Our approach to fees is simple. We believe in:
- Radical transparency: We’ll always be upfront with any associated charges. We also want to ensure that we charge the smallest amount possible fairly, so if you place an order where the fees will account for 5% or more of its total value, you’ll be presented with a pop-up in the Lightyear app for you to confirm this
- Honest pricing: Our fees are a combination of covering the costs associated with the service plus a small amount on top that we can reinvest to improve the business
| Things you pay us for | Cost |
| US shares (per order) | 0.10% (0.10 min - $1 max) |
| UK shares (per order) | £1 |
| EU shares (per order) | €1 |
| Currency conversion using the live interbank exchange rate | 0.35% |
| Fast deposit transfer (debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay) after free €500 / 200,000 HUF lifetime allowance | 0.5% |
| SWIFT transfers | See here |
| These are free | |
| Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) | |
| Multi-currency account | |
| EUR, HUF, GBP, and USD deposit account numbers | |
| Securities custody | |
| Local bank transfers in/out | |
| W8-BEN (US tax form) | |
Applicable taxes
Financial Transaction Tax
A financial transaction tax (FTT) is when a percentage of the asset's value is paid in taxes when traded. FTTs usually apply only to select financial instruments and often have varying tax rates depending on the asset type.
Stamp duty
Stamp duty is the tax governments place on legal documents, usually in the transfer of assets or property.
These taxes apply to anyone who is trading the applicable asset, irrespective of if you are a tax resident of that jurisdiction or not.
| Tax jurisdiction | Type of tax | Applicable to | Amount |
| Spain | FTT | The Spanish Financial Transaction Tax (SFTT) will be applied to shares of companies whose head office is located in Spain and whose market capitalisation exceeds EUR 1 billion. | 0.2% on buy orders |
| France | FTT | The French Financial Transaction Tax (FFTT) will be applied to shares of companies whose head office is located in France and whose market capitalisation exceeds EUR 1 billion. | 0.3% on buy orders |
| Italy | FTT | Italian Financial Transaction Tax (IFTT) will be applied to the transfer of the legal ownership of the shares of any category issued by Italian joint stock corporations (società per azioni and società in accomandita per azioni). | Pursuant to local applicable legislation |
| Portugal | Stamp duty | Service fees in Portugal are subject to Stamp Duty*. The Stamp duty percentage is calculated from the fees paid to Lightyear by a customer. Currently, it is calculated from the conversion fee of a transaction and is paid to the Portuguese Tax Authorities (“PTA”) by Lightyear. *paid by Lightyear | 4% |
| United Kingdom | Stamp duty | Stamp Duty Reserve Tax (SDRT) will be applied when you buy shares in a company incorporated in the UK, shares in a foreign company that has a share register in the UK and rights arising from such shares. | 0.5% on buy orders |
| Ireland | Stamp duty | Irish Stamp Duty will be applied when you buy shares in an Irish company, including on non-Irish exchanges. | 1% on buy orders |