Placing Orders in Pre-Market and After-Hours (Extended Hours)

Orders may be unavailable before the market opens or after it closes because extended-hours trading has different rules than the regular session. For session times, see 📄 Market Hours and Extended-Hours orders

What changes in extended hours (pre-market and after-hours)

• Not all symbols are eligible to trade in extended hours.
• Order types are limited. Market orders are typically not available in extended hours.
• Permissions and account settings can restrict extended-hours trading.
• The ticket must support the extended-hours setting for the selected instrument and account.

How to place an extended-hours order

To trade pre-market or after-hours, you generally must:

1. Select Limit or Stop-limit as the order type.
2. Choose Day as the time in force. Good Til Canceled (GTC) can't be combined with the extended-hours setting.
3. Enable Extended Hours (sometimes shown as a checkbox or toggle on the ticket).
4. Enter your limit price, plus a stop price for a stop-limit, and submit.

Note: If the Extended Hours option is not shown or is disabled, the symbol, account, or session may not support extended-hours trading.

Stop-limit orders in extended hours

A stop-limit order with Extended Hours enabled can trigger and fill during the pre-market and after-hours sessions. When the stop price is reached, the order becomes a limit order at your limit price. It fills only at your limit price or better, so it may not fill if the price moves past your limit. That is more likely in extended hours, when liquidity is lower.

The overnight session has its own order rules. See 📄 Overnight Trading (24/6)

Common questions

• Why can’t I place a market order at 7:00 AM ET?
• Why do I see fewer order choices in pre-market or after-hours?
• Why is the Extended Hours toggle missing or disabled?
• Can an order type be available in regular hours but not extended hours?
• Can a stop-limit order trigger in pre-market or after-hours?

Contact support if

• An order was rejected and you need the specific reject reason.
• The platform says you are not allowed to trade a symbol you believe you should have access to.
• You believe you have the right permissions but the ticket is disabled.
• You submitted an order and it disappeared.
• A live order cannot be canceled.