DayTraders.com Review

Rules

Drawdown / Max Loss

Drawdown Types

DayTraders.com uses three distinct drawdown models depending on account type:

• Full (Real-Time Intraday Trailing): The liquidation threshold moves up in real time as your live balance (including unrealized PnL on open trades) reaches new highs. It can trigger intraday. Used on Full Evaluation and Pro (trailing) accounts.
• Static (Fixed): The threshold is set at account open and never moves, regardless of profits or losses. No intraday adjustment risk. Used on Static Evaluation and Pro (static) accounts.
• EOD (End-of-Day Trailing): The threshold updates once per day based on your highest session balance, not intraday. Used on EOD Evaluation, S2F, and S2L accounts.

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Evaluation Account: Full (Intraday Trailing)

Account Size	Profit Target	Max Drawdown (Trailing)	Account Cost
$25,000	$1,500	$1,500	$249
$50,000	$3,000	$2,500	$379
$150,000	$8,500	$4,500	$699
$300,000	$15,000	$7,000	$879

Evaluation Account: Static (Fixed Drawdown)

Account Size	Profit Target	Fixed Drawdown (Threshold)	Account Cost
$25,000	$2,500	$750	$150
$50,000	$3,750	$1,000	$200
$75,000	$4,500	$1,250	N/A
$100,000	$5,750	$1,500	$325
$150,000	$6,750	$1,750	$400
$250,000	$8,500	$2,000	N/A
$300,000	$12,000	$3,500	N/A

Evaluation Account: EOD (End-of-Day Trailing)

Account Size	Profit Target	Total Drawdown	Daily Loss Limit
$25,000 EOD	$1,500	$1,000	$800
$50,000 EOD	$3,000	$2,000	$1,250
$150,000 EOD	$8,500	$4,000	$2,000
$300,000 EOD	$15,000	$6,500	$3,250

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Simulated Funded Account (Pro): Trailing and Static

Pro accounts retain the same drawdown metrics as the evaluation account they were converted from. For trailing Pro accounts, the drawdown continues to trail until the liquidation threshold reaches the initial account balance, at which point it locks permanently and becomes static. From that point, the trader cannot lose their starting capital.

Simulated Funded Account (S2F): EOD Trailing

Account Size	Max Loss Limit (MLL)	Daily Loss Limit (DLL)
$25,000	$1,000	None
$50,000	$2,500	$1,250
$150,000	$6,000	$3,750

The MLL stops trailing once it reaches the initial account balance. Hitting the DLL is a soft breach: positions are liquidated and the account is locked until the next trading day. Hitting the MLL results in account failure.

Live Funded Account (S2L): Intraday Trailing

Plan	Starting Balance	Total Drawdown	Daily Loss Limit
LIVE CORE	$50,000	$2,000	$1,000
LIVE EDGE	$150,000	$4,500	$1,750
LIVE ULTRA	$300,000	$7,000	$3,250

The live account DLL is calculated from the start of the trading day balance. The trailing drawdown locks and converts to static once the account’s highest unrealized balance reaches Starting Balance + Drawdown amount (e.g., $52,000 for the CORE plan). Once locked, the drawdown no longer trails.

A $1,000 buffer above the initial balance is required at all times on live accounts. Traders cannot withdraw into this buffer, but may trade within it.

Daily Loss Limit Calculation

On Evaluation and Pro accounts (Full/Static types): no separate DLL is specified; the trailing or static drawdown governs the loss boundary. On EOD Evaluation accounts and S2F accounts, a hard DLL applies alongside the total drawdown. On live accounts, the DLL is calculated from start-of-day balance.

Breach Consequences

• Breaching the drawdown threshold at any time (including intraday on trailing accounts) results in immediate account failure.
• On EOD Evaluation accounts, breaching the daily loss limit results in immediate account termination.
• On S2F accounts, hitting the DLL is a soft breach (account locked for the day); hitting the MLL is account failure.
• On live accounts, breach results in account closure. Traders may start a new S2L evaluation immediately.
• There is no reset option. Failed accounts require purchasing a new evaluation (or S2F account).

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Consistency Rule

A consistency rule applies across all account types, requiring that no single trading day’s profit exceeds a specified percentage of total profits within the current trading cycle.

Account Type	Max Single-Day Profit as % of Total Cycle Profit
Evaluation (Full / Static)	50%
EOD Evaluation	50%
Pro Account (Full / Static / EOD)	30%
S2F Account	20%
S2L Evaluation	25%
Live Account (S2L)	None

A trading cycle runs from either the first day of trading (if no payouts have been made) or from the day after the last approved payout request.

If the consistency rule is violated, the trader is not eligible for a payout until the oversized day’s proportion falls below the threshold. The trader can continue trading to dilute the high-profit day’s weight within the cycle. There is no penalty beyond payout ineligibility; the account remains active.

The consistency rule does not apply to the minimum activity requirement (traders need only meet the minimum daily profit to satisfy inactivity rules, consistency is not required for that purpose).

DayTraders.com provides a Consistency Calculator in the member dashboard for real-time tracking.

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Leverage

The maximum position size is the total number of contracts (standard or micro) that can be held at any one time, across all instruments combined. For example, if the limit is 12 minis, a trader could hold 7 ES and 5 GC simultaneously for a combined total of 12. Exceeding the limit results in order rejection, not account failure.

Micros count toward the standard contract limit at a ratio of 10 micros per 1 mini (standard). The micro column below reflects the total micro-equivalent limit.

Evaluation and Pro Accounts: Full (Trailing)

Account Balance	Max E-mini Contracts	Max Micro Contracts
$25,000	6	60
$50,000	10	100
$75,000	14	140
$100,000	18	180
$150,000	24	240
$250,000	30	300
$300,000	40	400

Evaluation and Pro Accounts: Static

Account Balance	Max E-mini Contracts	Max Micro Contracts
$25,000	4	40
$50,000	6	60
$75,000	6	60
$100,000	8	80
$150,000	8	80
$250,000	10	100
$300,000	12	120

EOD Evaluation Accounts

Account Balance	Max E-mini Contracts	Max Micro Contracts
$25,000 EOD	6	60
$50,000 EOD	10	100
$150,000 EOD	12	120
$300,000 EOD	40	400

S2F Accounts

Account Balance	Max E-mini Contracts	Max Micro Contracts
$25,000	1	10
$50,000	5	50
$150,000	12	120

Live Accounts (S2L, post-evaluation)

Plan	Max E-mini Contracts	Max Micro Contracts
LIVE CORE ($50k)	1	10
LIVE EDGE ($150k)	2	20
LIVE ULTRA ($300k)	3	30

Scaling on live accounts: once the trailing drawdown locks at the initial account balance, traders may request a Risk Team review for a contract size increase of +1, conversion of the DLL to a percentage of start-of-day cash on hand, or in certain cases removal of the DLL.

Note: The ratio of 10 micros per 1 standard mini applies across all account types. Micros and minis share the same pool toward the limit.

Exceeding the contract limit results in order rejection. There is no stated consequence beyond the rejected order, but repeated or deliberate violations may constitute prohibited conduct at DayTraders’ discretion.

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Trading Hours

Session Definition

A trading day runs from 6:00 PM ET to 4:59 PM ET the following calendar day (approximately 23 hours). This is referred to as a single trading session. All trades placed within this window count toward the same trading day.

Trading reopens at 6:00 PM ET after the daily close at 5:00 PM ET.

Position Close Deadline

All positions must be closed by 4:59 PM ET. Most equity, energy, metal, and currency futures close at 5:00 PM ET (with the hard cutoff at 4:59 PM ET to allow for system processing). Agricultural futures have earlier close times:

Market	Close Time ET
Lean Hogs (HE), Live Cattle (LE), Feeder Cattle (GF)	2:05 PM ET
Corn (ZC), Wheat (ZW), Soybeans (ZS), Soybean Meal (ZM), Soybean Oil (ZL)	2:20 PM ET
All other futures (ES, NQ, YM, RTY, CL, GC, etc.)	5:00 PM ET

Overnight Positions

Overnight positions are not explicitly permitted. All trades must be closed before the session ends. The platform auto-liquidates positions at the daily cutoff.

Weekend Trading

Sundays do not count as trading days. Trades placed on a Sunday count toward Monday’s session.

Market Holidays

DayTraders follows the CME Group holiday calendar. On US market holidays:

• The holiday itself is not counted as a trading day. Trades on that day roll forward to the next valid trading day.
• Some holidays see early market closures (e.g., 1:00 PM ET close on MLK Day and Presidents’ Day).
• Traders should consult the DayTraders 2026 holiday calendar for specific dates and close times.

News Trading

News trading is permitted but not recommended. DayTraders’ documentation notes that liquidity can drop sharply and volatility can spike around major news events, which may result in unfavorable fills.

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Multiple Accounts

Evaluation Accounts

Traders may hold up to 15 active Evaluation accounts simultaneously. EOD Evaluation accounts are capped separately at 5 accounts maximum across all EOD sizes combined.

Simulated Funded Accounts (Pro, S2F, S2L combined)

Traders may hold up to 15 total funded accounts at any one time. This pool includes Pro Static accounts, Pro Trailing accounts, S2L accounts, and S2F accounts combined. Within this total, S2F accounts are further capped at 5 maximum.

Examples of valid combinations: 12 Pro + 3 S2F; 7 Pro Static + 3 Pro Trailing + 3 S2F + 2 S2L; 10 Pro + 5 S2F.

Live Funded Accounts (S2L)

Up to 5 live accounts maximum. Once transitioned to live, the trader cannot simultaneously trade Pro or sim accounts. Any remaining sim accounts are forfeited upon live transition.

Credentials and Login

Only one user account per household is permitted. Account credentials cannot be shared with third parties. Accounts are personal and non-transferable. Trading accounts must be registered under an individual’s name; LLC or business names cannot be used at signup (though LLCs may be used for payout configuration through the payment provider).

Trade Copiers

Trade copying across accounts is permitted using the rTrader Pro Copier (available as a Rithmic add-on for $10/month) or the Onyx Trade Copier feature (built in). Both tools operate on a Leader/Follower model: trades placed on the Leader account are replicated to designated Follower accounts. Manual trading on Follower accounts is disabled while the copier is active.

Trade copiers are allowed across a trader’s own accounts. The no-hedging rule applies regardless of copier use. Using a copier to hold opposing positions across accounts remains prohibited.

No specific penalty for copier misuse is stated beyond the general prohibited conduct policy (account suspension or termination).

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Prohibited Conduct

Hedging

Holding opposing positions in the same or correlated instrument across multiple accounts is prohibited. This includes being long NQ in one account and short NQ (or ES) in another. Holding simultaneous long and short positions in the same instrument within a single account is also prohibited.

Consequence: account review, suspension, or permanent closure.

High-Frequency Trading (HFT)

Strategies that rely on executing a large number of trades in very short timeframes using automated algorithms or HFT software are prohibited. This includes systems designed to exploit price discrepancies in milliseconds or microseconds and any trading behavior that generates excessive trade volume over short periods.

Consequence: immediate account suspension pending review. If confirmed, permanent account closure and forfeiture of profits generated through HFT.

Martingale Strategy

Doubling or multiplying position size by 2x or more after a losing trade (Martingale or similar doubling-down strategies) is prohibited across all instruments.

Consequence: account review, suspension or closure, and forfeiture of profits from prohibited trades.

Exploitation of Simulator Mechanics

DayTraders reserves the right to determine at its discretion whether any trading practice constitutes exploitation of platform or simulator mechanics. Such trades may be removed from trading history, profits voided, or the account terminated.

Automated Trading

HFT algorithms are prohibited. Standard automated trading (non-HFT) is not explicitly addressed in the help documentation as prohibited or permitted for standard Pro/Evaluation accounts. Manual trading is the expected norm based on the HFT rule language. Traders should confirm with support before deploying any automated strategy.

Trading on Behalf of Others

Account credentials may not be shared. Accounts are personal and may only be used by the registered individual. Sharing login information is prohibited and constitutes a code of conduct violation.

Accounts per Household

Only one DayTraders user account per household. Opening multiple personal accounts is not permitted. If detected, DayTraders reserves the right to suspend or terminate the accounts.

Geographic Circumvention

Attempts to circumvent country restrictions (e.g., using a VPN or other means to mask location) may result in account closure and suspension of services. Traders located in restricted countries may continue trading existing accounts if temporarily traveling, but cannot open new accounts while in a restricted region.

Range of Consequences

Depending on the violation, consequences range from trade removal and profit forfeiture, to temporary account suspension, to permanent account closure without compensation or refund.

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Firm Rules (General)

Minimum Trading Days to Pass Evaluation

• Full and Static Evaluation accounts: no minimum number of trading days is specified. Traders may take as long as needed to hit the profit target.
• EOD Evaluation accounts: minimum 2 Qualifying Days required, regardless of whether the profit target has already been reached.
• S2L Evaluation: minimum 8 Qualifying Days required.

A Qualifying Day (QDay) requires: net profit at or above the minimum daily profit for the account size, compliance with all trading rules (including the consistency rule), and trading within the designated session hours (6:00 PM to 5:00 PM ET).

Minimum Daily Profit by Account Size

Account Size	Min. Daily Profit
$25,000	$100
$50,000	$200
$75,000	$200
$100,000	$300
$150,000	$300
$250,000	$300
$300,000	$400

No Maximum Time Limit

There is no maximum number of days to complete an evaluation (except EOD accounts which require a minimum, not a maximum). Traders may work at their own pace as long as the minimum activity policy is met.

Permitted Instruments

DayTraders.com trades futures only. Forex, crypto, and options are not offered.

Permitted categories: equity futures, agricultural futures, energy futures, metal futures, micro futures, and currency futures. A full instrument list is available at https://daytraders.com/help/articles/9911473-instrument-list.

Key permitted tickers include: ES, NQ, YM, RTY, EMD, NKD (equity); CL, QM, MCL, NG, QG, HO, RB (energy); GC, SI, HG, PL, PA, QI, QO (metals); ZC, ZW, ZS, ZM, ZL, HE, LE, GF (agricultural); MES, MNQ, MYM, M2K, MGC, MCL, M6A, M6E, M6J (micros); 6A, 6B, 6C, 6E, 6J, 6S, 6N (currency futures).

If an order is placed for an instrument not on the approved list, the order is simply rejected. No penalty applies.

Profit Goal Net of Commissions

The profit target is net of commissions and all costs.

Inactivity Rules

All accounts (Evaluation, Pro, S2F) must meet a minimum trading activity requirement within each rolling 30-day period:

• Monthly billing accounts: minimum 1 trading day per 30-day billing cycle. That day must meet the minimum daily profit for the account size. Consistency is not required.
• Lifetime (one-time fee) accounts: minimum 4 trading days per rolling 30-day period. Each day must meet the minimum daily profit. Consistency is not required.

If the activity requirement is not met, the account may be suspended or deactivated. Accounts purchased but not activated within 30 calendar days are suspended; renewal can be requested within 6 months, after which the account is terminated with no refund.

Age Requirement

Traders must be at least 18 years old (or the minimum legal age in their jurisdiction, whichever is higher) to open an evaluation or Pro account.

Non-Professional Requirement

DayTraders.com is exclusively for non-professional traders. If a trader is identified as a professional trader, their account is terminated immediately. Traders must not have been convicted of a felony, disciplined by the NFA or CFTC, or have an outstanding balance with a trading firm.

Corporate Entities

Accounts must be registered under an individual’s legal name. LLC or business names cannot be used at signup. LLCs may be used on the payout side through the Plane payment provider.

Reset Policy

There are no resets. When an account fails or is breached, the trader must purchase a new evaluation account. DayTraders sends a discount code to the trader’s email approximately 1:00 AM ET the day after a Pro account fails (for trailing account types), allowing a discounted restart.

Dollar Cost Averaging

DCA is permitted during both evaluation and Pro account phases.

News Trading

Permitted. Not recommended due to volatility and liquidity risks.

Stop Trading After Passing Evaluation

Once an EOD evaluation meets all requirements, traders are advised to stop trading immediately to avoid falling below the profit target, which could void the passed status.

Evaluation Account Activation

After passing, the trader must activate the Pro account (sign the agreement and pay the activation fee) within 30 days of the last trade on the evaluation account; otherwise the Pro account may be forfeited.

EOD Pro Account Activation Deadline

EOD Pro accounts must be activated within 10 days of passing the evaluation.

Account Transfers

Accounts are non-transferable. They cannot be sold, assigned, or shared.

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Additional Rules

Profit Goal Calculation

The profit target is calculated net of commissions. Traders should ensure their net PnL (after fees) meets the stated target.

Gambling-Type Behavior

DayTraders reserves the right to suspend ordering of new services if a trader places an unusually large number of orders in a short period (e.g., more than 3 resets in a 24-hour period or holding multiple accounts in a pattern suggesting gambling behavior).

Chargeback Policy

Chargebacks are not permitted. Initiating a chargeback may result in account suspension, service disruption, and potential permanent account termination. All payment issues must be directed to DayTraders support before disputing with a financial institution.

Non-Refundable Fees

All fees (evaluation fees, activation fees) are non-refundable. Accounts that are canceled, failed, or abandoned do not qualify for refunds.

Sundays and Holidays

Sundays do not count as trading days. CME-recognized market holidays do not count as trading days. Trades placed on these days roll forward to the next valid trading day.

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Activation Fee

DayTraders.com charges a one-time activation fee when transitioning from an evaluation account to a funded (Pro) account.

The fee is $130 across all account sizes and types (trailing and static), from $25,000 through $300,000.

Account Size	Trailing	Static
$25,000	$130	$130
$50,000	$130	$130
$75,000	$130	$130
$100,000	$130	$130
$150,000	$130	$130
$300,000	$130	$130

For EOD Pro accounts, the activation fee is also $130 (one-time). The fee unlocks Pro account benefits, including free real-time data ($55/month value). Payment is made through the Signatures section of the member dashboard after signing the Pro Account Agreement.

The activation fee applies to all account types. No variation by professional or non-professional data status is mentioned (DayTraders serves non-professional traders only).

The Pro account is activated within approximately 30 minutes of fee payment. The evaluation account is closed and the Pro account opened upon activation.

For S2F accounts: no activation fee. S2F accounts are available immediately upon purchase.

For Live accounts (S2L): no activation fee. Real-time data fees ($150 value) are included free.

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Commissions

All information about the commission structure can be found here: https://daytraders.com/help/articles/10068152-commissions-for-rithmic-accounts

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Payout Policy

Pro Accounts (Simulated Funded)

Profit split: 100% of simulated profits go to the trader.

Minimum payout request: $500, in increments of $500.

Minimum qualifying days between payout requests: 8 QDays.

Payouts are processed within approximately 32 minutes on average. Requests submitted before 5:00 PM ET are reflected the same day. Traders must place at least one trade after submitting the request to generate a new system report.

Account balance requirements for payout (Pro accounts):

Account Size	Min. Balance to Request	Min. Balance After Withdrawal	Max Per Request
$25,000	$26,600	$26,000	$1,000
$50,000	$52,600	$52,000	$2,000
$75,000	$77,850	$77,500	$2,500
$100,000	$103,100	$103,000	$3,000
$150,000	$155,100	$153,500	$3,500
$300,000	$307,600	$305,000	$5,000

After payout approval, the payout amount is deducted from the account balance, and the next session counts as Day 1 of the new payout cycle.

S2F Accounts (Simulated Funded)

Profit split: 100% of simulated profits go to the trader.

Minimum payout request: $500.

Minimum qualifying days between payout requests: 10 QDays.

S2F accounts have tiered profit targets that must be met between payouts (not an ongoing account balance requirement):

Payout Number	$25k Account Target	$50k Account Target	$150k Account Target	Max Per Request
Payout 1	$2,000	$3,500	$10,000	$1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000
Payout 2	$1,500	$3,000	$5,000	$1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000
Payout 3+	$1,000	$2,500	$3,500	$1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000

Live Accounts (S2L)

Profit split: 80% to the trader, 20% to DayTraders.

Payout frequency: daily. Payouts are processed between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM ET each day.

No minimum number of qualifying days between payout requests. Payouts can be requested starting from the first trading day once the trailing drawdown has locked at the initial account balance.

No maximum payout cap stated for live accounts.

Minimum balance requirement: the account must maintain at least Initial Balance + $1,000 buffer after any withdrawal. Traders cannot withdraw into the $1,000 buffer.

Payout method: via Plane (payment provider). Traders must set up their payout method in the dashboard before submitting a request.

Geographic Restrictions

Some countries are restricted from opening new accounts. Traders in restricted regions who already have accounts may continue trading existing accounts when temporarily traveling, but payouts may be subject to the same restrictions. Specific payout geographic restrictions beyond the country list are not detailed. Traders should confirm payout availability for their country with support.

Payout Disqualifications

Payout eligibility is voided if: account rules are violated (hedging, HFT, martingale), a consistency rule breach is not resolved, the account is blown after a payout request but before processing (in which case the payout is honored only if approved before the breach), or fraudulent activity is identified.

Live Transition Payout Rule

If a trader is moved to live during a payout cycle and total payouts exceed $10,000, 50% of the payout is sent to the trader’s payout method and 50% is allocated to the live account as initial capital (at minimum, 50% of the payout becomes the Maximum Loss Limit on the live account). Specific parameters are discussed with a Risk Manager.

Tax Information

US traders receive a 1099-NEC form by January 31. Non-US traders do not receive tax documentation from DayTraders.