How TradeDay's Account Review Process Works

Written by Paul

Published on

January 15, 2026

TradeDay's account review process happens automatically at $5,000 gross profit milestones in your Funded Sim account. When you hit $5,000, $10,000, $15,000, $20,000, or any multiple of $5,000, your account pauses at 4:30 PM CT during the end-of-day run.

TradeDay's Head of Trading reviews your performance overnight. By the next morning before U.S. markets open, you get one of two outcomes: continue trading in Funded Sim with an extension to the next milestone, or graduate to Funded Live.

Quick heads-up: This article is based on my real experience with TradeDay and the info available when I published/updated this. Things change in prop trading — rules, payouts, promos, all of it.

For the absolute latest, check TradeDay´s website or their faq page.

You don't email support to request review. You don't submit an application. The system detects your milestone automatically and triggers the review. Your job is to stop trading when you hit the threshold—any profits beyond the milestone before the 4:30 PM end-of-day run get forfeited and don't count toward graduation.

Here's exactly how the review process works, what TradeDay evaluates, how long it takes, and what determines whether you stay in Sim or move to Live.

What Triggers an Automatic Review

The review system activates when your gross profit reaches any $5,000 increment. Gross profit = realized profits in your account + all withdrawals you've taken from the account since funding.

Example Calculations:

Scenario 1:

Current account balance: $54,000 (on $50K funded account)
Starting balance was $50,000
Total withdrawals: $0
Gross profit: $4,000 (no milestone hit yet)

Scenario 2:

Current account balance: $52,500
Starting balance was $50,000
Total withdrawals: $3,000
Gross profit: $5,500 ($2,500 in account + $3,000 withdrawn)
Milestone hit: $5,000 review triggers

Scenario 3:

Current account balance: $58,000
Starting balance was $50,000
Total withdrawals: $4,500
Gross profit: $12,500 ($8,000 in account + $4,500 withdrawn)
Milestone hit: $10,000 review triggers (already passed $5K, now at $10K)

The distinction between gross and net profit matters. If you've been taking withdrawals, you might hit milestones sooner than you realize based on account balance alone.

Milestone	What Happens	Typical Outcome
$5,000	First review	Almost always extended to $10K milestone
$10,000	Second review	Usually extended to $15K, sometimes graduated
$15,000	Third review	Mixed outcomes, graduation more common
$20,000	Fourth review	High graduation rate to Funded Live
$25,000+	Fifth+ reviews	Very likely graduation unless trading shows red flags

The Overnight Review Process

When you hit a milestone, here's the exact sequence:

4:30 PM CT - End of Day Run:Your account balance gets checked against milestone thresholds. If you've hit $5K, $10K, $15K, etc., the system marks your account for review.

Account Pause:Trading access shuts off. You can't place orders, can't see live data, can't access the trading platform for this account. The account goes into "Under Review" status visible in your dashboard.

Excess Profit Removal:If your gross profit is $5,200 when the $5,000 milestone triggers, that extra $200 gets removed. Your balance adjusts down to exactly the milestone level. This profit doesn't transfer to Funded Live if you graduate, doesn't count toward your next milestone, and doesn't get paid out to you. It's forfeited.

Overnight Analysis:TradeDay's Head of Trading reviews your trading history:

Position sizing patterns
Drawdown management
Trading consistency
Win/loss patterns
Risk management behaviors
Withdrawal patterns (if any)
Signs of prohibited practices
Overall account health

Decision by Morning:Before U.S. equity markets open the next trading day (typically by 8:30 AM CT), you receive notification:

Extended: Account reopens with access restored, next milestone set at $10K, $15K, etc.
Graduated: Account transitions to Funded Live setup process

The turnaround is consistently overnight. TradeDay aims to have decisions completed and communicated before the next trading session so you don't lose trading days.

What TradeDay Evaluates During Review

The milestone number ($5K, $10K, etc.) is just the trigger. The actual review assesses whether you're ready for Funded Live capital allocation.

Key Evaluation Criteria:

1. Risk Management Quality

Are you trading within reasonable risk parameters? If you're consistently trading max position size, approaching drawdown frequently, or showing erratic position sizing, that's a red flag. TradeDay wants to see disciplined risk management before allocating real capital.

2. Consistency of Profitability

Did you make $5,000 through 50 small wins and 10 small losses? Or through one massive $4,000 winner and scraping together the rest? Consistent profitability across many trades indicates a sustainable edge. Lucky big wins indicate gambling.

3. Drawdown Events

How close did you get to max drawdown during the journey to this milestone? If you hit $4,800 profit but had to recover from being $1,800 down first, that's concerning. They want to see smooth equity curves without dramatic drawdown recoveries.

4. Withdrawal Patterns

Have you taken multiple withdrawals? This is actually viewed positively—it shows you're building profits sustainably and managing account health. Traders who never withdraw and just accumulate balance might be seen as less experienced with capital management.

5. Trading Volume and Activity

Are you hitting milestones through consistent daily trading? Or sporadic bursts of activity followed by long gaps? Regular trading indicates professionalism. Sporadic trading might indicate you're not ready for capital allocation.

6. Prohibited Practice Flags

Any signs of prohibited strategies? High-frequency scalping (200+ trades per day), potential bot usage, manipulation, bracket exploitation, or copy trading violations. Even if you passed evaluation cleanly, Funded Sim trading gets scrutinized for these patterns.

Why Some Traders Get Extended Instead of Graduated

Getting extended isn't a failure—it's TradeDay saying "you're profitable, but we need to see more before allocating live capital." Most traders go through 2-4 milestones before graduating.

Common Reasons for Extension:

Not Enough Trading Data: You hit $5,000 profit in 15 trading days using very aggressive position sizing. You're profitable but haven't demonstrated consistency over time. Extension lets them see more trading before making a live capital decision.

Drawdown Concerns: Your equity curve shows you recovered from significant drawdowns. You're up $5,000 now, but you were down $1,500 on Day 8. They want to see if you can maintain profitability without those dramatic swings.

Withdrawal Pattern Issues: You withdrew down to within $500 of your buffer multiple times. This indicates potential mismanagement. They want to see better capital preservation before going live.

Position Sizing Flags: You're consistently trading at max position limits. This is risky behavior that could translate to overleveraging in live markets where slippage matters more.

Recent Rule Violation (Non-Failing): You traded into news once (accidental). You exceeded permitted times once. These didn't fail your account, but they're noted. Another milestone of clean trading clears the concern.

Extensions Are Normal:

The $5,000 milestone almost never results in immediate graduation. Most traders get extended to $10K. Many get extended to $15K or $20K. This isn't TradeDay being stingy—it's them making sure you're truly ready for real capital where mistakes cost them real money.

The Third Withdrawal Alternative Path

TradeDay also reviews accounts for graduation after the third withdrawal request from a Funded Sim account. This is an alternative path that doesn't require hitting specific profit milestones.

How It Works:

You've made three separate withdrawal requests from your Funded Sim account over time. Each withdrawal required you to clear the buffer zone, meaning you've demonstrated ability to build account equity above starting balance + drawdown multiple times.

After your third withdrawal, TradeDay may contact you directly about moving to Funded Live. This isn't automatic—it's discretionary based on their assessment of your account performance.

Why Three Withdrawals Triggers Review:

It demonstrates consistent profitability over an extended period. You didn't just hit a milestone once—you built profits, withdrew them, built more profits, withdrew again, and repeated a third time. This pattern indicates sustainability.

It also shows you understand capital management. You're taking profits regularly rather than just accumulating account balance.

Note: This is "may contact you" not "will contact you." It's not guaranteed graduation. Some traders take 5+ withdrawals before graduation discussions happen. The milestone system remains the primary path.

What Happens If You Graduate to Funded Live

Graduation means your net profits (gross profit minus withdrawals) transfer to a Funded Live account where you trade real broker-filled orders in real markets.

Transfer Details:

Net Profit Moves: If you have $10,000 gross profit but withdrew $3,500, only $6,500 transfers to your Funded Live account. Withdrawals don't come back—they're yours to keep and don't transfer.

Drawdown Resets to $0: Your max drawdown in Funded Live starts at $0, not your original evaluation drawdown amount. If you graduated from a $50K evaluation ($2,000 max drawdown), your Funded Live drawdown is $0. This means your account balance IS your drawdown threshold. Go below transferred balance = violation.

Position Limits Based on Evaluation: If you passed a $100K evaluation, you start Funded Live with 10-contract position limits. These may be adjusted based on your actual account balance and withdrawal history.

Professional Market Data Required: You must pay $140/month per exchange for CME professional data feeds. This is non-negotiable for Funded Live.

Commissions Charged: Real trading commissions (~$1.50 per contract) deducted from your account balance.

Learn more: TradeDay Market Data Costs

Resetting Milestones on New Accounts

If you lose a Funded Sim account (hit max drawdown), your milestone history doesn't carry over to new Funded Sim accounts.

Example:

You pass a new evaluation after losing your first Funded Sim account. That old account had reached the $15,000 milestone before you lost it. Your new Funded Sim starts fresh at $0 gross profit. You must stop at $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 again on the new account.

TradeDay reviews each funded account independently. Previous milestone achievements don't exempt you from reviews on new accounts.

How Long You Wait During Review

Review happens overnight. Your account typically reopens the next trading morning.

Timeline:

Day 1, 4:00 PM: You hit $5,000 milestone while trading
Day 1, 4:30 PM: End-of-day run detects milestone, account pauses
Day 1, 5:00 PM - Day 2, 7:00 AM: Review conducted
Day 2, 8:30 AM: Decision communicated, account reopens (if extended)

You lose at most one trading day. If you hit milestone on Monday, you're typically trading again by Tuesday morning.

Rare Delays:

Occasionally reviews take longer if:

Multiple accounts are graduating simultaneously (busy period for trading team)
Your trading shows patterns requiring deeper analysis
Holiday weekends (review might not complete until after holidays)

If your account hasn't reopened by noon CT the next business day, email fundedtrader@tradeday.com to check status.

FAQ: TradeDay Account Review Process

How do I know when I've hit a milestone?

Check your dashboard for current gross profit (account balance + total withdrawals). When that number hits $5,000, $10,000, $15,000, etc., expect review to trigger at the 4:30 PM end-of-day run.

Can I keep trading after hitting a milestone?

Technically yes until 4:30 PM, but any profit beyond the milestone gets forfeited. If you hit $5,000 at 2:00 PM and trade up to $5,400 by close, that $400 disappears. Best practice: stop trading when you hit the milestone number.

What if I'm in an open trade when 4:30 PM hits?

Close it before 4:30 PM (actually close by 3:50 PM since that's market close requirement). If you're holding positions into end-of-day run, you risk them being auto-liquidated or affecting your milestone profit calculation.

How long does review take?

Overnight. Account typically reopens by 8:30 AM CT the next business day with either extension to next milestone or graduation notification.

Can I request to skip milestones and go straight to Funded Live?

No. The milestone system is mandatory. Every Funded Sim account goes through the same review process regardless of trader experience or past performance with TradeDay.

What happens if I fail a review?

You don't "fail" reviews. You either get extended to the next milestone (keep trading in Funded Sim) or graduate to Funded Live. The only way to lose a Funded Sim account is violating max drawdown—that's not a review failure, that's a rule violation.

Do I get feedback on why I was extended instead of graduated?

Usually no. TradeDay makes the decision internally and notifies you of the outcome. If you want specific feedback, email fundedtrader@tradeday.com to request information, but detailed explanations aren't standard practice.

Can I trade multiple Funded Sim accounts through reviews simultaneously?

Yes, up to 3 Funded Sim accounts. Each goes through milestones independently. You might have one account at $15K milestone, another at $5K, and a third still building toward its first milestone.