TD Ameritrade Fee Calculator
How to Use This Calculator
- 1
Enter the trade value and quantity
Enter Trade Amount as the cost of a buy or proceeds from a sell. Enter the Number of Shares / Contracts so applicable per-unit regulatory fees can be estimated.
- 2
Select the security and order side
Choose Stock, ETF, Options, Bond, or Mutual Fund (Non-NTF), then select Buy or Sell. Regulatory transaction fees generally apply to eligible sales, not purchases.
- 3
Review each fee line
Check Total Fees, the fee as a percentage of the trade, and the SEC and FINRA fee rows. TD Ameritrade accounts are now at Schwab, and current fee schedules can differ from legacy estimates.
Example Calculation
A client estimates regulatory charges on a $10,000 sale of 100 stock shares. Using an illustrative SEC rate of $27.80 per $1 million and a FINRA Trading Activity Fee rate of $0.000166 per share, the estimate excludes commissions and any broker-specific charges.
Trade Amount ($)
10,000
Number of Shares / Contracts
100
Asset Type
Stock
Order Side
Sell
Results
Total Fees ($)
$0.30
Fee as % of Trade (%)
0.003%
SEC Regulatory Fee ($)
$0.28
FINRA TAF ($)
$0.02
Cost Per Share / Unit ($)
$0.003
Insights card shows the fee breakdown by type.
Tips
A buy order can have different regulatory fees from a sell order
Change Order Side from Sell to Buy for the same stock trade. SEC transaction fees and FINRA TAF generally apply to qualifying sales, so the regulatory-fee estimate can fall to $0.
Share count changes the per-share TAF
Keep the trade amount at $10,000 and change Number of Shares / Contracts from 100 to 500. The trade-value-based SEC fee stays tied to the sale value, while the share-based TAF changes.
Test a different asset type
Switch Stock to Options and enter the number of contracts. Options regulatory fees use contract-based rules rather than a stock per-share calculation.
What this calculator estimates
This calculator estimates selected trading fees for a trade identified by its dollar amount, quantity, security type, and buy-or-sell side. SEC Section 31 and FINRA Trading Activity Fee assessments can depend on the security and transaction, while broker commissions and other charges may be separate.
How the fee calculation works
For a stock sale, the model's basic fee components can be represented as:
SEC fee = Sale proceeds × SEC fee rate per dollar
FINRA TAF = Shares sold × FINRA TAF rate per share
Total estimated fees = SEC fee + FINRA TAF + other applicable charges
Fee as a percentage = Total estimated fees / Trade amount × 100
Rates and eligibility rules vary by fee type and effective date. For the illustrative example, the SEC calculation is $10,000 × ($27.80 / $1,000,000) = $0.278, rounded to $0.28. The FINRA calculation is 100 × $0.000166 = $0.0166, rounded to $0.02. The estimated total is $0.28 + $0.02 = $0.30, or $0.30 / $10,000 × 100 = 0.003% of the trade.
These example rates are illustrative, not a guarantee of the current rate used by a broker or calculator. The SEC changes its fee rate periodically, and FINRA's assessment depends on transaction type and applicable caps. Check the SEC fee-rate schedule and FINRA's TAF rule for current details.
Why trade type and side matter
A stock sale can incur value-based and share-based assessments; a purchase may not incur those same sale-related charges. Options are assessed by contract, and bonds or non-NTF mutual funds can involve different costs that are not captured by the stock example.
| Trade | Main quantity used for the estimate | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Stock or ETF sale | Sale proceeds and shares | Current SEC rate, FINRA TAF rate, and applicable cap |
| Options sale | Contracts and transaction details | Contract-based regulatory assessments and exchange charges |
| Bond or non-NTF mutual fund | Product and broker pricing | Markups, transaction fees, or fund-specific charges |
A small regulatory fee is not the same as the total cost of investing. Compare any commission or product charge separately, and check the trade confirmation before reconciling an account. For other transaction-cost estimates, use the M1 Finance fee calculator, PayPal fee calculator, or Square fee calculator; those tools cover different types of fees and are not substitutes for a broker schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TD Ameritrade still a separate brokerage?
No, TD Ameritrade accounts moved to Charles Schwab after Schwab's acquisition. Use Schwab's current pricing and fees schedule to verify applicable charges rather than treating a legacy calculator estimate as a current quote.
What is the SEC Section 31 fee?
It is a transaction fee assessed on certain securities sales, and the rate can change over time. The SEC's Section 31 fee-rate information provides current regulatory rates; broker statements may show the charge as a pass-through.
What is the FINRA Trading Activity Fee?
The FINRA Trading Activity Fee is a regulatory assessment on eligible securities transactions, generally calculated using shares or contracts and subject to applicable limits. FINRA publishes the Trading Activity Fee schedule.
Do stock and ETF buys pay the same regulatory fees as sells?
Usually not; the SEC Section 31 fee and FINRA TAF are generally associated with covered sales. Other charges, such as option contract fees or broker-specific fees, can still apply to buys.
Does this calculator include every trading cost?
No, it estimates the listed regulatory fees and does not necessarily include commissions, exchange fees, option contract charges, bond markups, mutual fund transaction fees, or account fees. Check the current broker fee schedule and trade confirmation for the actual charge.