FundingPips 1-Step Challenge Explained: Rules, Risks & the No-BS Breakdown

The 1-Step challenge is FundingPips' fastest evaluation—one phase, one target, done. No Phase 2, no second round of proving yourself. Hit 10% profit without breaching 6% drawdown and you're funded.

That simplicity is both its appeal and its trap.

The profit-to-drawdown ratio on the 1-Step is 1.67:1—the hardest of any FundingPips model. You need to produce $1.67 in profit for every $1 of risk room. Compare that to the 2-Step Standard's 0.8:1 ratio, where you need only $0.80 per $1 of room. The 1-Step is roughly twice as difficult by this metric.

I've studied this model extensively through my own trading and through hundreds of community trading logs. Here's the full breakdown—rules, risks, strategy, and the honest assessment of who should and shouldn't attempt it.

Tested firsthand: I've traded multiple FundingPips accounts—passed evaluations on 2-Step Standard and Pro, dealt with the funded-stage rule switches, and withdrawn real money through Tuesday Payday. What you're reading comes from live funded trading, not from reading their marketing page.

For the complete breakdown of every FundingPips account type—including how 2-Step Standard, Pro, 1-Step, and Zero differ in drawdown rules, profit splits, and pricing, plus which account size actually makes sense for your trading style—read my full FundingPips accounts overview. It covers all five sizes from $5K to $100K with real cost analysis. For the absolute latest, check FundingPips' website or their FAQ section.

1-Step Rules at a Glance

Pricing Across Account Sizes

At every size, the relationship is the same: you need to produce 10% profit against only 6% drawdown room. On a $50K account, that means making $5,000 without your equity ever dropping below $47,000.

Why the 1-Step Is Harder Than It Looks

The 1.67:1 Profit-to-Drawdown Ratio

This single number explains most 1-Step failures:

On the 2-Step Standard, you can lose 10% before being eliminated. On the 1-Step, you can only lose 6%. But the 1-Step target is 25% higher than the Standard's Phase 1 target (10% vs 8%). Less room, harder target.

The 4% Daily Loss Limit

Your daily loss is capped at 4% of your account balance or equity (whichever is higher at the start of the day). On a $50K account, that's $2,000.

How quickly can you hit $2,000 in losses?

At 1% risk per trade, four consecutive losers ends your day. Six consecutive losers (across any number of days) breaches your account entirely. On the 2-Step Standard, those same four losers use only 40% of your daily limit—you'd have 6 more attempts before the day is over.

The 1:50 Leverage Constraint

The 1-Step offers half the leverage of the 2-Step Standard (1:50 vs 1:100 on Forex). This means each position ties up twice as much margin.

Practical impact on a $50K account:

The margin constraint rarely matters for traders taking 1–3 positions at a time. But if your strategy involves multiple simultaneous entries or correlated pairs, the 1:50 leverage becomes a practical limitation.

Who the 1-Step Is Actually Built For

Based on the math and my observation of successful 1-Step traders, this model suits a specific profile:

High win-rate aggressive traders. If your win rate is 60%+ with an average R-multiple of 1.5:1 or better, the 10% target is achievable before drawdown becomes a threat. You're producing enough winners, frequently enough, to outpace the occasional losses.

Traders who hate waiting. One phase means one set of targets. If you pass, you could be funded in under two weeks (3-day minimum + KYC processing). No Phase 2 grind.

Experienced prop firm traders. If you've already passed 2-Step evaluations at FundingPips or other firms and you're confident in your edge, the 1-Step saves time. You don't need two phases to prove what you've already demonstrated.

Traders running multiple accounts simultaneously. Some traders run a 2-Step Standard (safer) and a 1-Step (faster) at the same time. If the 1-Step hits, great—instant funded account. If not, the Standard is the backup.

Who Should Avoid the 1-Step

First-time prop traders. The 6% drawdown doesn't forgive learning mistakes. Your first FundingPips experience should be on the Standard where 10% drawdown gives you room to adjust.

Swing traders. Holding positions overnight or over weekends with only 6% drawdown is asking for gap risk to terminate your account. A 2% overnight gap eats a third of your total drawdown in one event.

Traders with high P&L variance. If your daily P&L swings between +$500 and –$400 regularly, the 1-Step's tight drawdown amplifies the negative swings. You need a smoother equity curve to survive 6% drawdown.

Anyone attracted primarily by the "one phase" simplicity. The 1-Step isn't easier than the 2-Step—it's faster but harder. If your motivation is "I don't want to do two phases," you should question whether you're prepared for the more demanding single phase.

1-Step Strategy: Phase-by-Phase (There's Only One Phase)

Position Sizing

With 6% drawdown and a 4% daily loss limit, your sizing must be conservative relative to the target:

My recommendation: Moderate (0.75%). This gives you 5 consecutive losers before hitting the daily limit and 8 before hitting max drawdown. Enough room for a bad day without ending the evaluation.

The 1-Step Playbook

Days 1–3 (minimum trading days): Trade at conservative sizing (0.5%). Build a $300–$600 cushion. Your goal is survival and calibration, not speed. Learn how the platform executes your strategy before committing larger size.

Days 4–10: Move to moderate sizing (0.75%). Target $350–$500 daily. If you're at 3–4% profit by day 7, you're on pace. If you're flat or slightly negative, don't panic—you have unlimited time.

Days 10+: Maintain the same sizing. Do not increase risk as you approach the target. The 10% target is a marathon checkpoint, not a sprint finish. The most common 1-Step failure: a trader at 7% profit increases size to "just finish it," takes a 2% loss, then chases recovery and breaches.

If you reach 8% profit: You're $1,000 away from the target on a $50K account. This is the most dangerous moment. You might think "one big trade and I'm done." Instead, reduce risk to 0.5% and grind the last 2% over 3–5 trades. The last $1,000 should be the most disciplined $1,000 of the entire evaluation.

Daily Loss Management

Set a personal daily loss limit below the account maximum:

The account's 4% daily limit is a hard stop enforced by FundingPips. My 2% personal limit is self-enforced discipline. The gap between 2% and 4% is emergency room—it exists but I never want to use it.

After Passing: Funded-Stage Rules

The 1-Step funded (Master) account has the same rule changes as other FundingPips models:

Key advantage over the Zero: The 1-Step funded account keeps static drawdown, has no floating loss cap, allows weekend holding, and has a 5-minute news window (vs. Zero's 10 minutes). If you're choosing between speed (1-Step) and instant access (Zero), the 1-Step's funded rules are meaningfully better.

Payout Potential

The 1-Step funded account has the same payout options as the 2-Step Standard: Tuesday Payday (60%), Bi-Weekly (80%), On-Demand (90% with 35% consistency), and Monthly (100%). Earnings potential is identical—the only difference was the path to get there.

1-Step vs. 2-Step Standard: The Honest Comparison

The Standard wins on 5 of 8 factors. The 1-Step wins only on speed. For most traders, 2–4 extra weeks of evaluation time is a small price for dramatically better odds of actually getting funded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pass the 1-Step in exactly 3 days?

Theoretically yes—3 is the minimum trading days. You'd need roughly 3.3% daily profit on a $50K account ($1,667/day) without any losing days. That requires extremely aggressive sizing against a 6% drawdown—one bad trade and you're done. Possible for exceptional traders, impractical for most.

What if I'm at 9% profit and afraid to take the last trade?

This is common. The solution: reduce your position size to 0.25% risk. Even if the trade loses, you lose $125—still well above the 10% target with room to try again. Make the last trade your smallest, not your largest.

Is the 1-Step refund worth waiting for?

The $399 fee is refunded after your 4th funded payout. At bi-weekly payouts, that's 8 weeks of funded trading. If you're consistently profitable, you'll have the refund within 2 months—effectively making the 1-Step free. Compared to the Pro ($199, no refund ever), the 1-Step is cheaper long-term if you succeed.

Should I practice on a demo before attempting the 1-Step?

Yes—but not a generic demo. Practice specifically with 6% drawdown and 4% daily loss rules. Set a $50K demo account, mentally enforce those limits, and see if your strategy survives 2–3 weeks of simulated evaluation. If you can't hit 10% on a demo with these constraints, you won't hit it on a paid evaluation.

Can I run a 1-Step and a 2-Step simultaneously?

Yes. Multiple evaluations across different models are allowed up to $300K total capital. Many traders use this strategy—the 1-Step as a fast-track attempt and the 2-Step as a high-probability backup. If either passes, you're funded.