XM inactivity fee: the verified numbers
We read XM's own legal documents first-hand — the CySEC entity's costs-and-charges disclosure and the Belize entity's client agreement — and both state the same policy: after 90 calendar days with no trading, deposits or withdrawals, the account is archived and charged a $10 monthly dormant fee. If the free balance is under $10, the fee is the remaining balance; a zero-balance account is not charged. Separately, twelve months of full inactivity can trigger termination of the client agreement — that is an account-closure clause, not an extra fee. (Some third-party sites repeat outdated figures; ours was corrected against the primary documents too.)
- The 90-day clock runs from your last trade, deposit or withdrawal — not from logins alone, per the policy wording.
- Never-funded accounts are archived after 60 days under the offshore entity's terms.
- Planning a long break? Withdrawing your balance first sidesteps dormancy charges entirely.
XM trading fees: the model
XM's core retail accounts are spread-only: the cost of a trade is built into the bid–ask spread with no separate per-lot commission. The exception is the XM Zeroaccount — per XM's official cost disclosure, it is the only account type that charges commission: $7 per $100,000 traded round-turn ($3.50 per side).
| Fee area | Verified figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Inactivity fee | $10/month after 90 days inactive (balance if <$10; zero = no charge) | XM costs-and-charges + client agreement (read first-hand) |
| EUR/USD spread (Standard/Micro) | 1.6 pips used as the official worked example; spreads are variable | XM cost disclosure (CySEC entity) |
| Commission | XM Zero only: $7 per $100k round turn; other accounts none | XM cost disclosure |
| Minimum deposit | $5 | Our broker database |
| Third-party deposit handling | $50 if a deposit comes from someone other than the account holder | Client agreement §72.5 |
| Chargeback research fee | $150 if you file a card chargeback on a deposit | Client agreement §76.1 |
| VPS | $28/month prepaid (free-VPS eligibility claims not verified in the legal docs) | XM VPS terms |
| Typical withdrawal time | 1–2 days | Our broker database |
Costs and charges may vary depending on the jurisdiction, account type and entity that holds your account, and XM can revise its schedules — the binding version is always the current client agreement.
Spreads and swaps
Spread is the always-on cost: it applies the moment a position opens. Swap (overnight financing) applies to positions held past the daily rollover — 22:00 GMTat XM, with a triple-day charge on Wednesdays for FX and precious metals and on Fridays for cash indices, energies and stock CFDs (per XM's own documents). Check the specific instrument's swap in the platform before holding overnight. XM offers Islamic swap-free accounts on request (justification can be required); note that "fair value adjustments" replace swaps on certain instruments, so overnight holding is not automatically free.
Deposit and withdrawal fees
XM's legal documents don't publish a simple fee table — they reserve the right to set deposit/withdrawal fees, and name specific charges (the $50 third-party-deposit and $150 chargeback fees above). The widely-repeated claim that XM covers bank fees on wires above $200 appears in help-centre material we could not read first-hand, so treat it as unverified and confirm for your method. Supported methods in our records: Card, Bank transfer, Skrill, Neteller; typical withdrawal time 1–2 days. Available payment methods may vary depending on your jurisdiction, and depending on the payment method, third-party or bank charges may apply. Withdrawals normally return to your original deposit method first.
Country and entity differences
XM operates through several legal entities (ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, FSC registrations across jurisdictions). The entity that onboards you decides your regulator, any compensation cover (ICF up to €20,000 (CySEC clients) applies to the CySEC entity only), your maximum leverage and — sometimes — fee details. Use our entity checker to see which XM entity likely applies to your country, and confirm during signup.
What to verify before depositing
- The current inactivity/dormancy policy in the client agreement (amount + trigger period).
- Which legal entity is onboarding you, and its regulator.
- Live spreads on the instruments you actually trade, not just EUR/USD.
- Swap rates if you hold positions overnight.
- Withdrawal method, minimums and any third-party charges for your country — see how withdrawals work.
Compare XM with other brokers
Fee structures only make sense side by side: a wider spread with no commission can beat a raw spread plus commission at small sizes, and lose at large ones. Our comparison table ranks brokers by all-in cost, and the XM scan page shows the full pre-deposit check — regulation, withdrawal friction and red flags alongside fees.