--- title: "GTC Order Meaning and Order Types - Get Funded Now" description: "GTC means good 'til cancelled: an order that stays working until filled or cancelled. How it compares with day orders, and market, limit and stop orders." url: "https://getfundednow.com/learn/gtc-order" language: "en" last_modified: "2026-09-22" publisher: "Get Funded Now (getfundednow.com)" translations: es: "https://getfundednow.com/es/learn/gtc-order" pt-BR: "https://getfundednow.com/pt-br/learn/gtc-order" fr: "https://getfundednow.com/fr/learn/gtc-order" it: "https://getfundednow.com/it/learn/gtc-order" de: "https://getfundednow.com/de/learn/gtc-order" disclosure: "All trading at Get Funded Now is simulated. 'Funded' means a simulated or virtual account; GFN is not a broker and does not hold client funds." --- Trading styles # GTC orders: and the other ways to place a trade. GTC stands for good 'til cancelled: an order instruction that keeps a pending order active until it is filled or you cancel it, rather than expiring at the end of the day. It is a time-in-force setting that applies to limit and stop orders. A GTC order left working can fill at an unexpected moment, including at a gap. [All trading lessons](https://getfundednow.com/learn) · [Read the trading rules →](https://getfundednow.com/rules) ## GTC and other time-in-force settings Time in force says how long an order stays active. **Common time-in-force settings** | Setting | Meaning | | --- | --- | | Day | Expires at the end of the trading day if not filled | | GTC - good 'til cancelled | Stays active until filled or cancelled; some providers set a maximum duration | | GTD - good 'til date | Stays active until a chosen date and time | | IOC - immediate or cancel | Fills what it can at once and cancels the rest | | FOK - fill or kill | Fills in full at once or not at all | ## Market, limit and stop orders The order type says at what price an order may fill. - Market order - fills straight away at the best available price. Fast, but the price is not guaranteed in a fast market. - Buy limit - buy at or below a set price, placed under the current price. Sell limit - sell at or above a set price, placed over it. - Buy stop - buy once price rises to a set level, placed above the current price. Sell stop - sell once price falls to a level, placed below it. Stop-losses are sell stops on longs and buy stops on shorts. ## The risks of orders left working A GTC order does not know that circumstances have changed. An entry order placed days ago can fill after news that invalidates the idea, and a stop can fill well beyond its level if price gaps over it - for example at the weekly reopen in the [Asian session](https://getfundednow.com/learn/asian-session). Review working orders before each session. Step by step ## How to identify it Before placing any pending order, set three things deliberately. 1. The order type: limit to get a better price, stop to follow a move. 2. The price, and which side of the current price it sits. 3. The time in force: day, GTC or a date. 4. A reminder to review it, if it will be left working. Worked example ## The concept, walked through ### A GTC order that fills late, described An illustrative sequence in words, with round numbers standing in for price. It is not taken from any real instrument or date. 1. 1. Order On Monday a trader places a GTC buy limit at 100, below the current price of 104. 2. 2. Change On Thursday, news changes the outlook, but the order is forgotten. 3. 3. Fill Price falls through 100 on Friday and the order fills into the decline. The order did exactly what it was told. The loss came from leaving an instruction working after the reason for it had gone. Common mistakes ## Where traders go wrong ### Forgetting GTC orders They stay active until cancelled, through news and weekends. ### Confusing limit and stop A buy limit sits below price; a buy stop sits above it. Swapping them fills at the wrong time. ### Assuming a stop fills at its price A stop becomes a market order when triggered and can fill beyond its level. Limitations ## What it cannot tell you No chart concept predicts price. These are the limits worth keeping in view. - Available order types and GTC durations differ between platforms and instruments. - No order type guarantees a price in a gap or a fast market. In an evaluation ## Using it on a simulated account Pending orders that trigger count toward the same limits as any other trade. On a $100,000 account, a forgotten GTC order that fills into a move counts against the daily loss limit of $3,000 on Instant or $5,000 on 1 Step and 2 Step like any trade you placed by hand. - [Can I hold trades overnight and over the weekend?](https://getfundednow.com/rules/overnight-and-weekend) - Trading rule - Why working orders and positions meet weekend gaps. - [Does slippage excuse a breach?](https://getfundednow.com/rules/slippage-and-spreads) - Trading rule - Why a stop can fill beyond its level. - [What is the daily loss limit?](https://getfundednow.com/rules/daily-loss-limit) - Trading rule - Triggered orders count toward it - 3% on Instant and 5% on 1 Step and 2 Step. Questions ## Asked about this concept Good 'til cancelled. A GTC order stays active until it is filled or you cancel it, rather than expiring at the end of the day. A pending order to buy at or below a set price, placed under the current market price. It fills only if price falls to that level. Keep learning ## Related lessons - [Tick Scalping: What It Is and Its Costs](https://getfundednow.com/learn/tick-scalping) - Indicators and trading styles - Scalping at its most extreme - trades aiming for a few ticks - and why spread, commission and fills decide the result more than the entry signal. - [Swing Trading Forex: How It Works](https://getfundednow.com/learn/swing-trading-forex) - Indicators and trading styles - Holding currency positions for days to weeks - the timeframes swing traders use, the costs that come with holding, and the gap risk. - [Backtesting a Trading Strategy](https://getfundednow.com/learn/backtesting) - Indicators and trading styles - How to test a strategy's rules on historical data, the costs and biases a fair test must include, and why a good backtest is not a forecast. Sources ## What this page relied on 1. [Types of orders](https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/how-stock-markets-work/types-orders) - US Securities and Exchange Commission, Investor.gov. Retrieved 23 September 2026. Market, limit and stop orders, and day versus good-'til-cancelled instructions. 2. [Order (exchange)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_(exchange)) - Wikipedia. Retrieved 23 September 2026. Time-in-force conditions: day, GTC, GTD, IOC and FOK. Educational content only, not investment advice or a recommendation to trade. Chart concepts describe what price has done; none of them predicts what it will do, and trading any strategy can lose money. Get Funded Now accounts are simulated and trade virtual funds. Last reviewed 22 September 2026. Ready when you are ## Your capital stays yours. The risk is ours. One evaluation fee, no time limits and up to 90% of simulated profits. Pick an account size and your credentials arrive by email within minutes. [Start your challenge →](https://getfundednow.com/challenges) · [Read the rules](https://getfundednow.com/faq) No subscriptions or hidden fees Payouts every 14 days $400,000 max total allocation --- Source: https://getfundednow.com/learn/gtc-order Facts about Get Funded Now in one file: https://getfundednow.com/llms.txt