Guides
A growing collection of how-to guides and reference notes.
- Zerodha NRI PIS versus non-PIS account
Stub article comparing the Zerodha NRI PIS and non-PIS account routes. A full encyclopedic entry is pending.
- Zerodha IPO charges
Applying for an IPO on Zerodha is free: zero brokerage, no ASBA or UPI fee. The charges arrive when you sell the listed shares: STT, the DP debit, and statutory levies.
- Wireless Emergency Alerts and Kite
The loud government Wireless Emergency Alert that interrupts your phone while Kite is open is a cell-broadcast disaster warning from the NDMA, not a Zerodha or Kite notification, and how to manage it.
- Why you cannot buy a stock on Kite even though it is trading on the exchange
A stock can trade on NSE or BSE yet be unbuyable on Kite: a series mismatch, a surveillance buy-block where Zerodha does not collect ASD, T2T, or an illiquid scrip.
- Why the GTT trigger email price differs from the execution price
The GTT trigger email shows the trigger price, but a GTT places a limit order, so it fills at your limit price or worse, and a gap move can leave it unfilled.
- Why some UPI handles are not shown on the Zerodha IPO window
Why some UPI handles are not shown or accepted on the Zerodha Kite IPO window: NPCI certification of the handle, third-party-app versus bank-app routes, and how to pick a working handle.
- Why scrips enter the F&O ban
A stock enters the F&O ban when market-wide open interest crosses 95% of its MWPL, and leaves when it falls below 80%. The MWPL is the lower of 15% of free float or 65 times daily delivery.
- Why orders get rejected on Kite
A Kite order is rejected when a broker or exchange pre-trade check fails: margin, price band, circuit, freeze quantity, holdings, T2T, no last trade price, or product restriction. Each cause explained.
- Why MIS is blocked for FINNIFTY contracts on Zerodha
Why Kite shows 'MIS (Intraday) is blocked for this FINNIFTY contract': the 20,000-quantity open-interest threshold, illiquidity, expiry-day margins and the NRML fix.
- Why market orders are blocked on T2T and debt instruments on Kite
Market orders are blocked on trade-to-trade stocks and debt or SGB instruments on Kite because thin liquidity makes a market order fill at a wild price; only limit orders are allowed.
- Why market orders are blocked for ETFs in the first two minutes
Zerodha blocks market and SL-M orders for some ETFs from 9:15 to 9:17 AM because of thin opening liquidity, where a market order can fill far from the fund's fair value.
- Why limit orders placed far from the LTP are rejected on Kite
Zerodha blocks limit orders in stock and index options placed 50% to 150% away from the LTP to prevent freak trades, while the exchange runs its own price-reasonability range.
- Why IPO shares show average cost N/A on Kite
Allotted IPO shares often show average cost N/A on Kite until they list. This explains the demat-credit and listing timing behind it, when the cost populates, and why it is not a holdings error.
- Why IPO and G-sec orders can be blocked or unavailable on Kite
IPO and government-securities orders sit inside fixed weekly or per-issue bidding windows on Kite. Outside those windows the order path is closed, not broken.
- Why iceberg and MIS orders are not allowed for some stocks on Kite
Zerodha disables iceberg and MIS intraday orders on stocks under ASM, GSM, ESM, T2T or narrow circuit bands, where leverage and order-slicing raise settlement and manipulation risk.
- Why HNI IPO applications fail, and how to fix each cause
Why an HNI/NII IPO application fails: the UPI ASBA Rs 5 lakh value cap, mandate limit, insufficient funds, a bank not supporting high-value mandates, and the bank-ASBA fix.
- Why fresh buying of Sovereign Gold Bonds is blocked on Kite
Fresh SGB buying is blocked on Kite because the RBI stopped issuing new tranches; existing series trade only on the illiquid secondary market, and some demat types are barred.
- Why far-month MCX commodity option orders are rejected on Kite
Zerodha blocks orders in far-month MCX commodity option contracts because they carry near-zero liquidity. Only the near month trades, with a two-month window for energy options.
- Why Analyse does not load on a Kite basket
The Analyse payoff and margin view on a Kite basket shows a blank screen when the browser blocks third-party cookies. Allow them in browser settings to fix it.
- Why a triggered GTT is not visible after end of day on Kite
A triggered GTT on Zerodha becomes a CNC limit day order; if it does not fill, the exchange cancels it at end of day, so it disappears from the next session.
- Why a rejected order does not appear in the order book on Zerodha
A Kite order rejected by Zerodha's pre-trade validation never reaches the order book; the rejection reason shows in the order status notification, not the order log.
- Why a market order is rejected on an F&O contract with no trades
Why Kite rejects a market order on an F&O contract with no trades: the no-LTP rule, illiquid far strikes, and the limit order that executes like a market order.
- Why a limit order is not executing
A limit order can stay pending even when the price touches your level: queue priority decides who fills, a print can pass without your order matching, and partial fills and illiquidity leave it open.
- Why a limit order can execute at a better price than the limit
A limit order fills at the best opposite-side price available, which can be better than your limit but never worse. Explains marketable limit orders, price-time priority, and why this is correct.
- Why a GTT triggered but did not execute on Zerodha
A Zerodha GTT releases a limit order at the trigger, not a market order. It can trigger yet stay unfilled when the price gaps past the limit, funds fall short, or a circuit hits.
- Why a buy GTT is rejected at trigger on Zerodha Kite
A buy GTT on Kite is rejected at trigger when the trading account lacks the cash to fund the limit order it fires. It does not retry; you must recreate it.
- Who can use UPI ASBA for an IPO
Who can use UPI ASBA for an IPO: resident individuals and HUFs up to the Rs 5 lakh UPI limit, who cannot (above the limit, non-individuals, NRIs), and the bank ASBA alternative.
- What happens to unsquared options at expiry
Unsquared options at expiry: ITM index options cash-settle, OTM options lapse, ITM stock options go to physical delivery, and exercise triggers STT on intrinsic value.
- Weekly versus monthly expiry
Weekly vs monthly expiry on Zerodha: only Nifty 50 and Sensex carry weekly options, stock options are monthly only, and theta decay and liquidity differ sharply.
- Weekly currency options on Zerodha
Weekly USDINR options on Zerodha: Friday expiry, lot size, the underlying-exposure documentation rule for large positions, liquidity, margins and settlement on NSE.