GTC/Day + Ext Trading Hours Order Overview
If you’re new to the stock market, or even if you’ve been trading for a while, you may have noticed that some
brokers offer extended-hours trading without fully understanding what it is or when to use it. This article
explains how extended-hours trading works and provides examples of how to use it in platforms like
thinkorswim or Webull.
What is Extended Hours Trading
The U.S. stock market operates Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM EST, giving traders
six and a half hours of standard trading each day. Many brokers, including Charles Schwab and Webull,
allow clients to trade certain securities outside of these hours, which is known as extended-hours trading.
The exact schedule can vary slightly by broker, but Charles Schwab (thinkorswim) typically provides
pre-market trading from 4:00 AM until the opening bell and after-hours trading from market close until 8:00 PM.
Additionally,
Charles Schwab
offers nearly round-the-clock (24-hour) trading Monday through Friday for a limited list of ETFs.
Day + Ext Meaning
Day + Ext means the order remains active for the current trading day during both regular market hours (9:30 AM - 4:00 PM EST)
and the same day’s extended-hours sessions (which vary by broker, but are often around 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM EST).
Once the trading day ends, the order is automatically cancelled if it has not been filled.
GTC + Ext Meaning
GTC stands for Good Till Cancelled. This type of order stays active until you cancel it.
GTC + Ext means the order will be eligible to execute during both regular market hours and extended
hours each trading day until it is either filled, cancelled, or expires.
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How Do I Place a Day + Ext Order
To place an extended-hours trade in your brokerage account, go to the trading section of your platform
and look for the option to enable extended-hours trading for stocks and ETFs. Then enter your
order details just like you would during normal market hours (ticker symbol, share quantity, etc.).
For time-in-force, select either “Day + ext.” or “GTC + ext.”. The “Day + ext.” option keeps the order
active for that single day across both regular and extended sessions, while “GTC + ext.” keeps the order
active across multiple days during those same sessions until it is filled or expires.
For Duration, choose either “This Session only” or “Good Until Cancelled.” The “This Session only” option
keeps the order active only for the current day’s extended and regular sessions, while “Good Until Cancelled”
keeps it active across future trading days under the same conditions until it is filled or expires.
You will also notice that market orders are typically not allowed during extended-hours trading;
instead, you must use a limit order and specify a limit price (we’ll explain the reason for this later).
Updated on 4/17/2026.
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