Share Trading

Other fees may apply. Please see the CommSec Financial Services Guide

$0. There are no monthly fees associated with a CommSec Share Trading account.

Important: The shares you wish to transfer (whether held with another broker or the share registry) must have identical registration details (both name and address) to your CommSec Share Trading Account. If registration details differ by even one character, you will need to change these details before completing the form.

Shares held with the share registry
To transfer shares held with the share registry into your CommSec share trading account you will need to submit an Issuer to CHESS transfer request. You can do this online by logging in and navigating to Portfolio > Accounts (select account) > Transfers. 

For the transfer to be successful the name and address registered on your issuer holdings must match your CommSec account. 

Your request will be completed within 72 hours.

Please note: If your shares are held in another entity, for example yourself in trust for a super fund, you need to complete an Off Market Transfer form.

Once your buy order is partially or fully executed with CommSec, settlement will take place two (2) business days after its execution (T+2)⁴.

• We will automatically direct debit from your nominated bank account on T+2. To view the bank account you nominated on your application form, select Portfolio > Profile after you have logged into your CommSec account.
• To view or change the bank account you nominated on your application form, select the ‘View or Edit Account Details’ from the link at the top of the page.

When you have bought and sold shares on the same day and next the next trading day, your payment may be partially or wholly offset. For more information refer to the New Client Guide.

CHESS (Clearing House Electronic Sub-register System) is the system used by the ASX to record shareholdings and manage the settlement of share transactions.
If you are CHESS sponsored by CommSec you can automatically keep track of your portfolio and its market value online, it’s easy to buy and sell shares (because all the required information is available, so you don't have to ask the company’s share registry to provide it) and you can even place a buy order without a deposit if you have sufficient holdings sponsored by us.
For your holdings to be registered in the CHESS Settlement Facility, you need to be sponsored by a Settlement Participant of the ASX Group, such as CommSec. Broker sponsored holdings are allocated a Holder Identification Number (HIN).
To become CHESS sponsored with CommSec, download the form from Support > Forms & Brochures > ‘Broker to Broker CHESS sponsorship’ form.

Your initial purchase of any particular shareholding must be at least $500 worth of shares, known as a 'minimum marketable parcel of shares'. CommSec may then allow you to purchase smaller amounts of shares to top up existing share holdings. For example, if you hold $500 worth of shares in XYZ you may be able to purchase a smaller amount of XYZ to increase your existing holding.

The CDIA is a Commonwealth Bank cash account specifically designed for CommSec share traders, allowing you to trade, save and transact, when and where it suits you. For more information about the CDIA, click here.

Knowing where to start can be quite a challenge but there are ways to narrow down the possibilities.

Once you’ve defined your investment goals, think about companies you know and have a relationship with — whether it’s a company you work for, shop at, travel with or something else. Do those companies meet your investment criteria? You can use CommSec’s research tools and CommSec Learn to obtain more information to get more ideas.

You can trade with CommSec with brokerage from as low as $5.00². Brokerage is charged when your order results in a trade.

The CommSec app is a mobile application that you can use to view your portfolio and place trades, wherever you are. You can download it to your iPad, iPhone or Android device (excluding Android tablets) from the iTunes App Store or from Google Play. For more information, click here.

Whenever an order you have placed results in a trade, you will receive a Confirmation Contract Note by email, post or both, depending on the preference you have selected. Confirmation Contract Notes are generated on the day of the trade. You can access up-to-date information on the status of your orders on the CommSec website at any time.

No, your CommSec Trading Account allows you to place orders of up to $5,000 without deposit¹. That limit applies to leading stock, and you can also buy up $1,000 of non-leading stock within that amount. If you have cash in your linked Commonwealth Direct Investment Account (CDIA) or have shares in your CommSec Trading Account, you may be able to increase this amount. The funds will be direct debited from your linked cash account in full on the settlement date, which is two (2) trading days after your trade has taken place (T+2)³.

We used to offer a One-Off Trade option, but unfortunately we have now stopped this service. If you want to sell a share holding through CommSec, you'll need to open a CommSec Share Trading Account in the same name that the shares are registered under.

Here's how to find out what name your shares are registered under:

1. Look for your latest dividend or holding statement for each share holding you want to sell
2. Log onto the share registry website and view your details online (website details should be detailed on the statement)
3. Click here to Open a CommSec Share Trading Account online.
4. Once your CommSec Share Trading Account is open, you'll need to transfer your shares from the share registry to your CommSec trading account before you can sell them. Here's How to transfer shares from the share registry.