contingent deferred sales charge


Contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC)

The formal name for the load of a back-end load fund.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

The formal name for the load in a back-end load fund. A CDSC is the fee paid when a shareholder sells shares in a mutual fund within a certain number of years. That is, when an investor initially buys a share in a back-end load fund, he/she agrees to pay a third party, usually a financial institution or broker, a certain percentage of the share's value if he/she decides to sell it within five to 10 years, depending on the specific nature of the agreement. The CDSC usually declines by the year until the maximum number of years is reached. See also: B-share.

contingent deferred sales charge

A mutual fund redemption fee that is reduced or eliminated for specified holding periods. For example, a fund might charge a 6% redemption fee for a holding period of less than one year, a 5% fee for a holding period of one to two years, and so forth. Mutual funds with a contingent deferred sales charge also generally levy an annual 12b-1 fee.