Funded account: what it is at futures prop firms

What you get after passing, what is simulated and what is live, how payouts work and what ends it.

Usually: Simulated
Ways in: Evaluation or instant funding
Profit split: 50% to 100%
Firms compared: 12

Rules checked on September 26, 2026 · By helloweekends Editors

A funded account at a futures prop firm is the account you trade after you pass a paid evaluation or buy instant funding. You trade it under the firm's rules and can request payouts under a profit split. At most firms it is still a simulated account, not a brokerage account with real money; a few firms later move some traders to live accounts.

Simulated funded or live

Firms use different names for the same stage: Topstep's Express Funded Account, Apex Trader Funding's Performance Account, Take Profit Trader's PRO, MyFundedFutures' Sim Funded account, Alpha Futures' Qualified Account and Earn2Trade's LiveSim. Where the firm's pages say so, these accounts are simulated. A payout from them is a payment the firm makes under its payout rules.

Live accounts come later and only for some traders. Topstep's Live Funded Account is by Risk Team call-up only. Take Profit Trader invites some PRO traders to PRO+, a live account run through Tradovate. Phidias's Express to Live account converts to a live account once you reach the target on its funded CASH account. The table below shows each firm's path.

How you get one

Pass an evaluation. Reach the profit target without breaking the rules, then activate the account. Some firms charge an activation fee: $149 per Express Funded Account on Topstep's Standard Path, $130 at Take Profit Trader, $69 on Apex's 25K Intraday plan. Earn2Trade deducts its $139 fee from your first withdrawal.
Buy instant funding. Alpha Futures, Bulenox, Lucid Trading and Tradeify sell funded accounts with no evaluation, at a higher price. See instant funding prop firm plans.

Timing varies. Apex's activation fee is due within 7 calendar days of passing. A Phidias Premium CASH account starts one trading day after you pass.

How payouts work

Profit split. Your share of each payout: 90% at Topstep, Tradeify, Lucid Trading and Alpha Futures; 80% on Take Profit Trader's PRO; 100% of approved payouts on Apex's Performance Accounts.
When you can ask. Take Profit Trader pays from day one, daily. MyFundedFutures' Rapid pays daily once you clear a buffer. Topstep's Standard path pays after 5 winning days of $150 or more. Alpha Futures allows up to four requests a month.
Buffers and minimums. Many firms make you build profit above a level first. On a 50K PRO account at Take Profit Trader, only the balance above $52,000 can be withdrawn. Minimum payouts range from $100 at Earn2Trade to $1,000 on some plans, such as Tradeify's Lightning.
Caps and consistency. Most firms cap each payout, and many add a consistency rule: at Apex your largest day must be under 50% of the profit since your last payout.

What can end a funded account

Touching the maximum loss. This is a hard breach at every firm, funded or not.
Breaking a news rule. On a funded LucidDaily account, holding a position through high-impact US dollar news is a hard breach. At Alpha Futures a first news violation on a funded account is a warning and repeat violations breach it.
Prohibited practices. Take Profit Trader liquidates accounts and forfeits profits for counter positions across accounts. Tradeify blocks payouts unless more than half of your trades, and of your profit, come from trades held longer than 10 seconds.
Inactivity. FundedNext deactivates accounts after 30 calendar days without a trade. Apex closes a Performance Account without two $50 profit days in 30 calendar days. Take Profit Trader requires at least one trading day each week on PRO.
Reaching the payout limit. Apex closes a Performance Account after its sixth payout. FundedNext ends Rapid Pro and Rapid Daily accounts after the fifth reward.

Funded accounts at 12 firms

Source: each firm's official pages, checked September 26, 2026. "Simulated" is shown only where the firm's pages say so.
Firm	Model	Funded account	Path to live	Profit split
Alpha Futures	Evaluation and instant funding	Qualified Account, simulated	Call-up to the Live program after 5 performance fees on one account, or at the firm's discretion	90%; Live 80%
Apex Trader Funding	Evaluation	Performance Account, simulated	Apex Live, by invitation	100% of approved payouts; Live 90%
Bulenox	Evaluation and instant funding	Master account	May be considered for a live Funded Account after three payouts	100% of the first $10,000, then 90%
Earn2Trade	Evaluation	LiveSim (simulated) or Live, from partner prop firms	Live accounts from partners; one per trader	50% below a size-based threshold, 80% at or above (evaluations bought from July 6, 2026)
FundedNext Futures	Evaluation	FundedNext account	Flex: live funding review pool after five rewards	Flex 95% (one article says 80%); Rapid 90%; Legacy 80%
Lucid Trading	Evaluation and instant funding	Funded account, simulated	Live review pool after payout 5	90%
MyFundedFutures	Evaluation	Sim Funded account	Builder: after the 5th payout. Rapid: after $10,000 in one day, or by review	90% Rapid; 80% Builder and Pro
Phidias Propfirm	Evaluation	CASH account	Express to Live converts to live at the target; others by review	80%; Premium 75% rising to 100%
Take Profit Trader	Evaluation	PRO, simulated	PRO+, a live account, by invitation	80% PRO; 90% PRO+
The5ers Futures	Evaluation	Funded account	Not stated	80%
Topstep	Evaluation	Express Funded Account	Live Funded Account, by Risk Team call-up only	90%
Tradeify	Evaluation and instant funding	Sim funded account	Elite Live; the payouts needed differ across its pages	90%; Elite Live 80%

To compare what the accounts cost to reach, see cheapest futures prop firms. The evaluation cost calculator adds up price, resets, months of billing and activation fees for the plan you pick. For the rules that decide whether you get there, read how to pass a futures prop firm evaluation. US tax basics are in how to file prop firm taxes.

Know the riskA funded account at a prop firm is usually a simulated account run under the firm's rules. One breach can end it, payouts have limits, and firms change their rules, pause payouts and close. Not investment advice.

Questions

What is a funded account?

The account a prop firm gives you after you pass its evaluation or buy instant funding. You trade it under the firm's rules and can request payouts under a profit split.

Is a funded trading account real money?

Usually not. At most futures prop firms the funded account is simulated, and payouts are paid by the firm under its rules. A few firms move some traders to live accounts later.

How do I get a funded account?

Pass a paid evaluation and activate the account, sometimes for a fee, or buy an instant funding plan from Alpha Futures, Bulenox, Lucid Trading or Tradeify.

Can I lose a funded account after a payout?

Yes. The maximum loss still applies, and some firms close the account after a set number of payouts, such as six at Apex Trader Funding.

Sources

All checked on September 26, 2026.