Does E*TRADE charge any annual or inactivity fees?

No. E*TRADE charges no annual account maintenance fee and no inactivity fee. The main fees are the $0.65/contract options fee (dropping to $0.50 for active traders placing 30+ contracts/month), the $19.99 non-NTF mutual fund fee, the 0.30% Core Portfolios robo-advisor fee, and the $75 ACAT-out transfer fee.

Does E*TRADE charge to transfer my account to another brokerage?

Yes. E*TRADE charges a $75 ACAT fee for full account transfers out to another brokerage. This is the highest outgoing transfer fee among major brokerages. Some receiving brokerages may reimburse this fee — check with the receiving institution before initiating a transfer.

What is the E*TRADE options fee?

E*TRADE charges $0.65 per contract for options trades — standard across most major brokerages. Active traders who place 30 or more contracts per month receive a reduced rate of $0.50 per contract. There is no base commission on options trades.

What does E*TRADE Core Portfolios cost?

E*TRADE Core Portfolios charges an annual management fee of 0.30% of your invested balance, with a $500 minimum investment. On a $10,000 balance, that's $30 per year. Core Portfolios invests in a mix of ETFs and automatically rebalances; the 0.30% is your all-in advisory cost excluding ETF expense ratios.

E*TRADE Fees 2026 — Complete Fee Schedule Explained

E*TRADE charges $0 for stock and ETF trades with no account minimum and no annual fee. Active options traders benefit from a volume discount — $0.65 per contract dropping to $0.50 for clients placing 30+ contracts per month. The main cost drawbacks are the $75 ACAT-out transfer fee (the highest of any major brokerage) and the $19.99 non-NTF mutual fund transaction fee.

E*TRADE Fee Schedule at a Glance

Fee type	Cost
Stock trades	$0
ETF trades	$0
Options base commission	$0
Options per-contract fee (standard)	$0.65
Options per-contract fee (30+ contracts/month)	$0.50
NTF mutual funds	$0
Non-NTF mutual funds	$19.99 per transaction
Core Portfolios (robo-advisor)	0.30% per year ($500 minimum)
Account minimum	$0
Annual maintenance fee	$0
Inactivity fee	$0
ACAT-out (full account transfer)	$75.00
Outgoing domestic wire	$25.00
Broker-assisted trade	$25.00 per trade

Trading Commissions

Stocks and ETFs: $0

All US-listed stocks and ETFs trade commission-free at ETRADE. There is no account minimum, no per-share fee, and no restriction on trade size. Both the standard ETRADE platform and the professional-grade Power E*TRADE platform offer $0 equity commissions.

Broker-assisted trades cost $25. Placing a trade by phone or through a representative adds a $25 surcharge. Use the platform or app for all standard trades to avoid it.

Options: $0.65/Contract, Dropping to $0.50 for Active Traders

E*TRADE’s options pricing has a volume tier not available at most competitors:

Monthly contracts	Per-contract fee
1–29 contracts	$0.65
30+ contracts	$0.50

The volume discount of $0.15/contract may seem small, but active traders can accumulate meaningful savings. A trader placing 100 contracts per month saves $15/month ($180/year) compared to the standard rate.

Example: You sell 40 covered call contracts in October. Fee: 40 × $0.50 = $20.00 (active trader rate). At the standard $0.65 rate, that same trade would cost $26.00.

Compared to competitors, E*TRADE’s active trader discount stands out — Fidelity, Schwab, and Merrill Edge all charge a flat $0.65 with no volume discount.

Mutual Funds: $0 NTF, $19.99 for Others

ETRADE’s NTF list includes thousands of mutual funds from major fund families. For funds outside the NTF list, ETRADE charges $19.99 per transaction — close to Merrill Edge’s $19.95 and significantly lower than Schwab’s and Fidelity’s $49.95.

Core Portfolios: 0.30% Per Year

E*TRADE’s Core Portfolios is a robo-advisor with a $500 minimum and a 0.30% annual management fee. This positions it between Schwab Intelligent Portfolios ($0 advisory fee but higher cash allocation) and Fidelity Go (free under $25K, 0.35% above).

Balance	Annual Core Portfolios fee
$1,000	$3.00
$10,000	$30.00
$25,000	$75.00
$50,000	$150.00

Core Portfolios includes a socially responsible investing (SRI) portfolio option at no additional cost. The 0.30% fee is your total advisory cost — Core Portfolios selects low-cost ETFs, so underlying fund expense ratios are typically 0.05–0.15%.

The ACAT-Out Fee: $75 — E*TRADE’s Biggest Cost Drawback

E*TRADE charges $75 to transfer your account to another brokerage — the highest ACAT-out fee among major brokerages:

Broker	ACAT-out fee
Fidelity	$0
Schwab	$0
Vanguard	$0
Merrill Edge	$49.95
*ETRADE**	$75.00

This fee is significant if you’re building a portfolio over time and might want to switch brokerages later. Many receiving brokerages offer transfer-fee reimbursements to win your assets — if you plan to move, check whether the receiving brokerage will cover the $75 before initiating the transfer.

Note: Closing individual positions and withdrawing cash does not trigger the ACAT fee. The $75 applies only to full account ACAT transfers.

Wire Transfer Fees

Wire type	Fee
Outgoing domestic wire	$25.00
Outgoing international wire	$25.00+
Incoming domestic wire	$0
ACH transfer	$0

The $25 outgoing wire fee matches Schwab and Merrill Edge. Most clients use free ACH transfers; wires are needed only for same-day large transfers.

Margin Rates

ETRADE’s margin rates are competitive with other major brokerages and tiered by debit balance. Visit etrade.com for current rates, which fluctuate with the federal funds rate. Active traders should compare ETRADE margin rates against Interactive Brokers, which typically offers the lowest margin rates in the industry.

What E*TRADE Doesn’t Charge

No account minimum
No annual maintenance fee
No inactivity fee
No DRIP fee — dividend reinvestment is free
No incoming wire fee
No fee to use Power E*TRADE — the advanced platform is free for all E*TRADE clients

E*TRADE vs Competitor Fees

Fee	E*TRADE	Fidelity	Schwab	Merrill Edge	Vanguard
Stock/ETF trades	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0
Options/contract	$0.65 ($0.50 active)	$0.65	$0.65	$0.65	$1.00
Non-NTF mutual fund	$19.99	$49.95	$49.95	$19.95	$0–$20
Robo-advisor fee	0.30%	0.35% (>$25K)	$0	0.45%	N/A
ACAT-out	$75.00	$0	$0	$49.95	$0
Outgoing wire	$25	$10	$25	$25	$10

E*TRADE’s active options volume discount and $19.99 non-NTF mutual fund fee are competitive advantages. The $75 ACAT-out fee is its biggest disadvantage, particularly for investors who are not certain they’ll stay long-term.

The Real Cost of Investing at E*TRADE

For a standard ETF investor, E*TRADE costs $0 per year in explicit fees. The meaningful costs:

$75 ACAT-out — if you ever switch brokerages
$19.99 mutual fund fee — for non-NTF fund purchases
0.30% Core Portfolios fee — if using the robo-advisor

Worked example: Alex holds $30,000 at ETRADE in three ETFs. He places 8 trades per year (all ETF rebalancing). Annual cost: $0 in commissions + $0 in maintenance fees = $0 out of pocket. His ETF expense ratios go to the fund companies, not ETRADE.

See the full E*TRADE review and compare all options at the best brokerage accounts guide.

Written by WealthVieu

WealthVieu researches and writes data-driven personal finance guides using primary sources including the IRS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, and Census Bureau.

The content on Wealthvieu is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax, or investment advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions. Full disclaimer · Editorial policy