Prop firm rules explained

Seven rules that decide whether you pass or keep a futures prop firm account, and each firm's version.

Rules explained: 7
Firms tracked: 12
Weekend holding allowed: 1 of 12

Rules checked on September 26, 2026 · By helloweekends Editors

Prop firm rules are the conditions a futures prop firm sets for its evaluations and funded accounts: how much you may lose in total and in one day, how evenly you must earn, when you must be flat and what you pay. An evaluation is a paid service with simulated trading. Below are seven common rules, each with its own explainer and a table covering 12 firms.

Seven rules, one explainer each

Trailing drawdown

The loss floor that follows your balance up, and when it locks.

EOD vs intraday drawdown

The same trading day under both methods, and who uses which.

Prop firm daily loss limit

Soft vs hard breach, optional limits and the 50K amounts.

Prop firm consistency rule

How the best-day percentage works, with each firm's figure.

Prop firm weekend holding

CME's Friday close and each firm's flat-by time.

Prop firm news trading rules

Which releases are restricted, for how long, and the penalty.

Prop firm activation fee

Who charges a fee after you pass, and how billing changes the total.

The seven rules at a glance

Rules checked on September 26, 2026. A count includes a firm if the rule applies to at least one of its plans or stages.

Counts across the 12 futures prop firms we track, from their official rules pages, checked September 26, 2026.
Rule	What it means	How many of the 12 use it
Trailing drawdown	A maximum loss limit that rises with your highest balance and never falls	12, on at least one plan
EOD vs intraday drawdown	Whether the loss floor follows your closing balance or your highest equity during the day	EOD: 12. Intraday: 6, on at least one plan or stage
Daily loss limit	A cap on one day's loss; at most firms it pauses trading instead of failing the account	10, on at least one plan
Consistency rule	Your best day may be only a set share of your total profit, from 20% to 55%	12, at some stage
Weekend holding	Keeping a position from the Friday close to the Sunday open	Allowed at 1 (Phidias Premium)
News trading limits	No positions, orders or new trades in a window around major releases	Restricted at 5, on some plan or stage
Activation fee	A one-time fee to open the funded account after you pass	6, on at least one plan

Hard breach vs soft breach

Rules end accounts in two ways. A hard breach fails the account: touching the maximum loss limit does this at every firm we track, and so does holding through high-impact US dollar news on a funded LucidDaily account. A soft breach only stops trading for the rest of the session. At the firms that say how their daily loss limit works, hitting it is a soft breach.

Rules change after you pass

Many firms use one set of rules for the evaluation and another for the funded account. Take Profit Trader switches from an end-of-day to an intraday drawdown once you pass. Lucid drops the LucidFlex consistency rule when you are funded, while LucidPro adds a 40% rule. Alpha Futures, MyFundedFutures and Take Profit Trader add news restrictions only on funded accounts. Read both stages before you buy.

Rules change over time

Firms rewrite these rules often. Apex moved to one-time pricing, a choice of drawdown type and a 50% consistency rule on March 1, 2026. We check every firm's rules at least every two weeks and log each change in prop firm rule changes. How we collect and check rules is set out in our prop firm rules methodology. Each firm's full plans and rules are on its profile under futures prop firms.

Know the riskA prop firm evaluation is a paid service with simulated trading. Most people who buy one do not pass it, and firms change their rules, pause payouts and close. Not investment advice.

Questions

What are the most common prop firm rules?

Among the 12 futures prop firms we track, every firm uses a trailing drawdown and a consistency rule on at least one plan or stage. Ten have a daily loss limit on at least one plan, and all but one make you flat before the weekend.

Which prop firm rule fails an account?

Touching the maximum loss limit, the trailing drawdown floor, fails the account at every firm we track. A daily loss limit usually only pauses trading for the session.

Do prop firm rules change after you pass?

Often. Drawdown type, consistency rules and news restrictions can differ between the evaluation and the funded account. Take Profit Trader, for example, uses an intraday drawdown once you pass.

How often are these rules checked?

We check every firm's official rules at least every two weeks and log changes with the old rule, the new rule and a source link.

Sources

Each firm's rules pages checked on September 26, 2026.