Intraday margin is the capital you need to take a position that's many times its size. SEBI's 2021 peak margin rules cap intraday equity leverage at 5×. The calculator shows what margin you need at any leverage level and the resulting break-even moves.
What is Intraday Margin?
Intraday trading on Indian equities lets you take positions worth more than your account balance, using leverage. If you have ₹20,000 capital and your broker offers 5× leverage, you can buy ₹1 lakh worth of stock for the day — provided you square off before market close.
Before SEPT 2021, brokers offered up to 50× leverage, leading to huge wipe-outs when small adverse moves blew up over-leveraged accounts. SEBI's peak margin rules phased that out — now intraday equity is capped at 5×, and the broker must collect upfront margin (no more 'I'll pay if I lose' arrangements).
Leverage is a double-edged sword. A 1% favourable move at 5× leverage gives you 5% return on capital. But a 1% adverse move loses 5%. A 20% drop in stock price wipes out 100% of your margin — the broker liquidates your position and you lose your full deposit.
Margin and break-even calculations
- Leverage
- Multiplier—1× to 5× for cash equity intraday under SEBI rules
- Position
- Trade value—stock price × quantity
How to use this calculator
Three inputs: stock price, quantity, leverage. Calculator returns margin requirement and break-even.
Enter stock price
Current market price or planned entry price.
Enter quantity
Number of shares you want to trade.
Set leverage
Maximum 5× for cash equity intraday. Some brokers offer less (3× or 4×) on volatile stocks.
Margin use cases
Position sizing
Working capital available? Calculator tells you the maximum position you can take at chosen leverage.
Risk management
Match position size to your risk tolerance. Don't take 5× leverage if you can't psychologically handle 5× loss potential.
Overnight conversion check
If you can't square off intraday, you'll need to convert to delivery (CNC). Calculate whether you have full delivery cash before opening the position.
Multi-stock margin allocation
Trading 3-4 stocks intraday simultaneously? Total margin across all positions cannot exceed your account balance.
Glossary
- Leverage
- Borrowed capital that lets you trade larger positions than your own funds allow.
- Margin
- The capital you actually deposit to take a leveraged position.
- MIS
- Margin Intraday Square-off — broker product code for intraday-with-leverage trades.
- RMS
- Risk Management System — broker's automated system that liquidates positions when margin is insufficient.
- Peak margin
- SEBI rule (2021) requiring brokers to collect upfront margin during the highest-risk part of the trading day.