How to Enter Options from Your Broker Manually

Option Breakeven can automatically load live US options data — but if you are analyzing an existing position, using a broker with delayed data, or trading on a platform that requires manual lookup, you can enter the option details yourself using the ✏️ Enter manually button.

This guide walks through every field in the manual entry form and shows you exactly where to find each value in your brokerage options chain.

Opening the Manual Entry Form

From the main calculator page:

1. Leave the ticker bar empty (or dismiss the live chain), or
2. Click ✏️ Enter manually in the empty state, or
3. After selecting an option, click ✏️ Edit to adjust values.

Field-by-Field Guide

1. Option Type

Select Call or Put.

• Usually shown as C (call) or P (put) in your broker's options chain grid.
• Also appears in the contract symbol: NVDA 195 P Jun 15 2026 → Put at strike $195.

2. Current Stock Price

The current trading price of the underlying stock— not the option price. Look for the "Last", "Mark", or "Current" price for the stock symbol at the top of the options chain in your broker.

3. Expiry Date

The date the option expires. Standard monthly options expire on the third Friday of each month; weekly options expire every Friday.

• In most brokers, the expiry date appears as a header above each section of the options chain (e.g., Jun 20, 2025).
• It is also encoded in the contract symbol: NVDA250620P00195000 → June 20, 2025 (YYMMDD).

Pick the date from the date picker — the calculator will compute the days to expiry automatically.

4. Strike Price

The fixed price at which you can buy (call) or sell (put) the stock. In every broker, the strike is the central column of the options chain.

• Also embedded in the contract symbol: NVDA250620P00195000 → $195.00 (divide by 1000).
• Enter the number only: 195 (not $195).

5. Premium Paid

The price you paid (or are considering paying) per share. One contract = 100 shares, so a $3.50 premium costs $350 total.

• Use the Ask price if you are buying, the Bid if selling, or the Mark / Mid for a fair-value estimate.
• If you already own the option, use your actual fill price from your order history.
• Enter per-share: 3.50 (not $350).

6. Implied Volatility (%)

Implied volatility (IV) is the market's expected move for the stock. It directly affects the option's time value and your P&L calculations.

• Look for an IV or Impl. Vol. column in your options chain.
• If your broker shows a decimal (e.g., 0.4242), multiply by 100 and enter 42.42.
• If your broker shows a percentage (e.g., 42.4%), enter 42.4.
• If you cannot find IV, the default 30% gives a rough estimate — but real IV gives accurate results.

7. Contracts

The number of contracts you own or are analyzing. Each contract covers 100 shares. Enter 1 for one contract (100 shares), 5 for five, etc.

Reading Any Options Chain Row

Most brokers display options in a standard format. Here is how to map it:

Decoding the Option Contract Symbol

Every option has a standardized OCC symbol you can decode directly:

Supported Brokers

The manual entry form works with any brokerage that shows options data, including:

• US brokers: Robinhood, TD Ameritrade / Thinkorswim, Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Webull, Interactive Brokers, tastytrade
• Canadian brokers: Questrade, Wealthsimple Trade, CIBC Investor's Edge, BMO InvestorLine, RBC Direct Investing
• Any platform that displays strike, bid/ask/mark, expiry, and implied volatility

After Entering

Click Analyze Option → and you immediately get:

• The breakeven price (strike ± premium)
• Full P&L table across different stock prices and time horizons
• Delta, Gamma, Theta, and Vega (Black-Scholes)
• Profit/loss zone summary

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