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When does cash settlement happen to close out short delivery?

For a video walkthrough on auction markets and how to participate in them, see What are auction markets and how to easily participate in them on Zerodha?

Cash settlement to your trading account usually happens on T+2 day if the exchange cannot obtain shares in the auction to cover the short delivery. The probability of cash settlement is lower for liquid stocks and higher for illiquid stocks.

The close-out price is generally over 20% higher than the stock's settlement price on auction day. You can use this amount to purchase stocks again once the exchange credits cash to your trading account.

Example scenario

  1. You buy 100 shares of Oriental Trimex at ₹15 per share, which are short-delivered.
  2. The exchange tries to find sellers in the auction market to deliver 100 shares to your demat account.
  3. Your trade gets cash settled if no sellers exist in the auction market.
  4. If Oriental Trimex's settlement price on the auction date was ₹18, the exchange cash settles your trade at ₹21.6 (20% higher than ₹18).
  5. The defaulting seller pays ₹2160 (21.6 × 100 shares), and you receive ₹2160.
  6. If Oriental Trimex's price reaches ₹25 from trading day till auction day, cash settlement happens at ₹25 instead of ₹21.6.

Cash settlement calculation method

Your cash settlement always happens at whichever is higher:

  • Settlement price on auction day + 20%
  • The highest price of the stock from the trading day till the auction date

Special cases

AAA and above-rated bonds or debentures. The closing price will be the greater of the highest exchange rate from the start of the trading period to the close-out day, or 5% above the auction day's official closing price.

Below AAA-rated bonds and debentures, A 20% close-out markup applies.

T2T category stocks: No auction takes place for T2T stocks. Your shortages are directly closed out during settlement at the higher of:

  • Highest price on T day across exchanges
  • 20% above the settlement price on T day

Learn more at zerodha.com/z-connect/queries/stock-and-fo-queries/consequences-of-short-delivery-nse-bse.

Corporate action record dates: The exchange will not conduct auctions for your short deliveries from the previous day on corporate action record dates. Instead, your shortages are compulsorily closed out at whichever is higher:

  • 10% above the closing price on auction day
  • The highest traded price from the first trading day of the settlement period up to the auction day

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