--- title: "ESMA Q&A 2024 — Q&A — Aggregation of costs and charges [Answer Published]" shortTitle: "ESMA Q&A 2024 — Q&A — Aggregation of costs and charges [Answer Published]" answer_id: ESMA_QA_2024 topic: "Information to clients on costs and charges" status: "Answer Published" type: qa instrument_type: qa authority: ESMA binding: false binding_character: non_binding legal_status: in_force regulation: "MiFID II" mifid_level3: true mica_level2: false legal_basis: "Art. 24 of MiFID II, Art. 50(2) of the MiFID II Delegated Regulation" date: 13 December 2023 source_link: https://www.esma.europa.eu/publications-data/questions-answers/2024 lifecycle: "Answer Published" text_version: "ESMA Q&A register, 13 December 2023" source_url: "https://www.esma.europa.eu/publications-data/questions-answers/2024" check_status: matched verified: true last_checked: 2026-10-26 checked_against: "the ESMA publication" source: prepared_by: "ESMA" published_by: "ESMA" published_in: "ESMA Q&A tool" evidence: prepared_by: "ESMA Answer" locator: "ESMA Q&A entry ESMA_QA_2024: field 'ESMA Answer', no 'Answer provided by' line" document_type: "qa_answer" legal_nature: "not_legislation" addressees: "not stated in the document" dates: published_on: "2023-12-13" question_submitted_on: "2023-12-13" locators: published_on: "ESMA Q&A Excel export ESMA_QA_2024, column 'Esma responses', date line" question_submitted_on: "ESMA Q&A Excel export ESMA_QA_2024, column 'Date of submission'" lifecycle_label: "Answer Published" --- **Answer by ESMA, published in its Q&A tool · not legislation · published 13 Dec 2023 [Answer Published]** *Answer Published · ESMA Q&A register, 13 December 2023 · Checked against the ESMA publication on 26 Oct 2026 · [Official source](https://www.esma.europa.eu/publications-data/questions-answers/2024)* | | | |---|---| | **Full title** | ESMA Q&A 2024 — Q&A — Aggregation of costs and charges \[Answer Published\] | | **Prepared by** | ESMA | | **Published by** | ESMA, in the ESMA Q&A tool | | **Reference** | ESMA_QA_2024 | | **Document type** | Q&A | | **Legal nature** | Not legislation | | **Addressees** | Not stated in the document | | **Dates** | Published 13 December 2023; question submitted 13 December 2023 | | **Legal basis** | Art. 24 of MiFID II, Art. 50(2) of the MiFID II Delegated Regulation | | **Related instruments** | None recorded | | **Text on this page** | Word for word — the full text of the ESMA publication | **Aggregation of costs and charges** ### Question When providing information of costs and charges to clients, on which basis should costs be aggregated? What is the level of aggregation that firms need to apply? *** ### Answer In accordance with Article 24(4) MiFID II and Article 50(2) of the MiFID II Delegated Regulation, firms shall aggregate costs and charges in connection with the investment service and costs and charges associated with the financial instruments. Third party payments received by investment firms in connection with the investment service provided to a client shall be itemised separately\[1\]. The aggregated costs and charges shall be totalled and expressed both as a cash amount and as a percentage. The following example shows the cost figures that are to be disclosed\[2\]: Investment services and/or ancillary services € 1.500 1.5% Third party payments received by the investment firm € 500 0.5% Financial instruments € 1.500 1.5% Total costs and charges € 3.500 3.5% In addition, the investment firm shall provide an itemised breakdown at the request of the client. ESMA would expect that an investment firm take reasonable steps to minimise the effort for the client to submit such requests. When disclosing costs and charges in an online environment for instance, a best practice would be to enable the client to access such information through the use of hyperlinks. ESMA also considers it a best practice when an investment firm actively informs its clients of their right of submitting such a request when providing the aggregated information. When an itemised breakdown is requested by the client, an investment firm should provide such breakdown (in a consistent way such that cost items may be aggregated) at least at the level of the cost items that are depicted in the tables included in Annex II MiFID II Delegated Regulation: • One-off charges • Ongoing charges • All costs related to transactions • Any charges that are related to ancillary services (not applicable to financial instruments) • Incidental costs Where firms use an all-in fee, the all in-fee should be disclosed under the relevant cost item (for example “ongoing charges”). For all other cost items covered by the all in-fee (or not charged at all), the firm should indicate a ‘zero’. For costs not covered by the all-in fee (for example, stamp duties, or exit or entry fees paid to the fund manager), the costs incurred shall be disclosed in the relevant category. Moreover, for the avoidance of doubt, ESMA notes that also in case of all-in fees, in accordance with Article 50(2) of the MiFID II Delegated Regulation firms must disclose separately any third-party payments received in their aggregated disclosure of costs and charges. The obligation to aggregate costs and charges is without prejudice to any other obligations to provide clients with cost information. For instance, for financial instruments that are within the scope of PRIIPs Regulation, a KID will be distributed to retail investors by investment firms that advise or sell a PRIP, thus providing information on ex-ante costs and charges per individual PRIIP. \[1\] ESMA notes that in the case of independent advice and portfolio management, the investment firm must transfer all fees, commissions or monetary benefits received from third parties in full to the client (Article 12(1) of the Delegated Directive) and clients shall be informed about the fees, commissions or monetary benefits transferred to them. \[2\] The table is included for illustrational purposes only and ESMA does not intend to suggest a prescriptive format (i.e format, colour, font size etc). *** **Source:** [ESMA original document](https://www.esma.europa.eu/publications-data/questions-answers/2024)