# Weird limit price fill for option spreads (Paper trading)

**URL:** <https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/weird-limit-price-fill-for-option-spreads-paper-trading/18106>\
**Category:** Alpaca Trading\
**Created:** [November 5, 2025, 3:46pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/weird-limit-price-fill-for-option-spreads-paper-trading/18106 "2025-11-05T15:46:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Chiemelie\_Nwanisobi](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.alpaca.markets/chiemelie_nwanisobi/32/7710_2.png) [@Chiemelie\_Nwanisobi](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/Chiemelie_Nwanisobi)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 3:46pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/weird-limit-price-fill-for-option-spreads-paper-trading/18106/1 "2025-11-05T15:46:28Z")

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Am I tripping? The prices were filled for less than the limit sell. How is this possible? Disclaimer these are all placed by a bot

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/alp/original/2X/d/dfe1076a7b6eef6c5c417727db09f3c2062b8ad8.png)

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**Author:** ![Dan\_Whitnable\_Alpaca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.alpaca.markets/dan_whitnable_alpaca/32/1658_2.png) [@Dan\_Whitnable\_Alpaca](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/Dan_Whitnable_Alpaca)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 6:41pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/weird-limit-price-fill-for-option-spreads-paper-trading/18106/2 "2025-11-05T18:41:47Z")

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@Chiemelie_Nwanisobi You may have already had your question answered, but I’ll post here anyway. Were you expecting to get a net credit to your cash by selling a call and buying a call? If so, then you need to put in a negative number for the limit price of the multi leg order if you expect a net credit.

I know it sounds just backwards, but it’s in keeping with the convention for a single limit order. If one were to buy XYZ with a limit of 10 the expectation is that would be the most the account would be debited. One doesn’t put in a -10. The max debit is a plus. A credit is entered as a negative simply because of convention and to be consistent with single leg orders. The limit price is always the maximum debit. If you expect a credit that is the same as a negative debit so the limit price is entered as a negative value.