# "qty must be an integer"

**URL:** <https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/qty-must-be-an-integer/619>\
**Category:** Alpaca Account Troubleshooting\
**Created:** [January 6, 2020, 7:24pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/qty-must-be-an-integer/619 "2020-01-06T19:24:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Chris\_Bryan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.alpaca.markets/chris_bryan/32/352_2.png) [@Chris\_Bryan](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/Chris_Bryan)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 7:24pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/qty-must-be-an-integer/619/1 "2020-01-06T19:24:31Z")

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## Environment

**Language**  
_Python_

## Problem

**Summary**  
_I would like to puchase fractional shares. Is this possible with the Python API? The qty parameter is required to be an integer_

**Paper or Live Tradng?**  
_Paper trading_

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.alpaca.markets/kris/32/163_2.png) [@kris](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/kris)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 10:38pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/qty-must-be-an-integer/619/2 "2020-01-06T22:38:53Z")

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like X where X = 1 to ect im not sure if you can do anything like 1.9 but i wouldn’t see a practical use… buts thats just me

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chris\_Bryan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.alpaca.markets/chris_bryan/32/352_2.png) [@Chris\_Bryan](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/Chris_Bryan)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 7:39pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/qty-must-be-an-integer/619/3 "2020-01-07T19:39:36Z")

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The practical use is that I only have a small amount of money to invest (probably around $100), and so I can’t have a portfolio of several tickers if the share price of any one is, say, greater than $40-$50!

I can purchase small fractions of a stock using the web interface, so I believe this is a limitation of the REST API. Can anyone confirm this, and advise how difficult it would be to improve?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![swhawkeye](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.alpaca.markets/swhawkeye/32/382_2.png) [@swhawkeye](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/swhawkeye)\
**Post date:** [January 18, 2020, 12:22pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/qty-must-be-an-integer/619/4 "2020-01-18T12:22:24Z")

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It is a very practical request - all of the other brokers in the marketplace support fractional shares - I am guessing that it is a feature that Alpaca will be supporting soon - I hope ! 🙂