At M1, most buy and sell orders are executed automatically during the next available, or your preferred, trade window. However, certain circumstances can delay, prorate, or prevent your trades from executing as expected. Below you'll find explanations, troubleshooting steps, common issues, and what you can do to resolve them
How M1 executes trades
M1 uses scheduled trade windows to aggregate and process all buy and sell orders. Trades placed:
Before the next trade window: Process during that window.
After a trade window closes: Process in the next available window.
Example: A buy order placed on Saturday will be executed during Monday’s morning trade window.
Where to check your trade status:
Web:
Log in to your M1 account.
Select the appropriate account under “Invest.”
Scroll to “Upcoming Activity.”
Select "Trades".
Mobile:
Open the M1 app and log in.
Select the appropriate account under “Invest.”
Swipe up on the shelf between Cash and Move Money.
Scroll to “Upcoming Activity”
Select "View Details"
Common reasons a trade may not execute
1. Trade not in the next window
Orders placed outside market hours or after today’s trade window are simply queued until the next available window.
How to resolve: Wait for the next trade window.
2. Insufficient available cash
If your available cash is less than your buy orders, M1 prorates the available funds across all open buy orders.
IMPORTANT: Each buy or sell order must be at least $1 to be executed. Orders under $1 will not be processed and will remain as uninvested cash.
If you are eligible for Margin investing and your available margin balance exceeds the order amount, you may still be able to complete the trade even if your cash available is below the requested order amount.
Example:
$100 cash, $100 buy for Stock A, $100 buy for Stock B = $50 to each stock.
If, after proration or fraction/price rounding, the amount for any order falls below $1, that order will not fill.
If you have $50 in cash, place a $300 order, and have $500 of margin available, your eligible margin balance may allow the trade to proceed.
Troubleshooting steps:
Check your available cash and, if eligible, your margin available balance on the home or account page.
Review pending deposits; unsettled funds can’t be used for trades.
Ensure that any individual order (including partial prorated orders) is above $1. If not, increase the amount or adjust your Pie.
For margin-enabled accounts, ensure your margin available covers the order size if your cash does not.
Check recent sells—they may be pending settlement.
Error messages you may see:
“Order amount must be at least $1.”
“Order exceeds buying power.” (if not enough margin available to cover the trade).
3. Fractional share limitations
M1 trades in increments as small as 1/10,000 of a share, but due to price precision and the $1 minimum order requirement, you may have leftover cash that’s too small to invest.
Example:
Stock A is $900/share. The smallest buy is 0.0001 x $900 = $0.09, but your order must be at least $1.
If prorated or price rounding leaves less than $1 for any order, that amount won’t be invested.
Result: Small amounts (under $1) will remain as cash; this does not mean your order failed—just that the minimum was not met.
4. Sells not settled before buys
When selling and buying in the same window, sells happen first.
If your sell transactions don’t raise as much cash as expected (e.g., price drops), buy orders are reduced or partially filled, and you may see uninvested cash.
Troubleshooting steps:
Check if recent sell orders fully settled.
Look at order history to see actual sale proceeds.
Adjust buy order amounts if needed.
Error messages:
“Buy orders partially filled due to available cash.”
5. Security-specific or market-related limitations
Some trades may not go through due to reasons including:
The security is temporarily halted, delisted, or suspended from trading.
Trading is paused due to market volatility (circuit breakers).
Corporate actions (like mergers or splits) affect order execution.
Minimum order requirements from exchanges/regulators.
All M1 buy/sell orders must be at least $1.
What to Do: Check news for the security, try the order later, or contact M1 Support.
6. Account or regulatory restrictions
Certain account conditions can block trades:
Account not fully approved (new accounts, pending verification).
Regulatory holds or trade restrictions.
Trading is not permitted for that asset in your account type (IRA, etc.).
Insufficient margin or outstanding margin calls.
Platform, compliance, or fraud reviews.
Check out these articles for more information on how your money is invested and Auto-invest.
Brokerage accounts on the M1 platform are either fully disclosed to APEX Clearing or cleared through M1 Finance LLC. Please look at your account statement to determine how your account is cleared.
All investing involves risk, including the risk of losing the money you invest. Past performance does not guarantee future performance. Using margin can add to these risks. Users utilizing APEX cleared margin accounts should review the APEX margin account risk disclosure before borrowing. Users utilizing M1 cleared margin accounts should review the M1 margin account risk disclosure before borrowing. M1 Margin Loans are available on margin accounts with at least $2,000 invested per account. Not available for Retirement or Custodial accounts. Margin rates may vary.
Brokerage products and services are offered by M1 Finance LLC, Member FINRA / SIPC, and a wholly owned subsidiary of M1 Holdings, Inc.
This content was generated using artificial intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. While reasonable efforts are made to ensure accuracy, AI-generated outputs may omit key context; and should not be construed as financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Users should independently verify all information and consult a qualified professional before making any financial decisions.
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