The rules they do not put on the pricing page
Terms that can cost you an account or a payout after you have paid.
267 hidden rules124 close the account outright
What can this rule do to you?
Kind of rule
Consistency
Limits on how much of your profit may come from one day or one trade.
Funding Pips
Closes the accountStriking System: four warnings and the account is gone
On eligible Master Accounts a trade idea that reaches roughly 1% of account size in floating loss generates a warning. The consequences escalate: first warning takes the profit from that trade idea, second halves your reward split, third cuts it to 20%, fourth breaches the account. Crucially the warnings do not reset after a payout. They follow the account.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
Zero requires 7 profitable days in every 30
The Zero model requires a minimum of 7 profitable days per 30-day period, and a day only counts if it closes at least 0.25% up. A profitable but inactive month can therefore fail an account that has broken no loss limit.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
FundingPips Zero: your worst day is measured against your best
On Zero your biggest winning day must not exceed 15% of total profit, and a 15% consistency score is required before a reward can be requested. Your biggest loss must not exceed your biggest win. You keep trading until it does not. Floating loss above 1% of account size is a hard breach, and 7 profitable days of at least 0.25% are needed in every 30-day cycle.
Alpha Capital Group
Blocks the payoutOne day cannot be 40% of your profit
On on-demand payouts, no single trading day may represent more than 40% of your total cumulative profit before you can request a withdrawal. One outsized day therefore delays the payout rather than earning it. You have to trade on to dilute it.
Crypto Fund Trader
Blocks the payoutConsistency is checked only when you ask to be paid
The consistency rule is applied at the moment a reward request is submitted, not during trading. You can trade the whole period believing you are compliant and find out at payout that you are not.
Finotive FundingBlocks the payoutTrading one instrument too heavily is itself a breach
Once you have ten or more closed trades in a Payout Cycle, Finotive checks concentration: if 70% or more of those trades, or 70% or more of your total exposure, are on the same symbol in the same direction, that is Excessive One-Sided Position Concentration. Requesting a payout while the condition is active records a Conditional Strike and cuts that payout to 10%. Their own wording says it does not require a 50/50 buy-sell balance and does not prohibit trading one instrument, but a specialist who only trades gold long will meet it.
Moneta Funded
Blocks the payoutInstant Funding carries a consistency rule you choose at checkout
Instant Funding is sold with either a 15% or a 20% consistency requirement, picked as an add-on when you buy, and the profit split moves with it. No other route in the range has one. It is a term of the product rather than a rule published on a rules page.
- Funding PipsBlocks the payout
Winning too fast adds a minimum-days requirement to your funded account
On every evaluation model, taking more than 60% of the profit target in a single trade idea means a minimum of 4 profitable days is applied to the Master account you go on to receive. A good trade during the challenge therefore changes the terms of the funded account it earns you.
Blue GuardianBlocks the payoutOne good day can hold your payout indefinitely
A 20% consistency rule applies to Instant accounts: no single day may be more than 20% of your total profit in the payout period. It does not close the account, "your account will not be breached/terminated if you violate the 20% rule", but you cannot withdraw until it is satisfied, and the only way to satisfy it is to keep trading and make more profit on other days. One exceptional day therefore locks the money it made behind further trading.
- Funding PipsBlocks the payout
One big winner can cost you four more trading days
If a single trade idea makes more than 60% of the phase profit target, four minimum profitable days of 0.5% each are added on the Master account. It applies at $25K and above, at every size on 1-Step Flex, and only to accounts bought on or after 27 June 2026. Passing quickly on one good trade is what triggers it.
BrightFundedBlocks the payoutA minute is what makes a trading day count
Evaluation needs 5 trading days in each phase, and a trade only counts toward one if it stays open for at least a minute. An add-on removes the minimum entirely. Funded accounts have no minimum.
- Alpha Capital GroupBlocks the payout
A partial withdrawal resets your consistency score
On the On-Demand method taking part of your profit resets the consistency score to zero whatever you leave in the account. A new consistency window starts with your next trade.
FundedHeroBlocks the payoutLot size can only change by a set amount between trades
On 1-Step and 2-Step accounts each trade can differ from the previous one by at most 2 lots on currencies and 0.5 lots on indices and gold (1 and 0.25 lots on FastPass and Instant). Breaking the limit can block payouts.
Lucid Trading
Blocks the payoutLucidDirect caps your best day at 20% of profit
On a straight to funded account the largest single day must be no more than 20% of total profit in the payout cycle, so one good trade can hold up the payout until four more days of profit catch up to it. The rule resets after each payout and stops applying only once you are moved to a live account.
- Lucid TradingBlocks the payout
LucidBLACK tightens consistency from 60% to 40% once funded
The evaluation lets your best day be 60% of total profit, which is a two day pass. The funded account cuts that to 40% in every payout cycle, so the way you passed is not the way you get paid.
Orion FundedBlocks the payoutBest day rule before a reward
On Orion Zero and Orion Nova funded accounts, your single best profit day cannot be more than 20% of the profit in the reward cycle. Until it is, the request is not allowed. It does not apply to Standard, Swing or Select.
FunderBlu
Blocks the payout30% best-day rule on Standard Instant and Gen Z 1 Step
On these two accounts, a single day that makes more than 30% of your total profit can lead to a review, a profit adjustment or a denied payout.
- Finotive FundingJudgement call
During the challenge you are not told when you break these rules
Finotive states plainly that during Challenge and Pro Challenge it will not issue real-time dashboard alerts, email alerts, platform notifications, Early Soft Warnings, Formal Warnings or Conditional Strike indicators for the warning-based and conditional-strike rules. Findings are collected and handed to you in a Challenge Phase Progression Report after you pass the stage. You can therefore trade an entire challenge building up findings you have no way of seeing.
Audacity CapitalJudgement callThe consistency rule applies to free competitions only
Worth recording because the assumption usually runs the other way. On the funded and challenge accounts they state plainly: "No consistency rule required. There is no consistency rule in place." One exists only for free competition accounts, and it is about shape rather than percentages: "Traders must maintain consistency in trade duration and lot sizes to meet the 4-day minimum trading requirement", illustrated with one 15-lot trade followed by three days of 0.1-lot trades failing the test.
EZE FundedJudgement callPassing is not the same as being funded
After the final phase there is a discretionary review of your trading, your rule compliance and your overall performance before any account is issued. The pass itself does not oblige the firm to fund you. The terms allow the funded account to be refused or cancelled on the back of that review.
Drawdown
How the loss limit is measured, which is rarely the headline number.
- Alpha Capital GroupCloses the account
Trailing drawdown follows your high-water mark
The 6% maximum drawdown trails your peak equity rather than sitting at your starting balance. Get up 5% and your floor rises with you, so a normal retracement from a good run can close the account even though you are still in profit overall.
- Crypto Fund TraderCloses the account
Only 5% total drawdown, fixed to the starting balance
Maximum overall loss is 5% of the initial balance. That is roughly half what most firms allow, and it does not rise as you profit. The floor stays where you started.
Maven TradingCloses the accountDaily loss limit is only 2%
The daily loss limit is 2%, under half the industry norm. On a $100,000 account that is $2,000, which a single leveraged position can reach inside a normal session.
- Moneta FundedCloses the account
The instant routes use a trailing drawdown, the others do not
Instant Funding (5%) and Instant Pro (8%) measure maximum loss on a TRAILING basis, so the limit follows your equity up and never comes back down. One-Step, Two-Step, Phoenix and Sprint are static. Two accounts with the same headline percentage can therefore fail in completely different ways.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
On Zero, floating loss alone can end the account
Zero carries a Max Open Risk of 1%: your floating profit and loss may not go below -1% of the account. You can be within the 3% daily and 5% trailing limits and still breach on an open position that has not been closed.
FTMO
Closes the accountBoth routes say 10% max loss; only one of them means the same thing
On the 2-Step the 10% maximum loss is STATIC, measured from your starting balance and fixed. On the 1-Step it is END-OF-DAY TRAILING: each day the limit is set to your highest previous midnight balance minus 10%, so it ratchets upward with your profits and never comes back down. Two accounts advertising the same number can fail in completely different ways, and the comparison table is the only place FTMO puts them side by side.
- Blue GuardianCloses the account
An automated system can halve your profit split, permanently
Guardian Shield closes every open position when the floating loss on them reaches 1% of the account. Their own words: "This is a soft breach." The consequences are not soft. The first trigger cuts the profit split to 50% and the second ends the account outright, and the help centre states plainly that "the Guardian Shield does not reset once triggered and the profit split cannot be reinstated. These changes are permanent and cannot be reversed." A trader who buys the 90% add-on and trips this twice has paid extra for a split they no longer have.
- Blue GuardianCloses the account
Floating profit at 5pm raises the floor you can breach against
The daily loss limit is 3%, measured from "the higher figure of either the account balance or account equity" at the 5pm EST reset. Their own example: hold a trade $2,000 in profit at the reset on a $100K account and the limit is calculated from $102,000. So the equity floor moves up with it. A position that is merely green at the wrong minute tightens the next day against you.
Aqua FundedCloses the accountWave Stop cuts your split to 50% then breaches the account
On funded accounts other than instant funding, open trades hitting a 2% loss are closed automatically. The first time your profit split drops to 50% and the second time the account is breached.
- FTMOCloses the account
Sitting at an 8% to 10% loss for 30 days can end the Challenge
Keeping the Challenge account in a loss of 8% to 10% of starting capital for more than 30 calendar days also counts as prolonged inactivity. Trades placed just to dodge this rule are treated the same way.
FXIFYCloses the accountA payout locks max drawdown at your starting balance
On 1 and 2 Phase Standard funded accounts the max drawdown locks at the starting balance once you request a payout. Withdrawing all profit leaves no cushion so the next trade can breach the account.
MyFundedFuturesCloses the accountRapid sim funded drawdown trails intraday and locks at $100
On the Rapid Sim Funded account the $2,000 max loss follows your intraday equity high until it reaches $100. After that the balance must never fall below $100 or the account is breached.
Pipstone CapitalCloses the accountFloating loss limit on open trades
Open trades may not sit in floating loss beyond the account's floating risk limit, listed as 1.5% on 1-Step and 2-Step funded accounts and 1% on Instant Funding. The first offence cuts the payout and closes the account after it is paid.
SharkFundedCloses the accountA 1% floating loss closes a funded account
On funded and instant accounts your open trades can never show a combined loss of 1% of the balance. Two positions open together count as one trade and the account closes even if price comes back.
Sure Leverage FundingCloses the accountEquity 1% below starting balance halves your split
On Instant Funding Static, Instant Funding Zero, Instant Funding Trailing and EA Challenge accounts equity falling more than 1% below the starting balance counts as a breach. The first breach halves your profit split and the second closes the account unless you bought the removal add-on.
Take Profit TraderCloses the accountPRO drawdown trails unrealized profit during the day
In PRO the trailing drawdown moves up with open profit in real time, not at the end of the day like the test. Giving back a winning trade can liquidate the account.
Top One FuturesCloses the accountRequesting a payout locks the drawdown floor at start balance plus $100
Once you request a payout the trailing drawdown stops trailing and is fixed at your starting balance plus $100. Withdrawing most of your profit leaves very little room before a breach.
TopstepCloses the accountMaximum Loss Limit resets to zero after every payout
Once you take an XFA payout your loss limit is pinned at a $0 balance for good. Any later drop below zero ends the account.
TradeifyCloses the accountEnd of day drawdown is still enforced in real time
The drawdown floor only moves at the close, but your net liquidation value including open losses is checked against it all day. Touching it once fails the account even if you recover.
- TradeifyCloses the account
Requesting a payout locks the drawdown floor
On funded accounts the floor locks at starting balance plus $100 once you are $100 past the drawdown amount or as soon as you request a payout. A large withdrawal can leave little room above that fixed floor.
- FTMOCloses the account
Futures: the trailing drawdown is checked against live equity
The FTMO Futures drawdown limit trails your highest end-of-day balance but is breached the moment live equity, including open profit and loss and commissions, touches it. It stops rising at your starting balance and stays there, so on a funded account every dollar you withdraw comes out of your buffer.
- Lucid TradingCloses the account
Taking a payout drops your drawdown back to $100 of room
The max loss limit trails your highest closing balance until the account passes the initial trail balance, then it locks. Request a payout on LucidFLEX and the limit resets to the locked balance, which is the starting balance plus $100. On a $25,000 account that is $25,100, so the cushion you spent weeks building is gone the day you take money out.
- Orion FundedCloses the account
Daily loss is measured on live equity
The daily loss limit is checked against real time equity, so floating losses on an open trade can breach it before you close anything. The baseline is the greater of the previous day closing balance or equity, and it resets at midnight UTC.
- EZE FundedCloses the account
Floating loss breaches the account and recovery does not save it
Maximum drawdown is measured on equity, so an open position that dips through the line kills the account at that moment. Pulling the trade back into profit afterwards does not reverse it. A breached account is closed permanently with no reset and no refund.
- Finotive FundingBlocks the payout
Unrealised loss is capped per symbol, not just per account
Floating Drawdown is measured as the unrealised loss across all your open positions on the SAME symbol, combined, as a percentage of the initial balance. The threshold is 1.5% on Instant Funding and 2.0% during Challenge and Pro Challenge. On Instant Funding the first breach is a Formal Warning; from the second onward, each event is a Strike and a payout cut to 10%. You can be well inside your account drawdown and still breach this by holding several open positions on one instrument.
- EZE FundedJudgement call
Profit is added into the drawdown the FAQ calls static
The One Step maximum drawdown is described as 8%, static and equity based, yet the FAQ answers yes to profit increasing it and then says it stays static. The two statements do not sit together, so the real floor on a One Step account in profit is not established by the published pages.
Payout
What can reduce, delay or void money you have already made.
- Finotive FundingCloses the account
Five strikes and the account is closed permanently
Most rule breaks at Finotive are not instant failures. Each confirmed breach records one Strike and cuts your Reward Payment to 10% for that entire Payout Cycle. Five cumulative Strikes close the account permanently. The consequence is therefore cumulative across your whole time with the firm. A Strike you took months ago still counts toward the fifth.
FundedNextCloses the accountWithdrawing all profit closes an Instant account
On Stellar Instant the 6% trailing drawdown resets to the initial balance once you are 6% or more in profit. You must then leave a profit buffer in the account: withdrawing everything you have made results in the account being closed.
- SharkFundedCloses the account
A payout request past the daily drawdown is a hard breach
If a payout request would take the account past its daily drawdown limit it counts as breaking the daily drawdown rule. The account is terminated so an equity cushion must be left when withdrawing.
- FTMOCloses the account
Futures: a full withdrawal on Pro can breach the drawdown
A payout request closes all open positions and is taken off the balance straight away. Withdrawing 100% on a Pro funded account pulls the balance back towards the locked drawdown limit, and FTMO warns this can breach it.
Earn2TradeVoids profitSmall withdrawals are paid at a 50% split
The split is set by the size of each single withdrawal, not your total profit. On a TCP 25 account a withdrawal under $1,500 is paid at 50% instead of 80%.
- FundedHeroVoids profit
Profit you do not request at payout is forfeited
Requesting any payout resets the account to its starting balance whatever the amount. Profit left in the account is lost for good so request the full available amount each time.
- FundedHeroVoids profit
Daily profit above $3,000 does not count on funded accounts
On every funded account profit above $3,000 in one day is removed from the payout calculation. The account is not breached but the extra profit is not paid.
- MyFundedFuturesVoids profit
Pro Plan profits above the live cap are lost on transfer to live
When the risk team moves a Pro sim funded trader to live, profit is carried over only up to the plan maximum. Anything above that is forfeited.
- Take Profit TraderVoids profit
Profit inside the PRO buffer only pays out when the account closes
Money below the buffer (starting balance plus max drawdown) can only be withdrawn by terminating the PRO account. It is paid at 50% if the account traded 60 days or fewer.
- Lucid TradingVoids profit
Simulated profit above the move to live cap is forfeited
Lucid moves you from the simulated funded account to live capital after your final payout, and each size has a cap on how much simulated profit transfers: $4,000 on a $25,000 LucidFLEX account, $12,000 on $100,000. Anything above the cap is written off. Only part of the cap lands in the live account on day one, $1,200 of the $4,000 on a $25,000 account, and the rest sits in escrow to be earned back against performance benchmarks. This applies to accounts bought or reset on 27 February 2026 and before.
- Alpha Capital GroupBlocks the payout
Five trading days before your first payout
The first withdrawal needs at least $100 profit and a minimum of five trading days. Passing quickly does not mean being paid quickly.
BitfundedBlocks the payoutTwo payouts per 30 days, per challenge
You may request up to two payouts every 30 days on the same challenge. Profits made after the second request wait for the next window.
- Blue GuardianBlocks the payout
A payout can be refused for poor risk management alone
Blue Guardian reserves the right to terminate an account or deny a withdrawal request where it considers that a customer has abused margin availability or has not applied an appropriate risk management strategy. No threshold is given for what counts as appropriate, so this is judgement exercised after the profit has been made.
- FTMOBlocks the payout
1-Step only: the Best Day Rule can hold up your pass or your payout
On the FTMO Challenge: 1-Step and the 1-Step FTMO Account, your best day may not be more than 50% of your positive days' profit. FTMO lists it as a Trading Objective, not a consistency rule, and going over it is not a breach: you keep trading until your best day is 50% or less before you can pass or be paid. The 2-Step has no Best Day Rule.
- Blue GuardianBlocks the payout
The 90% profit split is a paid extra; the account pays 80%
The pricing page advertises a split of "up to 90%". The help centre gives the Instant account's split as "80% (Optional 90% add-on available)". The higher number is a purchase, not a term of the account.
- Blue GuardianBlocks the payout
A trading day only counts if you make money that day
Five minimum trading days sounds like five days at the screen. Their definition: "A trading day is counted on any day where at least 0.5% profit is achieved." Days you trade and lose, or trade and break even, do not count toward the five you need before you can request a payout.
- Funding PipsBlocks the payout
FundingPips Zero: the first 3% of profit is not yours to withdraw
Zero holds a safety cushion. The first 3% of profit made on the Master account can never be requested as a reward. The trailing drawdown locks at the initial balance once 5% profit is reached, and does not reset after a payout.
- BrightFundedBlocks the payout
The 1-Step drawdown stops trailing at 6%
On the 1-Step account the trailing limit follows equity until you are 6% above the initial balance, at which point it locks at the original balance and stops moving. Everything made after that is yours to lose without breaching.
- BrightFundedBlocks the payout
The 15% evaluation bonus has to be asked for
Reach 10% growth on funded accounts and you are issued a new account whose starting balance includes a 15% bonus calculated from your Phase 1 and Phase 2 profit. Growth can be combined only within the same linked chain, not across separate funded accounts, and the bonus is not applied automatically: you must contact support to request it.
- Audacity CapitalBlocks the payout
Instant funding does not mean an instant payout
The Funded Trader Programme hands you a live account with no evaluation, but the money is still gated: "Payouts eligibility and progression are based on reaching a 10% profit mark." Until the account is 10% up, there is nothing to withdraw. Their own guide is explicit that the 10% here is not an evaluation target, it is the payout gate, which is a distinction most instant-funding marketing does not draw.
- Audacity CapitalBlocks the payout
Trading is frozen for one to three days while they review you
Reaching the milestone triggers a risk review, listed as 1-3 working days, and their guide records the state of the account during it as "Trading during review: Paused." So the reward for a good run is a closed platform for up to three working days. Approval moves the profit into a dashboard wallet and issues a scaled account; the external withdrawal then follows the platform payout schedule, which is a further step again.
- Aqua FundedBlocks the payout
First two payouts on $100k+ accounts capped at $10,000
On accounts of $100K or more each of the first two reward requests can withdraw at most $10,000. The cap is lifted after the second withdrawal.
- Earn2TradeBlocks the payout
Miss the Friday cutoff and your payout waits another week
Requests must reach the prop firm by email by 2:00 PM CT on Friday to be paid the following Wednesday. A later request rolls to the next weekly run.
Hola PrimeBlocks the payoutNext payout date only moves once you trade again
The next withdrawal date is calculated from the day a trade is executed. If you place no trade after a payout request the system does not update the date so your next payout waits.
- Lucid TradingBlocks the payout
LucidFlex pays at most 50% of profit and moves you live after 5 payouts
Each LucidFlex payout is capped at 50% of profit up to a fixed dollar amount by account size. After 5 payouts the account is moved to live.
OneUp TraderBlocks the payoutOnly profit above a fixed threshold can be withdrawn
Each account size has a profit buffer you cannot withdraw, for example $3,500 on a $100,000 account. The trader share of each withdrawal must also be at least $1,000.
- OneUp TraderBlocks the payout
Crypto payouts capped at one a week and $3,000
Crypto withdrawals are limited to one request per calendar week of up to $3,000 and can take up to 14 business days. Anything larger has to go by bank wire.
- Pipstone CapitalBlocks the payout
Instant Funding profitable days reset after every payout
On Instant Funding accounts you must complete a set of profitable trading days before each payout request. The count goes back to zero after every payout.
- Sure Leverage FundingBlocks the payout
Half your trades flagged means the payout is declined
Profit from each trade that breaks a funded rule is removed at payout and 20 soft breaches close the account. If half or more of your trades are flagged the payout is declined and a second declined payout closes the account.
- FTMOBlocks the payout
Futures: payout days only count above a minimum profit
A futures payout needs 4 qualifying days on Growth or 5 on Pro in the cycle, and a day only qualifies if it closes $150 to $500 in profit, depending on plan and size. Small winning days and losing days do not count.
- FTMOBlocks the payout
Futures: half of every payout must be new profit
At least 50% of each futures payout request must be profit made in the current cycle, so profit you left in the account can only come out alongside an equal amount of new profit. Growth accounts can also withdraw only 50% of profit, and every request is capped.
- FunderBluBlocks the payout
The first payout is capped at $5,000
The first reward on Standard, Gen Z and Turbo accounts is capped at $5,000, and the rest waits for the next cycle. Instant Live caps every request at 3% of the initial balance.
- Lucid TradingBlocks the payout
Five separate days making a minimum amount before each payout
A LucidFLEX payout needs profit on five different days in the cycle, and each of those days has to clear a floor: $100 on a $25,000 account, $150 on $50,000, $200 on $100,000, $250 on $150,000. Smaller green days do not count toward the five, and the requirement resets after every approved payout.
- Lucid TradingBlocks the payout
The first LucidDirect payout goal is the highest one
Profit goal 1 is $1,500 on a $25,000 account, then $1,250 for every payout after it. The gap is wider higher up: $6,000 then $3,500 on $100,000, and $9,000 then $4,500 on $150,000. Each payout is also capped, from $1,000 on a $25,000 account to $3,500 on $150,000, so a large balance comes out in slices.
- FunderBluBlocks the payout
The 24-hour payout promise is 24 to 72 hours in the help centre
FunderBlu’s home page sells a "Lightning-Fast 24H Rewards" and an "Express 24-hour reward promise". Its own help centre says rewards are processed in 24 to 72 business hours, Monday to Friday, and that a payout request can take up to 72 business hours just to come back with feedback. Over a weekend, 72 business hours is the following week.
- FunderBluBlocks the payout
Nothing is refundable once the account has been opened
All purchases are final once access to the evaluation is delivered, and FunderBlu is explicit that an account which has been accessed or traded is not refunded at all. The only exceptions are duplicate payments, a technical failure that stopped the account being created, and billing errors FunderBlu caused, and those must be raised at support@funderblu.com within 7 days of purchase. Failing the challenge is not a refund.
- FunderBluBlocks the payout
Turbo's real price falls due after you pass
FunderBlu advertises Turbo from $15.99 for any account size. That is an entry payment, not the price. Pass and the full Standard price falls due within 7 days or the account is never activated: $42.99 on a $5K 2 Step, rising to $1,097.99 on a $200K, and $49.99 to $699.99 on the 1 Step. The $15.99 is itself a 30% coupon on a $22.84 list price, and $19.99 on Turbo 1 Step is the same 30% off $28.55. Add-ons bought with a Turbo account are charged again when it is funded.
- Orion FundedBlocks the payout
First 3% of profit is not withdrawable
On Orion Zero and Orion Nova, the first 3% of profit is held as a buffer and cannot be requested as a reward.
- EZE FundedBlocks the payout
Payouts can be frozen while a breach is investigated
The marketing promises money in five minutes to an hour with no committee, but the terms let the firm hold or refuse a payout for as long as it is looking into a suspected breach. No time limit is given for that investigation.
- FTMOJudgement call
On the 1-Step, taking a payout resets your loss limit downward
Their own wording: the trailing limit can only increase, never decrease, but when a Reward is withdrawn and a new FTMO Account is provided, the Maximum Loss Limit fully resets, returning the first-day limit to 90% of the initial capital. A trader who has built a cushion of profit gives that cushion up by taking money out.
- Sure Leverage FundingJudgement call
Every payout resets the account to starting balance
After each approved payout the account goes back to its starting balance. You start every cycle with no profit cushion above your drawdown limits.
- FTMOJudgement call
Futures: the evaluation keeps billing monthly after a breach
FTMO Futures evaluations are a monthly subscription, not a one-time fee. If you breach, the subscription stays active and you get a new account on the next billing date unless you cancel or pay a reset fee. Billing only stops when you pass or cancel.
- EZE FundedJudgement call
Scaling needs four payouts and a breakeven finish
The account only doubles if the two month cycle shows 10% profit, four separate payouts taken and a close at breakeven or better. Taking fewer payouts, or finishing the cycle down, leaves the account at its current size with no second chance at that cycle.
- EZE FundedJudgement call
The 95% split is not in the rules anywhere
The A Book page advertises a split that climbs from 80% to 95%. Every other page, the FAQ and the terms included, says the split is a flat 80% at every account size with nothing above it. No page sets out how 95% would be reached.
Automation
EAs, copy trading, VPS and latency.
- Crypto Fund TraderCloses the account
Tick scalping is banned, manual or automated
Tick scalping is prohibited whether performed by hand or through an EA, bot or script. This is separate from the EA rule, using an allowed EA to run a disallowed strategy still breaches.
ThinkCapitalCloses the accountCopy trading closes the account the moment it is detected
Their stated procedure for copy trading on simulated funded accounts is immediate: the account is terminated and all open positions are closed on detection. There is no warning step and no appeal window described.
- BrightFundedCloses the account
Copy trading is allowed only between your own accounts
BrightFunded permits copy trading only between accounts owned by the same individual. Copying another person, or being copied, falls outside that permission. So a shared strategy between two traders is not covered even where both are paying customers.
- BrightFundedCloses the account
Grid trading and tick scalping are named as exploitative
Their terms list Grid Trading, High-Frequency Trading, Tick Scalping and Arbitrage, along with any strategy that does not adhere to live market conditions, as exploitative and not to be used. Grid trading in particular is a strategy plenty of traders run without thinking of it as an exploit.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
A personal EA needs proof you wrote it
Full automation is allowed only with an EA the trader developed, and ownership must be evidenced with source code, version history or development records. A compiled file on its own is not accepted. Third-party EAs are permitted only as trade or risk managers; any other use means the evaluation or reward is denied and the account is closed.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
Copying from anyone else ends the account, your own accounts are fine
Copying between your own FundingPips accounts registered to you is permitted, and your account may act as master to an external slave account. What ends the account is copying between accounts owned by different users, coordinated trading across master accounts, and inbound copying from a signal provider or copier service where your account is the slave. Third-party account management results in immediate termination.
- BrightFundedCloses the account
Copy trading is yours only, across any firm
You may copy between accounts you personally own, including at other prop firms and retail brokers. Copying between accounts with different owners is strictly prohibited. BrightFunded partners with Prop Firm One so cross-firm copying can be run from one platform without breaching this.
- Audacity CapitalCloses the account
Only an EA you wrote yourself is allowed
Their prohibited-practices page bans "Running an EA, bot, or algorithm that you did not personally build", and spells out what that covers: "Commercially sold EAs, EAs coded by someone else, or EAs downloaded/shared from external sources". A bought robot is not a grey area here, and neither is one a friend wrote for you.
- Audacity CapitalCloses the account
Copy trading only between accounts you own
Their wording: "Copy trading is allowed between your own accounts within Audacity Capital, copying from an external account is allowed only if the account belongs to you. Third-party copying is not permitted." Mirroring a signal provider, or letting anyone manage the account for you, is out.
- FXIFYCloses the account
Running an EA without pre-approval can void profits
EAs need support approval before use on phase accounts. Using one without approval can get the account suspended with no right to the profits.
- FTMOCloses the account
Futures: HFT, latency arbitrage and simulation edges are banned
Automated trading is allowed on FTMO Futures, but high-frequency strategies, latency arbitrage and anything that exploits price delays or simulation-only features are forbidden, at FTMO's judgement.
- Orion FundedCloses the account
Expert advisors capped at 2,000 requests a day
An EA or robot that generates more than 2,000 server requests a day, counting orders opened, modified or closed, is not permitted.
- EZE FundedCloses the account
The challenge page says EAs are welcome, the FAQ bans them
The rulebook section of the challenge page lists expert advisors and algos as allowed, in those words. The FAQ, which the terms name as part of the contract, says EAs, bots and automated systems are prohibited outright. A trader who buys on the strength of the challenge page and then runs a bot is breaching the rules.
- FundedNextVoids profit
You must trade the funded account the way you traded the challenge
The same strategy and the same method, manual or EA, must be used in both stages; switching either way is prohibited. So is passing on one asset class or symbol group and then moving to another, or materially raising margin or risk usage, once funded.
- FundedNextVoids profit
EAs are an add-on, and capped at $300,000 per strategy
Expert Advisors are not included: they are bought as an add-on, work only on MetaTrader 4 and 5, and must be customised to your own style. Identical trades across accounts are not allowed, and any single EA or bot strategy is capped at $300,000 of total allocation.
- Lucid TradingVoids profit
High frequency trading is a warning first, then your profits
Automated strategies that fire a high volume of orders in seconds are flagged by their risk systems. The first offence is a written warning. Repeat it and the profits made that way are removed, and access can be withdrawn for good.
- FTMOJudgement call
An EA sending over 2,000 server requests a day is forbidden
EAs are allowed but one that opens, modifies or closes orders more than 2,000 times a day overloads the server. That is listed as a forbidden trading practice.
- Hola PrimeJudgement call
Same EA as other traders shares one capital limit
Accounts running identical or very similar strategies are grouped and capped by one combined allocation. Hola Prime can refuse the funded account, rebalance it or terminate related accounts.
- TopstepJudgement call
No ProjectX API bots on the Live Funded Account
Automation is allowed on the Live Funded Account but not through the ProjectX API. A bot that worked on your XFA through the API has to be switched off after the call-up.
- TradeifyJudgement call
Bot users may have to prove sole ownership on a live video
Tradeify scans for matching orders on other accounts and can ask for a live video of you starting the code on your own PC. A bot shared with others or also run at other firms breaks the policy.
- FunderBluJudgement call
The terms ban automated tools and bots
FunderBlu's terms say you will not use automated tools or bots, and it publishes no separate EA policy, while its home page says the platform supports expert advisors. Ask FunderBlu in writing before running an EA.
News
What you may do around a high-impact release.
Funding TradersCloses the accountNews trading banned on Instant accounts only
On Instant Funded accounts, opening, closing or holding a position inside the restricted window around high-impact news is not allowed. Evaluation accounts are treated differently, so the rule you read may not be the rule on your plan.
The Trading Pit
Closes the accountNews trading banned on the larger CFD accounts
News trading is not permitted on $100,000 and $200,000 CFD accounts during either the challenge or the earning phase. The smaller accounts are not covered by the same restriction, so the rule depends on the size you bought.
- ThinkCapitalCloses the account
News trading is banned unless you bought the add-on
Trading is prohibited from two minutes before to two minutes after a scheduled news release unless you purchased the News Trading add-on, or your challenge permits news trading by default. The restriction applies to the funded phase as well as the evaluation. This is not a challenge-only rule, and their own help pages describe accounts being terminated for breaking it.
- Moneta FundedCloses the account
Five of the six routes ban news trading outright
One-Step, Two-Step, Instant Funding, Phoenix and Sprint all bar trading the news. Only Instant Pro permits it. Sprint goes further and bars trading around the market open and close as well. Which route you bought decides whether an ordinary news trade is a breach.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
News trading is a hard breach once funded
Allowed freely during evaluation. On a funded account, orders executed 5 minutes either side of high-impact news or speeches on the affected instrument are prohibited and any profit in that window is voided; trading the news deliberately terminates the account. On FundingPips Zero the window is 10 minutes either side and holding through it at all is a hard breach.
- FTMOCloses the account
Stop loss or take profit hit during the news window is a breach
On Standard funded accounts you may hold a trade through news but if its Stop Loss or Take Profit fills inside the 2 minute window it counts as a breach. That can terminate the FTMO Account.
- Lucid TradingCloses the account
USD red folder news is a hard breach on LucidDaily funded accounts
You must be flat from 1 minute before to 1 minute after high impact USD news. Holding or opening a position in that window breaches the funded account.
- Orion FundedCloses the account
News trading as a strategy is banned outright
Separately from the 2 minute window, trading the news as a strategy is prohibited on every program and in every phase, including the evaluation where no window applies.
- Funding PipsVoids profit
News profits are deducted rather than simply disallowed
Once funded, positions may not be opened or closed within 5 minutes either side of a high-impact red-folder event on the affected currency, and profits made from news are deducted. Trades opened more than 5 hours before the event are excluded from the restriction.
- Blue GuardianVoids profit
News trading is barred outright on accounts bought after 13 November 2025
The summary at the top of their own rules page says news trading is merely restricted to a five-minute window either side of red-folder events. Further down the same page: "We do not allow news trading on instant standard accounts purchased after 13th November 2025." Profits earned in a news window are removed "without any account violation". You keep the account and lose the money, which is why this does not show up in breach statistics.
- FXIFYVoids profit
Instant Funding Lite trades near news must close 5 minutes early
Orders must be closed at least 5 minutes before high-impact news or held until 5 minutes after. A trade that hits take profit inside the window is void and its profit is ignored while any loss stands.
- Orion FundedVoids profit
Two minute news window on funded accounts
On funded Nova, Standard and Select accounts there is a 2 minute window before and after any high impact event in which you cannot open, close, modify or place stop orders. Profit from a breach can be adjusted, deducted or voided, and repeated breaches deactivate the account.
- Finotive FundingBlocks the payout
Hedging around red news is banned for 15 minutes either side
Straddled, offsetting or equivalent hedged exposure on the same or correlated instruments is prohibited within fifteen minutes before or after Red or Amber events on the Forex Factory calendar, earnings and geopolitical events, where the purpose is to capture the volatility. Note the window is measured both ways: a hedge placed a quarter of an hour before the release is inside it.
- Blue GuardianBlocks the payout
Betting the account on a news event is named as abuse
Their terms describe a prohibited "Boom or Bust" approach, where the success or failure of the account rests on one trade, or a series of trades connected to a major news event, and separately name excessive risk taking exacerbated by news events. Both are assessed after the fact, on the shape of your trading rather than on a number you can watch.
- FundedNextBlocks the payout
News trades pay 40% less, funded and instant only
News trading is unrestricted during the evaluation. On a Funded or Instant account any trade opened within 5 minutes either side of a high-impact news event falls under a 40% news profit split. So the account you paid to reach is the one where the rule starts costing you.
- BrightFundedBlocks the payout
News profits are deducted, news losses are not refunded
No restriction during evaluation. On funded accounts nothing may be executed on an affected instrument within 5 minutes either side of major news, pending orders and stop-losses and take-profits included. Profit made in that 10-minute window is deducted as a soft breach; losses in it are not compensated. Positions opened more than 5 minutes before may be held and modified, though an SL or TP filled inside the window still counts. Anything open 48 hours or more is exempt. The asymmetry is the point worth noticing: the window can only cost you.
- Top One FuturesBlocks the payout
News window on Elite Daily and Elite ACCESS funded accounts
On these funded accounts you may not open, close or modify orders from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after high impact news. A violation can remove the profit from that trade and get the payout denied.
- Orion FundedBlocks the payout
Orion Zero pays half on trades near news
On Orion Zero, news trading is permitted, but a trade opened or closed within 5 minutes of a high impact event is rewarded at a 50% split instead of 80%.
- Audacity CapitalJudgement call
You may not close a trade within three minutes of high-impact news
News trading is allowed in principle, with this restriction: avoid "opening, closing(TP, SL or manual) or adding to positions within 3 minutes before or after any high impact news release or speech". Read the bracket. Closing counts, and a stop loss or take profit counts as closing, so a position that is stopped out inside the window breaks the rule without the trader touching anything. The only way to comply is to be flat before the window opens.
- FTMOJudgement call
Opening trades to catch a gap around scheduled news is forbidden
Gap trading ahead of major scheduled news, macro events or earnings is listed as a forbidden practice. FTMO can remove the trades, withhold Rewards or end the agreement.
- FXIFYJudgement call
Big leveraged bets around news count as a banned strategy
News trading is allowed but large leveraged positions around major releases are treated as gambling. FXIFY judges this case by case and it can end in termination and voided profits.
- TopstepJudgement call
No full size positions into major news
Trading your full Maximum Position Size straight into a scheduled major release is a prohibited strategy. Topstep can respond with anything from a warning to a denied payout or a closed account.
- FunderBluJudgement call
Stop loss and take profit fills count inside the news window
On funded and instant accounts, any execution from 4 minutes before to 4 minutes after high-impact news is a violation, including a stop loss or take profit on a trade you opened earlier. FunderBlu's own economic calendar decides what counts as high impact, and violations are judged case by case.
Identity
Accounts, devices, IPs and who is really trading.
- Funding TradersCloses the account
Copy trading between your own Instant accounts is not allowed
Using copy-trading software between FT Instant accounts is prohibited, even when every account is yours.
Elite Trader FundingCloses the accountVPNs and IP masking are prohibited outright
ETF prohibits VPNs, proxies and any IP-masking technology on trading accounts. Traders who use a VPN routinely for privacy, or who travel, can breach without placing a bad trade.
- ThinkCapitalCloses the account
Trading like someone else can be treated as copying
ThinkCapital reserves the right to deem that users are coordinating or copying trades if multiple users place trades in the same instrument, in the same direction, within one minute of each other, or if instruments, entries and exits are identical or substantially similar. No agreement between the traders needs to be shown. Two people following the same public signal room can meet this test.
- FundedNextCloses the account
Account rolling can cost you future access
Buying several evaluations intending to sacrifice some while passing others is treated as a luck-based tactic rather than skill. Violations may lead to restrictions on new purchases or a lifetime allocation limit.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
VPN and VPS are banned, and your IP is watched
VPN and VPS connections are prohibited on any trading account. The IP region you buy from, log in from and trade from is expected to stay consistent, and drifting between them flags the account. Anyone trading from a VPS for latency, or travelling, is in breach by default.
- BrightFundedCloses the account
VPN and VPS are allowed, but only you may trade
VPNs and changing IPs are explicitly permitted for travel, unusual in this industry, where several firms treat a VPS as an automatic breach. The line is account sharing: only the owner may place trades.
- Audacity CapitalCloses the account
A VPN is prohibited unless you apply for permission first
Their standard policy is that "the use of VPN services by traders is generally prohibited due to concerns related to IP tracking and the risk of server misuse". An exception is possible but has to be asked for: the trader submits written justification of the purpose, and the request is reviewed and approved case by case. A VPS is a separate matter and is allowed where it runs an Expert Advisor. This is the rule most often reported second-hand as "tell them if you travel", which is a much weaker thing than what is written.
- Alpha Capital GroupCloses the account
Two people trading from one IP address is not allowed
Multiple users may not operate accounts through the same IP and IP masking is banned. Household members sharing an IP must tell support first or risk closure and a permanent ban.
- FXIFYCloses the account
Letting anyone else trade your account ends it
Someone else trading for you or running accounts under different names breaks the one account per customer rule. Pass your challenge services are included and the result is termination with voided profits.
- Hola PrimeCloses the account
Sharing a device with another trader gets you banned
You may only trade from your own devices and hold one registration per email, device and IP identity. Sharing a laptop or phone with another trader ends all your accounts with a permanent ban.
- MyFundedFuturesCloses the account
Sharing a device with another trader can fail the account
Trading from the same PC or phone another trader uses is forbidden. It can breach the account and lead to permanent restrictions.
- Lucid TradingCloses the account
Ten evaluations and five funded accounts, counted per household
The limit is ten accounts in total across evaluation and funded, so five funded accounts leave you five evaluations, and up to five live accounts on top. It is counted per household or family rather than per person, which catches two traders at one address.
- Orion FundedCloses the account
Nobody else may touch the account
Trading an account for someone else, or having someone else trade yours, is a forbidden practice, as is holding opposite positions across connected accounts or accounts at other firms.
- EZE FundedCloses the account
The firm can cancel a funded account after it is granted
The terms reserve the right to refuse or cancel a funded account over a failed KYC, information judged false or prohibited activity found later. There is no stated window, so this can land after you have already traded the live account.
- EZE FundedCloses the account
Only the registered holder may touch the account
Accounts cannot be transferred, sold or assigned. The person named at registration must be the one trading. The same person has to clear KYC and is the only one who can be issued the funded account or be paid.
- FunderBluBlocks the payout
Identity is only checked after you have passed
FunderBlu asks for KYC after the challenge is passed, not before it is sold. Nothing about your identity, age or country is verified at the point you pay, so a trader who cannot satisfy the checks - a Gen Z account outside 18 to 25, or a restricted nationality the checkout only asked you to tick - can pay, pass, and then be stopped at verification, with the fee non-refundable.
- FunderBluBlocks the payout
Gen Z accounts can ask for ID to prove your age at payout
Gen Z accounts are only for traders aged 18 to 25 at registration. FunderBlu may ask for government ID at onboarding or when you request a payout, and a mismatch can suspend or disqualify the account.
- SharkFundedJudgement call
Login region must match where you bought the challenge
The IP region you trade from must match the region used at purchase and stay consistent on funded accounts. Travelling without telling support first or using a VPN or proxy can trigger verification checks and trading restrictions.
- EZE FundedJudgement call
KYC sits between Phase 1 and Phase 2
On both two phase plans you cannot start Phase 2 until identity verification is finished, which the firm puts at about 24 hours and longer if it goes to manual review. Verification needs a national ID front and back plus a liveness selfie. A rejection sends the case to a human queue.
Country
Eligibility rules beyond the published country list.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
Sanctions lists apply beyond the named countries
Services are not offered to residents of jurisdictions on the FATF and EU/UN sanctions lists, in addition to Vietnam and the UAE which are named. The named list is therefore a floor, not the whole restriction.
- Take Profit TraderCloses the account
One login from a restricted country blocks the account
A single trade or even viewing market data from a restricted country is a violation, including through a VPN or remote connection. The account is restricted or blocked without exception.
- Top One FuturesCloses the account
Trading while physically in a restricted country is a hard breach
Placing trades while travelling in one of the listed restricted countries breaches the account even if you live in an allowed country. Support asks to be told about foreign travel in advance to avoid IP flags.
- Elite Trader FundingBlocks the payout
Your country can be blocked by the payment provider, not the firm
Eligibility depends on Rise, the reward provider, as well as on ETF itself. If your country is on Rise’s restricted list you cannot receive rewards even where the firm would otherwise accept you, and the list can change without the firm changing anything.
- Earn2TradeBlocks the payout
No Rise payouts in some US states and territories
Rise does not pay traders in Iowa, Minnesota, South Carolina, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands or Haiti. The prop firm picks the payment provider.
- FundedHeroBlocks the payout
Tell support before trading from another location
If you trade from a new location without telling FundedHero first the account is escalated for investigation. It can be made ineligible for payout.
- Hola PrimeJudgement call
Travelling abroad can trigger a compliance review
A change in IP location from international travel may lead to a security review and a request for travel documents. Logging in from a restricted country, even through a VPN, is prohibited and ends the account.
- TopstepJudgement call
Trading while travelling in an ineligible country
Placing trades from an ineligible country even briefly can put your account under review by the Trust team. Where you live counts more than your citizenship.
- FTMOJudgement call
Futures: 30 more countries are excluded than on FTMO's CFD accounts
FTMO Futures is not offered in 105 countries and territories, 30 more than FTMO's CFD list, including Australia, China, Vietnam and the whole of Ukraine. US residents are served by a separate FTMO company, except in Arkansas, Delaware, Louisiana, Montana and South Carolina.
- EZE FundedJudgement call
Two different country lists, neither matching the other
The FAQ says the only excluded traders are in the United States. The footer list on every page excludes thirteen other countries and regions and does not mention the United States at all. The United Arab Emirates is on the footer list while the FAQ does not mention it.
Platform
Where a platform is unavailable to you.
- FTMOCloses the account
Do not log in from the US, even on a VPN
VPS and VPN use is generally allowed, with one exception: traders travelling to the United States should not log in to MetaTrader or cTrader from there, and should not set a VPN location to the US. It is a platform licensing restriction, not a trading rule, and it is easy to trip by accident.
- MyFundedFuturesCloses the account
Forcing orders after the 4:10 PM close can disqualify you
Resubmitting an order several times after 4:10 PM EST can let it through. That trade can disqualify the account.
Funded Trading PlusVoids profitMetaTrader 5 is unavailable to US traders
The firm accepts US traders, but MetaQuotes software is not available to them through IF Pro Ltd. You would trade on another platform, worth knowing before you buy if your strategy depends on MT5 tooling.
- Funding PipsVoids profit
Lot size is capped per click, and leverage moves against size
Crypto is limited to 1 lot per click and everything else to 20. Since 16 March 2026 metals, indices and energies on Master accounts run temporary dynamic leverage that falls as you size up: 1:50 under 0.05 lots, down through 1:20 at 0.15, to 1:5 at half a lot and above.
- Moneta FundedJudgement call
MetaTrader 5 is unavailable to traders in the US and Canada
Their checkout states that MT5 is unavailable for clients from the USA and Canada. This is a platform restriction rather than a country ban, MatchTrader remains available, but if you were counting on MT5, the account you buy will not run it.
Re-entry
Rules that join separate trades together if you go back in too soon.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
Re-entering within 10 minutes counts as the same trade
Close a losing trade and open another in the same direction on the same instrument within 10 minutes, and both count as ONE trade idea. The losses add up against your risk limit. Lose $700 on XAUUSD Buy, re-enter five minutes later and lose $500, and the firm assesses that as a single $1,200 loss. The window starts when the losing trade closes; open after 10 minutes and it is a separate idea. You cannot split a large risk into several small trades and argue each one was under the limit.
- Sure Leverage FundingBlocks the payout
Same direction trades on one pair count as one trade idea
On the EA Challenge several trades in the same direction on the same pair within a short time are grouped as one trade idea. The grouped result is what the profit and lot consistency checks use.
- Finotive FundingJudgement call
Doubling up after a loss triggers a risk review
Closing a position on an instrument at a realised loss and then opening a new position on the same instrument in the same direction with at least twice the volume of the losing trade is flagged as Realised-Loss Recovery Over-Sizing, behaviour Finotive describes as gambling-style recovery, which may trigger an internal Risk Review. The ordinary act of sizing up to win a loss back is what the rule is aimed at.
- SharkFundedJudgement call
Reopening a position within five minutes is tick scalping
Closing a position and opening it again within five minutes counts as tick scalping, as do trades opened and closed inside 120 seconds. More than 10% of such trades on funded or instant accounts sends the account to risk review.
Risk per trade
Caps on what one trade, or one trade idea, may lose.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
Positions on the same pair are assessed together
Multiple positions open at once on the same instrument in the same direction are treated as one trade idea, and their floating AND realised losses are combined. Their own example: three EURUSD buys losing $300, $200 and $250 on a $25K account with a 3% limit reach the $750 cap and breach, even though one position is still open and none individually came close.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
A winning trade does not offset a losing one
Within a single trade idea, profit on one position does not reduce the loss assessed on another. Each trade idea is measured on its losses only. Hedging inside the same idea therefore does not protect you from the limit.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
The risk limit depends on your model and account size
Risk Per Trade Idea does not apply to every plan. On 2 Step Flex it is 3% at $25K and 2% above $25K, and does not apply below $25K. On Zero it is 3% below $50K and 2% at $50K and above. It does not apply at all to 1 Step Flex, 2 Step Standard or 2 Step Pro. The rule you read may not be the rule on the plan you bought.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
Risk per trade idea, and a strike system behind it
Funded accounts cap the loss on one trade idea, realised and floating together: 3% under $50K, 2% at $50K and above, with variations by model. Exceeding it is a hard breach. Separately, a striking rule records a warning each time floating loss reaches 1.2% on 2-Step Standard above $25K, or 1% on 1-Step Flex. Second warning halves your split, third drops it to 20%, fourth breaches the account, and profit from any warned trade is deducted.
- Alpha Capital GroupCloses the account
Floating loss on one asset over 2% or 3% closes the account
On Qualified accounts bought after 21 July 2026 open losses on a single instrument may not exceed 3% ($5k to $25k) or 2% ($50k to $200k) or 1% on Alpha Direct. Reopening the same direction within 10 minutes adds the losses together and the first asset to hit the limit closes the account.
- Aqua FundedCloses the account
Open loss past 2% of starting balance closes the account
On Instant Funding and AquaMan accounts the account is permanently closed if combined floating loss drops below 2% of starting balance. On $300k and $400k accounts the limit is 1%.
- Hola PrimeCloses the account
Risk per trade idea capped at 2% of starting balance
On funded and Direct accounts the total risk on one trade idea must stay within 2% of the initial balance. Going over it is a hard breach and the account is terminated.
- FunderBluCloses the account
An open loss of 1% to 1.5% is a breach, even if the trade recovers
On funded accounts a floating loss of 1.5% of the initial funded balance is a breach the moment it is touched, whether that is one trade or several together, and the trades recovering afterwards does not undo it. Instant Live sets the same limit at 1%. The first breach cuts the profit split to 40% permanently and the account stays open; a second one closes it. It does not apply during the challenge phases.
- FunderBluCloses the account
An open loss of 1% to 2% is a breach, even if the trade recovers
On funded and instant accounts, a floating loss of 1% of the initial balance (Instant), 1.5% (Instant Live) or 2% (other funded accounts) counts as a breach the moment it is touched, even if the trades come back. The first breach cuts your profit split to 40% for good; the second closes the account.
- FundedNextVoids profit
3% risk per trade, funded accounts only
Funded accounts must keep maximum potential loss on any trade, measured from stop placement, plus all realised and floating losses across open trades, against the initial balance, at or under 3%. First breach: 100% of the profit from the offending trades is deducted. Second breach: the same deduction, and the account is permanently reclassified to a 1% cumulative risk limit. It is called a guideline; it is enforced like a rule.
- FTMOJudgement call
Risk is judged per trade idea, and judged by a person
FTMO recommends keeping risk to about 1% per trade idea, with roughly 1 to 1.5% of the initial balance as the maximum it advises. This is guidance rather than an automatic cut-off. There is no threshold that closes the account by itself. What matters is that FTMO monitors activity and can intervene where it judges the behaviour excessive or gambling-like, and that it assesses a trade IDEA rather than individual tickets. Splitting one oversized bet across several positions does not make it several small ones.
- Blue GuardianJudgement call
Trades closed inside two minutes can be flagged
The tick scalping rule sets a minimum holding time of two minutes. "If a trade is closed in under 2 minutes, it may be flagged for tick scalping, which is against our trading rules." Scalpers and anyone taking quick partial exits are in scope, and "may be flagged" leaves the judgement with them.
Exposure
Position size, hedging and how much may be open at once.
- BrightFundedCloses the account
Opposite positions across accounts count as manipulation
Acting alone or with others, including across multiple accounts or identities, to place trades aimed at manipulating trading circumstances. Their example is simultaneously entering opposite positions, is a breach. This catches the common tactic of hedging one account against another to guarantee that one of them passes.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
On Zero, holding over the weekend breaches the account
The Zero model forbids holding trades over the weekend, and their objectives page states plainly that the account will be breached. Every other Funding Pips model allows overnight and weekend holding, so this is a property of the product you bought rather than a house rule.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
Anything open at Friday close ends the account
Since 29 January 2026 no funded account may hold over the weekend, and open trades are closed automatically at Friday market close. Leaving any position open into the weekend is immediate termination, whatever the instrument. Crypto is not an exception, despite trading through the weekend everywhere else.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
Splitting a trade does not split the risk
A trade idea means a single trade, or several positions on the same instrument in the same direction, or any position opened within 10 minutes of closing a losing one. They are counted as one. Scaling into a position or re-entering after a stop is measured as a single exposure, so the obvious way round the risk cap is closed.
- BrightFundedCloses the account
Hedging across firms and platforms is prohibited
Hedging between two of your own accounts, between different prop firms, or across trading platforms is barred, as is hedging via copy trading. So are exploiting platform delays or service errors, external or delayed data feeds, coordinated multi-account trading, automated or high-speed tools, overleveraging, one-sided bets, account rolling, grid trading, arbitrage, tick scalping and HFT.
- Earn2TradeCloses the account
Exceeding the progression ladder size is an instant fail
The maximum position size is a hard fail rule on evaluations and on funded accounts. One order above the allowed size ends the account.
- OneUp TraderCloses the account
No hedging across your funded accounts
Holding opposite positions across two or more of your own funded accounts is banned in any form. It is one of the funded rules that risk termination of the account.
- SharkFundedCloses the account
No more than two positions per instrument and no averaging down
You cannot hold more than two open positions on one instrument or add to a trade that is already losing, including grid and martingale. It is a soft breach in the challenge but a hard breach on funded and instant accounts.
- FunderBluCloses the account
Forex lot sizes are capped per trade once funded
On instant and funded accounts each forex trade is capped by account size, from 0.2 lots at $2,500 to 6 lots at $100,000 and 10 lots at $200,000. Going over it can disqualify the account. Evaluation phases are exempt.
- FundedNextVoids profit
Quick Strike: trades under 30 seconds capped at 30% of profit
Positions closed in under 30 seconds are watched. If they account for 30% or more of your total profit the rule is breached: on a Challenge account progression is frozen; on a Funded account 100% of profit is forfeited and the account may be terminated. A scalper can pass, get paid nothing, and lose the account for trading the way they always have.
- FundedNextVoids profit
One-sided betting and grid trading are prohibited
Concentrated directional exposure, stacking trades the same way, or reactive entries without regard to conditions, news or analysis, is barred as gambling-like. So is grid trading, meaning layered buy and sell orders above and below price to harvest fluctuation.
- Funding PipsVoids profit
A long list of strategies can quietly cost you leverage
Gap trading, high-frequency trading, server spamming, latency arbitrage, hedging, long-short and reverse arbitrage, server execution, toxic flow, tick scalping, churning and opposite-account trading are all prohibited. The response is graduated rather than binary: reduced leverage, fewer trades a day, a lot-size cap, tighter loss limits, a forced 1% risk limit, or a ban from the firm.
- Aqua FundedVoids profit
Using over 80% of margin on one position loses the profit
A single trade or position may not use more than 80% of available margin. Profit from a trade that breaks this is deducted and repeat cases can lead to a reset or breach.
- Lucid TradingVoids profit
LucidFlex funded contract limit starts low and updates at end of day
Funded LucidFlex accounts start with part of the max size and unlock more contracts only as end of day profit grows. Getting around the limit can wipe that day's profit.
- Pipstone CapitalVoids profit
Uneven risk across your own accounts voids profit
Trading the same idea on several accounts while putting much bigger risk on one of them counts as risk manipulation. Pipstone can void profits, reject payouts and close the related accounts.
- Audacity CapitalJudgement call
Ten lots is the ceiling on any single position
There is no overall lot limit on the account, but "our provider has implemented a maximum limit of 10 lots per open position as part of risk management measures. You may open multiple positions, but each individual position cannot exceed 10 lots." It is a platform limit rather than a rule that breaches you, so on a large account it shapes how a position has to be built rather than whether it is allowed.
- FTMOJudgement call
Same strategy over $400,000 across accounts can be suspended
Total capital across all accounts is limited to $400,000 per trader or strategy before scaling. If identically traded strategies exceed it FTMO can suspend the accounts and third-party EA users can be refused an FTMO Account.
- Pipstone CapitalJudgement call
Adding to a losing trade is capped
When a trade moves against you the terms allow at most four open entries in total. The same terms also say only one extra position at a worse price is allowed and its lot size cannot exceed the first trade.
- FTMOJudgement call
Futures: the funded contract limit starts lower than the evaluation
A funded FTMO Futures account starts at 2, 4 or 6 contracts for 50K, 100K or 150K, not the 5, 10 or 15 you traded in the evaluation. The limit only rises with end-of-day profit and drops back the next day if the balance falls.
- FunderBluJudgement call
No more than 2 positions in the same direction per instrument
Only 2 aligned positions on one instrument may be open at a time. Accounts that break this are dealt with at the firm's discretion.
Other terms
Rules that do not fit a single kind.
- FundedNextCloses the account
Challenge accounts expire after 60 days without a trade
A Challenge account is closed if no trade is placed within any 60 consecutive calendar days. Nothing needs to go wrong in the market for the fee to be lost.
- Funding PipsCloses the account
Thirty days without a trade closes the account
At least one trade must be opened and closed within any 30 consecutive days.
- BrightFundedCloses the account
Dormant at 30 days, gone at six months
One trade must be placed every 30 days or the account is deactivated, and it must stay open a minute to count. A deactivated account can be revived through support, but if it is not reactivated within six months it is permanently closed.
- Earn2TradeCloses the account
Grain and livestock futures must close hours earlier
Livestock contracts must be flat by 1:05pm CT and grains must also be flat during a morning window. Trading outside approved times fails the evaluation.
- EZE FundedVoids profit
Funded account is a tenth of the size you paid for
Passing a $100,000 evaluation gets you a $10,000 live account. Every percentage figure on the funded side, including the 35% to 50% drawdown and the profit you can draw, is measured against the smaller number, so a 6% month on a passed $100,000 challenge pays about $480.
- FunderBluJudgement call
FunderBlu can close any account for any reason
The terms allow FunderBlu to suspend or terminate an account at any time, for any reason and without notice.
- EZE FundedJudgement call
No cancellation and no refund at any point
The fee is gone the moment it is paid. There is no refund before you place a trade, none after, none following a breach. A purchase cannot be cancelled either side of the first trade. Payment is crypto only, so a wrong network or address is also on you.
Minimum days
Day counts you must reach before a pass or a payout is released, and what makes a day count.
- Audacity CapitalBlocks the payout
Five trading days, and each one needs a trade in it
Stated as "Minimum trade days: 5 days and a minimum of 1 trade per day". Hitting the profit milestone in two good sessions does not release a payout; the day count has to be filled as well, and a day with no trade in it does not count toward it.
- FunderBluBlocks the payout
A trading day only counts if it makes 0.5%
Minimum trading days only count days that make at least 0.5%. FunderBlu: A minimum of 3 trading days must meet the defined daily target threshold of 0.5% to qualify, and 5 such days once funded. The threshold resets each day at 23:00 UTC, so small or losing days push a pass or a payout back.
- EZE FundedJudgement call
A losing or flat day does not count toward the minimum
The five day minimum is five days that each closed at least 0.5% up. A day you traded and ended down, or ended up only 0.3%, counts for nothing. On a $10,000 account that is $50 of closed profit on each of five separate days before the target can be banked.
Trade duration
Minimum hold times, and trades closed too fast being struck from the record.
- FTMOCloses the account
Futures: every position must be flat by 4:10 p.m. ET
On FTMO Futures every position must be closed and every resting order cancelled before 4:10 p.m. ET, or the earlier market close on holidays. The platform liquidates what is left, but carrying exposure past the close is a forbidden practice, so relying on the auto-close can cost the account.
- Audacity CapitalJudgement call
Scalping is allowed, but under two minutes draws a risk review
"We permit scalp trading with us. However, if trades are within two minutes or less, or if there are suspicious trades resembling Arbitrage activity prohibited by the company our Risk Team will take appropriate action. All trades are closely monitored by the Risk Team in this regard." There is no stated threshold and no stated penalty, which is the point: a scalper is permitted and simultaneously flagged, and what happens next is a judgement call.
- OneUp TraderJudgement call
Stay above starting balance at every 15 day check while funded
For the first 90 days funded your net PnL must be above the starting balance at the end of every 15 calendar days. Missing a checkpoint brings discretionary warnings and breaking funded rules risks termination.
- FunderBluJudgement call
Trades must stay open for at least 2 minutes
Positions closed in under 2 minutes break the minimum holding time. FunderBlu does not say whether shorter trades are voided or breach the account. Instant Live has no minimum duration.
Prohibited strategies
Martingale, grid, overleveraging and the practices that void a pass however you got there.
- Audacity CapitalCloses the account
The banned strategies close the account permanently
High-frequency trading, latency arbitrage, hedging across accounts, martingale position sizing and dollar-cost averaging into a loser are all listed as prohibited, along with exploiting a platform or data-feed flaw. The consequence is stated without qualification: on abuse "through the use of arbitrage, HFT, DCA, or other prohibited strategies, we will immediately and permanently deactivate the account."
- Earn2TradeCloses the account
Hedging between your own funded accounts ends access
Taking opposite positions across your LiveSim or Live accounts is strictly forbidden. Earn2Trade says account access will be terminated.
- Lucid TradingCloses the account
Opposite positions across accounts reset balances and then breach
A long on one account and a short on another in the same or a correlated product, such as ES against NQ, is hedging. A first flag resets the accounts to the prior day balance and repeat offences breach them.
- OneUp TraderCloses the account
Trades shorter than 10 seconds are banned
Any funded trade lasting under 10 seconds is prohibited by the funding partners, as is trading data errors. Breaking the funded trader rules puts the account at risk of termination.
- Pipstone CapitalCloses the account
Trades closed within 60 seconds count as HFT
Any trade opened and closed in under a minute is treated as high frequency trading. A first offence cuts the payout and closes the account after payment while a third means payout denial and permanent closure.
- Take Profit TraderCloses the account
Long on one account and short on another gets both liquidated
Opposite positions across any accounts you control are banned, including related pairs like ES and MES. Both accounts are liquidated and the profit is forfeited.
- Top One FuturesCloses the account
Copying trades across different account types or sizes closes accounts
Copying or manually mirroring trades between accounts of a different programme or size counts as prohibited copy trading, even with correlated products such as ES and NQ. It can close every associated account.
- TradeifyCloses the account
Opposite positions across your accounts or related products count as hedging
A long on one account and a short on another in the same product group, such as ES against NQ, is a hedge. Every involved account can be set to violation and the profits from that period forfeited.
- FTMOCloses the account
Futures: no new trades within 2% of a CME price limit
You may not open positions once price is within 2% of the CME daily price limit for that contract. You have to track CME's limits yourself, and FTMO may terminate the account for a violation.
- Orion FundedCloses the account
Gap trading around closures
Opening trades specifically to exploit price gaps around major news or within 2 hours of a market closure lasting 2 hours or more is a forbidden practice.
- EZE FundedCloses the account
HFT and arbitrage end the account
Scalping, martingale and grid trading are all fine, but high frequency trading and arbitrage are each answered with a flat no in the FAQ. The challenge page puts latency arbitrage, feed manipulation and copy exploits in the breach column. A fast strategy that looks like latency play can be read as an exploit.
- EZE FundedCloses the account
Open ended clause on anything the firm reads as an exploit
Beyond the named bans there is a catch all covering any method intended to take advantage of the firm's systems. Intent is judged by the firm, a suspected case goes to manual review first. A confirmed one breaches the account.
- EZE FundedCloses the account
Copying another person's account is a breach
Mirroring your own accounts is allowed, so running the same strategy across several purchases is fine. Following a signal provider or any other person's trades is not. The challenge page counts copy exploits among the things that end the account.
- Alpha Capital GroupVoids profit
Average trade must last over 2 minutes
Average trade duration must exceed 2 minutes and at least half of profits must come from trades longer than 2 minutes. Breach it in evaluation and you restart from Phase 1 and breach it when qualified and all profit is removed.
- Aqua FundedVoids profit
Trades under 2 minutes can have profit removed
Trades held for less than 2 minutes may be classed as tick scalping. On funded accounts the profit from them can be removed.
- FundedHeroVoids profit
Trades closed in under a minute cost most of the payout
Every trade must stay open at least one minute (two minutes on Villain accounts). One to four violations cost 75% of the payout split and five or more mean no payout and an account reset.
- FundedHeroVoids profit
Five reverse trades reset the account and void the payout
Five or more reverse trades on one account reset it to the starting balance and cancel that period's payout. A second occurrence gets you permanently banned.
- Lucid TradingVoids profit
Profits from trades held 5 seconds or less can be forfeited
Accounts are flagged when over half of profits come from trades held 5 seconds or less. After a written warning continued behaviour forfeits those profits and can bring a permanent ban.
- MyFundedFuturesVoids profit
Any hedge counts, including mini against micro
Holding buys and sells on the same underlying at once is banned, so long NQ with short MNQ is a violation. Profits from prohibited practices are confiscated.
- Sure Leverage FundingVoids profit
Trades held under two minutes lose their profit
Any trade closed within two minutes counts as tick scalping. Its profit is deducted when you request a payout and it counts toward the soft breach limit.
- Top One FuturesVoids profit
Trades closed within 10 seconds can cost the profits
Every trade, including any partial close, must stay open longer than 10 seconds. If close to half of your trades or profits break this rule the profits from those trades are removed.
- FTMOVoids profit
Futures: trading the funded account differently from the evaluation is forbidden
FTMO can act if you trade a funded futures account materially differently from how you passed the evaluation, cluster trades around news or size positions far outside your usual pattern. Consequences range from removed trades to termination.
- FunderBluVoids profit
Banned strategies carry penalties the firm decides
Hedging within or across accounts, martingale, grid trading, HFT, tick scalping, arbitrage, latency trading, one-sided betting and server-error exploits are banned. Penalties run from a warning to profit removal, a denied payout or a permanent ban.
- TradeifyBlocks the payout
Funded payouts need most trades held over 10 seconds
On funded accounts over half of your trades and over half of your profit must come from trades held longer than 10 seconds. If not you cannot request a payout, though the account is not failed.
- Alpha Capital GroupJudgement call
Sudden jump in lot size can be treated as gambling
A big change in lot size against your account average or trades opened just around the news window can be judged all or nothing trading. Alpha decides case by case and can remove profits and close the Qualified account.
- Pipstone CapitalJudgement call
One-sided betting can be treated as gambling
Repeatedly trading only in one direction or piling exposure onto a single instrument can be classed as gambling. Pipstone decides this at its discretion and can cut or deny payouts or close the account.
- Take Profit TraderJudgement call
Big size only at the open or news can end funding
Mostly trading large size at predictable moments like the open or key releases is treated as a simulation-only strategy. TPT says it may part ways without prior notice.
- TopstepJudgement call
Opposite positions across your own accounts are banned
Being long in one account and short in another at the same time counts as cross-account hedging. It is prohibited conduct even when all the accounts are yours.
Inactivity
Accounts that close themselves if you stop trading for long enough.
- Alpha Capital GroupCloses the account
30 days without a trade closes the account permanently
Every account at every stage is deactivated after more than 30 consecutive calendar days without real trading. Logging in does not count and a deactivated account cannot be reinstated.
- Aqua FundedCloses the account
No trade for 30 days breaches the account
You must place at least one trade every 30 days counted from your first trade. Otherwise the account becomes inactive and is breached.
- FTMOCloses the account
30 days without a trade lets FTMO end your Challenge
Not opening a single trade for 30 consecutive calendar days counts as prolonged inactivity. FTMO may terminate the agreement for that Challenge account.
- FXIFYCloses the account
No trade for 60 days breaches the account
You must place at least one trade every 60 days. If you do not the account is considered inactive and breached.
- Hola PrimeCloses the account
30 days without trading suspends the account for good
Any challenge or funded account with no trading for 30 calendar days in a row is permanently suspended. Logging in does not count as activity.
- Lucid TradingCloses the account
No $1 of profit or loss in 30 days deletes the account
An account that does not record at least $1 of net profit or loss within 30 calendar days is treated as abandoned. It is permanently deleted.
- MyFundedFuturesCloses the account
Builder sim funded account closes after 7 days without a trade
Going 7 calendar days without placing a trade on a Builder sim funded account closes it. Live accounts have no inactivity rule.
- SharkFundedCloses the account
Fourteen days without a trade suspends the account
Any account with no trades for 14 days in a row is suspended automatically. Contact support in advance if you expect to be away.
- Sure Leverage FundingCloses the account
No trade or pending order for 30 days is a breach
You must place at least one trade or pending order every 30 days. If you do not the account is breached and SLF terminates accounts for any rule violation.
- Top One FuturesCloses the account
No trade for 14 calendar days closes the account
Every account needs at least one completed trade in any 14 day window with weekends and holidays counted. Missing it is a hard breach and all progress and profits on the account are lost.
- TopstepCloses the account
Funded accounts close after 30 days without a trade
An Express Funded Account with no trading for more than 30 days may be closed and cannot be paused. Live Funded Accounts have the same 30 day rule.
- FTMOCloses the account
Futures: a funded account closes after 60 days without a trade
A funded FTMO Futures account with no trades for 30 calendar days gets a warning, and it is closed if it stays inactive for another 30 days.
- FunderBluCloses the account
Inactivity closes the account, and they publish two different limits
FunderBlu’s rules page states: traders must place at least one trade within every 30 days. The example directly beneath it says: If 21 days pass without any trades, the account becomes inactive. The two do not agree, so trade at least once every 21 days until they fix it. The Turbo articles repeat the 30-day figure.
- OneUp TraderJudgement call
Weekly trade count must stay at half your evaluation pace
Each week funded you must place at least half as many trades as your weekly average during the evaluation. Trading less without an approved account hold risks the funded account being terminated.
- Take Profit TraderJudgement call
PRO accounts need at least one trading day every week
You must complete a round trip on at least one day each calendar week to keep a PRO or PRO+ account active. Contact support first if you need a break.
- TradeifyJudgement call
Each account needs at least one trade every week
Evaluation and funded accounts must each place a trade Monday to Friday every week. Idle accounts can be marked inactive, though Tradeify says it will message you first.
- FunderBluJudgement call
One trade every 21 days or the account goes inactive
FunderBlu requires at least one trade every 21 days, and says an account with no trades for 21 days becomes inactive. The rules page used to give 30 days in the text and 21 in the example beneath it; that is fixed and both now say 21.
Stop loss
Where a stop is mandatory and what happens to a position left without one.
- FTMOCloses the account
Futures: the drawdown limit cannot be your only exit
FTMO Futures does not require a stop loss, but structuring trades so the platform's drawdown liquidation is the only way out is a forbidden practice.
- FunderBluJudgement call
Every trade needs a stop loss within 60 seconds
All trades must have a stop loss set within 60 seconds of opening. The penalty is not published, and rule violations are reviewed case by case.
Weekend and overnight
What may be left open over a weekend or a rollover, which often differs by instrument.
- EZE FundedCloses the account
Crypto cannot be traded at the weekend either
Crypto runs around the clock on the real market, so the weekend ban catching it as well is not obvious. The FAQ answers the question with a flat no, which means no weekend crypto position on any plan.
- EZE FundedJudgement call
Open trades are liquidated for you at the Friday close
Closing before the weekend is your responsibility. Anything still open when the market shuts is force closed. You take whatever price that fill lands at. Holding positions across a weekend is not an option on any account.
This list is only as complete as our reading. 35 of the 96 firms we track have been through a rulebook pass; the rest are still to do, and a firm missing from here has not been cleared. It has not been checked. See which firms are next.