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If a market drop triggers a margin call, contact your brokerage immediately through the secure website, app, or telephone number shown on an account statement or the firm’s official site. Ask for the exact deficiency, the deadline and approved ways to meet it, and whether liquidation has started or been scheduled. Then read your margin agreement before deciding how to respond.
Do not assume you have until a notice date, that you can choose which security is sold, or that depositing money will automatically stop a sale. FINRA warns that a brokerage may liquidate securities without contacting you first, may choose the assets it sells, may change its house requirements without advance notice, and does not have to grant an extension. You remain responsible for any debit left after liquidation.
What a margin call means
A margin account lets you borrow from a brokerage to buy or hold securities. Your equity is the value of the securities minus the amount you owe. When falling prices reduce that equity below the applicable maintenance requirement, the firm can require you to restore the account. That demand is a margin call.
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The amount and deadline are account-specific. A federal or self-regulatory baseline is only part of the calculation: a brokerage can impose higher “house” requirements, and those requirements can change, particularly when markets are volatile. Your account agreement and the firm’s current notification control what applies to you.
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A margin call is not the same as a forecast that prices will recover. It is a demand to address a borrowing deficiency under the terms of your account. FINRA’s investor guidance states: “If you receive a margin call, act promptly to satisfy the margin call.” FINRA, “Margin Debt at Record Levels: Know the Risks”.
First response: verify the notice and speak to the broker
Use a channel you already trust. Sign in by typing the brokerage’s known web address or opening its official app, or call the number printed on your statement. Do not send money or disclose credentials in response to an unsolicited call, text, email, or social-media message. A fraudulent message can imitate a real margin notice.
- Confirm that the call is real. Ask the representative to identify the account, the type of call, and the time it was generated. Keep a copy of the in-app or written notice.
- Ask for the current deficiency. Request the dollar amount required as of the current moment, and ask whether it can change while prices move.
- Confirm the deadline. Ask for the exact date and time, including the time zone, and whether the deadline is firm for your account.
- Ask which responses are accepted. Confirm whether the firm accepts a cash deposit, an electronic transfer, a wire, a security sale, or another method, and how long each method takes to receive credit.
- Ask about liquidation status. Find out whether any order has already been placed, whether liquidation is scheduled, and whether the firm can still accept an action you are considering.
- Ask what happens if a debit remains. Have the representative explain how a remaining balance is handled after securities are sold and what payment instructions apply.
Write down the representative’s name or identification number, the time of the conversation, and any reference number. Save confirmations for transfers and orders. This documentation does not change the firm’s rights, but it helps you track what was communicated.
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Yes. Under the margin agreement and applicable rules, a brokerage may sell securities when your equity falls below a maintenance or house requirement. FINRA says the firm may liquidate without first contacting you, may sell even after giving you a date to meet the call, and may decide which securities to sell. You do not have a guaranteed right to select the security or to receive an extension.
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That means a notice is not necessarily a grace period. The firm may act before you transfer funds or before the date shown in a message if its requirements or market conditions permit liquidation. A sale can also occur while you are waiting for a transfer to settle. Ask the broker whether incoming funds are considered available for this purpose; do not rely on an expected arrival time.
Read the liquidation language in your margin agreement, including provisions about notices, house requirements, cross-account rights, and the firm’s ability to change requirements. The agreement is the governing document for your relationship, while FINRA’s guidance explains the general risk.
What you can do to address the deficiency
Once you know the amount, deadline, and liquidation status, compare the available actions by speed, certainty, and the debt they leave behind. There is no universal best response, and a broker may liquidate while you are deciding.
| Possible action | What it may accomplish | What to confirm first |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer or deposit accepted funds | Can increase account equity without selling a position if the firm credits the funds in time. | Accepted funding method, cutoff time, availability date, and whether the amount must exceed the displayed deficiency. |
| Sell securities | Can reduce the loan balance or raise cash, but the sale may occur at an unfavorable price and may create a taxable transaction. | Whether you may place the order yourself, whether the firm has begun liquidation, and whether proceeds receive credit before the deadline. |
| Allow or coordinate firm liquidation | May satisfy the requirement through the firm’s process, but the firm chooses the assets and timing. | Which positions are at risk, current estimated proceeds, and how a remaining debit will be collected. |
| Request an extension | Could provide additional time only if the firm agrees. | Whether an extension is available at all; it is not guaranteed and the firm may continue selling while a request is pending. |
Adding money
A cash transfer is useful only if the brokerage accepts it and credits it before the relevant deadline. Confirm whether a pending transfer counts or whether funds must be fully available. Market prices can move after you transfer money, increasing the requirement again. Avoid assuming that the amount displayed at one moment will remain sufficient.
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Selling a position yourself
Placing your own sale may give you more control over which holding is reduced, but the order can execute at a different price than expected or fail to fill. The proceeds may not be credited for margin purposes immediately. Ask the firm how it treats sale proceeds and whether a self-directed order will prevent a forced sale; do not assume that it will.
Letting the firm liquidate
If the firm sells, it can select the positions and sequence. Liquidation can lock in losses and leave you with fewer assets while still leaving a debit. Ask for the process and payment instructions, but recognize that you may not receive advance notice of each transaction.
Seeking an extension
Ask if an extension is possible, but treat it as a request rather than a right. FINRA says firms do not have to grant one. A verbal discussion with a representative does not necessarily suspend liquidation unless the firm confirms that in a form its agreement recognizes.
Why liquidation may not eliminate what you owe
Suppose securities are sold and the proceeds are less than the margin loan and other amounts due. The account can retain a debit balance. FINRA warns that the customer remains responsible for a shortfall after liquidation and can lose more than the amount deposited. A sale therefore changes the holdings and may reduce the loan, but it does not guarantee that the debt is gone.
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Ask the brokerage for an estimate of the account’s debit after a proposed sale and for the payment deadline for any remaining balance. Interest, transaction charges, and further price movements can affect the final figure. If you cannot pay a stated shortfall, ask the firm what arrangements or escalation process it offers and consider obtaining advice from a qualified financial or legal professional about your circumstances.
Read the agreement and current account notices
Find the margin agreement in the account’s document center and read the sections covering:
- Initial and maintenance requirements.
- House requirements and the firm’s right to raise them.
- How calls are delivered and when they are considered received.
- Liquidation authority, including the firm’s ability to sell without prior contact.
- How securities are selected and how proceeds are applied.
- Interest, fees, debit balances, and repayment after a sale.
- Procedures for transferring funds and the firm’s cutoff times.
Also review recent account notifications. A requirement shown in a current message may be higher than a published regulatory minimum. FINRA’s “Guidance on Margin” advises investors to understand their firm’s policies and keep accessible cash if they choose to use margin.
After the immediate call: reassess the borrowing decision
Once the urgent deficiency is resolved, calculate how much you owe, the interest rate, and how much of your portfolio is exposed to another forced sale. Ask whether you could meet a larger requirement after another sharp decline, without relying on a transfer that might be delayed.
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Margin can magnify gains, but it also magnifies losses and can require money at the worst time. If borrowed exposure no longer fits your ability or willingness to bear losses, discuss with the brokerage whether a cash account is appropriate and what steps would be required to move or close margin positions. FINRA’s educational guidance says investors who do not understand margin or do not want this exposure can consider limiting investing to a cash account; a cash account is not subject to margin calls according to that flyer.
Do not convert the account during an active call without confirming the consequences. Existing borrowing, unsettled trades, and open orders may need to be resolved first, and the firm’s procedures determine when a change takes effect.
Special note for active intraday traders in 2026
FINRA’s April 20, 2026 explainer describes revised intraday margin requirements that became effective June 4, 2026. Firms are permitted a transition period through October 20, 2027. The explainer describes a 25% minimum equity requirement for eligible long equity securities throughout the trading day under the new requirements.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThis 25% figure is not a universal margin-call amount for every investor or every security. Whether it applies to you depends on your activity, eligible positions, firm implementation, and transition status. If you trade actively during the day, ask the brokerage whether it has adopted the new requirements, when its transition occurs, and how the rule affects your account. Review the dated explanation at FINRA’s “Understanding the New Intraday Margin Requirements”.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Waiting for a second notice. A firm can liquidate without advance contact or before a communicated date.
- Sending funds to an unverified destination. Use only account instructions confirmed through the official brokerage channel.
- Assuming you control the sale. The firm may choose which assets to sell.
- Assuming the displayed deficiency is fixed. Prices and house requirements can change.
- Assuming a sale ends the obligation. A debit can remain after liquidation.
- Treating an extension as automatic. The firm does not have to grant one.
- Focusing only on the current call. Keeping the same borrowing level can expose the account to another call.
A practical checklist
- Open the account through a verified app or website and save the notice.
- Call the broker or use secure messaging and confirm the deficiency, deadline, accepted methods, and liquidation status.
- Read the current margin agreement and account notifications, including house requirements.
- Compare the timing and consequences of an accepted transfer, a self-directed sale, or firm liquidation.
- Confirm how any remaining debit will be calculated and collected.
- Record every instruction, confirmation, and cutoff time.
- After the call, reassess whether continued margin borrowing is compatible with your risk capacity; consider a cash account if you do not want margin exposure.
Sources and scope
This is general U.S. investor education, not individualized investment, tax, or legal advice. FINRA’s general guidance describes the risks, while your signed agreement and the rules applicable to your account determine what the brokerage can require and when it can act. The primary references are FINRA’s investor alert on margin debt and liquidation, its margin guidance flyer, and its 2026 intraday-margin explainer.
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