Required Maintenance Call (RM Call)

A Required Maintenance (RM) call is issued when the margin equity in an account is less than the maintenance requirements. 


How to meet a Required Maintenance Call?

Maintenance calls are typically due three business days after the call is issued (T+3), but tastytrade reserves the right to require maintenance calls to be met sooner. 


The fastest way to meet a maintenance call is by sending a wire transfer. If you want to meet an RM call by making an ACH deposit, then please write to our trade desk at tradedesk@tastytrade.com so we can inform our margin team. ACH deposit requests made before our cutoff typically land in your account the next trading day.


However, accounts may meet a maintenance call in the following ways:

  • Depositing securities
  • Market appreciation
  • Closing positions to generate sufficient margin release

Please note: Margin calls are issued cumulatively at the primary level. The required maintenance call will be met once the aggregate maintenance excess across all related sub-accounts stay positive.


If you do not address a maintenance call, then the risk/margin department will intervene to resolve the call by liquidation if the customer does not.


Multiple Margin Accounts

When holding multiple related margin accounts, a Required Maintenance (RM) call is issued when the combined margin equity across all sub-accounts is less than the maintenance requirements for all positions. In the event a call is generated, and the combined Maintenance excess across all sub-accounts is negative, then each sub-account will be restricted from placing buying power-reducing trades. An RM call can be met, and this restriction can be lifted by depositing cash or securities, market appreciation, or closing positions in any related sub-account. However, it is best practice to meet the call in the sub-account with the current maintenance deficit. The required maintenance call will be met once the aggregate maintenance excess across all related sub-accounts stays positive through the due date of the RM call.