BASIC · EXPIRATION PAYOFF

Protective Put Calculator

Read the Protective Put strategy guide

See how a purchased put limits the downside of shares you own.

Your position

Illustrative starting values · USD

Use one stock or ETF and the same expiration for every option leg. Prices are per share.

Stock quantities are shares. Option quantities are contracts. Enter the total fees for the entire position once.

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About this calculator

How to use the Protective Put calculator

Hold 100 shares for each standard put contract bought. Enter your stock cost and put premium. Unmatched quantities can leave shares unprotected.

Understanding the payoff

For matched quantities and a put strike at or below stock cost: maximum loss per share = stock cost + put premium − put strike. Breakeven = stock cost + premium. Upside remains uncapped.

These formulas describe the standard strategy before fees. The results above include the total fees entered and are calculated from your actual legs.

Worked example

Buy 100 shares at $50; Buy 1 $50 put option at $2 per share. All options share one expiration and a 100-unit multiplier. Fees are zero in this example.

Read the strategy guide →

Assumptions and limits

This is an expiration payoff estimate, not a live option quote or a prediction. It assumes all option legs expire together on one stock or ETF, the stock price cannot be negative, and options settle at intrinsic value. The default multiplier is 100 shares per contract; adjust it for the contract being modeled. Early assignment, exercise decisions, dividends, interest, taxes, and slippage can change realized results. Cash requirements and broker margin are separate from maximum loss. Different expirations, futures options, and adjusted contracts with non-cash deliverables are not supported.

Method: add each leg’s intrinsic value at expiration, subtract its entry cost with the correct buy/sell sign, and subtract total fees. See OIC strategy guides for further explanation.

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