A load cup for transferring a substrate in a chemical mechanical polishing system is provided. In one embodiment, a load cup for transferring substrates in a chemical mechanical polishing system includes a substrate support having a first side adapted to support a substrate thereon and at least one actuator coupled to the substrate support and adapted to move the substrate support laterally. In another embodiment, a method for transferring a substrate between a polishing head and a load cup includes sensing a position of the polishing head relative to the load cup and automatically aligning the load cup and polishing head in response to the sensed relative position.