will continue to climb after the expiration of that option date.

What happens if your call option is out-of-the-money?

When the stock trades at the strike price, the call option is “at the money.” If the stock trades below the strike price, the call is “out of the money” and the option expires worthless. Then the call seller keeps the premium paid for the call while the buyer loses the entire investment.

What if I can't afford to exercise my options?

If you don't have the cash to exercise your stock options, here are some potential options to consider: Cashless Exercise: Some companies offer a cashless exercise option, allowing you to exercise your options and sell enough shares immediately to cover the exercise price and any taxes.

Why Options Are Rarely Exercised (Options Traders MUST Know This)

23 related questions found

What happens if you don't exercise stock options?

If you don't exercise your options before they expire, you'll lose them. That means you may miss an opportunity to build wealth if your company stock is trading above your exercise price. Sadly, it's not uncommon for stock options holders to leave their options unexercised.

Can I sell a call option without owning the stock?

A naked or uncovered call is when you sell a call option without owning the underlying security or some equivalent. The seller (writer) of the call gets immediate premium income from the option's buyer and will collect the full amount if the option expires out of the money.

Can you exercise an out of the money call option?

Yes options can technically be exercised out of the money (OTM). Exercising an OTM option means a trader chooses to buy (for call options) or sell (for put options) the underlying asset at a price that's not currently advantageous.

How much money can you lose buying a call option?

You pay a fee to purchase a call option—this is called the premium. It is the price paid for the option to exercise. If, at expiration, the underlying asset is below the strike price, the call buyer loses the premium paid. This is the maximum loss the buyer can incur.

What happens if I don't sell my call option before expiration?

What will happen if an option holder does not exercise their right to sell before its expiration? If the option's strike price has not been reached by its expiration date, your brokerage will automatically close the deal and remove the option from your list of open positions.

Can you sell stock immediately after exercising options?

(same day sale or cashless exercise)

immediately sell your shares. You will receive the net proceeds in cash after option exercise costs, taxes, commissions and fees. You may use the proceeds from the stock sale to cover the purchase price, tax withholding and additional fees.

What if you don't have enough money to exercise option Robinhood?

If the option expires in-the-money it will be automatically exercised. 100 shares of the underlying will be purchased for every contract exercised. If you don't have the necessary buying power, Robinhood may attempt to place a Do Not Exercise (DNE) request on your behalf.

Should I buy stock when the price is low?

Investment Timing

If the market is overreacted to something, buying more shares may prove wise. Likewise, if there has been no fundamental change to the company, a lower share price may be a great opportunity to scoop up more stock at a bargain.

Does it cost money to exercise stock options?

How Exercising Stock Options Works. For example, let's say you've completed your four-year vesting period and now hold 20,000 stock options with an exercise price of $1 per share. To exercise all of your options, you would pay $20,000 (20,000 shares x $1 per share). Once exercised, you own the stock outright.

Is it better to exercise a call option or sell it?

A stock occasionally pays a big dividend and exercising a call option to capture the dividend may be worthwhile. Or you may not be able to sell it at fair value if you own an option that's deep in the money. It may be preferable to exercise the option to buy or sell the stock if bids are too low.

How long should you hold a call option?

So, how long should you hold an option trade? Well, it depends on your strategy and your risk tolerance. But if you're looking for a more conservative approach, you might want to consider holding your options for at least 100 days for long positions and 50 days for short positions.

What is the downside of buying a call option?

Options contracts allow buyers to gain exposure to a stock for a relatively small price. They can provide substantial gains if a stock rises, but can also result in a total loss of the premium if the call option expires worthless due to the underlying stock price failing to move above the strike price.

What is the maximum potential loss when you buy a stock?

1. Potentially limitless losses: When you buy shares of stock (take a long position), your downside is limited to 100% of the money you invested. But when you short a stock, its price can keep rising.

What is the difference between buy to open and buy to close?

An investor can use buy to open when they are purchasing a new options contract; this will be done by taking a long position. For buy to close, an investor can purchase an existing options contract that matches the contract they previously sold. This will offset the existing sold contract and exit (close) the position.

How much do you pay when exercising a call option?

If you exercise the call when shares trade at $120, then you buy 100 ABC shares for $110 and voilà: your return is $10 per share for a total gain of $1,000. But all that fun isn't free. A call buyer must pay the seller a premium: for example, a price of $3 per share.

How to exercise stock options without cash?

A cashless exercise, also known as a "same-day sale," is a transaction in which an employee exercises their stock options by using a short-term loan provided by a brokerage firm. The proceeds from exercising the stock options are then used to repay the loan.

Why buy call options instead of stocks?

If you are bullish about a stock, buying calls versus buying the stock lets you control the same amount of shares with less money. If the stock does rise, your percentage gains may be much higher than if you simply bought and sold the stock. Of course, there are unique risks associated with trading options.

What happens if you never sell an option?

When options expire, any in-the-money options are typically exercised automatically, meaning the holder will buy (for calls) or sell (for puts) the underlying asset at the strike price. Out-of-the-money options expire worthless, resulting in the holder losing the premium paid.

What is the downside to selling calls?

Normally, selling a call option is a risky thing to do, because it exposes the seller to unlimited losses if the stock soars. However, by owning the underlying stock, you limit those potential losses and can generate income.