Build a timeline for the exact contract
Keep four events separate: the last opportunity to trade, the exercise instruction deadline, the calculation of the exercise-settlement value, and delivery of cash or shares. A date-only calendar provides a starting point. It cannot supply all four deadlines.
These US contract examples are research references, not a global exchange calendar. Index examples below do not imply that this stock and ETF data feed covers every index series.
| Exchange / contract | Expiration | Last trading day | Settlement |
|---|---|---|---|
| US listed equity and ETF optionsOCC equity specifications | Use the listed series date. Standard monthly dates usually follow the third-Friday schedule; weekly and other listings vary. | Check the specific class and exchange session, including early closes. Broker exercise cutoffs are separate from trading hours. | Generally American-style and physically settled. Exercise can occur before expiration. Standard share delivery is T+1 after exercise; adjusted contracts may have other deliverables. |
| Cboe traditional SPX (AM)Cboe SPX specifications | The monthly exercise-settlement date follows the exchange calendar, with holiday adjustments. | Ordinarily the business day before settlement-value calculation. A Friday date can therefore require a Thursday trading decision. | European exercise; cash settlement from constituent opening prices. Cash delivery is the business day following expiration. |
| Cboe SPXW (PM)Cboe SPX settlement fact sheet | Weekday and end-of-month listings exist. Read the SPXW root and date, even when the broker groups them in an SPX chain. | Ordinarily expiration day at 4:00 p.m. ET, or 1:00 p.m. ET on a half-day holiday. | European exercise; cash settlement uses constituent closing prices. Cash delivery follows on the next business day. |
| Cboe VIX / VIXW optionsCboe VIX specifications | Usually Wednesday. The specified holiday rule also considers the Friday 30 days later. | The business day before expiration, subject to exchange holiday adjustments. VIX futures have a different trading timeline. | European exercise; cash settlement uses the special opening quotation VRO, not the prior VIX close. Confirm the cash posting date with the clearing broker. |
A holiday changes the June 2026 timeline
OCC lists Thursday, June 18 as the June 2026 monthly expiration date. Friday, June 19 is Juneteenth. For a traditional AM-settled SPX monthly contract using that expiration, the ordinary rule makes Wednesday, June 17 the last trading day; the opening-based settlement value is calculated Thursday. An SPXW PM contract listed for June 18 instead ordinarily trades that Thursday and uses closing prices.
For those SPX examples, the next business day after Thursday is Monday, June 22: Friday is a holiday and June 20 and 21 are the weekend. This is the expected cash-delivery date under the published next-business-day rule, not a promise about when a broker displays the credit. The three dates are June 17, June 18 and June 22 for the AM example.
Do not apply one holiday rule to every series
Cboe's SPX Weeklys rules move most holiday settlement dates to the preceding business day, but Monday Weeklys move to the following business day. A missing Monday therefore does not always mean the prior Friday. VIX options use another rule tied to both their scheduled Wednesday and the Friday 30 days later.
Quarterly series and quarterly third-Friday expirations are also different labels. A date in March, June, September or December does not establish a quarterly series. Use the exchange's listing description, root, settlement convention and published calendar; the tool only marks dates returned by its provider.
Check the TradingView contract before planning an exit
- Select a ticker and month above. Open a returned date to inspect the tickers and series count. Check partial-data warnings before treating the result as complete.
- Where your TradingView feed offers the contract, match its full symbol, expiry, strike and call or put with the broker ticket. An underlying stock or index chart alone does not identify the option's settlement convention.
- Record the exchange, AM or PM settlement, exercise style and deliverable. Confirm last trading time and exercise instructions in the broker's stated timezone; ET and CT observe daylight-saving changes.
- Read the exchange holiday notice and the clearing schedule. Keep the settlement-value date separate from the cash or share delivery date. If a field is absent, leave it unknown until verified.
- Use the options chain to compare available series, then the breakeven calculator for a payoff scenario using your premium. A theoretical payoff does not verify a deadline or a fill.
A close-to-expiry position can still be exercised or assigned. Missing quotes, trading halts, changed deliverables and broker liquidation policies can prevent an intended exit. This page is educational information, not investment advice or an instruction to hold through expiration.
Expiration calendar questions
Do all options expire on Friday?
No. Listed expirations depend on the product and series. Cboe SPXW has weekday expirations, and VIX options usually expire on Wednesday. Holidays can move a scheduled date. Read the full contract specification rather than assigning a series type from its weekday.
Is expiration the same as the last trading day?
No. Traditional AM-settled SPX options ordinarily stop trading on the preceding business day. Expiring PM-settled SPXW options ordinarily trade on expiration day. A broker may impose an earlier exercise or risk-management deadline.
Why are there no weekly, quarterly or LEAPS labels in the tool?
The returned contract reference data does not identify those series designations. A third Friday can contain different products, and a long remaining maturity does not establish a LEAPS designation. Filters therefore describe date patterns only. The calendar never fills missing expirations from a Friday rule.
Are the counts complete, and do they measure volume?
Counts are distinct returned contract series, not traded contracts or open interest. Each request is capped at 1,000 records per ticker, sorted by expiration. A partial result can omit later dates, and a failed request is reported separately. No rows does not prove that no options exist.
What happens to an option at expiration?
An expired contract is no longer tradable, but it does not necessarily become worthless. Exercise or assignment may create a cash payment or delivery obligation. Check the exercise style, deliverable, broker instructions and available buying power before the applicable deadline.