Questrade has the lowest fees in Canada. Buy/Sell stocks at 1 ¢/share (min $4.95 to max $9.95), and buy ETFs for free.
There are no account opening or closing fees, nor hidden fees. Active traders get better pricing and fee rebates. While managed pre-built ETF portfolios start at 0.20% management fees.
Further, Questrade will pay your transfer-out fees from other brokerages for free (up to $150).
Now, what follows are several tables breaking down all of Questrade’s fees.
Related: Questrade Review
Administrative Fees
Accounts
Here is a list of Questrade’s general account related fees.
| Action | Fee |
|---|---|
| Open an account | FREE |
| Close an account | FREE |
| Partial Plan Deregistration (e.g., RRSP) | $50.00 |
| Full Plan Deregistration (e.g., RRSP) | $100.00 |
| Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) & Home Buyer’s Plan (HBP) Partial Deregistration | $25.00 |
| Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) & Home Buyer’s Plan (HBP) Full Deregistration | $50.00 |
| Canadian Controlled Private Corporations (CCPC) Fee | $250 + $100/year |
| Trading U.S.D. in RESP | $5 USD on 1st trade |
Questrade Offer Code
Use Offer Code: Canada to get $300 free from Questrade.
Transfers & Withdrawals
When performing a transfer in or out of your Questrade account, here is a list of the fees you could incur.
| Action | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electronic Fund Transfers (CAD$) up to $50,000 | FREE |
| Electronic Fund Transfers (USD$) up to $25,000 | FREE |
| Wire Transfer (CAD$) | $20.00 |
| Wire Transfer (USD$) | $30.00 |
| Wire Transfer (International) | $40.00 |
| Uncertified Cheque | $50.00 |
| Certified Cheque | $75.00 |
| Stop Payment | $25.00 |
| NSF Cheque/Returned Items | $30.00 |
| Transfer Out Account To Different Brokerage | $150.00 |
| Partial Account Transfer To Different Brokerage | $25.00 |
| Estate Settlement | $200/account |
Certificates
For certificate related fees, here are what Questrade charges.
| Action | Fee |
|---|---|
| Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian | $300 |
| Certificate Re-Registration | $300 |
| Rush certificate Re-Registration | $450 |
| Certificate Deposit (CSE, TSX, TSXV, NYSE, NASDAQ) | $300 |
| Rush Certificate Deposit (CSE, TSX, TSXV, NYSE, NASDAQ) | $400 |
| Direct Registration Statement | $300 |
Documents
In regards to documents, Questrade may charge a fee. Here is a list of those fees.
| Action | Fee |
|---|---|
| eStatement | FREE |
| Printed Trade Confirmation | $20.00 |
| Printed Account Statement | $20.00 |
| Document Retrieval | $20.00 |
| Special Courier (Canada) | $35.00 |
| Special Courier (US) | $70.00 |
| Regular Mail | $10.00 |
Self-Directed Investing Fees
For those with self-directed accounts, here is a list of the fees for the varying products/services offered at Questrade.
| Product | Fee |
|---|---|
| Stocks | 1¢ per share: $4.95 min, $9.95 max – Active @ 1¢/min, $6.95 max |
| ETF (Exchange Traded Funds) | Free (No commission charge) |
| Mutual Funds | $9.95/online. Offline add an additional $45 for trader fee |
| Options | $9.95/trade + $1/contract – Active @ $4.95/trade + 75¢/contract |
| Managed Investing (Questwealth) | Cost varies – 0.20% to 0.25% (minimum of $1,000 in assets) |
| Canadian IPOs | Free – minimum order size of $5,000 |
| International Stocks | Cost is 1% of trade value (minimum charge of $195) |
| Precious Metals | $19.95 USD/trade |
| Forex Trading | Cost is integrated in the pip spread @ minimum 0.8 pips |
| Bonds/CNSX Securities/GICs | Free (No commission charge) – minimum order size of $5,000 |
| Debenture Trading | $30/trade |
Market Data Package Fees
Market data packages allow for Level 1 and Level 2 stock content streaming from all major North American exchanges on all Questrade trading platforms.
The Basic package is freely available on every trading platform and offers unlimited snap quotes, which is to say it offers one-click real-time data. The other packages are also in real-time but do not require clicking.
| Package | Fee |
|---|---|
| Basic | Free – Level 1 Snap Quotes |
| Enhanced | $19.95/month – Level 1 Live |
| Advanced (US) | $89.95 USD/month – U.S. Level 1 & 2 Live |
| Advanced (CA) | $89.95 CAD/month – Canadian Level 1 & 2 Live |
All listed prices are fully rebatable after a certain amount of trading commissions have been spent; Enhanced is fully rebatable after $48.95; Advanced after $399.95.
Managed Investing Fees
Although there are no trading or trailing commission fees connected to managed accounts, an annual management fee does exist and it varies based on your existing total account asset value. It is charged proportionally on a quarterly basis.
| Your Total Assets | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Less than $1,000 | No Fee |
| $1,000 – $99,999 | 0.25% |
| $100,000+ | 0.20% |
Interest Rate Fees
When you buy securities on margin you’ll eventually have to pay back the principal plus interest. The interest rate depends on how large of a loan you have. Interest begins accruing when you owe at least $1.00 for the month.
On the other hand, if you hold a cash balance Questrade is obligated to pay you interest. You begin earning interest for non-registered accounts at balances of at least $10.00 for the month. While registered accounts will begin earning interest for cash balances starting at $0.01 for the month.
Interest is calculated daily and charged or credited to your account midway through the following month.
Debit (You Pay Questrade)
Here is a list of the interest fees charged to you when borrowing on margin within your Questrade account.
| Account | up to $100,000 | $100,000+ |
|---|---|---|
| CAD Non-Registered | CAD Prime + 3.50% | CAD Prime + 2.50% |
| CAD Registered (e.g., RRSP, TFSA) | CAD Prime + 8.10% | CAD Prime + 8.10% |
| USD Non-registered | USD Prime + 3.50% | USD Prime + 2.50% |
| US Registered (e.g., RRSP, TFSA) | USD Prime + 8.10% | USD Prime + 8.10% |
Credit (Questrade Pays You)
When holding a large some of cash in your Questrade account, here are the rates that they use when determining the interest you earn.
| Account | up to $250,000 | $250,000+ |
|---|---|---|
| CAD Non-Registered | CAD Prime – 4.50% | CAD Prime – 4.00% |
| CAD Registered (e.g., RRSP, TFSA) | CAD Prime – 4.50% | CAD Prime – 4.50% |
| USD Non-registered | USD Prime – 5.25% | USD Prime – 4.75% |
| US Registered (e.g., RRSP, TFSA) | USD Prime – 6.00% | USD Prime – 6.00% |
Exchange Fees
Along with a trade commission charge you may also get charged with an Electronic Communication Networks (ECN) fee or Alternative Trading Systems (ATS) fee. ECN fees don’t occur on every trade.
Adding Liquidity
Adding liquidity to the market happens when you buy on the bid and sell on the ask. Check the table below to determine if a fee applies to you.
| ECN | Fee ($/share) |
|---|---|
| TSX, TSX Venture, CSE | FREE |
| MNGD, LAMP | FREE |
| INET (NSDQ) | FREE |
| ARCA, NYSE, EDGX | FREE |
| EDGA | $0.004 |
Removing Liquidity
Removing liquidity from the market happens when you buy on the ask and sell on the bid. You are more likely to get charged an ECN fee when this happens. Use the table below to see if and what that fee could be.
| ECN | Fee ($/share) |
|---|---|
| TSX, TSX Venture, CSE – $1.00 and above | $0.0035 |
| TSX, TSX Venture – $0.99 and below | $0.0008 |
| CSE – $0.99 and below | $0.0012 |
| MNGD, LAMP | FREE |
| INET (NSDQ) | $0.003 |
| ARCA, NYSE, EDGX | $0.004 |
| EDGA | FREE |
SEC Fee
For all U.S. security sales on an American exchange the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) collect a fee. This fee is calculated at 0.000013 x the value of your trade.
Non-Marketable (Odd/Mixed Lot) Orders
If you do an odd/mixed lot order trade — an order not in a multiple of 100 shares — you may get charged an ECN fee. An order of 100, 200, etc shares is a standard/round lot and will not get charged an ECN fee.
Inactivity Fee
Questrade does not charge an inactivity fee on any type of account.
Other Fees
Notes & Debentures
When purchasing notes and debentures there is a charge of $0.10 per $1,000 par value for each side. On the CSE there is a minimum $1.00 charge per side.
Non-DTC Eligible Securities
There is a fee of $450.00 for settlements on eligible non-DTC (Depository Trust Company) securities.
Special Request
A list of special case Questrade fees you may get charged.
| Action | Fee |
|---|---|
| Precious Metals Gold Storage Fee | 0.50% of Market Value |
| Precious Metals Silver Storage Fee | 0.50% of Market Value |
| Precious Metals Storage Fee (Separated) | 1.50% of Market Value |
| Precious Metals Withdrawal Fee | $75.00 |
| Research Request | $75/hour |
| Private Placement Request | $175/trade |
| Unclaimed Property | $29.95/quarter |
| Private Investment Transactions | $75.00 each |
| Private Investment Quarterly Physical Holding | $24.95 |
| Private Investment Quarterly Physical Holding (Additional Accounts) | $12.50 |
| Private Investment One-Time Product Onboarding Fee | $250.00 |
Warrants
A list of Questrade fees targeted at warrant investments.
| Action | Fee |
|---|---|
| Adding Liquidity | FREE |
| Removing Liquidity (All Exchanges except CSE) | 0.025% of value per fill (min $0.50, max $50) |
| CSE Securities (min $1.00) | $0.0035/unit |