Many funded-account firms will not pay out if one day made too large a share of your total profit. This is usually called a consistency rule. It catches traders after their best day, which is why it feels unfair, but the arithmetic is short.
The rule
Your best single day may not be more than a set percentage of your total profit when you ask for a payout. The percentage differs between firms and account types, so read your firm's own rules page for the figure.
The sum
For a best day of $2,000:
| Allowed share | Total profit needed |
|---|---|
| 50% | $4,000 |
| 40% | $5,000 |
| 30% | $6,667 |
What it means after a big day
Say the account is up $2,600 and $2,000 of that came from one day, under a 50% rule. The total needed is $4,000, so you need another $1,400, and it has to arrive in days that are each smaller than $2,000. A second big day does not help. It raises the bar again.
How to avoid it
- Cap your best day. Decide a daily profit figure a little under what the rule allows against your target, and stop when you reach it.
- Check before the trade, not at payout. If a win at your planned target would push today over the limit, take a smaller size or a nearer target.
- Keep the size steady. The rule mostly catches days when size was raised to recover or to press an advantage.
In one line: divide your best day by the allowed share. That is the profit you need before a payout, and every larger day pushes it higher.