Home Lot Size Challenge Tracker Risk/Reward Drawdown Pip Value Consistency Rule Trade Journal Compare Firms About
Home › FTMO Rules

FTMO Rules Explained

Complete breakdown of FTMO challenge rules, limits and payout structure for 2026.

Rules and pricing are subject to change. Always verify the latest rules at ftmo.com before purchasing a challenge.

FTMO Challenge — Phase 1

Profit Target10% of account
Maximum Drawdown10% of account (static)
Daily Loss Limit5% of account
Minimum Trading Days4 days
Maximum Trading Days30 days
Drawdown TypeStatic (from initial balance)

FTMO Verification — Phase 2

Profit Target5% of account
Maximum Drawdown10% of account (static)
Daily Loss Limit5% of account
Minimum Trading Days4 days
Maximum Trading Days60 days
Drawdown TypeStatic (from initial balance)

Account Sizes & Costs

$10,000~$155
$25,000~$250
$50,000~$345
$100,000~$540
$200,000~$1,080

Fee is refunded on first payout.

Payout Structure

Base payout split80%
Maximum payout split90%
First payout after30 days
Subsequent payoutsEvery 14 days
Payout methodsBank, crypto, Deel

Scaling Plan

Trigger10% profit over 4 months
Scale up amount+25% of account
Maximum account size$2,000,000
Max split at scale90%

Key FTMO Rules You Must Know

Static Drawdown Explained

FTMO uses a static drawdown calculated from your initial account balance. On a $10,000 account, your balance can never fall below $9,000 regardless of how high it gets. If your balance grows to $11,000, your floor stays at $9,000 — not $9,900. This means profits do not give you more room to lose.

Daily Loss Limit Explained

The 5% daily loss limit is calculated from your balance at the start of each trading day. If you started the day with $10,500, your maximum loss for that day is $525. This resets at midnight CET. Floating (open) losses count toward the daily limit, so an open trade in deep loss can trigger the limit even before you close it.

News Trading

FTMO allows news trading. You can trade during major economic events including NFP, CPI and FOMC announcements. This is a significant advantage over some other prop firms that restrict trading 2 minutes before and after high-impact news.

Weekend Holding & EAs

FTMO allows holding trades over the weekend and overnight. Expert Advisors (automated trading) are permitted. Copy trading is allowed provided you are the signal provider and not copying someone else. Martingale strategies are technically allowed but are flagged and may be reviewed.

FTMO Quick Reference Calculator

Select your account size to instantly see all your key limits: