Frequently Asked Questions

BMO InvestorLine offers multiple avenues for you to execute a trade. Trades can be placed from your mobile device on the BMO Invest App, or from a desktop on our 2.0 website. 5 Star clients can execute trades directly within the BMO Active Trader platform.

Yes, BMO InvestorLine is available for mobile phones. We have developed a user-friendly mobile app called BMO Invest specifically for this purpose. With BMO Invest, you can conveniently manage your investments, access market data, and make informed investment decisions anytime, anywhere using your mobile phone.

To download BMO Invest, simply visit your device's app store (such as the Apple App Store or Google Play Store) and search for "BMO Invest." Once you find the app, tap on the "Download" or "Install" button to install it on your mobile phone. After installation, you can log in with your BMO InvestorLine account credentials and start managing your investments on the go.

BMO InvestorLine does not offer advice or recommendations through the Self-Directed service. However, we do offer digital and human-led advice through our adviceDirect service. adviceDirect is BMO’s one-of-a-kind digital advice platform that combines the freedom of self-directed online investing with state-of-the-art portfolio monitoring, research tools, and personalized digital and human-led advice. In addition to providing a dedicated team of licensed investment specialists, adviceDirect continuously monitors your portfolio to ensure you stay aligned with your investing goals. It instantly notifies you with unbiased buy and sell recommendations when your portfolio's asset allocation, diversification or risk exposure requires your attention.

Yes. BMO InvestorLine offers its 5 Star Program to clients with over $250,000 in assets or more than 15 trades per quarter. The 5 star program has three tiers and offers preferred pricing, active trading tools, advanced research and dedicated support.

BMO InvestorLine offers access to four types of accounts including registered accounts (TFSA, RRSP, RESP, RRIF), non-registered accounts (individual, joint, cash and margin), locked-in accounts (LIRA, LRSP, RLSP, LRIF, LIF), and corporate/non-personal accounts.

Self-Directed TFSA accounts do not have account fees. There are no account fees for other registered accounts with a balance of over $25,000. Non-registered accounts with a balance of over $15,000 do not have any fees.

Note, additional fees and commissions may apply, please review BMO InvestorLine’s fee and commission schedule for further details.

BMO InvestorLine is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF). Client accounts at BMO InvestorLine are covered by CIPF up to $1,000,000. The CIPF does not cover losses that result from changing market values. Visit the CIPF for more information. for more information.

BMO offers a wide range of fundamental and technical research tools to support your trading needs and assess investment opportunities. Our toolkit includes access to proprietary research, insights and analyst ratings from BMO Capital Markets, Baystreet.ca, Morningstar, MarketGrader and more. In addition to proprietary research, BMO’s industry leading ESG Insights give you an edge with research and ratings on the company's environmental, social, and governance performance. These insights allow you to invest through a sustainable lens and see how any company or ETF performs against these pillars relative to their peers.

You can also leverage stock, ETF and other screening tools to discover which investments are right for you all while tracking the performance of up to 50 stocks or indices using the watchlist feature or Stock and Market alerts delivered directly to your email.

5 Star clients get exclusive access to the BMO Active Trader platform, a web-based, fully customizable workspace providing real-time streaming quotes, advanced technical charts and market insights so you can quickly trade North American equities, ETFs, and options.

You can place orders for a wide range of securities including stocks, ETFs, options, GICs, fixed income and mutual funds.

You can place orders to buy, sell, or short sell at either market or limit price. You can also place hard stop, trailing stop, or stop loss orders where applicable.

BMO InvestorLine supports trading on the primary Canadian and US stock exchanges including but not limited to the NYSE, NASDAQ, TSX, TSXV, NEO, and NYSE Arca.

Pre-market trading is the period of activity before the regular market session and is offered between 8:15 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. EST on the US market.

After-hours trading starts at 4:00 p.m. EST. The after-market session is available between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST on the major US exchanges, and 4:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST on the TSX as Last Sale Trading Session.

BMO InvestorLine offers access to both pre-market and after-hours trading. To place a trade during these periods, please call us.

Real-time quotes provide investors with the underlying price of a security based upon the most recent trade that has taken place.

Level 2 quotes provide additional insights into the depth of the market in real-time. This includes the size and price point for all bid and ask orders in the market.

Level 2 quotes and real-time are available to 5 Star clients.

Buy and sell trades can be settled in either Canadian or US dollars. This option can be selected on the order entry page for stocks, ETFs, and options.

A market order is an order to buy or sell a security immediately at the prevailing market price. This type of order allows you to have the highest probability to execute your trade but does not guarantee the price of order execution.

A limit order is an order to buy or sell a security at a specific price or better. A limit buy order will only purchase the security below the limit price whereas a limit sell order will only sell the security above the limit price.

A hard stop order is an order placed to sell the stock at a price above the current market price. The order becomes a limit order once the price exceeds the appropriate trigger price.

A trailing stop order is one where the limit price rises as the stock price rises but does not change when it falls. When the price of the stock falls and reaches the stop price, then the order is triggered and becomes a sell order.

A stop loss order is an order to sell a stock when the price declines to, or below a stated price.

Yes. BMO InvestorLine updates your account balances and holding details in real-time as trades are executed and cash deposits are made. Real-time account balances are shown on the accounts tab and holding details.

Yes. BMO InvestorLine offers access to a Dividend Reinvestment Program (DRIP). A DRIP is an easy and low-cost way to reinvest cash dividend payments received from eligible securities.

DRIPs allow investors to automatically purchase additional share(s) of the underlying security, without incurring commission charges regardless of the size of the order. Share purchases can be as few as one unit, and many companies offer shares at a discount to the underlying price of the security.

Click here to access a list of all securities eligible for dividend reinvestment. Eligible securities can be enrolled on a per-account basis (i.e., where all securities are automatically enrolled), or on a per-security-basis (i.e., instruction is provided for each security you would like to enroll). Please contact us to enroll today.

Margin trading is the practice of borrowing funds from a broker to trade securities. The loan or borrowed funds provided are secured by the value of the assets in your portfolio and are monitored daily to ensure sufficient levels of non-borrowed funds are available and maintained in your account at all times. BMO InvestorLine currently offers intra-day margin capabilities. This means margin requirements and balances are calculated approximately every five minutes during regular market hours.

Buying power reflects the total funds available to purchase securities. It is calculated by taking the total value of your account and subtracting the margin requirement for all the securities in your account.

Buying Power = Cash + Loan Value of Security − Requirements for short and options position.

Buying power captures intra-day market movement of your investments including any orders that are filled and is calculated every five minutes during trading hours.

Debit interest charges are calculated on the monthly average debit balance from the 22^nd day of the previous month, through to and including the 31^st day of the current month.
Interest will be charged on your monthly statement on the 22^nd of each month, for changes incurred from the previous month.

The interest rate will depend on the amount of funds you are borrowing on average during the current period, the currency you are borrowing, and the current prime rate. Click here for the most up-to-date information.

BMO Active Trader provides a powerful web-based trading platform that allows you to execute your trading strategies with ease and precision. A fully customizable workspace that provides real-time streaming quotes, advanced technical charts and market insights allowing you to quickly trade North American equities, ETFs, and options.

Members of BMO InvestorLine's 5 Star Program will automatically have access to BMO Active Trader. Platinum and Diamond members will receive BMO Active Trader Pro, while Gold members will receive BMO Active Trader.

There are no additional platform or data fees for members of BMO InvestorLine's 5 Star Program to use BMO Active Trader Pro or BMO Active Trader.

The platform can be accessed on Windows or Mac OS devices with high-speed internet connection from one of the following internet browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari.

BMO Active Trader is currently only available for desktops and laptops.

You’ll automatically receive Active Trader Pricing at $3.95 per trade when you place 150 or more eligible online commissionable ETF and option trades within any three consecutive calendar months. See complete Commission & Fee Schedule here.

Yes, once you qualify for Active Trader Pricing, the discounted rate will be applied to all your accounts under the same Client ID. You can view your accounts under your Client ID by logging in and navigating to the “Client ID Profile” page, located on the top right of the page by clicking your name.

This offer is currently for existing BMO InvestorLine clients. However, we’d be happy to discuss your trading needs and any potential options. Please call us at 1-888-776-6886 between the hours of 8am – 6pm E.T.

All online commissionable stock, ETF, and option trades are eligible for Active Trader Pricing.

You can view your trade count by clicking on your name on the top right, then going to “Client ID Profile” and the "Trade Activity” tab.

The new Active Trader Pricing will be effective starting October 1, 2024.

Active Trader Pricing offers a discounted commission rate of $3.95 per online trade for eligible clients who execute 150+ trades within 3 consecutive months. If you currently have a different commission structure, you can still qualify for Active Trader Pricing. However, we recommend contacting us at 1-888-776-6886 to discuss your specific situation and determine the best pricing option for your needs.

If you have signed-up or opted-in to receive online tax documents, you can locate them in the “eDocuments” section.

If you're having trouble locating the “eDocuments” portion of the InvestorLine website, read or watch the step-by-step guide on how to access.

Note: eDocuments are not currently available on the BMO Invest App

If you have signed up for “online only” as your delivery preference for tax documents, then all tax related documents will be available electronically in the “eDocuments” section only.

If you have selected the “online and by mail” option, tax documents will be mailed to the address on file and will also be available electronically.

Tax document availability will vary depending on the type of account and method of delivery you have selected. Click here for a detailed release schedule by tax slip type.

You may receive numerous different tax slips from BMO InvestorLine. The slips you receive will depend on the type of account you have, the income you’ve earned, contributions you’ve made, etc. For more information on the tax documents you may receive, their purpose, and expected availability please click here.

The documents you receive will be for the 2023 tax year. If you require access to prior tax years (i.e., 2022, 2021 etc.) please navigate to the “eDocuments” section and select the required year from the drop down. You will only be able to see documents for the years which your account was open with BMO InvestorLine.

Note: for specific tax advice and detailed understanding of each document, please speak with a professional tax advisor.

Deadline to contribute to your RRSP – February 29th, 2024

Deadline to file 2023 personal return without penalty – April 30th, 2024

Deadline to file 2023 personal return if self-employed without penalty – June 17th, 2024

Click here for additional dates for the 2023 tax year.

Note: please remember it is important to ensure you have received all required tax slips before preparing your tax return to prevent having to amend your tax return through the filing of a T1 Adjustment form.

To help simplify your tax preparation efforts, we have developed an overview of the various tax slips and documents you may receive from BMO InvestorLine. Click here to review the tax slips and documents you may receive from BMO InvestorLine. Tax slips received depend on the type of account and product you hold.

Note: for specific tax advice and detailed understanding of each document, please speak to a professional tax advisor.

T3 documents (as well as RL-16, T5013 and RL-15 packages) are dependent on third-party issuers, external to BMO InvestorLine. Some external issuers (like mutual fund companies) will mail tax receipts to you directly. Please confirm with the applicable issuer their document availability schedule.

The maximum contribution for a TFSA in 2024 is $7,000 CAD. For more information on TFSA contributions please visit the Canada Revenue Agency.

Your unused contribution room accumulates each year as long as you have a Social Insurance Number (SIN) (even if you do not file an income tax and benefit return or open a TFSA).

Note: If you were 18 or older in 2009, your TFSA contribution room grows each year. If you turned 18 after 2009, your TFSA contribution room starts to grow in the year you turned 18 and accumulates every year after that year.

See below for the cumulative contribution room available assuming you were 18 or older in 2009 and no contributions have been made to date.

A T5 slip will be issued if you have or continue to hold a BMO HISA in your account. Click here to review the various tax slips and documents you may receive from BMO InvestorLine. Tax slips received depend on the type of account and product you hold.

If you find an error or believe there is an issue on your tax slip, please contact us to review the issue and discuss further.