Overview
Scalar Field may charge a platform fee on trades executed through certain venues. This fee is calculated as a percentage of the trade’s notional value (filled quantity multiplied by fill price), expressed in basis points (bps). 1 basis point = 0.01%.
Platform fees are separate from any commissions, spreads, or network fees charged by the venue itself.
Fee Schedule
| Venue | Platform Fee | Notes |
|---|
| Alpaca Paper | None | No platform fee on paper trades |
| Alpaca Live | None | Coming soon |
| Public.com | TBD | Coming soon |
| Webull | TBD | Coming soon |
| Polymarket | 0 bps (currently waived) | Calculated on filled notional value |
| Jupiter DEX | 0 bps (currently waived) | On-chain referral fee may apply separately |
| Polymarket Redemption | None | No fee when redeeming resolved prediction markets |
Polymarket and Jupiter DEX platform fees are currently waived (0 bps). When fees are active, they will appear as fee_bps and fee_amount in trade responses and history. Note that the fee schedule may vary by subscription tier in the future.
How Fees Are Calculated
When a platform fee is active, it is computed at the time of the fill:
fee = filled_quantity × fill_price × (fee_bps / 10,000)
fee = 100 × $2.50 × (50 / 10,000) = $1.25
How Fees Are Deducted
- Strategy trades (
strategy.execute()): The fee is deducted from the strategy’s cash balance at the time of the fill. Your strategy’s NAV already reflects any fees paid.
- Chat trades (
venue.trade()): The fee is deducted from the venue balance.
- On-chain venues (Polymarket): If a platform fee wallet is configured, the fee is transferred on-chain as a USDC transaction at the time of the trade.
- Jupiter DEX: When active, the referral fee is collected on-chain during the swap transaction itself.
You receive exactly the quantity you requested — the fee is a separate cash deduction, not a reduction of your fill.
Fee Visibility
- Trade responses: When fees are charged, the
fee_bps and fee_amount fields are included in the response from venue.trade() and strategy.execute(). When the fee is 0, these fields are null.
- Trade history: Fees are shown alongside each trade in
venue.history() via the fees field.
- Strategy NAV: Already accounts for all fees deducted, so your NAV is always net of trading costs.
External Venue Fees
Brokerages and exchanges may charge their own fees independently of Scalar Field’s platform fee. These are set by the venue and are not controlled by Scalar Field.
| Venue | External Fees |
|---|
| Alpaca Paper | None (paper trading) |
| Alpaca Live | Commission-free for US equities; standard regulatory fees may apply |
| Polymarket | Polymarket’s own maker/taker fees on the CLOB order book |
| Jupiter DEX | Solana network transaction fees (typically < $0.01 per transaction); DEX pool fees |
Sizing for Fees
When computing order sizes in strategy code, always reserve a buffer for fees and slippage:
cash = state["capital"]["cash"]
price = get_latest_price()
# Reserve 5% for fees and slippage
max_qty = round(cash / price * 0.95, 2)
qty × price due to the platform fee. Budget accordingly.
