How much does it cost to buy stocks in the Philippines?

A buy order pays broker commission (around 0.25% of trade value, usually with a peso minimum), 12% VAT on that commission, a 0.005% PSE transaction fee and a 0.01% SCCP clearing fee. On a ₱10,000 buy that is roughly ₱30 in total, so about ₱10,030 leaves your account.

What is the stock transaction tax in the Philippines?

The stock transaction tax is 0.6% of the gross selling price, charged on sales only and withheld automatically by your broker. On a ₱10,000 sale it is ₱60, which makes selling meaningfully more expensive than buying.

How much does a stock have to rise before I break even?

For a ₱10,000 round trip at a 0.25% commission, roughly 1.2%. The stock has to gain that much just to return the cash you put in. Smaller trades face a larger percentage hurdle, because the peso minimum commission does not shrink with the order.

Are dividends taxed separately?

Yes. Cash dividends have a 10% final withholding tax deducted before they reach your account, separately from any trading fee. A dividend yield shown on this site is the gross figure, not what lands in your bank.

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What a PSE trade actually costs

Every fee on a Philippine stock trade, both sides, and the price the stock has to reach before you have made anything at all.

SharesPrice per share (₱)Broker commission (%)Minimum commission (₱)

Commission and its peso minimum are the only figures that vary by broker, so both are editable. The defaults are a common online-broker schedule, not any particular broker’s published rate. Everything else (VAT, PSE, SCCP, and the sell-side tax) is fixed for all PSE trades.

Break-even

₱10.1201

The price this stock has to reach for you to get your money back. That is 1.20% above your buy price, before the trade makes a single peso.

Total fees on the round trip: ₱120.08

Buying

Trade value: ₱10,000.00
Broker commission0.25% of gross: ₱25.00
VAT on commission12% of commission: ₱3.00
PSE transaction fee0.005% of gross: ₱0.50
SCCP clearing fee0.01% of gross: ₱1.00
Total fees: ₱29.50
Total cash out: ₱10,029.50

Selling at break-even

Trade value: ₱10,120.07
Broker commission0.25% of gross: ₱25.30
VAT on commission12% of commission: ₱3.04
PSE transaction fee0.005% of gross: ₱0.51
SCCP clearing fee0.01% of gross: ₱1.01
Stock transaction tax0.6% of gross, sell side only: ₱60.72
Total fees: ₱90.58
Cash you receive: ₱10,029.49

The fees, one by one

Fee	Rate	Applies to	Notes
Broker commission	~0.25% of trade value	Buy and sell	Set by your broker, usually with a peso minimum. The only fee that varies.
VAT on commission	12% of the commission	Buy and sell	Charged on the commission itself, not on the value of the trade.
PSE transaction fee	0.005% of trade value	Buy and sell	The exchange's own fee. Identical at every broker.
SCCP clearing fee	0.01% of trade value	Buy and sell	Goes to the clearing corporation that settles the trade.
Stock transaction tax	0.6% of trade value	Sell only	Withheld from your proceeds. Usually the largest single fee on a sale.

Why break-even matters more than it looks

The fees are small in isolation and quietly large in repetition. A round trip on a ₱10,000 position costs a bit over 1% all in, which is the real reason frequent trading erodes a small account: the same ₱10,000 moved twelve times a year pays that toll twelve times, and the stock has to climb over 1% each time before any of the movement is yours. A peso minimum commission makes this worse the smaller the order, which is why splitting one purchase into several smaller ones costs more than placing it once.

Common questions

How much does it cost to buy stocks in the Philippines?: A buy order pays broker commission (around 0.25% of trade value, usually with a peso minimum), 12% VAT on that commission, a 0.005% PSE transaction fee and a 0.01% SCCP clearing fee. On a ₱10,000 buy that is roughly ₱30 in total, so about ₱10,030 leaves your account.
What is the stock transaction tax in the Philippines?: The stock transaction tax is 0.6% of the gross selling price, charged on sales only and withheld automatically by your broker. On a ₱10,000 sale it is ₱60, which makes selling meaningfully more expensive than buying.
How much does a stock have to rise before I break even?: For a ₱10,000 round trip at a 0.25% commission, roughly 1.2%. The stock has to gain that much just to return the cash you put in. Smaller trades face a larger percentage hurdle, because the peso minimum commission does not shrink with the order.
Are dividends taxed separately?: Yes. Cash dividends have a 10% final withholding tax deducted before they reach your account, separately from any trading fee. A dividend yield shown on this site is the gross figure, not what lands in your bank.

Rates here are the standard published schedule, and your broker’s commission may differ. Confirm against your own broker’s fee schedule before relying on a figure, and treat none of this as tax advice for your situation. The Dividends and costs chapter covers the same ground in prose, and trading hours and holidays covers when you can actually place the order.