MT5 commission explained: where it shows and how to add it up

Commission is its own number in your history. See where MetaTrader 5 shows it, why it can appear twice, and how it changes your net result.

Commission is one of the three costs that sit between a trade's price move and the number you finally bank. The spread is hidden in the entry price, swap is charged for holding overnight, and commission is a separate charge that appears as its own figure in your history. This page explains what MetaTrader 5 shows, why a single trade can carry two commission lines, and how to add it up correctly.

What commission is in MetaTrader 5

Commission is a fee the broker's server charges for executing a trade. It is configured by the broker per symbol group, so two accounts at two brokers can show quite different figures for the same trade. On many accounts commission is charged per lot, and on some it is a percentage of the trade value or an amount per deal. Some account types, often marketed as standard accounts, show no commission at all because the broker earns through a wider spread instead. Others, often called raw or zero-spread accounts, have tight spreads and an explicit commission.

The platform's trading specification lets a broker charge commission when the position is opened, when it is closed, or on both deals. That is why a commission can appear on the entry deal, the exit deal, or half on each. Your broker's contract specifications or account-type page state the rate, and they are the only reliable source for it.

Where to see commission in the terminal

Commission does not show in the Trade tab, which lists open positions. It appears in the History tab of the Terminal window. Open View, then Terminal (or press Ctrl+T), choose History, and set the period. Depending on the view you pick, the list shows positions, orders or deals. The deals view lists every execution separately with columns such as time, symbol, type, direction, volume, price, commission, fee, swap and profit. In the positions view, the commission column may be hidden by default on your build, so right-click the list and check the columns option to add it. Menu wording varies between builds and brokers, so check your own terminal.

If the History tab looks empty, the cause is usually the period selection rather than missing data. The page on trade history not showing walks through that.

Why one trade can have two commission lines

In MetaTrader 5 a position is built from deals. Opening creates an entry deal and closing creates an exit deal, so a round trip involves at least two deals, and each can carry its own commission. If the broker charges on both sides, the total commission for the trade is the sum of two small numbers. If you scale in or close part of a position, there are more deals, and each can carry a charge. The page deal, order and position IDs explains how the pieces fit together.

Scenario (hypothetical)	Entry deal	Exit deal	Total commission
Charged on both sides, 0.50 lots at 3.50 per lot per side	-1.75	-1.75	-3.50
Charged on entry only, 0.50 lots at 7.00 per lot	-3.50	0.00	-3.50
Scale in twice, close once, 0.20 + 0.30 lots at 3.50 per side	-0.70 and -1.05	-1.75	-3.50

The three rows give the same total on purpose: how the broker splits the charge changes where it appears, not what the full trade costs. The numbers are invented for illustration and are not any broker's rates.

Commission is negative and swap may not be

Commission appears as a negative number because it reduces your balance. Swap can be negative or positive depending on direction and symbol, as the page on MT5 swap describes. The profit column shows the price result only. To get the net result of a position you add profit, commission and swap. A trade that looks like a small winner in the profit column can be a loser after costs, which is the most common reason traders feel their results do not match their charts.

Adding it up for a month

To see what commission cost you, export the history to a spreadsheet and sum the commission column for the period. Use the deals view so that both sides are counted, and watch for rows that are not trades, such as balance and deposit rows, which the page on balance rows in history covers. Then compare the sum with the gross profit. If commission is a large share of what your winners earn, a strategy with many small targets feels the difference far more than one with fewer, larger moves. For a broader look at the three costs, see trading costs in trade history.

A worked example (hypothetical)

A trader takes 20 trades in a week at 0.10 lots. The gross profit column sums to $84. Commission is charged at 3.50 per lot per side, so each trade costs 0.10 x 3.50 x 2 = $0.70, and 20 trades cost $14. Swap for the week is -$3. Net result: 84 - 14 - 3 = $67. Commission took about 17% of the gross figure, which would never show up if the trader only looked at the profit column. The example is invented; it only shows why the column deserves a look.

How the journal handles it

AI Trading Journal reads each closed position from your MetaTrader 5 history and records one entry per position, with partial closes combined and the result calculated as profit plus commission plus swap. So the number you see in the journal is the net figure, and commission is already inside it. That makes the calendar, dashboard and Excel report consistent with what actually reached your balance. The app does not break commission into its own chart, and it does not record the spread you paid at entry.

Limits

Commission rules are set by the broker and can differ by account type and symbol, so always check your own specification.
The spread is not a separate line in the history, so it cannot be summed the way commission can.
Menus and column names vary between builds and brokers, so check your own terminal.
This page explains how to read the numbers. It does not tell you which account type to choose.

To add commission, spread and swap into one number per trade, use the trading cost calculator.

To see how profit itself is calculated, read how MT5 calculates profit on a closed trade.

Frequently asked questions

Where is commission shown in MT5?

In the History tab of the Terminal window, not in the Trade tab. The deals view lists commission for each execution.

Why do I see two commission charges for one trade?

Many brokers charge on both the entry and exit deals, so a round trip carries two lines that add up to the full cost.

Is commission included in the profit column?

No. Net result is profit plus commission plus swap.

Why does my account show no commission?

Some account types earn the broker's fee through the spread instead of a separate commission.

Does the journal app include commission?

Yes. Each entry's result is profit plus commission plus swap for the closed position.

Related guides

See your net result per closed trade, commission included: free for 7 days

Free for 7 days, no card required. After that, a one-time $19.99 purchase. No subscription. Also on the Microsoft Store.

One-time $19.99, no monthly fee · your MT5 login never leaves your PC · trades go into your own journal on your PC, not through our servers.

Start free 7-day trial