Answered from ETFIQ data as of Sep 4, 2026.

How does a buffer ETF reset?

On the last day of its outcome period the options expire, and the next day the fund strikes a new cap from that day's option prices while the buffer starts again from zero. ETFIQ tracks 245 buffer ETFs, and 8 of the ones shown here reset within 45 days of Sep 4, 2026.

A fund carries its freshest cap in the days after it resets, and its least remaining room just before. That is why the same ticker can look generous in January and exhausted in November.

The buffer resets too. A fund whose index fell during the period, using part of the buffer, starts the next period with the whole buffer intact and a cap struck at the new level.

Because caps are set by the option market, they move with volatility. A calm market produces lower caps; a nervous one produces higher caps for the same buffer.

On the desk today

Ticker	Fund	Period ends	Days left	State
DSEP	FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - September	Sep 18, 2026	14	At cap
FSEP	FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - September	Sep 18, 2026	14	At cap
GSEP	FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - September	Sep 18, 2026	14	At cap
QSPT	FT Vest Nasdaq-100® Buffer ETF - September	Sep 18, 2026	14	At cap
RSSE	FT Vest U.S. Equity Equal Weight Buffer ETF - September	Sep 18, 2026	14	At cap
SEPM	FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - September	Sep 18, 2026	14	At cap
SQMX	FT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly Max Buffer ETF	Sep 18, 2026	14	At cap
TSEP	FT Vest Emerging Markets Buffer ETF - September	Sep 18, 2026	14	At cap

Where to next

ETFIQ is an independent publisher of exchange-traded fund data and makes no recommendations. Every figure is stated arithmetic on published data. Standards and sources

Cite this page. ETFIQ, How does a buffer ETF reset?, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/questions/how-does-a-buffer-etf-reset.html Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.