YRM Prop Commission Structure

YRM Prop charges per-contract commissions that vary by instrument, with MES (Micro E-mini S&P 500) running approximately $1.60 round-trip, ES (E-mini S&P 500) around $4.00-$4.50 round-trip, and similar contract-based fees across other futures products — and these commissions come straight out of your account balance, reducing your net profits before you even hit the 90/10 split that determines your actual payout.

This isn't like forex or stock prop firms that sometimes absorb commission costs; with futures prop trading, you're paying the real exchange fees, clearing fees, and platform charges that exist in actual futures markets, which means commission management is a critical component of your profitability especially if you're a high-frequency trader executing 50-100+ trades per day.

Look, commissions might seem like a minor detail when you're excited about accessing $50,000-$150,000 in funded capital, but they're the silent killer of futures trading profitability. A scalper making $200/day gross profit on a 50K Challenge account who executes 40 round-trips could easily eat $60-80 in daily commissions. That's 30-40% of gross profits disappearing before you even factor in the consistency rule or drawdown limits. Understanding exactly what you're paying per trade, how those costs scale with different instruments, and how to structure your trading around commission efficiency makes the difference between profitability and slowly bleeding your account to death through fees.

This breakdown connects to the trading platforms that execute and display your commissions, the approved products list showing which instruments you can trade, and the maximum contracts rules that determine how many contracts you're executing (and thus paying commissions on) per trade.

Why I trade with YRM Prop: I’ve tested YRM Prop accounts personally, analyzed their rule structure, and examined how their evaluation model works in real trading conditions. This breakdown is based on hands-on experience and direct platform testing — not recycled marketing copy.

That said, no prop firm is flawless. YRM Prop has advantages (clear account structures, competitive pricing, straightforward evaluation path) and trade-offs that serious traders should understand before buying a challenge. For a full breakdown of rules, pricing, account types, and risk mechanics, read my complete YRM Prop review . For the most up-to-date information, always verify details directly on YRM Prop’s official website or their help center .

How Futures Commissions Work

The Basics: Round-Trip vs Per-Side

Futures commissions are quoted two ways:

Per-side: The cost to either enter OR exit a position. If quoted as "$2.00 per side," you pay $2.00 to buy and another $2.00 to sell, totaling $4.00 per contract.

Round-trip: The total cost to both enter AND exit a position. If quoted as "$4.00 round-trip," that's your complete cost for buying and selling one contract.

Most prop firms (including YRM Prop) quote round-trip pricing because it's clearer and prevents confusion. When I mention "$1.60 round-trip for MES," that's your complete commission cost for one full trade cycle.

What's Included in Commission

Futures commissions aren't a single flat fee. They're a bundle of several charges:

Exchange fees: Fees charged by CME, CBOT, NYMEX, or COMEX for market access and transaction processing. These vary by contract and exchange.

Clearing fees: Fees paid to the clearinghouse that guarantees contract settlement and manages risk.

NFA fees: National Futures Association regulatory fees (typically $0.02 per side, so $0.04 round-trip).

Platform fees: Some platforms charge additional technology or data fees.

Broker markup: The profit margin the broker (in this case, YRM Prop's execution infrastructure) takes.

When YRM Prop quotes "$1.60 round-trip for MES," that number includes ALL of these components. You're not getting hit with surprise fees on top of the quoted rate.

YRM Prop Commission Breakdown by Instrument

Equity Index Futures

These are the most commonly traded contracts at YRM Prop and where most traders focus their commission calculations.

Important: These are approximate rates and can vary slightly based on YRM Prop's specific broker arrangements and exchange fee changes. Always verify current rates through your platform.

Commission Efficiency: Micros vs Minis

The commission structure creates interesting dynamics for position sizing:

MES (Micro ES) commission efficiency:

• $1.60 commission per contract
• $5/point value
• Need 0.32 points profit to cover commission (1.60 ÷ 5 = 0.32)

ES (E-mini ES) commission efficiency:

• $4.50 commission per contract
• $50/point value
• Need 0.09 points profit to cover commission (4.50 ÷ 50 = 0.09)

ES is MORE commission-efficient per point moved. You need less price movement to cover commission costs on ES than MES. However, MES allows more precise position sizing and smaller dollar risk per contract, which matters more for many traders than commission efficiency.

Practical example:

50K Challenge trader wants $500 risk exposure:

• MES approach: 20 contracts × $5/point = $100/point movement. Stop at 5 points = $500 risk. Commission: 20 × $1.60 = $32.
• ES approach: 2 contracts × $50/point = $100/point movement. Stop at 5 points = $500 risk. Commission: 2 × $4.50 = $9.

Same dollar risk exposure, but ES approach pays $23 less in commissions (72% savings). However, ES approach requires you to manage 2 larger contracts instead of fine-tuning with 20 smaller contracts.

For most YRM Prop traders: Micros make sense during Challenge phase for maximum flexibility. Once funded on Prime accounts with comfortable cushion above drawdown, consider mini contracts for commission efficiency IF your strategy supports larger contract sizes.

Other Futures Products

Reality check: Most YRM Prop traders stick to equity index futures (ES, NQ, RTY and their micros) because they're the most liquid, have the tightest spreads, and are easiest to trade consistently. Energy, metals, and agricultural products have higher commission costs AND wider spreads, making them less attractive for high-frequency trading strategies.

Commission Impact on Different Trading Styles

Scalping: Commission Hell

Scalpers aiming for 2-5 point moves on 20-50+ trades per day face the most brutal commission burden.

Example scalper:

• Strategy: MES scalping targeting 3-point moves ($15 gross per contract)
• Position size: 10 MES per trade
• Trades: 40 round-trips per day
• Commission: 40 trades × 10 contracts × $1.60 = $640/day

To be profitable, this trader needs to gross $640+ just to cover commissions before considering profit targets. At $15 gross per contract per trade (10 contracts × $15 = $150 gross per trade), they need 4.3 winning trades just to break even on commissions.

Commission represents 30-40% of gross profits for aggressive scalpers. This is why many scalpers fail at prop firms — they're profitable on a per-trade basis but commissions eat them alive.

Scalping strategy adjustments for YRM Prop:

• Trade mini contracts (ES vs MES) if position sizing allows — commission efficiency improves 70%+
• Reduce trade frequency — focus on highest-probability setups rather than trading everything
• Increase profit targets — targeting 5-8 points instead of 2-3 points spreads commission cost across larger winners
• Accept that scalping on sim capital has higher commission burden than proprietary scalping with direct market access

Day Trading: Moderate Commission Impact

Day traders taking 5-15 trades per day with larger profit targets face more manageable commission costs.

Example day trader:

• Strategy: ES day trading targeting 15-25 point moves
• Position size: 2 ES per trade
• Trades: 10 round-trips per day
• Commission: 10 trades × 2 contracts × $4.50 = $90/day

If capturing average 20-point moves ($1,000 gross per trade at 2 contracts), total gross is $10,000. Commission represents 0.9% of gross profits — completely manageable.

Day trading is commission-optimal for prop firm environments. You're active enough to build 10 profitable days quickly but not so frequent that commissions dominate P&L.

Swing/Position Trading: Minimal Commission Impact

Traders holding overnight positions for 10-20+ hour holds with 40-80 point profit targets pay trivial commission relative to gross profits.

Example swing trader:

• Strategy: Overnight ES holds targeting 50-point moves
• Position size: 3 ES per trade
• Trades: 3-4 round-trips per week
• Commission: ~4 trades × 3 contracts × $4.50 = $54/week

Capturing 50-point moves ($7,500 gross per trade at 3 contracts), commission represents 0.18% of gross profits. Essentially irrelevant.

Problem: Swing trading is difficult at YRM Prop due to weekend holding prohibition and the compressed timeframes. Commission savings don't matter if you can't properly execute the strategy.

Commission Calculation in Real Trading Scenarios

Scenario 1: Challenge Passer Using Micros

Setup: Trader passing 50K Challenge, targeting $3,000 profit using MES only

Strategy: Scalp/day trade hybrid, 15 trades/day, targeting 5-point average moves

Execution:

• 15 trades × 20 trading days = 300 total round-trips during Challenge
• 10 MES per trade average
• Commission: 300 trades × 10 contracts × $1.60 = $4,800 total commission

To hit $3,000 profit target: Must gross $7,800 ($3,000 net + $4,800 commission)

Commission represents 61% of net profit requirement. This is why many traders fail Challenges — they hit gross profit targets but commission costs push them below net requirements.

Scenario 2: Funded Trader Optimizing Commission Efficiency

Setup: Trader funded on 100K Prime account, comfortable with larger position sizes

Strategy: Switch from 20 MES to 2 ES per trade, maintain same dollar exposure

Commission savings:

• Old approach (MES): 20 contracts × $1.60 = $32 per round-trip
• New approach (ES): 2 contracts × $4.50 = $9 per round-trip
• Savings: $23 per trade (72% reduction)

Over 100 trades: $2,300 saved in commissions, flowing directly to net profit and payout totals.

Scenario 3: News Trader With Tight Execution Windows

Setup: Trader focusing on major economic releases, 2-3 trades per week

Strategy: Enter on data release, hold 15-30 minutes, exit on follow-through

Commission: 3 trades/week × 5 ES × $4.50 = $67.50/week = $270/month

On a 150K Challenge with $9,000 profit target: Commission represents 3% of gross target. Essentially negligible — the hard part is the news trading restrictions, not the commission cost.

How Commissions Affect Your Payout

The 90/10 Split Application

Commissions reduce your account balance BEFORE the 90/10 profit split calculation.

Example:

• Starting balance: $50,000
• Gross trading profit: $2,500
• Commission costs: $400
• Net profit: $2,100
• Account balance: $52,100
• Payout calculation: $2,100 × 90% = $1,890 to you

You're not paying 10% on the $2,500 gross profit — you're paying 10% on $2,100 net profit. Commissions come out first, THEN the split applies.

Progressive Payout Caps and Commission

YRM Prop's payout caps are based on net account balance, which includes commission deductions:

50K Prime account first payout cap: $1,500

To reach $1,500 payout eligibility:

• Need $1,667 net profit ($1,667 × 90% = $1,500)
• If you paid $200 in commissions, you needed $1,867 gross profit
• Commission represents 10.7% of required gross profit

As you scale to higher payout caps ($4,000, $6,000, eventually $25,000), commission percentage shrinks because you're generating larger profits that dwarf the commission costs.

Commission Optimization Strategies

1. Trade Larger Contracts When Possible

Once you're comfortably above drawdown limits on a funded account, shift from micros to minis where position sizing allows.

Break-even analysis: If you're trading 10+ MES per position, consider switching to 1 ES:

• 10 MES commission: 10 × $1.60 = $16
• 1 ES commission: 1 × $4.50 = $4.50
• Savings: $11.50 per trade (72%)

2. Reduce Trade Frequency Without Reducing Profit

Instead of 30 scalp attempts targeting 3 points each, take 10 day trades targeting 10 points each. Same profit potential, 66% less commission.

3. Batch Position Entries/Exits

If building into a 5-contract position, entering all 5 contracts at once rather than scaling in (1, then 2, then 2 more) saves commission:

• Scaling approach: 3 separate entries = 3 commission charges on exit
• Single entry: 1 entry = 1 commission charge on exit

4. Don't Overtrade During Drawdown Recovery

When you're fighting to recover from near-breach situations, resist the urge to increase trade frequency. More trades = more commissions = deeper hole. Focus on quality setups with higher profit targets.

5. Track Commission as Percentage of Gross

Calculate weekly commission costs as percentage of gross profits. If commission regularly exceeds 20-30% of gross, your strategy isn't sustainable at prop firm commission rates.

Target commission percentages:

• Scalpers: 15-25% of gross (difficult but achievable)
• Day traders: 5-15% of gross (sustainable)
• Swing traders: <5% of gross (ideal but constrained by YRM rules)

Commission Structure FAQ

Does YRM Prop charge additional platform or data fees beyond commissions?

No. Platform access (Volumetrica or Quantower) and market data feeds are included with Challenge and funded accounts. The per-contract commission is your only ongoing trading cost.

Are commissions different during Challenge vs funded trading?

No. Commission structure is identical whether you're in Challenge evaluation or trading a funded Prime account.

Can I negotiate lower commissions with YRM Prop?

Not directly. Commission rates are set by YRM Prop's infrastructure agreements with exchanges and clearinghouses. However, trading larger contract sizes (minis vs micros) effectively reduces commission per dollar of exposure.

How do YRM Prop commissions compare to personal futures brokers?

YRM Prop's rates are competitive with retail futures brokers. Some deep-discount brokers offer $1.00-$1.25 round-trip for micros and $2.50-$3.50 for minis, but these typically require significant monthly volume or professional status.

Do commissions count toward my consistency rule calculation?

Yes. Daily profit for consistency purposes is NET profit after commissions. If you gross $600 but paid $100 in commissions, your daily profit is $500 for consistency calculation.

What happens if I don't have enough balance to cover commission?

You cannot open positions that would result in insufficient balance to pay commission. The platform prevents order execution if commission would overdraw your account.

Are there volume discounts for high-frequency traders?

Not publicly disclosed. Contact YRM Prop support if you're consistently executing 500+ round-trips per month to inquire about volume-based commission arrangements.

Do commissions apply to copy trading across my accounts?

Yes. Each account pays its own commissions even when copying trades from a master account. Trading 3 accounts with copy trading means 3× the commission costs.

Can I see my commission costs broken down in the platform?

Yes. Both Volumetrica and Quantower display commission costs on individual trades in your trade history and daily P&L summaries.

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