TradeDay Funded Account Rules: What Changes After Passing

You just passed your TradeDay evaluation. You hit your profit target, completed 5 trading days, stayed within consistency and drawdown limits. The account review came back approved, and now you're funded. So what actually changes?

Most traders assume the rules stay exactly the same once you're funded — same profit targets, same consistency requirements, same everything. But that's not true. Several rules change significantly after you pass, and if you don't understand the differences, you'll trade like you're still in evaluation mode when you don't need to.

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.

I spent my first month funded still following the 30% consistency rule because I didn't realize it no longer applied. I was leaving money on the table by forcing equal-sized winning days when I could have just taken bigger winners when they showed up.

This is your complete breakdown of what changes after you pass your TradeDay evaluation and move to funded status. What rules stay the same, what rules disappear, what new rules appear, and how to actually trade a funded account for maximum profit.

The Big Changes: What's Different Once Funded

Here's what immediately changes when you transition from evaluation to funded status:

Rules That DISAPPEAR

1. Profit Target: Gone. You don't have to hit $2,500 or any specific number. Trade as much or as little as you want.

2. Minimum Trading Days: Gone. You don't need to trade 5 days or any minimum. You can trade every day, once a week, whatever works.

3. Consistency Rule (30% max per day): Gone. You can make 80% of your monthly profit in one day and 20% spread across other days. TradeDay doesn't care about distribution once you're funded.

4. Evaluation Review Process: Gone. You don't need to request review and wait for approval. You just trade and request payouts when you have buffer.

Rules That STAY THE SAME

1. Maximum Drawdown: Still enforced. Your drawdown type (Intraday, EOD, or Static) works exactly the same as during evaluation.

2. Position Limits: Still enforced. $100K account = 2 contracts max. This doesn't change just because you're funded.

3. Prohibited Practices: Still enforced. No Tier 1 news trading, no hedging across accounts, no gaming the system.

4. Trading Hours: Still enforced. Close positions by 4:10 PM CT (or follow normal market hours).

5. Permitted Products: Same list of allowed futures contracts.

New Rules That APPEAR

1. Buffer Requirement: You must maintain positive buffer (account balance above starting balance) to request payouts.

2. Payout Frequency Limit: You can only request payouts every 7 days per account.

3. Profit Split Structure: You now earn 80-95% (tiered) of your profits instead of 100%.

The most important change is the elimination of consistency and profit target requirements. This fundamentally changes how you should approach trading.

For the complete evaluation rules you were following before, see the evaluation rules guide.

How Maximum Drawdown Works When Funded

Your drawdown rules don't change, but how you think about them should.

During Evaluation

You were trying to hit a profit target while staying within drawdown limits. The drawdown was a constraint you traded around while pursuing your goal.

When Funded

There's no profit target anymore. Your only constraint is the drawdown limit. This shifts your mindset from "hit target, avoid drawdown" to "make as much as possible within the drawdown limit."

The Starting Balance Reset

When you get funded, your account balance becomes your new "starting balance" for drawdown purposes.

Example:

• You passed evaluation with $102,500 balance (on a $100K account)
• Your funded account starts at $102,500
• Your drawdown is now measured from $102,500, not from $100,000

If you chose EOD trailing with $3,000 max drawdown, you can now drop to $99,500 before hitting max drawdown ($102,500 - $3,000).

Drawdown Tracking Continues Forever

Unlike the profit target and consistency rules that disappeared, your drawdown limit follows you through your entire funded account life.

Month 1 funded: Peak at $105,000, current at $103,200 = $1,800 drawdown
Month 6 funded: Peak at $118,000, current at $116,500 = $1,500 drawdown
Year 2 funded: Peak at $142,000, current at $139,800 = $2,200 drawdown

Your drawdown type (Intraday, EOD, or Static) keeps working exactly how it did during evaluation. If you chose EOD trailing, your drawdown still resets daily to your closed balance. If you chose Static, you still have the fixed daily loss limit.

For detailed drawdown mechanics, see the maximum drawdown rule guide.

No More Consistency Rule: What This Means

This is the biggest strategic change for funded trading.

During Evaluation

You couldn't let any single day exceed 30% of your total profit. If you made $1,500 on one day, you needed to make at least $3,500 total ($1,500 ÷ 30% = $5,000 minimum) to keep that day under the threshold.

This forced you to either:

• Spread profits evenly across days
• Take additional trades you might not want just to dilute a big winning day
• Stop trading mid-session after a big winner to avoid concentration risk

When Funded

Make $4,000 on Monday and $200 on Tuesday? Totally fine. Make 95% of your monthly profit in one massive day? Also fine. TradeDay doesn't track consistency once you're funded.

Example - What's Now Allowed:

• Week 1: Make $800
• Week 2: Make $200
• Week 3: Make $3,500 (one huge winner)
• Week 4: Make $100
• Total: $4,600 profit for the month

Week 3 was 76% of your monthly profit. During evaluation, this would have failed consistency. When funded, nobody cares.

Strategic Implications

You can now:

• Take big winners when they show up without worrying about distribution
• Let winning trades run to their full potential
• Stop forcing trades just to meet consistency requirements
• Trade less frequently but with bigger position sizing (within limits)

Real example from my trading: During evaluation, I'd cut winners early or split them across multiple days to avoid consistency violations. Once funded, I let a single NQ trade run from 15,980 to 16,120 for $2,800 profit in one day. That one day was 65% of that month's profit. Perfectly legal when funded.

This doesn't mean you should chase huge winners recklessly. But it removes an artificial constraint that forced conservative profit-taking during evaluation.

No More Profit Target: Trading Without a Goal

This sounds great but it's psychologically weird at first.

The Evaluation Mindset

During evaluation, you had a clear goal: hit $2,500 (or whatever your target was). Every trade brought you closer to that number. You knew exactly when you were done.

The Funded Reality

There's no "done." You just keep trading. Make $2,000 this month? Great, do it again next month. Make $5,000? Awesome, can you do $6,000?

This creates two opposite problems:

Problem 1 - Undertrading: Some traders hit $2,000 (their old evaluation target) and stop for the month, thinking they're "done." They leave money on the table.

Problem 2 - Overtrading: Other traders push for bigger and bigger monthly numbers, overtrade, and blow their funded account chasing profits that don't have a defined endpoint.

The Smart Approach

Set your own goals, but make them monthly or weekly profit targets that make sense for your risk tolerance:

• $1,500/month on a $100K account (1.5% monthly return)
• $500/week consistently (52 weeks = $26,000/year per account)
• 10% quarterly gain ($10,000 per quarter on $100K)

These are YOUR goals for income planning. They're not TradeDay requirements. But having personal targets helps prevent both undertrading and overtrading.

What I do: I aim for $2,000/month per funded account. Some months I hit $3,500, others I hit $1,200. But I have a benchmark so I know when I'm doing well vs when I need to tighten up.

No More Minimum Trading Days

During evaluation, you needed to trade on at least 5 separate calendar days. Once funded, this requirement disappears.

What This Allows

You can trade daily: 20+ trading days per month if that's your style.

You can trade weekly: Once per week = 4-5 days per month total.

You can skip weeks: Take a 2-week vacation, come back, trade 3 days that month.

You can binge trade: Trade 15 days straight, then take 10 days off.

TradeDay doesn't care about your trading frequency once you're funded. Your account stays active as long as you don't hit max drawdown.

The Trap to Avoid

Some traders think "no minimum days" means they should trade constantly to maximize income. But overtrading kills more funded accounts than anything else.

Funded account that lasts 6 months with consistent $1,500/month = $9,000 total earnings

Funded account that makes $4,000 in Month 1 then blows up from overtrading in Month 2 = $4,000 total earnings

The trader who made less per month but stayed funded longer earned more overall.

Trade when your strategy gives you setups. Don't trade just because you can.

Position Limits Stay the Same

Your contract limits don't increase just because you passed evaluation.

The Permanent Limits

• $50K account: 1 contract (or 10 micros) forever
• $100K account: 2 contracts (or 20 micros) forever
• $150K account: 3 contracts (or 30 micros) forever

These limits apply during evaluation AND funded status. They never change for that specific account.

How Traders Scale

If you want to trade bigger size, you don't "upgrade" your account. You add more funded accounts.

Example - How I scaled:

• Month 1 funded: One $100K account, trading 2 contracts
• Month 4: Passed second evaluation, now have two $100K accounts, trading 4 contracts total (2 per account)
• Month 8: Passed third evaluation, now have three $100K accounts, trading 6 contracts total

Each individual account still has the 2-contract limit. But across three accounts, I'm effectively trading 6 contracts.

This is how professional TradeDay traders scale to 10-20 contracts — they run 5-10 funded accounts simultaneously, not by increasing limits on one account.

For details on running multiple accounts, see the multiple accounts policy.

Prohibited Practices Still Apply

Everything that was banned during evaluation is still banned when funded.

Still Prohibited

• Tier 1 news trading: The 2-minute buffer before/after major news releases still applies
• Hedging across accounts: Can't be long one funded account and short another
• Gaming the algorithm: No exploiting the simulation environment
• Prohibited software: Same automation restrictions apply
• Position limit violations: Can't exceed your contract limits

Getting caught violating these rules when funded is worse than during evaluation. During eval, you lose your progress and maybe $200 in subscription fees. When funded, you lose your entire funded account and any profit you built up.

For the complete list of what's banned, see the prohibited practices guide.

Buffer and Payout Requirements

These are new rules that only apply once you're funded.

The Buffer Rule

Your account balance must be above your starting balance to request payouts. This is called having "positive buffer."

Example:

• Funded account starts at $102,500
• Current balance: $103,800
• Buffer: +$1,300 (you're $1,300 above start)
• ✅ You can withdraw up to $1,300

Example 2:

• Funded account starts at $102,500
• Current balance: $101,900
• Buffer: -$600 (you're below start)
• ❌ You cannot withdraw anything

You must trade back above your starting balance before you can request payouts again.

The 7-Day Frequency Rule

You can only request one payout per account every 7 days. The timer starts when you submit the request, not when you receive the money.

Timeline:

• Monday: Request payout #1
• Monday (next week): Can request payout #2 (7 days later)
• Monday (third week): Can request payout #3

This prevents you from withdrawing every single day, which would be annoying for both you and TradeDay's payment processor.

For complete details on requesting withdrawals, see the payout policy guide.

Funded Sim vs Funded Live

TradeDay offers two types of funded accounts, and the rules differ slightly.

Funded Sim (Default)

This is where you start after passing evaluation:

• Trading on TradeDay's simulated environment (same as evaluation)
• Profits are real money you can withdraw
• No additional monthly fees beyond evaluation subscription (which ends once funded)
• All the rules described in this article apply

Funded Live (Upgrade Option)

You can upgrade to direct market routing:

• Trades execute directly with real brokers
• Professional market data feeds
• Costs $140/month for data fees
• Rules are identical to Funded Sim

Most traders stay on Funded Sim because there's no monthly cost and the profit splits are the same. Funded Live is for traders who want "real" execution and don't mind the monthly fee.

What Happens If You Hit Max Drawdown When Funded

Unlike evaluation where hitting max drawdown means you reset and try again, hitting max drawdown on a funded account is final.

The Result

Your funded account closes immediately. You lose access. Any profit you built up but didn't withdraw is gone.

Example:

• You built your funded account from $100,000 to $108,000
• You have $5,000 buffer currently
• You haven't withdrawn yet (wanted to wait and take one big payout)
• You hit max drawdown after a bad trading session
• Account closes — you lose access to that $5,000 buffer you never withdrew

This is why many traders withdraw frequently (every 7-14 days) rather than letting profit accumulate in the account for months. You want to pull money out regularly in case you eventually blow the account.

No Reset Option for Funded Accounts

You can't "reset" a funded account like you can an evaluation account. Once it's gone, it's gone.

But you can start a new evaluation if you want to get funded again. You're not banned from TradeDay — you just lost that particular funded account.

Strategic Differences: How to Trade Funded vs Evaluation

Your approach should shift once you're funded.

During Evaluation - Priority: Pass

Your goal is to pass without failing. This means:

• Conservative risk management
• Spreading profits to meet consistency
• Stopping once you hit the target (don't risk it)
• Trading carefully around the rules

When Funded - Priority: Maximize Income While Preserving Account

Your goal is to make consistent monthly income while not blowing the account. This means:

• Slightly more aggressive risk (within drawdown limits)
• Taking big winners when they show up (no consistency constraint)
• Withdrawing regularly to lock in profits
• Treating the account like a long-term income source

Example shift:

• Evaluation: Hit $2,500 target with +$100 cushion, immediately stop trading
• Funded: Hit $2,500 profit for the month, keep trading if good setups appear

Rules Comparison Table

Here's everything side-by-side:

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I stop paying monthly fees once I'm funded?

Yes. Your evaluation subscription ends when you pass and get funded. You only pay the $139 activation fee once, then no more monthly costs (unless you upgrade to Funded Live).

Can I still fail after I'm funded?

Yes, if you hit max drawdown, your funded account closes permanently. But you can't fail for consistency, profit target, or trading days anymore since those rules don't apply.

What if I want to pause my funded account for a month?

Just stop trading. There's no requirement to trade any minimum frequency. Your account stays active until you either hit max drawdown or request to close it.

Can I have funded accounts with different rules?

Yes. Each funded account keeps the rules from its evaluation. You could have one funded account that came from EOD trailing eval and another that came from Static eval.

Does the profit split change when funded?

Yes. During evaluation you keep 100% (technically, since there are no payouts during eval). When funded, you keep 80-95% depending on your cumulative earnings tier.

Can I upgrade my position limits once funded?

No. Your $100K account will always have 2-contract limits. To trade more size, you need additional funded accounts.

Bottom Line: More Freedom, Same Core Risks

Getting funded removes the artificial constraints of evaluation (profit targets, consistency, minimum days) but keeps the real risk limits in place (drawdown, position sizing, prohibited practices).

This means you have more freedom to trade naturally, take big winners when they show up, and trade on your own schedule. But you still need to manage risk carefully because blowing a funded account is permanent — there's no reset button.

The smartest funded traders treat their accounts like long-term income sources. They withdraw regularly, trade consistently within their limits, and don't try to maximize every single dollar at the risk of losing the account.

For complete details on TradeDay's platform, evaluation process, and whether it's right for you, check the main TradeDay review.

Trade smart. Stay funded. Build income.

Your Next Steps

‍👉 Start Trading at TradeDay Today

‍👉 Read My Full TradeDay Review

‍👉 Check out TradeDay´s Payout Rules

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