Guides / Prop Firms / FTMO
FTMO Guide — Challenge Rules, Payouts, and What to Know
Overview
FTMO is a proprietary trading firm, widely cited as one of the first and longest-running in the space, that funds traders who pass a two-phase evaluation — a Challenge phase and a Verification phase — before trading a simulated funded account and receiving a share of the profits. Its daily-loss rule is tighter than some newer competitors, but it's publicly documented on FTMO's own site, and as of 2026 neither phase has a time limit.
FTMO pros and cons
- No time limit on either evaluation phase as of 2026 — the profit target has to be hit, not hit fast.
- One of the original prop firms in the category, so its Challenge/Verification structure is the one most competitors' rules get compared against.
- Profit split starts at 80% and rises to 90% after the first payout via the Scaling Plan.
- Only 4 minimum trading days per phase — a trading day counts as any day with at least one open position.
- 5% maximum daily loss, recalculated at 00:00 CE(S)T, is tighter than firms that allow 8–10% daily.
- Two separate phases (Challenge, then Verification) before a funded account — slower than a 1-step alternative.
- Challenge fee varies significantly by account size and challenge type, so there's no single fixed upfront cost.
What are FTMO’s challenge rules?
$100K account — 2-Step Challenge
| Profit target (Phase 1) | 10% |
|---|---|
| Profit target (Phase 2) | 5% |
| Max daily loss | 5% |
| Max total loss | 10% |
| Min trading days | 4 per phase |
| Time limit | Unlimited |
| Profit split | 80% → 90% |
| Challenge fee | Varies by account size |
Planning a challenge attempt?
Traderista’s Challenge Buffer Calculator tracks how much of FTMO’s daily and total loss limits you have left, in real time.
Traderista provides educational information and historical data only. Nothing here is financial advice. Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Past performance does not indicate future results.