Cost of trading options

When you trade an option, the value of the trade is generally lower than if you were to trade the same number of the underlying shares. Because of this, options are generally a cost efficient way to trade your view of a stock. The costs involved in trading an option are:

Brokerage

Brokerage charged by brokers varies and can be:

a flat fee, charged on a per transaction basis
on a percentage basis i.e. a percentage of the gross value of the order, or
a combination of these two, such as a flat fee for orders up to a certain dollar value, and then a percentage charge thereafter

ASX Clear fees

ASX Clear charges a registration fee of $0.06 - $0.31* plus GST per listed single stock option contract. A fee of $0.05 - $0.25* plus GST per contract for single stock option registrations reported via FlexClear™. ASX allocates each Single Stock Option into one of five Tiered Fee Categories. ASX reviews the allocation of stock every 6 months. If you exercise a share option, ASX Clear charges an exercise fee of $0.05 plus GST per contract. If you are assigned on an option position, ASX Clear charges a fee of $0.05 plus GST per contract.

Registrations in option contracts with a premium of 1 cent or less will attract a $0 fee.

In the case of index options, ASX Clear charges a registration fee of $0.45 plus GST per contract for ETOs and an exercise fee of $0.35 plus GST per contract. For index option registration reported on FlexClear™, ASX Clear charges a registration fee of $0.40 plus GST per contract and an exercise fee of $0.30 plus GST per contract.

Single Stock Option Registration Fee Schedule (PDF) (XLS)

FlexClearTM Single Stock Option Registration Fee Schedule (PDF) (XLS)