what is early assignment options

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Understanding assignment risk in Level 3 and 4 options strategies

E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

With all options strategies that contain a short option position, an investor or trader needs to keep in mind the consequences of having that option assigned , either at expiration or early (i.e., prior to expiration). Remember that, in principle, with American-style options a short position can be assigned to you at any time. On this page, we’ll run through the results and possible responses for various scenarios where a trader may be left with a short position following an assignment.

Before we look at specifics, here’s an important note about risk related to out-of-the-money options: Normally, you would not receive an assignment on an option that expires out of the money. However, even if a short position appears to be out of the money, it might still be assigned to you if the stock were to move against you just prior to expiration or in extended aftermarket or weekend trading hours. The only way to eliminate this risk is to buy-to-close the short option.

Short (naked) calls

Credit call spreads

Credit put spreads, debit call spreads, debit put spreads.

When all legs are in-the-money or all are out-of-the-money at expiration

Another important note : In any case where you close out an options position, the standard contract fee (commission) will be charged unless the trade qualifies for the E*TRADE Dime Buyback Program . There is no contract fee or commission when an option is assigned to you.

Short (naked) call

If you experience an early assignment.

An early assignment is most likely to happen if the call option is deep in the money and the stock’s ex-dividend date is close to the option expiration date.

If your account does not hold the shares needed to cover the obligation, an early assignment would create a short stock position in your account. This may incur borrowing fees and make you responsible for any dividend payments.

Also note that if you hold a short call on a stock that has a dividend payment coming in the near future, you may be responsible for paying the dividend even if you close the position before it expires.

An early assignment generally happens when the put option is deep in the money and the underlying stock does not have an ex-dividend date between the current time and the expiration of the option.

Short call + long call

(The same principles apply to both two-leg and four-leg strategies)

This would leave your account short the shares you’ve been assigned, but the risk of the position would not change . The long call still functions to cover the short share position. Typically, you would buy shares to cover the short and simultaneously sell the long leg of the spread.

Pay attention to short in-the-money call legs on the day prior to the stock’s ex-dividend date, because an assignment that evening would put you in a short stock position where you are responsible for paying the dividend. If there’s a risk of early assignment, consider closing the spread.

Short put + long put

Early assignment would leave your account long the shares you’ve been assigned. If your account does not have enough buying power to purchase the shares when they are assigned, this may create a Fed call in your account.

However, the long put still functions to cover the position because it gives you the right to sell shares at the long put strike price. Typically, you would sell the shares in the market and close out the long put simultaneously.

Here's a call example

Let’s say that you’re short a 100 call and long a 110 call on XYZ stock; both legs are in-the-money.
You receive an assignment notification on your short 100 call, meaning you sell 100 shares of XYZ stock at 100. Now, you have $10,000 in short stock proceeds, your account is short 100 shares of stock, and you still hold the long 110 call.
Exercise your long 110 call, which would cover the short stock position in your account.
Or, buy 100 shares of XYZ stock (to cover your short stock position) and sell to close the long 110 call.

Here's a put example:

Let’s say that you’re short a 105 put and long a 95 put on XYZ stock; the short leg is in-the-money.
You receive an assignment notification on your short 105 put, meaning you buy 100 shares of XYZ stock at 105. Now, your account has been debited $10,500 for the stock purchase, you hold 100 shares of stock, and you still hold the long 95 put.
The debit in your account may be subject to margin charges or even a Fed call, but your risk profile has not changed.
You can sell to close 100 shares of stock and sell to close the long 95 put.

Long call + short call

Debit spreads have the same early assignment risk as credit spreads only if the short leg is in-the-money.

An early assignment would leave your account short the shares you’ve been assigned, but the risk of the position would not change . The long call still functions to cover the short share position. Typically, you would buy shares to cover the short share position and simultaneously sell the remaining long leg of the spread.

Long put + short put

An early assignment would leave your account long the shares you’ve been assigned. If your account does not have enough buying power to purchase the shares when they are assigned, this may create a Fed call in your account.

All spreads that have a short leg

(when all legs are in-the-money or all are out-of-the-money)

Pay attention to short in-the-money call legs on the day prior to the stock’s ex-dividend date because an assignment that evening would put you in a short stock position where you are responsible for paying the dividend. If there’s a risk of early assignment, consider closing the spread.

However, the long put still functions to cover the long stock position because it gives you the right to sell shares at the long put strike price. Typically, you would sell the shares in the market and close out the long put simultaneously.

The Risks of Options Assignment

Any trader holding a short option position should understand the risks of early assignment. An early assignment occurs when a trader is forced to buy or sell stock when the short option is exercised by the long option holder. Understanding how assignment works can help a trader take steps to reduce their potential losses.

Understanding the basics of assignment

An option gives the owner the right but not the obligation to buy or sell stock at a set price. An assignment forces the short options seller to take action. Here are the main actions that can result from an assignment notice:

Short call assignment: The option seller must sell shares of the underlying stock at the strike price.
Short put assignment: The option seller must buy shares of the underlying stock at the strike price.

For traders with long options positions, it's possible to choose to exercise the option, buying or selling according to the contract before it expires. With a long call exercise, shares of the underlying stock are bought at the strike price while a long put exercise results in selling shares of the underlying stock at the strike price.

When a trader might get assigned

There are two components to the price of an option: intrinsic 1 and extrinsic 2 value. In the case of exercising an in-the-money 3 (ITM) long call, a trader would buy the stock at the strike price, which is lower than its prevailing price. In the case of a long put that isn't being used as a hedge for a long stock position, the trader shorts the stock for a price higher than its prevailing price. A trader only captures an ITM option's intrinsic value if they sell the stock (after exercising a long call) or buy the stock (after exercising a long put) immediately upon exercise.

Without taking these actions, a trader takes on the risks associated with holding a long or short stock position. The question of whether a short option might be assigned depends on if there's a perceived benefit to a trader exercising a long option that another trader has short. One way to attempt to gauge if an option could be potentially assigned is to consider the associated dividend. An options seller might be more likely to get assigned on a short call for an upcoming ex-dividend if its time value is less than the dividend. It's more likely to get assigned holding a short put if the time value has mostly decayed or if the put is deep ITM and close to expiration with a wide bid/ask spread on the stock.

It's possible to view this information on the Trade page of the thinkorswim ® trading platform. Review past dividends, the price of the short call, and the price of the put at the call's strike price. While past performance cannot be relied upon to continue, this information can help a trader determine whether assignment is more or less likely.

Reducing the risk associated with assignment

If a trader has a covered call that's ITM and it's assigned, the trader will deliver the long stock out of their account to cover the assignment.

A trader with a call vertical spread 4 where both options are ITM and the ex-dividend date is approaching may want to exercise the long option component before the ex-dividend date to have long stock to deliver against the potential assignment of the short call. The trader could also close the ITM call vertical spread before the ex-dividend date. It might be cheaper to pay the fees to close the trade.

Another scenario is a call vertical spread where the ITM option is short and the out-of-the-money (OTM) option is long. In this case, the trader may consider closing the position or rolling it to a further expiration before the ex-dividend date. This move can possibly help the trader avoid having short stock on the ex-dividend date and being liable for the dividend.

Depending on the situation, a trader long an ITM call might decide it's better to close the trade ahead of the ex-dividend date. On the ex-dividend date, the price of the stock drops by the amount of the dividend. The drop in the stock price offsets what a trader would've earned on the dividend and there would still be fees on top of the price of the put.

Assess the risk

When an option is converted to stock through exercise or assignment, the position's risk profile changes. This change could increase the margin requirements, or subject a trader to a margin call, 5 or both. This can happen at or before expiration during early assignment. The exercise of a long option position can be more likely to trigger a margin call since naked short option trades typically carry substantial margin requirements.

Even with early exercise, a trader can still be assigned on a short option any time prior to the option's expiration.

1 The intrinsic value of an options contract is determined based on whether it's in the money if it were to be exercised immediately. It is a measure of the strike price as compared to the underlying security's market price. For a call option, the strike price should be lower than the underlying's market price to have intrinsic value. For a put option the strike price should be higher than underlying's market price to have intrinsic value.

2 The extrinsic value of an options contract is determined by factors other than the price of the underlying security, such as the dividend rate of the underlying, time remaining on the contract, and the volatility of the underlying. Sometimes it's referred to as the time value or premium value.

3 Describes an option with intrinsic value (not just time value). A call option is in the money (ITM) if the underlying asset's price is above the strike price. A put option is ITM if the underlying asset's price is below the strike price. For calls, it's any strike lower than the price of the underlying asset. For puts, it's any strike that's higher.

4 The simultaneous purchase of one call option and sale of another call option at a different strike price, in the same underlying, in the same expiration month.

5 A margin call is issued when the account value drops below the maintenance requirements on a security or securities due to a drop in the market value of a security or when buying power is exceeded. Margin calls may be met by depositing funds, selling stock, or depositing securities. A broker may forcibly liquidate all or part of the account without prior notice, regardless of intent to satisfy a margin call, in the interests of both parties.

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Option exercise and assignment explained w/ visuals.

Categories: Options Trading

Last updated on February 11th, 2022 , 06:38 am

Buyers of options have the right to exercise their option at or before the option’s expiration. When an option is exercised, the option holder will buy (for exercised calls) or sell (for exercised puts) 100 shares of stock per contract at the option’s strike price.

Conversely, when an option is exercised, a trader who is short the option will be assigned 100 long (for short puts) or short (for short calls) shares per contract.

Long American style options can exercise their contract at any time.
Long calls transfer to +100 shares of stock
Long puts transfer to -100 shares of stock
Short calls are assigned -100 shares of stock.
Short puts are assigned +100 shares of stock.
Options are typically only exercised and thus assigned when extrinsic value is very low.
Approximately only 7% of options are exercised.

The following sequences summarize exercise and assignment for calls and puts (assuming one option contract ):

Call Buyer Exercises Option ➜ Purchases 100 shares at the call’s strike price.

Call Seller Assigned ➜ Sells/shorts 100 shares at the call’s strike price.

Put Buyer Exercises Option ➜ Sells/shorts 100 shares at the put’s strike price.

Put Seller Assigned ➜ Purchases 100 shares at the put’s strike price.

Let’s look at some specific examples to drill down on this concept.

New to options trading? Learn the essential concepts of options trading with our FREE 160+ page Options Trading for Beginners PDF.

Exercise and Assignment Examples

In the following table, we’ll examine how various options convert to stock positions for the option buyer and seller:

As you can see, exercise and assignment is pretty straightforward: when an option buyer exercises their option, they purchase (calls) or sell (puts) 100 shares of stock at the strike price . A trader who is short the assigned option is obligated to fulfill the opposite position as the option exerciser.

Automatic Exercise at Expiration

Another important thing to know about exercise and assignment is that standard in-the-money equity options are automatically exercised at expiration. So, traders may end up with stock positions by letting their options expire in-the-money.

An in-the-money option is defined as any option with at least $0.01 of intrinsic value at expiration . For example, a standard equity call option with a strike price of 100 would be automatically exercised into 100 shares of stock if the stock price is at $100.01 or higher at expiration.

What if You Don't Have Enough Available Capital?

Even if you don’t have enough capital in your account, you can still be assigned or automatically exercised into a stock position. For example, if you only have $10,000 in your account but you let one 500 call expire in-the-money, you’ll be long 100 shares of a $500 stock, which is a $50,000 position. Clearly, the $10,000 in your account isn’t enough to buy $50,000 worth of stock, even on 4:1 margin.

If you find yourself in a situation like this, your brokerage firm will come knocking almost instantaneously. In fact, your brokerage firm will close the position for you if you don’t close the position quickly enough.

Why Options are Rarely Exercised

At this point, you understand the basics of exercise and assignment. Now, let’s dive a little deeper and discuss what an option buyer forfeits when they exercise their option.

When an option is exercised, the option is converted into long or short shares of stock. However, it’s important to note that the option buyer will lose the extrinsic value of the option when they exercise the option. Because of this, options with lots of extrinsic value remaining are unlikely to be exercised. Conversely, options consisting of all intrinsic value and very little extrinsic value are more likely to be exercised.

The following table demonstrates the losses from exercising an option with various amounts of extrinsic value:

As we can see here, exercising options with lots of extrinsic value is not favorable.

Why? Consider the 95 call trading for $7. Exercising the call would result in an effective purchase price of $102 because shares are bought at $95, but $7 was paid for the right to buy shares at $95.

With an effective purchase price of $102 and the stock trading for $100, exercising the option results in a loss of $2 per share, or $200 on 100 shares.

Even if the 95 call was previously purchased for less than $7, exercising an option with $2 of extrinsic value will always result in a P/L that’s $200 lower (per contract) than the current P/L. F

or example, if the trader initially purchased the 95 call for $2, their P/L with the option at $7 would be $500 per contract. However, if the trader decided to exercise the 95 call with $2 of extrinsic value, their P/L would drop to +$300 because they just gave up $200 by exercising.

7% Of Options Are Exercised

Because of the fact that traders give up money by exercising an option with extrinsic value, most options are not exercised. In fact, according to the Options Clearing Corporation, only 7% of options were exercised in 2017 . Of course, this may not factor in all brokerage firms and customer accounts, but it still demonstrates a low exercise rate from a large sample size of trading accounts.

So, in almost all cases, it’s more beneficial to sell the long option and buy or sell shares instead of exercising. We like to call this approach a “synthetic exercise.”

Congrats! You’ve learned the basics of exercise and assignment. If you’d like to know how the exercise and assignment process actually works, continue to the next section!

Who Gets Assigned When an Option is Exercised?

With thousands of traders long and short options in the market, who actually gets assigned when one of the traders exercises their option?

In this section, we’ll run through the exercise and assignment process for options so you know how the assignment decision occurs.

If a trader is short a single option, how do they get assigned if one of a thousand other traders exercises that option?

The short answer is that the process is random. For example, if there are 5,000 traders who are long a call option and 5,000 traders who are short that call option, an account with the short option will be randomly assigned the exercise notice. The random process ensures that the option assignment system is fair

Visualizing Assignment and Exercise

The following visual describes the general process of exercise and assignment:

If you’d like, you can read the OCC’s detailed assignment procedure here (warning: it’s intense!).

Now you know how the assignment procedure works. In the final section, we’ll discuss how to quickly gauge the likelihood of early assignment on short options.

Assessing Early Option Assignment Risk

The final piece of understanding exercise and assignment is gauging the risk of early assignment on a short option.

As mentioned early, only 7% of options were exercised in 2017 (according to the OCC). So, being assigned on short options is rare, but it does happen. While a specific probability of getting assigned early can’t be determined, there are scenarios in which assignment is more or less likely.

The following scenarios summarize broad generalizations of early assignment probabilities in various scenarios:

In regards to the dividend scenario, early assignment on in-the-money short calls with less extrinsic value than the dividend is more likely because the dividend payment covers the loss from the extrinsic value when exercising the option.

All in all, the risk of being assigned early on a short option is typically very low for the reasons discussed in this guide. However, it’s likely that you will be assigned on a short option at some point while trading options (unless you don’t sell options!), but at least now you’ll be prepared!

Next Lesson

Options Trading for Beginners

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Value in Options Trading Explained

Option Greeks Explained: Delta, Gamma, Theta & Vega

Projectfinance options tutorials.

➥ Bullish Strategies

➥ Bearish Strategies

➥ Neutral Strategies

➥ Vertical Spreads Guide

☆ Options Trading for Beginners ☆

➥ Basics of Calls and Puts

➥ What is a Strike Price?

➥ Option Expiration

➥ Intrinsic and Extrinsic Value

➥ Exercise and Assignment

➥ The Bid-Ask Spread

➥ Volume and Open Interest

➥ Option Chain Explained

➥ Option Greeks 101

➥ Delta Explained

➥ Gamma Explained

➥ Theta Explained

➥ Vega Explained

➥ Implied Volatility Basics

➥ What is the VIX Index?

➥ The Expected Move

➥ Trading VIX Options

➥ Trading VIX Futures

➥ The VIX Term Structure

➥ IV Rank vs. IV Percentile

➥ Option Order Types 101

➥ Stop-Loss Orders On Options Explained

➥ Stop Limit Order in Options: Examples W/ Visuals

➥ Limit Order in Option Trading Explained w/ Visuals

➥ Market Order in Options: Don’t Throw Away Money!

➥ TIF Orders Types Explained: DAY, GTC, GTD, EXT, GTC-EXT, MOC, LOC

Additional Resources

Exercise and Assignment – CME Group

Learn About Exercise and Assignment – CME Group

About the Author

Chris Butler received his Bachelor’s degree in Finance from DePaul University and has nine years of experience in the financial markets.

Chris started the projectfinance YouTube channel in 2016, which has accumulated over 25 million views from investors globally.

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Options Assignment: Navigating the Rights and Obligations

By Tyler Corvin

Ever been blindsided by an unexpected traffic ticket in the mail?

You knew driving came with its set of potential consequences, yet you took to the road regardless. Suddenly, you’re left with a tangible obligation to pay. This unforeseen shift, where what was once a mere possibility becomes an immediate reality, captures the spirit of options assignment within the vast realm of options trading.

Diving into the details, option assignment serves as the bridge between the abstract realm of rights and the concrete world of duties in this field. It’s that unassuming piece in the machinery that can, without warning, change the entire game – often carrying notable financial repercussions. In a domain where every move has implications, truly grasping option assignment is foundational, ensuring not just survival but genuine success.

Join us in this comprehensive exploration of option assignment, arming traders of all experience levels with the knowledge to sail these intricate seas with assuredness and accuracy.

What you’ll learn

What is Options Assignment?

How options assignment works, identifying option assignment , examples of option assignment, managing and mitigating assignment risks, what option assignment means for individual traders.

Conclusion

Dive into the realm of options trading and you’ll find a tapestry of processes and potential. “Options assignment” is one pivotal cog in this intricate machine. To a newcomer, this term might seem a tad daunting. But a step-by-step walk-through can demystify its core.

In its simplest form, options assignment means carrying out the rights specified in an option contract. Holding an option allows a trader the choice to buy or sell a particular asset, but there’s no compulsion. The moment they opt to use this right, that’s when options assignment kicks in.

Think of it this way: You’ve got a ticket (option) to a show (buy or sell an asset). You decide if and when to attend. When you make the move, that transition is the options assignment.

There are two main types of option assignments:

Call Option Assignment : Triggered when a call option holder exercises their right. The seller of the option then steps into the spotlight, bound to sell the asset at the agreed-upon price.
Put Option Assignment : Conversely, if a put option holder steps forward, the seller of the put takes the stage. Their role? To buy the asset at the specified rate.

To truly grasp options assignment, one must understand the dance between rights and obligations in options trading.

When a trader buys an option, they’re essentially reserving a right, a possible move. On the other hand, selling an option translates to accepting a duty if the option’s holder chooses to play their card.

Rights with Call Options: Buying a call option grants you a special privilege. You can procure the underlying asset at a set price before the option expires. If you choose to exercise this right, the one who sold you the call gets assigned. Their task? Handing over the asset at that set price.

Obligations with Put Options: Securing a put option empowers you to sell the underlying at a pre-decided rate. Should you exercise this, the put’s seller steps up, committed to buying the asset at the given rate.

Several factors steer the course of options assignment, including intrinsic value, looming expiration dates, and current market vibes. To stay ahead of these influences, many traders utilize option trade alerts for timely insights. And remember, while many options might find buyers, not all see execution. Hence, not every seller will get assigned. For traders, understanding this rhythm is vital, shaping many strategies in options trading.

In the multifaceted world of options trading, discerning option assignment straddles the line between art and science. While no technique guarantees surefire results, several pointers and signals can wave a flag, hinting at an impending assignment.

In-the-Money Options : A robust sign of a looming assignment is the option’s stance relative to its strike price. “In-the-money” refers to an option’s moneyness , and plays a pivotal role in the behavior of option holders. Deeply in-the-money (ITM) options amplify the odds of assignment. An ITM call option, where the market price of the asset towers above the strike price, encourages the holder to exercise and swiftly offload the asset on the market. Conversely, an ITM put option, where the market price trails significantly behind the strike price, incentivizes the holder to scoop up the asset in the market and then exercise the option to vend it at the loftier strike price.

Expiration’s Shadow: The ticking clock of an expiring option raises the assignment stakes, especially if it remains ITM. Many traders make their move just before the eleventh hour to capitalize on their gains.

Dividend Dates in Focus: Call options inching toward expiry ahead of a dividend date, especially if they’re ITM, stand at an elevated assignment crosshair. Option aficionados might play their call options to pocket the dividend, which they’d bag if they possess the core shares.

Extrinsic Value’s Decline : A diminishing time or extrinsic value of an option elevates its exercise odds. When intrinsic value dominates an option’s worth, a holder might be inclined to cash in on this value.

Volume & Open Interest Dynamics : A sudden surge in trading or a dip in open interest can be telltale signs. Understanding volume’s role is crucial as such fluctuations might hint at traders either hopping in or out, suggesting possible exercises and assignments.

Navigating the Post-Assignment Terrain

Grasping the ripple effects of option assignment is vital, highlighting the immediate responsibilities and potential paths for both the buyer and seller.

For the Option Seller:

Call Option Assignment : For a trader who’s sold a call option, assignment means they’re on the hook to hand over the underlying shares at the strike price. If they’re short on shares, a market purchase is in order—potentially at a loss if market prices overshoot the strike.
Put Option Assignment: Assignment on a peddled put option necessitates the trader to buy the shares at the strike price . If this price overshadows the market rate, losses loom.

For the Option Buyer:

Call Option Play : Exercising a call lets the buyer snap up shares at the strike price. They can either nestle with them or trade them off.
Put Option Play: Exercising a put gives the buyer the reins to sell their shares at the strike price. This play often pays off when the market rate is dwarfed by the strike, ensuring a tidy profit on the dispensed shares.

Post-assignment, all involved must be on their toes, knowing what triggers margin calls , especially if caught off-guard by the assignment. Tax implications may also hover, influenced by the trade’s nature and the tenure of the position.

Being savvy about these subtleties and gearing up for possible turns of events can drastically refine one’s journey through the options trading maze.

Call Option Assignment Scenario

Imagine an investor purchases an Nvidia ( NVDA ) call option at a strike price of $435, hoping that the price of the stock will ascend after finding out that they may be forced to move out of some countries . The option is set to expire in a month. Soon after, not only did NVDA rebound from the news, but they reported very strong quarterly earnings, propelling the stock to $455.

Spotting the favorable trend, the investor opts to wield their right to purchase the stock at the agreed strike price of $435, despite its $455 market value. This initiates the option assignment.

The other investor, having sold the option, must now part with their NVDA shares at $435 apiece. If they’re short on stocks, they’d have to fetch them at the going rate of $455 and let them go at a deficit. The first investor, however, stands at a crossroads: retain the shares in hopes of further gains or swiftly trade them at $455, reaping a neat sum.

Put Option Assignment Scenario

Let’s visualize an investor who speculates a dip in the share price of V.F. Corporation ( VFC ) after seeing news about an activist investor causing shares to jump almost 14% in a day . To hedge their bets, they secures a put option from another investor at a strike price of $18.50, set to lapse in a month.

Fast forward a week, let’s say VFC divulges lackluster quarterly figures, causing the stock to dive to $10. The first investor, seizing the moment, employs their put option, electing to sell their shares at the $18.50 strike price.

When the assignment bell tolls, the other investor finds himself bound to buy the shares from the first investor at the agreed $18.50, a rate that overshadows the current $10 market value. The first investor thus sidesteps the market slump, securing a favorable sale. The other investor, however, absorbs a loss, acquiring stocks at a premium to their market worth.

The realm of options trading is akin to navigating a dynamic river, demanding a sharp comprehension of the risks that lie beneath its surface. A predominant risk that traders often encounter is assignment risk. When one assumes the role of an option seller, they inherit the duty to honor the contract if the buyer opts to exercise. Grasping the gravity of this can make the difference, underscoring the necessity of adept risk management.

A savvy approach to temper assignment risk is by keeping a vigilant eye on the extrinsic value of options. Generally, options rich in extrinsic value tend to resist early assignment. This resistance emerges as the extrinsic value dwindles when the option dives deeper in-the-money, thereby tempting the holder to exercise.

Furthermore, economic currents, ranging from niche corporate updates to sweeping market tides, can be triggers for option assignments. Staying attuned to these economic ripples equips traders with the vision needed to either tweak or maintain their positions. For example, traders may opt to sidestep selling options that are deeply in-the-money, given their higher susceptibility to assignments due to their shrinking extrinsic value.

Incorporating spread tactics, like vertical spreads or iron condors, furnishes an added shield. These strategies can dampen the risk of assignment since one part of the spread frequently balances the risk of its counterpart. Should the specter of a short option assignment hover, traders might contemplate ‘rolling out’ their stance. This move entails repurchasing the short option and subsequently selling another, possibly at a varied strike rate or a more distant expiry.

Yet, despite these protective layers, it remains pivotal for traders to brace for possible assignments. Maintaining ample liquidity, be it in capital or necessary shares, can avert unfavorable scenarios like hasty liquidations or stiff margin charges. Engaging regularly with brokers can also shed light, occasionally offering a heads-up on looming assignments.

In conclusion, the bedrock of risk management in options trading is rooted in perpetual learning. As traders hone their craft, their adeptness at forecasting and navigating assignment risks sharpens.

In the intricate world of options trading, option assignments aren’t just nuanced details; they’re pivotal moments with deep-seated implications for individual traders and the health of their portfolios. Beyond the immediate financial aftermath, assignments can reshape trading plans, risk dynamics, and the overarching path of an investor’s journey.

At its core, option assignments can transform a trader’s asset landscape. Consider a trader who’s short on a call option. If they’re assigned, they might be compelled to supply the underlying stock. This can result in a rapid stock outflow from their portfolio or, if they don’t possess the stock, birth a short stock stance. On the flip side, a trader short on a put option who faces assignment may find themselves buying the stock at the strike price, thereby dipping into their cash reserves.

These immediate shifts can generate broader portfolio ripples. An unexpected gain or shedding of stocks can jostle a trader’s asset distribution, veering it off their envisioned path. If, for instance, a trader had charted a particular stock-to-cash distribution or a meticulous diversification blueprint, an option assignment might throw a spanner in the works.

Additionally, assignments can serve as a real-world litmus test for a trader’s risk-handling prowess . A surprise assignment might spark margin calls for those not sufficiently fortified with capital. It stands as a poignant nudge about the essence of ensuring liquidity and safeguarding against the unpredictable whims of the market.

Strategically speaking, recurrent assignments might signal it’s time for traders to recalibrate. Are the options they’re offloading too submerged in-the-money? Have they factored in pivotal market shifts that might heighten early exercise odds? Such reflective moments can pave the way for refining and elevating trading methods.

In the multifaceted world of options trading, option assignment stands out as both a potential boon and a challenge. Far from being a simple checkbox in the process, its ramifications can mold the contours of a trader’s portfolio and steer long-term tactics. The importance of comprehending and adeptly managing option assignment resonates, whether you’re dipping your toes into options for the first time or weaving through intricate trades with seasoned expertise.

Furthermore, mastering options trading is about integrating its myriad concepts into a cohesive playbook. Whether it’s differentiating trading strategies like the iron condor from the iron butterfly strategy or delving deep into the nuances of option assignments, each component enriches the narrative of a trader’s odyssey. As markets shift and new hurdles arise, a solid grasp of foundational principles remains an invaluable asset. In this perpetual dance of learning and evolution, may your trading maneuvers always be well-informed, proactive, and adept.

Understanding Options Assignment: FAQs

What factors influence the likelihood of an option being assigned.

Several factors come into play, including the option’s intrinsic value , the time remaining until expiration, and upcoming dividend announcements. Options that are deep in the money or nearing their expiration date are more likely to be assigned.

Are Some Option Styles More Prone to Assignment than Others?

Absolutely. When considering different option styles , it’s essential to note that American-style options can be exercised at any point before their expiration, which means they face a higher risk of early assignment. In contrast, European-style options can only be exercised at expiration.

How Do Current Market Trends Impact Assignment Risk?

Factors like market volatility, notable price shifts, and external economic happenings can amplify the chances of an option being assigned. For example, an option might be assigned before a company’s ex-dividend date if the expected dividend outweighs the weakening of theta decay .

Can Traders Reverse or Counter the Effects of an Option Assignment?

Once an option has been assigned, it’s set in stone. However, traders can maneuver within the market to balance out the implications of the assignment, such as procuring or selling the underlying asset.

Are There Any Fees Tied to Option Assignments?

Indeed, brokers usually impose a fee for both assignments and exercises. The specific fee can differ depending on the broker, making it essential for traders to understand their brokerage’s charging scheme.

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How dividends can increase options assignment risk

Most experienced investors are familiar with the adage that "if an investment opportunity sound too good to be true, it probably is." While this sentiment may often be associated with overly optimistic assumptions, it also applies to investors who sell options contracts without first considering the ex-dividend date for a stock or ETF.

How dividends work

A quick review of how dividends work: A dividend represents a payment of a company's revenues to shareholders, most often in the form of cash. Cash dividends are paid out on a per-share basis. For example, if you own 100 shares of a stock that pays a $0.50 quarterly dividend, you will receive $50.

Not all companies pay dividends, but if you're investing in options contracts for companies that do pay them, you need to keep several important dates in mind:

Declaration date: Date on which a company announces the per-share amount of its next dividend.
Record date: The cut-off date established by the company to determine which shareholders of its stock are eligible to receive a distribution. This is usually, but not always, 1 day after the ex-dividend date.
Ex-Dividend date: Date on which a stock's price adjusts downward to reflect its next dividend payment. For example, if a stock pays a $0.50 dividend, the stock price will drop by a half point prior to trading on the ex-dividend date. If you buy a stock on or after the ex-dividend date, you are not entitled to the next dividend.
Dividend (payment) date: Date shareholders receive cash in their account from a dividend.

See Locating dividend information for stocks for additional details.

Dividends offer an effective way to earn income from your equity investments. However, call option holders are not entitled to regular quarterly dividends, regardless of when they purchase their options. And, unlike stock or ETF prices, options contract prices are not adjusted downward on ex-dividend dates.

This can cause a problem for anyone who has sold an options contract without first considering the impact of dividends. Why? Because the risk of being assigned on an option contract is higher when the underlying security of an in-the-money option starts trading ex-dividend. To understand the risks and how dividends impact options contracts, let's explore some potential scenarios.

Avoiding or managing early assignment on covered calls

As noted above, the ex-dividend date is particularly important to anyone who writes a covered or uncovered call option. If a covered call option you have sold is in the money and the dividend exceeds the remaining time value of the option, there is a good chance an owner of those calls will exercise his options early.

If you are assigned, you must deliver your shares of the underlying security, as well as the dividend income, to the owner of the call. Let's examine a hypothetical example to illustrate how this works.

Bob owns 500 shares of ABC stock, which pays a quarterly $0.50 dividend.
The stock is trading around $25 a share on August 1 when Bob decides to sell 5 October 30 calls.
By early October, ABC stock has risen to $31 and, as a result, Bob's covered calls are in the money by $1. The calls will expire in 10 days and tomorrow the stock will start trading ex-dividend.
Because the remaining time value of the call option is less than the value of the dividends, the call owner will likely exercise his options on the day before the ex-dividend date.

See Locating option values in Active Trader Pro ® .

If Bob does not take any action to close his covered call position, there is a good chance he will be assigned on the ex-dividend date. This means he will no longer own 500 shares of the stock and he will not receive the dividend income.

To avoid this scenario, Bob has a couple of choices:

He could buy back the calls he sold to retain the stock and the dividend. However, he would have to do this prior to the ex-dividend date. If he waits until the ex-dividend date or later, he will not be entitled to the dividend income. Keep in mind that it's possible to get assigned prior to the day before the ex-dividend date, so this strategy is not foolproof.
The other option is to close out his short position and write a new covered call with a later expiration date or a higher strike price. This strategy is known as "rolling" your options contract forward.

Avoiding or managing early assignment on calls not covered by shares

Now let's consider what could happen if Bob had sold uncovered calls on ABC stock:

As in the example above, ABC stock pays a quarterly $0.50 dividend and is trading around $25 a share
Bob has a negative view on the stock and decides to sell 5 uncovered October 30 calls
By early October, ABC stock has risen to $31 and, as a result, his uncovered calls are in the money by $1

To make matters worse, Bob learns that tomorrow the stock will start trading ex-dividend. Because the remaining time value of the options is less than the value of the dividends, owners of these calls will likely exercise their options 1 day prior to the ex-dividend date.

To limit his exposure, Bob has several choices. He can buy back his uncovered calls at a loss, buy the stock to capture the dividend, or sit tight and hope to not be assigned. If his calls are assigned, however, he will have to pay the $250 in dividend income, in addition to covering the cost of delivering 500 shares of ABC stock. If Bob had initiated an option spread (buying and selling an equal number of options of the same class on the same underlying security but with different strike prices or expiration dates), he could also consider exercising his long option position to capture the dividend.

Other considerations and risks

If you are implementing a spread strategy that includes long contracts and short contracts, you need to remain particularly vigilant in regard to assignment risk. If both contracts are in the money and you are assigned on the short contracts, you will not be notified until the following business day. While you can exercise your long position on the ex-dividend date to eliminate the short stock position that was created, you will still owe the dividend because you were short the stock prior to the ex-dividend date.

Ways to avoid the risk of early assignment

If you are selling options (covered or uncovered), there is always the risk of being assigned if your trade moves against you. This risk is higher if the underlying security involved pays a dividend. However, there are ways to reduce the likelihood of being assigned early. These include:

Do your homework: Know if the stock or ETF pays a dividend and when it will start trading ex-dividend
Avoid selling options on dividend-paying stocks or ETFs when your trade includes ex-dividend
Invest in European-style options: American-style options can be assigned at any time before the option expires, European-style options can only be exercised at expiration

See Locating dividend information for ETFs for details.

If you are a Fidelity customer and you have questions about your exposure to assignment risk, you can always contact a Fidelity representative for help.

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What is Options Assignment & How to Avoid It

If you are learning about options, assignment might seem like a scary topic. In this article, you will learn why it really isn’t. I will break down the entire options assignment process step by step and show you when you might be assigned, how to minimize the risk of being assigned, and what to do if you are assigned.

Video Breakdown of Options Assignment

Check out the following video in which I explain everything you need to know about assignment:

What is Assignment?

To understand assignment, we must first remember what options allow you to do. So let’s start with a brief recap:

A call option gives its buyer the right to buy 100 shares of the underlying at the strike price
A put option gives its buyer the right to sell 100 shares of the underlying at the strike price

In other words, call options allow you to call away shares of the underlying from someone else, whereas a put option allows you to put shares in someone else’s account. Hence the name call and put option.

The assignment process is the selection of the other party of this transaction. So the person that has to buy from or sell to the option buyer that exercised their option.

Note that an option buyer has the right to exercise their option. It is not an obligation and therefore, a buyer of an option can never be assigned. Only option sellers can ever be get assigned since they agree to fulfill this obligation when they sell an option.

Let’s go through a specific example to clarify this:

The underlying security is stock ABC and it is trading at $100.
Peter decides to buy 1 put option with a strike price of 95 as a hedge for his long stock position in ABC
Kate sells this exact same option at the same time.

Over the next few weeks, ABC’s price goes down to $90 and Peter decides to exercise his put option. This means that he uses his right to sell 100 shares of ABC for $95 per share. Now Kate is assigned these 100 shares of ABC which means she is obligated to buy them for $95 per share.

Peter now has 100 fewer shares of ABC in his portfolio, whereas Kate has 100 more.

This process is analog for a call option with the only difference being that Kate would be short 100 shares and Peter would have 100 additional shares of ABC in his portfolio.

Hopefully, this example clarifies what assignment is.

Who Can Be Assigned?

To answer this question, we must first ask ourselves who exercises their option? To do this, let’s quickly look at the different ways that you can close a long option position:

Sell the option: Selling an option is probably the easiest way to close a long option position. Doing this will have no effect on the option seller.
Let the option expire: If the option is Out of The Money , it would expire worthless and there would be no consequence for the option seller. If, on the other hand, the option is In The Money by more than $0.01, it would typically be automatically exercised . This would start the options assignment process.
Exercise the option early: The last possibility would be to exercise the option before its expiration date. This, however, can only be done if the option is an American-style option. This would, once again, lead to an option assignment.

So as an option seller, you only have to worry about the last two possibilities in which the buyer’s option is exercised.

But before you worry too much, here is a quick fact about the distribution of these 3 alternatives:

Less than 10% of all options are exercised.

This means 90% of all options are either sold prior to the expiration date or expire worthless. So always remember this statistic before breaking your head over the risk of being assigned.

It is very easy to avoid the first case of being assigned. To avoid it, just close your short option positions before they expire (ITM). For the second case, however, things aren’t as straight forward.

Who Risks being Assigned Early?

Firstly, you have to be trading American-style options. European-style options can only be exercised on their expiration date. But most equity options are American-style anyway. So unless you are trading index options or other kinds of European-style options, this will be the case for you.

Secondly, you need to be an options seller. Option buyers can’t be assigned.

These two are necessary conditions for you to be assigned. Everyone who fulfills both of these conditions risks getting assigned early. The size of this risk, however, varies depending on your position. Here are a few things that can dramatically increase your assignment risk:

ITM: If your option is ITM, the chance of being assigned is much higher than if it isn’t. From the standpoint of an option buyer, it does not make sense to exercise an option that isn’t ITM because this would lead to a loss. Nevertheless, it is possible. The deeper ITM the option is, the higher the assignment risk becomes.
Dividends : Besides that, selling options on securities with upcoming dividends also increases your risk of assignment. More specifically, if the extrinsic value of an ITM call option is less than the amount of the dividend, option buyers can achieve a profit by exercising their option before the ex-dividend date.
Extrinsic Value: Otherwise, keep an eye on the extrinsic value of your option. If the option has extrinsic value left, it doesn’t make sense for the option buyer to exercise their option because they would achieve a higher profit if they just sold the option and then bought or sold shares of the underlying asset. Typically, the less time an option has left, the lower its extrinsic value becomes. Implied volatility is another factor that influences extrinsic value.
Puts vs Calls: This is more of an interesting side note than actual advice, but put options tend to get exercised more often than call options. This makes sense since put options give their buyer the right to sell the underlying asset and can, therefore, be a very useful hedge for long stock positions.

How can you Minimize Assignment Risk?

Since you now know what assignment is, and who risks being assigned, let’s shift our focus on how to minimize the assignment risk. Even though it isn’t possible to completely remove the risk of being assigned, there are things that you can do to dramatically decrease the chances of being assigned.

The first thing would be to avoid selling options on securities with upcoming dividend payments. Before putting on a position, simply check if the underlying security has any upcoming dividend payments. If so, look for a different trade.

If you ever are in the position that you are short an option and the ex-dividend of the underlying security is right around the corner, compare the size of the dividend to the extrinsic value of your option. If the extrinsic value is less than the dividend amount, you really should consider closing the position. Otherwise, the chances of being assigned are high. This is especially bad since being short during a dividend payment of a security will force you to pay the dividend.

Besides avoiding dividends, you should also close your option positions early. The less time an option has left, the lower its extrinsic value becomes and the more it makes sense for option buyers to exercise their options. Therefore, it is good practice to close your (ITM) short option positions at least one week before the expiration date.

The deeper an option is ITM, the higher the chances of assignment become. So the just-mentioned rule is even more important for deep ITM options.

If you don’t want to indefinitely close your position, it is also possible to roll it out to a later expiration cycle. This will give you more time and add extrinsic value to your position.

FAQs about Assignment

Last but not least, I want to answer some frequently asked questions about options exercise and assignment.

1. What happens if your account does not have enough buying power to cover the assigned position?

This is a common worry for beginning options traders. But don’t worry, if you don’t have enough capital to cover the new position, you will receive a margin call and usually, your broker will just automatically close the assigned shares immediately. This might lead to a minor assignment fee, but otherwise, it won’t significantly affect your account. Tatsyworks, for example, charges an assignment fee of only $5.

Check out my review of tastyworks

2. How does assignment affect your P&L?

When an option is exercised, the option holder gains the difference between the strike price and the price of the underlying asset. If the option is ITM, this is exactly the intrinsic value of the option. This means that the option holder loses the extrinsic value when he exercises his/her option. That’s also why it doesn’t make sense to exercise options with a lot of extrinsic value left.

This means that as soon as the option is exercised, it is only the intrinsic value that is relevant for the payoff. This is the same payoff as the option at its expiration date.

So as an options seller, your P&L isn’t negatively affected by an assignment. Either it stays the same or it becomes slightly better due to the extrinsic value being ignored.

As an example, if your option is ITM by $1, you will lose up to $100 per option or $1 per share that you are assigned. But this does not account for the extrinsic value that falls away with the exercise of the option. So this would be the same P&L as at expiration. Depending on how much premium you collected when selling the option, this might still be a profit or a minor loss.

With that being said, as soon as you are assigned, you will have some carrying risk. If you don’t or can’t close the position immediately, you will be exposed to the ongoing price fluctuations of that security. Sometimes, you might not be able to close the new position immediately because of trading halts, or because the market is closed.

If you weren’t planning on holding that security, it is a good idea to close the new position as soon as possible.

Option spreads such as vertical spreads, add protection to these price fluctuations since you can just exercise the long option to close the assigned share position at the strike price of the long option.

3. When an option holder exercises their option, how is the assignment partner chosen?

This is usually a random process. As soon as an option is exercised, the responsible brokerage firm sends a request to the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC). They send back the requested shares, whereafter they randomly choose another brokerage firm that currently has a client that is short the exercised option. Then the chosen broker has to decide which of their clients is assigned. This choice is, once again, random or a time-based priority system is used.

4. How does assignment work for index options?

As there aren’t any shares of indexes, you can’t directly be assigned any shares of the underlying asset. Therefore, index options are cash-settled. This means that instead of having to buy or sell shares of the underlying, you simply have to pay the difference between the strike price and the underlying trading price. This makes assignment easier and a lot less likely among index options.

Note that ETF options such as SPY options are not cash-settled. SPY is a normal security with openly traded shares, so exercise and assignment work just like they do among equity options.

I hope this article made you realize that assignment isn’t as bad as it might seem at first. It is just important to understand how the options assignment process works and what affects the likelihood of being assigned.

To recap, here’s what you should to do when you are assigned:

if you have enough capital in your account to cover the position, you could either treat the new position as a normal (stock) position and hold on to it or you could close it immediately. If you don’t have a clear trading plan for the new position, I recommend the latter.

If, on the other hand, you don’t have enough buying power, you will receive a margin call from your broker and the position should be closed automatically.

Assignment does not have any significant impact on your P&L, but it comes with some carrying risk. Options spreads can offer more protection against this than naked option positions.

To mitigate assignment risk, you should close option positions early, always keep an eye on the extrinsic value of your option positions, and avoid upcoming dividend securities.

And always remember, less than 10% of options are exercised, so assignment really doesn’t happen that often, especially not if you are actively trying to avoid it.

For the specifics of how assignment is handled, it is a good idea to contact your broker, as the procedures can vary from broker to broker.

Thank you for taking the time and reading this post. If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please let me know in the comment section below.

22 Replies to “What is Options Assignment & How to Avoid It”

hi there well seems like finally there is one good honest place. seem like you are puting on the table the whole truth about bad positions. however my wuestion is when can one know where to put that line of limit. when do you recognise or understand that you are in a bad position? thanks and once again, a great site.

Well If you are trading a risk defined strategy the point would be at max loss and not too much time left until expiration. For undefined risk strategies however it can be very different. I would just say if you don’t have too much time until expiration and are far from making money you should use some common sense and admit that you are wrong.

What would happen in the event of a crash. Would brokers be assigning, options, cashing out these shares, and making others bankrupt. Well, I guessed I sort of answered my own question. Its not easy to understand, especially not knowing when this would come up. But seems like you hit the important aspects of the agreement.

Actually I wouldn’t imagine that too many people would want to exercise their options in case of a market ctash, because they probably wouldn’t want to hold stocks in this risky and volatile environment.

And to the part of the questions: making others bankrupt. This really depends on the situation. You can’t get assigned more stock than your option covers. This means as long as you trade with reasonable position sizing nothing too bad can happen. Otherwise I would recommend to trade with defined risk strategies so your maximum drawdown is capped.

Thanks for writing about assignment Louis. After reading the section how assignment works, I feel I am somewhat unclear about how assignment works when the exerciser exercises Put or Call option. In both cases, if the underlying is an index, is the settlement done through the margin account money? Would you be able to provide a little more detail of how exercising the option (Put vs Call) would work in case of an underlying stock vs Index.

Thank you very much in advance

Thanks for the question. Indexes can’t be traded in the same way as stocks can. That’s why index options are settled in cash. If your index option is assigned, you won’t have to buy or sell any shares of the underlying index at the strike price because there exist no shares of indexes. Instead, you have to pay the amount that your index option is ITM to the exerciser of your option. Let me give you an example: You are short a call option with the strike price of 1000. The underlying asset is an index and it’s price is 1050. This means your call option is 50 points ITM. If someone exercises your long call option, you will have to pay him/her the difference between the strike price and the underlying’s price which would be 50 (1050-1000). So the main difference between index and stock options is that you don’t have to buy/sell any shares of the underlying asset for index options. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions or comments.

Can the same logic be applied for ETFs as it does Indexes? For example, if I trade the SPY ETF, would it be settled in cash?

Thanks! Johnson

Hi Johnson, Exercise and assignment for ETFs such as SPY work just like they do for equities. ETFs have shares that are openly traded, whereas indexes don’t. That’s why indexes are settled in cash, whereas ETFs aren’t. I hope this helps.

There are many articles online that I read that are biased against options tradings and I am a bit surprised to read a really helpful article like this. I find this helpful in understanding options trading, what are the techniques and how to manage the risks. Before, I was hesitant to try this financial game but now, after reading this article, I am considering participating with live accounts and no longer with a demo account. A few months ago, I signed up with a company called IQ Options, but really never involved real money and practiced only with a demo account.

Thanks for your comment. I am glad to see that you liked the post. However, I don’t recommend sing IQ Option to trade since they are a very shady trading firm. You could check out my Review of IQ Option for all the details.

this is a great and amazing article. i sincerely your effort creating time to write on such an informative article which has taught me a lot more on what is options assignment and avoiding it. i just started trading but had no ideas on this as a beginner. i find this article very helpful because it has given me more understanding on options trading and knowing the techniques and how to manage the risks. thanks for sharing this amazing article

You are very welcome

Hello, the first thing that i noticed when i opened this page is the beauty of the website. i am sure you have put much effort into creating this article and the details are really clear here. after watching the video break down, i fully understood the entire process on how to avoid options assignment.

Thank you so much for the positive feedback!

I would love to create a website like yours as the design used is really nice, simple and brings about clarity of the write ups, but then you wrote a brilliant article on how to avoid options assignment. great video here. it was confusing at first. i will suggest another video be added to help some people like me.

Thanks for the feedback. I recommend checking out my options trading beginner course . In it, I cover all the basics that weren’t explained here.

Thanks for your very helpful article. I am contemplating selling a call that would cover half my shares on company X. How can ensure that the assignment process selects the shares that I bought at a higher price, so as to maximize capital losses?

Hi Luis, When you are assigned, you just automatically buy/sell shares of the underlying at the strike price. This means your overall portfolio is adjusted by these 100 shares. The exact shares and your entry price are irrelevant. If you have 50 shares of X and your short call is assigned, you will sell 100 shares of X at the strike price. After this, your position would be -50 shares of X which would be equivalent to being short 50 shares of X. I hope this helps.

Louis, I entered a CALL butterfly spread at $100 below where I intended, just 2 days before expiration date. I intended to speculate on a big earning announcement jump the next day. It was a debit of 1.25. Also, when I realized my mistake, I tried to close it for anything at all. The Mark fluctuated between 40 and 70, but I could not get it to close. So now I am assigned to sell 200 share at 70 dollars below the market price of the stock. I am having a heart attack. I do not have the 200 shares to deliver, so it seems I have to buy them at the market, and sell them for $70 less, for a loss of $14,000.

What other options are open to me? Can my trading firm force a close with a friendly market maker and make it as if it happened on Friday? I am willing to pay a friendly market maker several hundred dollars to make this trade. Is that an option? Other options the trading firm can do for me that would cost me less than $14,000?

Hi Paul, Thanks for your comment. From the limited information provided, it is hard to say what is actually going on. If you bought a call butterfly spread, your max loss should be limited to the premium you paid to open the position. An assignment shouldn’t have a huge impact on your overall P&L. I highly recommend contacting your broker and explaining your situation to them since they have all the information required to evaluate what’s actually going on. But if the loss is real, there is no way for you to make a deal with a market maker to limit or undo potential losses. I hope this helps.

What happens with ITM long call option that typically gets automatically exercised at expiration, if the owner of the call option doesn’t have the cash/margin to cover the stock purchase?

He would receive a margin call

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Everything You Need to Know About Options Assignment Risk

But in this article, we’re going to show you why early assignment is a vastly overblown fear, why it’s not the end of the world, and what to do if it does occur.

What is Assignment in Options Trading?

Do you remember reading beginner options books or articles that said, “an option gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy/sell a stock at a specified price and date?” Well, it’s accurate, but only for the buy side of the contract.

The seller of an option is actually obligated to buy or sell should the buyer choose to exercise their contract. So when options, assignment is when you, the lucky seller of an options contract, get chosen to make good on your obligation to buy or sell the underlying asset.

Let’s say you sold a call option on a stock with a strike price of $50, which you held until expiration. At expiration, the stock trades at $55, meaning it’s automatically exercised by the buyer. In this case, you are forced to sell the buyer 100 shares at $50 per share.

So when selling options, assignment is when you, the lucky seller of an options contract, get chosen to make good on your obligation to buy or sell the underlying asset.

What is Early Assignment in Options Trading?

Early assignment is when the buyer of an options contract that you’re short decides to exercise the option before the expiration and begins the assignment process.

Many beginning traders count early assignments as one of their biggest trading fears. Many traders’ fear of early assignment stems from their lack of understanding of the process. Still, it’s typically not something to worry about, and we’ll show you why in this article. But first, let’s look at an example of how the process works.

For instance, say we collect $1 in premium to short a 30-day put option on XYZ with a strike price of $45 while the underlying is trading at $50. Fast forward, and it’s the morning of expiration day. Options will expire at the close of trading in a few hours. The underlying stock is hovering around $44.85. Our plan pretty much worked as planned until, for some reason, the holder of the option exercises the option. We’re confused and don’t know what’s going on.

It works exactly the same way as ordinary options settlement . You fulfill your end of the bargain. As the seller of a put option, you sold the right to sell XYZ at $45. The option buyer exercised that right and sold his shares to you at $45 per share.

And now, let’s break down what happened in this transaction:

You collected $1 in premium when opening the contract
The buyer of the option exercises his right to sell at $45 per share.
You’re now long 100 shares of XYZ that you paid $45 for, and you sell them at the market price of $44.80 per share, realizing a $0.20 per share loss.
Your profit on the transaction is $0.80 because you pocketed $1 from the initial sale of the option but lost $0.20 from selling the 100 shares from assignment at a loss.

Why Early Assignment is Nothing to Fear

Many beginning traders count early assignments as one of their biggest trading fears; on some level, it makes sense. As the seller of an option, you’re accepting the burden of a legitimate obligation to your counterparty in exchange for a premium. You’re giving up control, and the early assignment shoe can, on paper, drop at any time.

Exercising Options Early Burns Money

People rarely exercise options early because it simply doesn’t make financial sense. By exercising an option, you’re only capturing the option’s intrinsic value and entirely forfeiting the extrinsic value to the option seller. There’s seldom a reason to do this.

Let’s put ourselves in the buyer’s shoes. For instance, we pay $5 for a 30-day call with a strike price of $100 while the underlying is trading at $102. The call has $2 in intrinsic value, meaning our call is in-the-money by $2, which would be our profit if the option expired today.

The other $3 of the option price is extrinsic value. This is the value of time, volatility, and convexity. By exercising early, the buyer of an option is burning that $3 of extrinsic value just to lock in the $2 profit.

A much better alternative would be to sell the option and go and buy 100 shares of the stock in the open market.

Viewed in this light, an option seller can’t be blamed for looking at early assignment as a good thing, as they get to lock in their premium as profit.

Your Risk Doesn’t Change

One of the biggest worries about early assignment is that being assigned will somehow open the trader up to additional risk. For instance, if you’re assigned on a short call position, you’ll end up holding a short position in the underlying stock.

However, let me prove that the maximum risk in your positions stays the same due to early assignment.

How Early Assignment Doesn’t Change Your Position’s Maximum Risk

Perhaps you collect $2.00 in premium for shorting an ABC $50/$55 bear call spread. In other words, we’re short the $50 call for a credit of $2.50 and long the $55 call, paying a debit of $0.50.

Before considering early assignment, let’s determine our maximum risk on this call spread. The maximum risk for a bear call spread is the difference between the strike minus the net credit you receive. In this case, the difference between the strikes is $5, and we collect a net credit of $2, making our maximum risk on the position $3 or $300.

You wake up one morning with the underlying trading at $58 to find that the counterparty of your short $50 call has exercised its option, giving them the right to buy the underlying stock at $50 per share.

You’d end up short due to being forced to sell the buyer shares at $50. So you’re short 100 shares of ABC with a cost basis of $50 per share. On that position, your P&L is -$800, the P&L on a $55 long call is +$250, on account of you paying $0.50, and the call being $3.00 in-the-money. And finally, because the option holder exercised early, you get to keep the entire credit you collected to sell the $50 call, so you’ve collected +$250.

So your P&L is $300. You’ve reached your max loss. Let’s get extreme here. Suppose the price of the underlying runs to $100. Here are the P&Ls for each leg of the trade:

Short stock: -$5,000
Long call: +$4,450
Net credit received from exercised short option: +$250
5,000 – (4,450 + 250) = $300

While dealing with early assignments might be a hassle, it doesn’t open a trader up to additional risk they didn’t sign up for.

Margin Calls Usually Aren’t The End of the World

Getting a margin call due to early assignment isn’t the end of the world. Believe it or not, stock brokerages have been around for a long time. They have seen early assignments many times before, and they have protocols for it.

Think about it intuitively, your broker allowed you to open the short option position knowing that the capital in your account could not cover an early assignment. Still, they let you make the trade anyways.

So what happens when you get an early assignment that you can’t cover? Your broker issues you a margin call. Once you’re in violation of their margin rules, they pretty much have carte blanche to handle the situation as they wish, including liquidating the assigned stock position at their will.

However, most brokers will give you some time to react to the situation and either decide to deposit more capital, liquidate the position on your own, or exercise offsetting options to fulfill the margin call in the case of an option spread.

Even though a margin call isn’t fun, remember that the overall risk of your position doesn’t change due to an early assignment, and it’s typically not a momentous event to deal with. You probably just have to liquidate the trade.

When Early Assignment Might Occur?

Dividend Capture

One of the few times it might make sense for a trader to exercise an option early is when he’s holding a call that is deep in-the-money, and there’s an upcoming ex-dividend date.

Because deep ITM calls have very little extrinsic value (because their deltas are so high), any negligible extrinsic value is often outweighed by the value of an upcoming dividend payment , so it makes sense to exercise and collect the dividend.

Deep In-The-Money Options Near Expiration

While it’s important to emphasize that the risk of early assignment is very low in most cases, the likelihood does rise when you’re dealing with options with very little extrinsic value, like deep-in-the-money options. Although, even in those cases, the probabilities are pretty low.

However, an options trader that is trading to exploit market anomalies like the volatility risk premium, in which implied volatility tends to be overpriced, shouldn’t even be trading deep-in-the-money options anyhow. Profitable option sellers tend to sell options with very little intrinsic value and tons of extrinsic value.

Bottom Line

Don’t let the fear of early assignment discourage you from selling options. Far worse things when shorting options! While it’s true that early assignment can occur, it’s typically not a big deal.

Can Options Assignment Cause Margin Call?
Assignment Risks To Avoid
The Right To Exercise An Option?
Options Expiration: 6 Things To Know
Early Exercise: Call Options
Expiration Surprises To Avoid
Assignment And Exercise: The Mental Block
Should You Close Short Options On Expiration Friday?
Fear Of Options Assignment
Day Before Expiration Trading
Accurate Expiration Counting

This post originally published at https://steadyoptions.com/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-options-assignment-risk-r738/ .

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How Option Assignment Works: Understanding Options Assignment

May 26, 2023 — 08:00 am EDT

Written by [email protected] for Schaeffer ->

Options assignment is a process in options trading that involves fulfilling the obligations of an options contract.

It occurs when the buyer of an options contract exercises their right to buy or sell the underlying asset. The seller (writer) of the options contract must deliver or receive the underlying asset at the agreed-upon price (strike price).

What is Options Assignment?

Options assignment can happen when the owner of an option exercises their right to buy or sell shares of stock or when options expire in the money (ITM). This process can be complex and involves various factors such as the type of option, expiration date, and market conditions.

There are two main styles of options contracts: American-style and European-style. American-style options allow the buyer of a contract to exercise at any time during the life of the contract. In contrast, European-style options can only be exercised on the expiration date.

Traders selling American-style options are at risk of assignment anytime on or before the expiration date. While they can technically be assigned anytime, the option must be ITM for the owner of the contract to benefit from exercising their right.

On the other hand, many options traders prefer to sell European-style options as it is impossible to be assigned before the expiration date, giving them more flexibility to hold their contract without worrying about being assigned early.

Who is at Risk of Assignment in Options Trading?

Traders with short options positions are at risk of assignment because they have sold the option and are obligated to deliver or receive the underlying asset. If the owner of the options contract decides to exercise their rights, the seller of the options contract must fulfill their obligations.

Traders with long options positions are not at risk of assignment as they are in control of exercising their options. A long option holder has the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell the underlying asset at the strike price. If the long option holder decides not to exercise their options, they can let the options contract expire worthless.

What is the Risk of Assignment?

The risks associated with options assignment are primarily centered around the obligations of the seller of the options contract. If the holder of the options contract decides to exercise their right to buy or sell the underlying asset, the seller must fulfill their obligations.

For example, if a trader sold a put option with a $100 strike price, and the stock dropped to $90, they would still have to buy the stock at $100 per share. When an option is ITM, it generally indicates that the seller of the option is in an unfavorable spot.

Of course, if you sold a $100 strike put option when the stock was trading at $120, and now it is trading at $90, the seller is likely regretting their original trade. However, it is impossible always to time the market perfectly, and assignment risk is the risk option sellers must assume.

Traders must be aware of market conditions that could increase the risk of assignment, such as large price movements in the underlying asset. Option selling strategies benefit from a stable market environment, so you must ensure the stock you are trading will remain stable until the expiration date. Events that may cause significant market volatility, such as earnings, are crucial to be aware of when selling options.

How to Avoid Option Assignment

While it may not be possible to avoid options assignment completely, there are several strategies that options traders can use to reduce the likelihood of being assigned.

One strategy is to manage short options positions by closing the position if your strike gets tested. For example, if you sold a $100 strike put when a stock is trading at $120 per share, you can avoid assignment by closing the position before the stock drops under your strike price of $100.

Another strategy is to roll over your option, which means you close it out and simultaneously sell a new contract with a different strike price and/or date. Traders can roll their contracts to the same strike price at a further date or even roll it down or up to ensure their contract stays out of the money (OTM).

These strategies may not always be effective in avoiding assignment. Traders should always be prepared to fulfill their obligations if they are assigned and have a plan to manage their positions accordingly. If a stock moves hard overnight, there is no guarantee you will successfully avoid assignment.

Do You Keep the Premium if You Get Assigned?

Yes, if you get assigned on a short options position, you still keep the premium you received initially. However, it is important to note that if you are assigned, you will also be obligated to fulfill the contract terms by buying or selling the underlying asset at the strike price. This means you may incur additional costs associated with fulfilling your obligation, such as purchasing the underlying asset at an unfavorable price.

What Happens When Your Covered Call Gets Assigned?

If a covered call gets assigned, the seller of the call option must sell the underlying stock at the strike price to the buyer of the call option. The seller will still be able to keep the premium received from the sale of the call option.

For example, if you own a stock at $100 per share and sell a $130 strike call option, you will be forced to sell if the stock is above $130 on the expiration date. Additionally, you can be assigned before the expiration date if the stock is trading above your strike price.

While the covered call seller will still generate a profit from this trade, the downside is you are likely missing out on more upside potential had you not sold the covered call. The seller of the covered call doesn’t have to do anything, as the broker will take care of the assignment for you.

Are Options Automatically Assigned?

If you are an option seller, your option will either be exercised by the buyer or automatically assigned if it is ITM on the expiration date.

If you are an option buyer, your option will not be automatically assigned before expiration. However, most brokers will automatically assign ITM options on the expiration date.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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Options With Davis

Options Made Easy For Everyone

Short Put Assignment – How To Avoid It & What To Do If Assigned

posted on April 28, 2023

You probably sold a Put Option thinking the market would go up.

But now your Short Put is In-the-Money (ITM) and you’re either in danger of getting assigned, or you may have already been assigned the shares.

If you’ve already been assigned, you may be panicking now.

That’s because the unexpected assignment of the shares made your cash balance negative and you could be in danger of a margin call.

In both cases what do you do?

How do you avoid getting assigned if your Short Put is now ITM?

What do you do if you’re already been assigned the shares?

And what do you do if you get a margin call?

What To Do If You Get A Margin Call?

So the most urgent matter to address is if you get a margin call.

If you get a margin call, you want to deal with it immediately.

That’s because if you don’t do anything, your broker can liquidate your positions to meet their margin requirement.

That could mean closing out other positions other than your Short Put position.

So if you have multiple positions, the broker could randomly close positions in your account.

At this point, you have two choices.

The first choice is to add more funds to meet the margin requirement.

The second choice is to close out positions on your own to meet the margin requirement.

According to FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), you have two to five days to meet the call:

That should be more than enough time to transfer funds into your account (if you still have more funds), or to close out positions in your account to meet the margin call.

What To Do If Your Short Put Is Assigned

If your Short Put is already assigned, that means you’re now Long 100 shares per Put Option.

In this case, to reverse the assignment and reinstate your original Short Put position, you need to do two things:

Sell the shares.
Sell a Put at the same strike but with a longer DTE.

And you do these two things simultaneously in a single order ticket:

By doing it in a single ticket, you do not have any spreading risk because they will move in tandem.

So when you do this, you will reinstate the same Short Put strike but with a longer DTE.

With a longer DTE, there will be more extrinsic value in your Option, which reduces the chances of getting an early assignment.

When You’re In Danger of Early Assignment

The next thing to know is exactly when you’re in danger of getting assigned.

It doesn’t mean that if your Put is ITM, you’d automatically be assigned.

In fact, it’s very rare to get assigned.

The only time you’re likely to get assigned is if the following happens:

Short Put is ITM.
And extrinsic value is very little.
And very few DTE (days to expiration).

The biggest factor that determines whether you have a likelihood of getting assigned is if your extrinsic value is very little.

That’s because when the extrinsic value of the Put is very little, it may not benefit the Put buyer to hold on to the Option.

But as long as there’s still a decent amount of extrinsic value left, you’re unlikely to get assigned even if your Put is ITM.

Understanding The Mindset of Put Buyers

To understand this a little better, we need to get into the mindset of Put buyers and see when they would likely exercise.

Let’s assume you sold a Put on AMZN at the strike price of 120 for $2.00.

Now, let’s switch to the Put buyer’s perspective.

That would mean that the Put buyer bought a Put at the strike price of 120 for $2.00.

The next step is to understand why did this person buy a Put Option.

In general, there are two main reasons why someone would buy a Put Option:

To speculate a move to the downside (either as a single Option or part of a spread trade ).
To protect their Long stock position.

Next, we want to map out the different scenarios that can happen and see if the Put buyer would actually exercise their Option in each of the scenarios.

Scenario 1: The stock drops to $115.

Let’s say the stock drops to $115 and the Put Option is now worth $6.00.

So that’s a $4.00 increase in the Put’s value.

Of the $6.00, the value is divided into intrinsic value and extrinsic value:

Intrinsic value = $5.00
Extrinsic value = $1.00

When the Put buyer bought the Put, it was just $2.00 of extrinsic value (no intrinsic value because it’s OTM).

After the stock dropped to $115, it gained $5.00 of intrinsic value and lost $1.00 extrinsic value.

Here’s a question for you:

If you were the Put buyer, would you exercise your Put Option?

To know the answer, we want to compare the two choices a Put buyer has at this point.

The first choice is to exercise the Put Option.

By exercising, the Put buyer would either be Short 100 shares at $120, or if the Put buyer already has 100 shares of the stock it would be sold away at $120.

In both cases, when exercising, the Put buyer immediately forfeits the extrinsic value of $1.00.

So if he became Short 100 shares at $120 and immediately sold at $115, his profit would be $5 per share minus the $2 he paid for the Put, which equals $3 profit per share.

If he initially already had 100 shares of the stock, he would be saving $3 loss per share.

The second choice is to just sell off the Put Option.

By selling the Put Option, the Put buyer would have made $4 (bought for $2 and sold for $6).

So in this scenario, it would make more sense for the Put buyer to simply sell off his Put Option than to exercise it.

Scenario 2: The stock drops to $105 with 30 DTE.

In this scenario, the stock has dropped significantly but there’s still 30 DTE left in the Put Option.

The value of the Put has now ballooned to $15.05:

Intrinsic Value = $15.00
Extrinsic Value = $0.05

The Put is now deep ITM and there’s very little extrinsic value left.

However, there are still 30 DTE left in the Put Option.

If you were the Put buyer, would you exercise the Put?

In this scenario, it still is unlikely that you’d get assigned because there are still many days left to the Put’s expiration.

If the Put buyer anticipates the stock to fall further, it still makes sense to hold on to the Put until it’s closer to expiration before making a decision to exercise or not.

And if he exercises it, he will forfeit the $0.05 in extrinsic value (which is an additional $5 in profit).

Furthermore, exercising can incur further charges.

So in general, Put buyers would rather just sell off the Put than exercise it.

Scenario 3: The stock drops to $105 with 7 DTE.

In this scenario, the stock also drops to $105 but there’s 7 DTE left.

The value of the Put is now $15.01:

Extrinsic Value = $0.01

In this case, if you were the Put buyer, would it make sense for you to exercise the Option?

The answer is yes.

That’s because there are not that many days left to the Put’s expiration.

And there’s pretty much no extrinsic value left.

So if your Put doesn’t have much extrinsic value left and there are not many days left to expiration, then it’s highly likely you’d get assigned.

So how do you avoid early assignments?

How To Avoid Early Assignment

The best way to avoid any early assignments is by simply rolling your Short Put .

There are two ways to do this:

Defensive Method: This method is to proactively roll your Short Put out & down the moment it gets breached to avoid getting ITM. This way you will always keep the delta below 50 so there’s no chance of an early assignment.
21 DTE Method: Since we already know that it’s unlikely for an Option to be exercised when there’s still more than 21 DTE left, we only look to roll around the 21 DTE mark. Oftentimes, the Put could be ITM before the 21 DTE mark but is OTM by the time it’s 21 DTE. So if at 21 DTE the Put is ITM, we roll. If it’s OTM, we do nothing and let Theta do its work.

When you use these two methods, the chances of getting assigned on your Short Put get reduced significantly.

Reader Interactions

January 5, 2024 at 3:37 AM

so if you’re somewhere in the middle ie your neutral on the stock. and the put you sold had a strike of 145 and the stock is say 142 what about taking ownership of the stock at the 142 and selling say a 144 call for 3$ getting it called away and then start over selling puts ?

Options Assignment

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Everything You Need to Know About Options Assignment Risk

By Pat Crawley

The fear of being assigned early on a short option position is enough to cripple many would-be options traders into sticking by their tried-and-true habit of simply buying puts or calls. After all, theoretically, the counterparty to your short options trade could exercise the option at any time, potentially triggering a Margin Call on your account if you’re undercapitalized.

But in this article, we're going to show you why early assignment is a vastly overblown fear, why it's not the end of the world, and what to do if it does occur.

What is Assignment in Options Trading?

Do you remember reading beginner options books or articles that said, "an option gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy/sell a stock at a specified price and date?" Well, it's accurate, but only for the buy side of the contract.

Let's say you sold a call option on a stock with a strike price of $50, which you held until expiration. At expiration, the stock trades at $55, meaning it's automatically exercised by the buyer. In this case, you are forced to sell the buyer 100 shares at $50 per share.

So when selling options, assignment is when you, the lucky seller of an options contract, get chosen to make good on your obligation to buy or sell the underlying asset.

What is Early Assignment in Options Trading?

Early assignment is when the buyer of an options contract that you're short decides to exercise the option before the expiration and begins the assignment process.

Many beginning traders count early assignments as one of their biggest trading fears. Many traders' fear of early assignment stems from their lack of understanding of the process. Still, it's typically not something to worry about, and we'll show you why in this article. But first, let's look at an example of how the process works.

For instance, say we collect $1 in premium to short a 30-day put option on XYZ with a strike price of $45 while the underlying is trading at $50. Fast forward, and it's the morning of expiration day. Options will expire at the close of trading in a few hours. The underlying stock is hovering around $44.85. Our plan pretty much worked as planned until, for some reason, the holder of the option exercises the option. We're confused and don't know what's going on.

And now, let's break down what happened in this transaction:

You collected $1 in premium when opening the contract
The buyer of the option exercises his right to sell at $45 per share.
You’re now long 100 shares of XYZ that you paid $45 for, and you sell them at the market price of $44.80 per share, realizing a $0.20 per share loss.
Your profit on the transaction is $0.80 because you pocketed $1 from the initial sale of the option but lost $0.20 from selling the 100 shares from assignment at a loss.

Why Early Assignment is Nothing to Fear

Many beginning traders count early assignments as one of their biggest trading fears; on some level, it makes sense. As the seller of an option, you're accepting the burden of a legitimate obligation to your counterparty in exchange for a premium. You're giving up control, and the early assignment shoe can, on paper, drop at any time.

Exercising Options Early Burns Money

People rarely exercise options early because it simply doesn't make financial sense. By exercising an option, you're only capturing the option's intrinsic value and entirely forfeiting the extrinsic value to the option seller. There's seldom a reason to do this.

Let's put ourselves in the buyer's shoes. For instance, we pay $5 for a 30-day call with a strike price of $100 while the underlying is trading at $102. The call has $2 in intrinsic value, meaning our call is in-the-money by $2, which would be our profit if the option expired today.

A much better alternative would be to sell the option and go and buy 100 shares of the stock in the open market.

Viewed in this light, an option seller can’t be blamed for looking at early assignment as a good thing, as they get to lock in their premium as profit.

Your Risk Doesn’t Change

However, let me prove that the maximum risk in your positions stays the same due to early assignment.

How Early Assignment Doesn’t Change Your Position’s Maximum Risk

Perhaps you collect $2.00 in premium for shorting an ABC $50/$55 bear call spread. In other words, we're short the $50 call for a credit of $2.50 and long the $55 call, paying a debit of $0.50.

Before considering early assignment, let's determine our maximum risk on this call spread. The maximum risk for a bear call spread is the difference between the strike minus the net credit you receive. In this case, the difference between the strikes is $5, and we collect a net credit of $2, making our maximum risk on the position $3 or $300.

You'd end up short due to being forced to sell the buyer shares at $50. So you're short 100 shares of ABC with a cost basis of $50 per share. On that position, your P&L is -$800, the P&L on a $55 long call is +$250, on account of you paying $0.50, and the call being $3.00 in-the-money. And finally, because the option holder exercised early, you get to keep the entire credit you collected to sell the $50 call, so you've collected +$250.

So your P&L is $300. You've reached your max loss. Let's get extreme here. Suppose the price of the underlying runs to $100. Here are the P&Ls for each leg of the trade:

Short stock: -$5,000
Long call: +$4,450
Net credit received from exercised short option: +$250
5,000 - (4,450 + 250) = $300

While dealing with early assignments might be a hassle, it doesn’t open a trader up to additional risk they didn’t sign up for.

Margin Calls Usually Aren’t The End of the World

Getting a margin call due to early assignment isn't the end of the world. Believe it or not, stock brokerages have been around for a long time. They have seen early assignments many times before, and they have protocols for it.

Even though a margin call isn't fun, remember that the overall risk of your position doesn't change due to an early assignment, and it's typically not a momentous event to deal with. You probably just have to liquidate the trade.

When Early Assignment Might Occur?

Dividend Capture

One of the few times it might make sense for a trader to exercise an option early is when he's holding a call that is deep in-the-money, and there's an upcoming ex-dividend date.

Deep In-The-Money Options Near Expiration

While it's important to emphasize that the risk of early assignment is very low in most cases, the likelihood does rise when you're dealing with options with very little extrinsic value, like deep-in-the-money options. Although, even in those cases, the probabilities are pretty low.

However, an options trader that is trading to exploit market anomalies like the volatility risk premium, in which implied volatility tends to be overpriced, shouldn't even be trading deep-in-the-money options anyhow. Profitable option sellers tend to sell options with very little intrinsic value and tons of extrinsic value.

Bottom Line

Don't let the fear of early assignment discourage you from selling options. Far worse things when shorting options! While it's true that early assignment can occur, it's typically not a big deal. Related articles

Can Options Assignment Cause Margin Call?
Assignment Risks To Avoid
The Right To Exercise An Option?
Options Expiration: 6 Things To Know
Early Exercise: Call Options
Expiration Surprises To Avoid
Assignment And Exercise: The Mental Block
Should You Close Short Options On Expiration Friday?
Fear Of Options Assignment
Day Before Expiration Trading
Accurate Expiration Counting

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Trading options on the S&P 500 is a popular way to make money on the index. There are several ways traders use this index, but two of the most popular are to trade options on SPX or SPY. One key difference between the two is that SPX options are based on the index, while SPY options are based on an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the index.

By Mark Wolfinger, March 15

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Yes, We Are Playing Not to Lose!

There are many trading quotes from different traders/investors, but this one is one of my favorites: “ In trading/investing it's not about how much you make, but how much you don't lose" - Bernard Baruch. At SteadyOptions, this has been one of our major goals in the last 12 years.

By Kim, March 11

1,381 views

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The Impact of Implied Volatility (IV) on Popular Options Trades

You’ll often read that a given option trade is either vega positive (meaning that IV rising will help it and IV falling will hurt it) or vega negative (meaning IV falling will help and IV rising will hurt). However, in fact many popular options spreads can be either vega positive or vega negative depending where where the stock price is relative to the spread strikes.

By Yowster, March 7

1,605 views

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Please Follow Me Inside The Insiders

The greatest joy in investing in options is when you are right on direction. It’s really hard to beat any return that is based on a correct options bet on the direction of a stock, which is why we spend much of our time poring over charts, historical analysis, Elliot waves, RSI and what not.

By TrustyJules, March 5

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Trading Earnings With Ratio Spread

A 1x2 ratio spread with call options is created by selling one lower-strike call and buying two higher-strike calls. This strategy can be established for either a net credit or for a net debit, depending on the time to expiration, the percentage distance between the strike prices and the level of volatility.

By TrustyJules, February 22

1,884 views
February 22

SteadyOptions 2023 - Year In Review

2023 marks our 12th year as a public trading service. We closed 192 winners out of 282 trades (68.1% winning ratio). Our model portfolio produced 112.2% compounded gain on the whole account based on 10% allocation per trade. We had only one losing month and one essentially breakeven in 2023.

By Kim, January 5

6,406 views

Call And Put Backspreads Options Strategies

A backspread is very bullish or very bearish strategy used to trade direction; ie a trader is betting that a stock will move quickly in one direction. Call Backspreads are used for trading up moves; put backspreads for down moves.

By Chris Young, October 14, 2023

9,947 views

Added by Chris Young
October 14, 2023

Long Put Option Strategy

A long put option strategy is the purchase of a put option in the expectation of the underlying stock falling. It is Delta negative, Vega positive and Theta negative strategy. A long put is a single-leg, risk-defined, bearish options strategy. Buying a put option is a levered alternative to selling shares of stock short.

By Chris Young, October 11, 2023

11,583 views
October 11, 2023

Long Call Option Strategy

A long call option strategy is the purchase of a call option in the expectation of the underlying stock rising. It is Delta positive, Vega positive and Theta negative strategy. A long call is a single-leg, risk-defined, bullish options strategy. Buying a call option is a levered alternative to buying shares of stock.

By Chris Young, October 8, 2023

12,012 views
October 8, 2023

What Is Delta Hedging?

Delta hedging is an investing strategy that combines the purchase or sale of an option as well as an offsetting transaction in the underlying asset to reduce the risk of a directional move in the price of the option. When a position is delta-neutral , it will not rise or fall in value when the value of the underlying asset stays within certain bounds.

By Kim, October 6, 2023

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October 6, 2023

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Options and Derivatives
Strategy & Education

What Is Early Exercise? Benefits to Selling a Call Option Early

James Chen, CMT is an expert trader, investment adviser, and global market strategist.

What Is Early Exercise?

Early exercise of an options contract is the process of buying or selling shares of stock under the terms of that option contract before its expiration date . For call options, the options holder can demand that the options seller sell shares of the underlying stock at the strike price. For put options it is the converse: the options holder may demand that the options seller buy shares of the underlying stock at the strike price.

Key Takeaways

Early exercise is the process of buying or selling shares under the terms of an options contract before the expiration date of that option.
Early exercise is only possible with American-style options.
Early exercise makes sense when an option is close to its strike price and close to expiration.
Employees of startups and companies can also choose to exercise their options early to avoid the alternative minimum tax (AMT).

Understanding Early Exercise

Early exercise is only possible with American-style option contracts, which the holder may exercise at any time up to expiration. With European-style option contracts, the holder may only exercise on the expiration date, making early exercise impossible.

Most traders do not use early exercise for options they hold. Traders will take profits by selling their options and closing the trade. Their goal is to realize a profit from the difference between the selling price and their original option purchase price.

For a long call or put , the owner closes a trade by selling, rather than exercising the option. This trade often results in more profit due to the amount of time value remaining in the long option lifespan. The more time there is before expiration, the greater the time value that remains in the option. Exercising that option results in an automatic loss of that time value.

Benefits of Early Exercise

There are certain circumstances under which early exercise may be advantageous for a trader:

For example, a trader may choose to exercise a call option that is deeply in-the-money (ITM) and is relatively near expiration. Because the option is ITM, it will typically have negligible time value.
Another reason for early exercise may be a pending ex-dividend date of the underlying stock. Since options holders are not entitled to either regular or special dividends paid by the underlying company, this will enable the investor to capture that dividend . It should more than offset the marginal time value lost due to an early exercise.

Early Exercise and Employee Options

There is another type of early exercise that pertains to company awarded stock options (ESO) given to employees. If the particular plan allows, employees may exercise their awarded stock options before they become fully vested employees. A person may choose this option to obtain a more favorable tax treatment.

However, the employee will have to foot the cost to buy the shares before taking full vested ownership. Also, any purchased shares must still follow the vesting schedule of the company's plan.

The money outlay of early exercise within a company plan is the same as waiting until after vesting, ignoring the time value of money . However, since the payment is shifted to the present, it may be possible to avoid short-term taxation and the alternative minimum tax (AMT) . Of course, it does introduce the risk that the company may not be around when the shares are fully vested.

Early Exercise Example

Suppose an employee is awarded 10,000 options to buy company ABC's stock at $10 per share. They vest after two years.

The employee exercises 5,000 of those options to purchase ABC's stock, which is valued at $15, after a year. Exercising those options will cost $7,000 based on a federal AMT rate of 28%. However, the employee can reduce the federal tax percentage by holding onto the exercised options for another year to meet requirements for long-term capital gains tax .

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. " Options: Types ."

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. " Trading Options: Understanding Assignment ."

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. " Options: Risk ."

Titan. " How to Exercise Employee Stock Options ."

Internal Revenue Service. " Form 6251, Alternative Minimum Tax - Individuals ." Page 1.

Internal Revenue Service. " Topic No. 409, Capital Gains and Losses ."

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Assets & Markets

What Is an Option Assignment?

Definition and Examples of Assignment

How does assignment work, what it means for individual investors.

Morsa Images / Getty Images

An option assignment represents the seller of an option’s obligation to fulfill the terms of the contract by either selling or purchasing the underlying security at the exercise price. Let’s explain what that means in more detail.

Key Takeaways

An assignment represents the seller of an option’s obligation to fulfill the terms of the contract by either selling or purchasing the underlying security at the exercise price.
If you sell an option and get assigned, you have to fulfill the transaction outlined in the option.
You can only get assigned if you sell options, not if you buy them.
Assignment is relatively rare, with only 7% of options ultimately getting assigned.

An assignment represents the seller of an option’s obligation to fulfill the terms of the contract by either selling or purchasing the underlying security at the exercise price. Let’s explain what that means in more detail.

When you sell an option to someone, you’re selling them the right to make you engage in a future transaction. For example, if you sell someone a put option , you’re promising to buy a stock at a set price any time between when the transaction happens and the expiration date of the option.

If the holder of the option doesn’t do anything with the option by the expiration date, the option expires. However, if they decide that they want to go through with the transaction, they will exercise the option.

If the holder of an option chooses to exercise it, the seller will receive a notification, called an assignment, letting them know that the option holder is exercising their right to complete the transaction. The seller is legally obligated to fulfill the terms of the options contract.

For example, if you sell a call option on XYZ with a strike price of $40 and the buyer chooses to exercise the option, you’ll be assigned the obligation to fulfill that contract. You’ll have to buy 100 shares of XYZ at whatever the market price is, or take the shares from your own portfolio and sell them to the option holder for $40 each.

Options traders only have to worry about assignment if they sell options contracts. Those who buy options don’t have to worry about assignment because in this case, they have the power to exercise a contract, or choose not to.

The options market is huge, in that options are traded on large exchanges and you likely do not know who you’re buying contracts from or selling them to. It’s not like you sell an option to someone you know and they send you an email if they choose to exercise the contract, rather it is an organized process.

In the U.S., the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC), which is considered the options industry clearinghouse, helps to facilitate the exchange of options contracts. It guarantees a fair process of option assignments, ensuring that the obligations in the contract are fulfilled.

When an investor chooses to exercise a contract, the OCC randomly assigns the obligation to someone who sold the option being exercised. For example, if 100 people sold XYZ calls with a strike of $40, and one of those options gets exercised, the OCC will randomly assign that obligation to one of the 100 sellers.

In general, assignments are uncommon. About 7% of options get exercised, with the remaining 93% expiring. Assignment also tends to grow more common as the expiration date nears.

If you are assigned the obligation to fulfill an options contract you sold, it means you have to accept the related loss and fulfill the contract. Usually, your broker will handle the transaction on your behalf automatically.

If you’re an individual investor, you only have to worry about assignment if you’re involved in selling options. Even then, assignments aren't incredibly common. Less than 7% of options get assigned and they tend to get assigned as the option’s expiration date gets closer.

Having an option assigned does mean that you are forced to lock in a loss on an option, which can hurt. However, if you’re truly worried about assignment, you can plan to close your position at some point before the expiration date or use options strategies that don’t involve selling options that could get exercised.

The Options Industry Council. " Options Assignment FAQ: How Can I Tell When I Will Be Assigned? " Accessed Oct. 18, 2021.

Options Income Mastery
Accelerator Program

MODULE 9 – HOW TO DEAL WITH EARLY ASSIGNMENT

First it is important to note that early Assignment is only an issue for American style options.

If you are trading Iron Condors on the indexes (RUT, SPX, NDX and MNX), you do not even need to worry about early assignment.

These are European Options and are cash settled. Contrastingly for ETF’s (IWM, SPY and QQQ) and single stock options there is a risk of early assignment.

Despite this in this module we will explain the risk of early assignment is almost inconsequential.

In fact, assignment when it happens can be an exceptionally good thing.

The reason why American options are almost never exercised before expiration is to do with the characteristics of an option itself.

An option has two sources of value, intrinsic and extrinsic value. Intrinsic value is the value of the option if it is exercised today, extrinsic value is the time value of the option.

The important thing about an option is that the extrinsic or time value must be equal or greater than 0.

Thus, exercising options voluntarily removes the extrinsic value for the buyer.

There are few reasons options are exercised before expiration because of this.

Generally, options could potentially be exercised early when they are deep ITM and have almost no extrinsic value left.

This can sometimes happen with dividends if an investor would prefer to exercise and receive the dividend as opposed to continue to hold the call on a deep ITM option.

Another reason might be if a large institution had an exceptionally large position, it might be cheaper to exercise early than to sell the position in the options market and pay the bid / ask spread on a less liquid underlying.

A deep ITM option can sometimes also be exercised if the borrowing rate becomes attractive.

All these are rare and even more rare is an option exercised with a lot of extrinsic value left. If this happens you won the lottery.

Despite this, depending how margin is calculated at your brokerage you may be left with a margin call.

In this case simply sell or buy back the assigned shares and sell back the other leg of the option.

The other main assignment risk, which happens more often occurs on expiration day.

This occurs when a options short leg is exactly At The Money. In this case it can become unclear whether assignment will occur.

As American Options trade after hours on Friday this can sometimes lead to some surprise assignments come Monday morning.

In this case the best way to avoid the risk of assignment is to simply close out the position on the day of expiry.

Traders that want to learn more about options assignment and exercise, should read this article.

In the 10th and final Module in the iron condor course, we will be looking at whether we should trade iron condors on indexes or ETF’s.

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COMMENTS

Trading Options: Understanding Assignment
An option assignment represents the seller's obligation to fulfill the terms of the contract by either selling or buying the underlying security at the exercise price. This obligation is triggered when the buyer of an option contract exercises their right to buy or sell the underlying security. To ensure fairness in the distribution of American ...
Understanding options assignment risk
Understanding assignment risk in Level 3 and 4 options strategies. With all options strategies that contain a short option position, an investor or trader needs to keep in mind the consequences of having that option assigned, either at expiration or early (i.e., prior to expiration). Remember that, in principle, with American-style options a ...
Early Exercise Options Strategy
Puts are at greater risk of early assignment as time value becomes negligible. In the case of puts, the game changes. When you exercise a put, you're selling stock and receivingcash. So it can be tempting to get cash now as opposed to getting cash later. However, once againyou must factor time value into the equation.
Options Exercise, Assignment, and More: A Beginner's Guide
Learn about options exercise and options assignment before taking a position, not afterward. This guide can help you navigate the dynamics of options expiration. So your trading account has gotten options approval, and you recently made that first trade—say, a long call in XYZ with a strike price of $105. Then expiration day approaches and ...
Understanding the Risks of Early Assignment
Early assignment is a risk that all options traders should be aware of and prepared to manage. As you navigate the dynamic landscape of the financial markets, a mastery of these Greeks opens the ...
The Risks of Options Assignment
The Risks of Options Assignment. October 23, 2023. Before entering an options trade, traders should consider the possibility of early assignment. Learn more about assignment and how to help reduce the risks associated with it. Any trader holding a short option position should understand the risks of early assignment.
Option Exercise and Assignment Explained w/ Visuals
The final piece of understanding exercise and assignment is gauging the risk of early assignment on a short option. As mentioned early, only 7% of options were exercised in 2017 (according to the OCC). So, being assigned on short options is rare, but it does happen. While a specific probability of getting assigned early can't be determined ...
Options Assignment Explained (2024): Complete Trader's Guide
Options assignment is the obligation for option holders to fulfill contract terms, buying/selling underlying assets at strike prices. Explore options assignment in trading, a key shift from rights to duties, and its impact on your financial success. ... Generally, options rich in extrinsic value tend to resist early assignment. This resistance ...
What is Option Assignment? How and Why Assignment Happens
Option assignment occurs when the owner of an option exercises their right to buy or sell the underlying asset at a specific price on or before expiration. When a call option is assigned, the owner buys shares at the strike price. For example, if XYZ stock is trading for $45 and you sold one XYZ 50 Put, the put buyer has the right to sell 100 ...
Dividends and Options Assignment Risk
Avoiding or managing early assignment on covered calls. As noted above, the ex-dividend date is particularly important to anyone who writes a covered or uncovered call option. If a covered call option you have sold is in the money and the dividend exceeds the remaining time value of the option, there is a good chance an owner of those calls ...
Options Assignment & How To Avoid It
This would start the options assignment process. Exercise the option early: The last possibility would be to exercise the option before its expiration date. This, however, can only be done if the option is an American-style option. This would, once again, lead to an option assignment. So as an option seller, you only have to worry about the ...
Everything You Need to Know About Options Assignment Risk
What is Early Assignment in Options Trading? Early assignment is when the buyer of an options contract that you're short decides to exercise the option before the expiration and begins the assignment process. Many beginning traders count early assignments as one of their biggest trading fears. Many traders' fear of early assignment stems ...
Options: Some Options Are Exercised Early
Early assignment of in-the-money options can generally be predicted. Owners of in-the-money options exercise such options because of dividend payments, and the timing of early exercise is the day ...
Early Assignment
What is early assignment? The seller of an option contract may be randomly assigned an exercise notice by the buyer of the option contract at any time. Being short (having sold) options contracts, you may have an obligation to sell (short Call) or buy (short Put) the underlying stock at any time during the life of those options.
How Option Assignment Works: Understanding Options Assignment
Options assignment is a process in options trading that involves fulfilling the obligations of an options contract. It occurs when the buyer of an options contract exercises their right to buy or ...
Early Options Assignment Risk (When to Worry & When to Chill)
💰 Get up to $3,000 when you open and fund your first tastytrade brokerage account: https://geni.us/tastytrade🔥 Learn data-driven options strategies: https:...
Short Put Assignment
If your Short Put is already assigned, that means you're now Long 100 shares per Put Option. In this case, to reverse the assignment and reinstate your original Short Put position, you need to do two things: Sell the shares. Sell a Put at the same strike but with a longer DTE. And you do these two things simultaneously in a single order ticket:
Options Assignment
Options assignment prior to expiration, or early assignment, is completely random and might happen as long as you hold short in the money options. Alot of options beginners like to ask "what happens if the holder of the options that I sold (wrote) exercise the options?"
Everything You Need to Know About Options Assignment Risk
By Pat Crawley February 21, 2023. assignment; The fear of being assigned early on a short option position is enough to cripple many would-be options traders into sticking by their tried-and-true habit of simply buying puts or calls. After all, theoretically, the counterparty to your short options trade could exercise the option at any time, potentially triggering a Margin Call on your account ...
What Is Early Exercise? Benefits to Selling a Call Option Early
Early Exercise: The exercise of an option prior to its expiration date . Early exercise is only possible with American-style option contracts, which can be exercised at any time up to expiration ...
What Is an Option Assignment?
An option assignment represents the seller of an option's obligation to fulfill the terms of the contract by either selling or purchasing the underlying security at the exercise price. Let's explain what that means in more detail. ... What Is Early Exercise of Options? Options - Understanding the Basics. What Is a Barrier Option? What Is an ...
MODULE 9
These are European Options and are cash settled. Contrastingly for ETF's (IWM, SPY and QQQ) and single stock options there is a risk of early assignment. Despite this in this module we will explain the risk of early assignment is almost inconsequential. In fact, assignment when it happens can be an exceptionally good thing.
Assignment Risk on 'Limited Risk' Options Spreads
The assigned firm must then use an exchange-approved method (usually a random process or the first-in, first-out method) to allocate notices to its client's accounts that are short the options. Credit Spread early assignment example - in-the-money exercise. XYZ stock is currently trading at $80 per share.

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Understanding assignment risk in Level 3 and 4 options strategies

Credit call spreads

Short (naked) call

Here's a call example

Here's a put example:

All spreads that have a short leg

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Options Assignment: Navigating the Rights and Obligations

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What is Options Assignment & How to Avoid It

Video Breakdown of Options Assignment

What is Assignment?

Who Can Be Assigned?

Who Risks being Assigned Early?

How can you Minimize Assignment Risk?

FAQs about Assignment

1. What happens if your account does not have enough buying power to cover the assigned position?

2. How does assignment affect your P&L?

3. When an option holder exercises their option, how is the assignment partner chosen?

4. How does assignment work for index options?

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Everything You Need to Know About Options Assignment Risk

What is Assignment in Options Trading?

What is Early Assignment in Options Trading?

Why Early Assignment is Nothing to Fear

Exercising Options Early Burns Money

Your Risk Doesn’t Change

How Early Assignment Doesn’t Change Your Position’s Maximum Risk