What is the consistency rule at a prop firm? Evaluation vs payout math, and caps at 6 firms

What is the consistency rule? A check that one day's profit is not too large a share of the total

The consistency rule is used by many futures prop firms. Instead of letting you hit the profit target or meet payout conditions with one big winning day, it checks that you built profit over several days.

The exact formula differs slightly by firm, but the basic idea is the same.

Consistency percentage = profit on your best day ÷ total profit for the period

If this percentage stays within the firm's cap, you meet the condition. What happens when you go over depends on whether the rule is the evaluation type or the payout type.

Because a cap written as a percentage is hard to picture, it helps to work backward. With a 50% cap, total profit needs to be about 2 times your best day. With 40% it is 2.5 times, and with 30% about 3.33 times. At firms that use "under," you need to go slightly past that amount. Apex Trader Funding gives the rule of thumb "largest profit day ÷ 0.5 = required net profit."

How does the consistency rule work in evaluations vs payouts?

Evaluation type: going over does not fail you

With the evaluation type, going over the consistency cap does not fail the evaluation. Instead, you need more profit to pass, or more trading days to bring the percentage down.

• Topstep Trading Combine: your best day must be 55% or less of total profit. If it goes over, the profit target rises, and the new target is "best day ÷ 0.55."
• Take Profit Trader Test: your best day's net P&L must be under 50% of total net profit. If it goes over, the required profit automatically rises to "more than 2 times the best day."
• My Funded Futures evaluations (Rapid, Rapid EOD, Pro): the firm says going over is not a failure; you just add more days.
• Tradeify evaluation (Select): the firm says a breach does not fail the account; you just trade more days.

With this type, the evaluation's minimum trading days may be tied to the consistency rule. Tradeify's Select has a 3-day minimum because of its 40% rule. Lucid Trading's LucidFlex is also a 3-day minimum at 40%, and a 2-day minimum with the 50% add-on.

Payout type: you cannot request a payout until you meet it

The payout type is one of the conditions for requesting a payout from a funded account. If you do not meet it, you cannot request, but the account does not close. Apex Trader Funding says that on a PA, the request button simply does not appear until you meet it, and it is not a failure.

Most payout-type rules reset with each approved payout. Apex Trader Funding calculates on net profit since the last approved payout (or since the start, for the first one), and Topstep's XFA Consistency also resets with each payout. Tradeify says it resets after a payout is approved.

See the Topstep consistency rule (55% and 40%)

See the Take Profit Trader Test rules

Consistency rule examples: evaluation and payout

Here is the math with sample numbers. These are not any firm's actual rules; they only show how the calculation works.

Evaluation type example (50% cap, $3,000 profit target)

Over 3 days, P&L is +$1,800, +$700, and +$600, for a total of $3,100. That reaches the $3,000 profit target, but the best day share is 1,800 ÷ 3,100 = about 58%, over the 50% cap.

To meet a 50% cap, total profit must be 2 times the best day. 1,800 × 2 = $3,600, so you need another $500 (more than $500 at firms that use "under") without setting a new best day. The new profit target follows the firm's formula ("best day ÷ 0.55" at Topstep).

Payout type example (40% cap)

In the 4 days since the last payout, P&L is +$800, +$300, -$200, and +$400, for a total of $1,300. The best day share is 800 ÷ 1,300 = about 62%, over the 40% cap, so you cannot request a payout yet.

To meet a 40% cap, total profit must be 2.5 times the best day: 800 × 2.5 = $2,000. Add another $700 without any single day going over $800, and you meet the condition.

What is easy to miss? Losing days, "at most" vs "under," and day boundaries

Losing days reduce total profit

At most firms, the total profit used in the calculation is net profit after losing days. Apex Trader Funding says losing days reduce net profit and so affect the percentage. A loss raises the percentage for the same best day and moves you further from the condition.

Topstep also writes that a losing day does not reset the best day. Once you have a big profit day, it stays as your best day.

"At most" or "under"

Firms also differ on whether a share exactly at the cap is allowed. Topstep's Trading Combine is 55% or less, Lucid Trading's LucidPro is 40% or less, and Tradeify says exactly at the cap (for example 20.00%) passes and only going over fails. Apex Trader Funding and Take Profit Trader, on the other hand, use under 50%.

Day boundaries and other calculation details

• Day boundary: in Topstep's Trading Combine, the best day is set at 3:10 PM CT. In the XFA, a winning day is set at 4:00 PM CT.
• Rounding: Topstep states there is no rounding and no buffer.
• Fees: Tradeify says fees are not included in the profit calculation.
• Request day: Topstep's XFA Consistency says trades on the day you request are not counted in the next cycle.
• Tolerance: Lucid Trading's LucidFlex 50% add-on allows a small tolerance, up to $1,560 against a $1,500 cap on 50K.

As this shows, even the same "50%" is calculated differently in the details at each firm. When you are close to the line, check your dashboard and the firm's official explanation before you request.

What is the consistency rule cap at each futures prop firm?

Here are the consistency rules on the main plans of the 6 firms, split into evaluation and funded account (payout). Plans differ a lot even within one firm, so look at the row for your plan.

Every plan in this table uses a consistency rule in either the evaluation or at payout. Exceptions with neither include the limited-time One Day add-on for My Funded Futures' Pro (Pro's Sim Funded also has no consistency rule).

Older plans and earlier purchases may have different terms. For example, Lucid Trading's LucidPro was 35% for purchases and resets before 2025-11-28 3:00 PM EST. Apex Trader Funding's Legacy PA has a 30% rule.

See the Apex Trader Funding 50% consistency rule and payouts

See Lucid Trading payouts and consistency

See the My Funded Futures consistency rule

See Tradeify payouts and consistency

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