NinjaTrader commission templates: costs in Sim101 and Playback reports

Per-unit rates, minimums and instrument overrides

Check whether your intended rate is per side or round turn. A template's name does not verify its stored values.

Instrument-specific entries override instrument-type rates. If changing the Futures row leaves one contract's costs unexpected, inspect that contract's own entry.

Assign the template to the account you are measuring

After saving the template, open the Control Center's Accounts tab. Right-click Sim101, choose Edit Account, select the template in Commission and click OK. Check the Commission Name account column to confirm the assignment.

This guide concerns the local Sim101 account. A server-based Demo account is a different account type. Sim101 settings are local to that NinjaTrader installation, so a desktop and VPS should not be assumed to share them.

Reset and Clear History are separate controls. Assigning a commission template is not a reason to clear simulation trade history.

Playback101 gets its commission settings from Sim101

Playback101 cannot be edited independently through the account dialog. Its commission template comes from Sim101. Set the intended Sim101 template before beginning the Playback session instead of looking for a second Playback-specific template assignment.

Commission assumptions and fill simulation answer different questions. Matching the cost inputs does not make a Playback result equivalent to a real-time Sim101 result.

Check the report's account, dates and display units

Open New > Trade Performance, choose the From and To dates, and select Generate. Use the filters to isolate the intended account and instrument. Choose Currency when checking money costs.

The report's Templates filter selects ATM strategies. It does not select a commission template. Account and instrument filtering operates on executions; filter changes update the report automatically.

Generate again after changing dates or adding trades within the selected range. A new date scan can recheck previously unchecked filter items, so review those selections afterward. Reports can also include activity before the From date to show the complete position back to when it was flat.

Compare equivalent PnL values

In the Accounts grid, Gross Realized PnL is before commissions; Realized PnL is after commissions. Total Commissions is a session value. Comparing that session total with a multi-day Trade Performance report compares different periods.

NinjaTrader documents local commission-template calculations in the Accounts tab and provider-dependent account values. Treat a simulation template as a cost assumption for analysis, not as a change to a live account's billing terms.

For a reproducible comparison, keep the account, instrument, date range, quantities and template values together. A change in modeled costs should not be mistaken for an improvement in entry or exit behavior.