FTMO FAQ: Challenge, Verification, Drawdown Rules & Funded Payouts
From the Challenge and Verification to a fully funded account — every drawdown rule, profit split, payout cycle, and platform decision in one trader-tested guide.
Master FTMO's multi-step evaluation, understand how the daily and maximum drawdown limits actually behave in live conditions, navigate the trailing balance protection on funded accounts, and unlock the scaling plan that grows your allocation across years of consistent trading. This guide covers every funded trader rule, profit split tier, payout cycle, KYC requirement, and platform option across MetaTrader, cTrader, and DXtrade — including OANDA US access for American traders and how PickMyTrade routes your TradingView signals straight into FTMO without breaching consistency or stop-loss rules.
Jump to a Section
FTMO Basics 12 answers
What is FTMO and how does the prop firm model work?
Who founded FTMO and where is it based?
When was FTMO founded?
Is FTMO regulated?
Is FTMO legit or a scam?
How much has FTMO paid out to traders?
How many traders does FTMO have?
What countries does FTMO accept?
Does FTMO accept US-based traders?
Is FTMO available in India / Pakistan / Nigeria?
Does FTMO trade real money or simulated capital?
Why is FTMO considered the gold standard of prop firms?
Challenge / Verification / Funded 14 answers
How does the FTMO 2-step evaluation work?
What is the FTMO Challenge profit target?
What is the Verification profit target?
Is there a time limit on the FTMO Challenge or Verification?
How long does the FTMO Challenge typically take?
What is the minimum number of trading days?
Can I pass the FTMO Challenge in one trade?
What happens after I pass Verification?
Can I fail Verification and try again?
What is the difference between Challenge and Verification?
Is there a profit target on the FTMO funded account?
Can I trade aggressively on the Challenge to hit 10% fast?
Does FTMO offer a 1-step or instant-funded option?
What is the FTMO Premium Programme?
Account Sizes & Pricing 10 answers
What account sizes does FTMO offer?
How much does an FTMO $10K Challenge cost?
How much does an FTMO $25K Challenge cost?
How much does an FTMO $50K Challenge cost?
How much does an FTMO $100K Challenge cost?
How much does an FTMO $200K Challenge cost?
Is the FTMO fee billed in EUR or USD?
Can I combine multiple FTMO accounts?
Are there monthly fees on FTMO funded accounts?
What payment methods does FTMO accept?
Drawdown & Daily Loss 15 answers
What is the FTMO daily loss limit?
What is the FTMO maximum drawdown?
Is FTMO drawdown trailing or static?
How is the daily loss calculated?
When does the FTMO daily loss reset?
Does the max drawdown include open positions?
Does FTMO have a soft breach or hard breach?
Is there a minimum profit per day?
What happens if I breach the 5% daily loss?
What happens if I breach the 10% maximum loss?
Does the trailing maximum loss reset after I scale?
Does swap (overnight financing) count toward drawdown?
Are commissions counted against the profit target?
Does the daily reset matter for swing traders?
Is there an end-of-day or intraday calculation difference?
Consistency, Min Days & Stop-Loss 8 answers
What is the FTMO consistency rule?
Does the consistency rule apply to Challenge / Verification?
Is a stop-loss required on every trade?
What is the minimum trading day requirement on funded?
Does FTMO have a minimum lot size or position size?
Can I trade weekends on FTMO?
Is there a maximum lot or position size restriction?
What violates the consistency rule most often?
Funded Activation & Scaling Plan 10 answers
How long does funded activation take?
What documents are required for FTMO KYC?
What is the FTMO Scaling Plan?
How often does FTMO scale my account?
What is the cap on scaling?
Does scaling change my profit split?
What if I miss a scaling cycle?
Do payouts count toward the 10% scaling profit?
Can I trade my old account after scaling?
Does FTMO scaling work for crypto / indices, not just forex?
Payouts 15 answers
What is the FTMO profit split?
When can I request my first payout?
Is the FTMO Challenge fee refunded?
How often can I request payouts?
How are FTMO payouts processed?
Are there hidden fees on FTMO payouts?
What is the minimum payout amount?
How long do FTMO payouts take?
Can I leave profits on the FTMO account to compound?
What blocks an FTMO payout request?
Do I have to close all positions before requesting?
What is the FTMO performance coach payout bonus?
Are FTMO payouts taxable?
Can I change my payout method between cycles?
Does FTMO send payout proof publicly?
News, Hedging, HFT & Latency Arbitrage 12 answers
Can I trade news on FTMO?
Can I hold positions through high-impact news?
Is hedging allowed on FTMO?
Is HFT or scalping allowed?
What is latency arbitrage and why is it banned?
Is grid trading or martingale allowed?
Can I copy-trade signals from a service?
Can I trade the same setup across multiple FTMO accounts?
What is the rule on tick scalping?
Can I use a VPS to run my strategy?
Are there forbidden trading strategies?
What happens if FTMO suspects rule violation?
Automation, EAs, Bots & PickMyTrade 12 answers
Are EAs and trading bots allowed on FTMO?
Can I run a TradingView Pine Script strategy on FTMO?
How does PickMyTrade connect to FTMO?
Why use PickMyTrade instead of an MT4 EA?
Does PickMyTrade work for both Challenge and funded?
Can I copy-trade from one FTMO account to another?
What automation latency does FTMO tolerate?
Can I use commercial / free EAs from MQL5 marketplace?
Does PickMyTrade support FTMO multi-firm setups?
How do I set stop-losses with PickMyTrade on FTMO?
Can I run a martingale or grid bot on FTMO via PickMyTrade?
Is PickMyTrade affiliated with FTMO?
Platforms (MT4 / MT5 / cTrader / DXtrade) 10 answers
What platforms does FTMO support?
Which platform should I choose: MT4 or MT5?
What is cTrader and why does FTMO support it?
What is DXtrade and when did FTMO add it?
Can I switch platforms mid-Challenge?
Does PickMyTrade support all four FTMO platforms?
What instruments are available on each platform?
Can I use the FTMO mobile app to trade?
Are spreads tighter on cTrader vs MT5 on FTMO?
What server time does FTMO use on MT4/MT5?
US Traders & OANDA US Partnership 8 answers
Why was FTMO unavailable to US traders?
When did FTMO return for US traders?
What is the OANDA US partnership?
What instruments are available for US FTMO traders?
What platforms are available for US FTMO traders?
Are the rules different for US FTMO traders?
How do I sign up as a US trader?
Can US traders use PickMyTrade with FTMO via OANDA US?
Refunds, Resets & Free Trial 8 answers
Is the FTMO Challenge fee refundable if I fail?
Can I reset the FTMO Challenge?
Can I reset the Verification?
What is the FTMO Free Trial?
Can I get a refund if I change my mind before trading?
What disqualification reasons are most common?
Does FTMO offer free resets in promotions?
Can I reset a funded FTMO Trader account?
Promotions, Affiliate & Premium Tiers 6 answers
Does FTMO have a discount code?
Does FTMO run Black Friday sales?
What is FTMO Premium?
Does FTMO have an affiliate program?
Can I stack discount codes on FTMO?
How often does FTMO run promotions?
FTMO vs Competitors & Misc 10 answers
FTMO vs FundedNext — which is better for forex?
FTMO vs The5%ers
FTMO vs MyFundedFX
FTMO vs Apex Trader Funding (futures)
FTMO vs Topstep (futures)
Why is FTMO's daily-trailing maximum loss important?
Should I run FTMO alongside other prop firms with PickMyTrade?
Do I owe taxes on FTMO profits?
Can I trade FTMO on mobile?
Where can I see FTMO payout proof?
Automate Your FTMO Account in 5 Minutes
PickMyTrade routes TradingView alerts to FTMO via MT4, MT5, cTrader and DXtrade. Sub-200ms execution, stop-losses attached automatically, full Discipline-Score-friendly sizing.
Disclaimer
This FAQ is for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial, legal, or tax advice. FTMO rule references are compiled from ftmo.com, the FTMO blog, the official FTMO Trader Agreement and Trader Code of Conduct, real user discussions in trader forums (FTMO trader forums, forex forums, prop firm forums, algo trader forums), Discord, Trustpilot reviews (50,000+), independent reviews on PropFirmMatch, ProTradingVibes, TheTrustedProp, BlueberryFunded, MarketplaceFairness, and our work helping traders automate FTMO accounts via MT4, MT5, cTrader, and DXtrade. FTMO updates rules — verify directly on the official help center.
FTMO covers forex, indices, commodities, and crypto CFDs (region permitting). The 2-step Challenge to Verification to Funded path remains the firm's primary structure since 2014, joined by a 1-Step Challenge with 3% daily / shallower max loss. The 5% daily / 10% trailing-daily max loss is the structural backbone for 2-Step. The 2024 removal of time limits, the August 2025 OANDA US partnership, the December 2025 acquisition of OANDA, the Premium Programme (Prime → Supreme → Quantlane), and scaling to $2,000,000 are the most material recent changes covered on this page.
Recent 2024-2026 changes: time limits removed from Challenge and Verification (2024), minimum-trading-day rule relaxed on eval phases (2024), suspension of new US sign-ups (June 2024), return to US market via OANDA US partnership (2025), DXtrade platform expansion, and ongoing scaling-plan refinements. The static-drawdown structure remains FTMO's defining feature.
PickMyTrade is an automation bridge. PickMyTrade is not a broker, not a prop firm, and not affiliated with FTMO. PMT does not hold customer funds, does not place trades without your alert, and does not guarantee trade outcomes.
Past performance does not predict future results. Prop firm trading carries a real risk of loss. FTMO accounts are simulated assessment programs. Consult a licensed financial advisor and a tax professional before trading.
"FTMO," "FTMO Trader," "FTMO Challenge," "FTMO Verification," "FTMO Premium," "OANDA," "OANDA US," "MetaTrader," "MT4," "MT5," "cTrader," "DXtrade," "TradingView," "Pine Script," "Skrill," "Neteller," "PickMyTrade" are trademarks of their respective owners. Subreddit names (FTMO trader forums, forex forums, prop firm forums, algo trader forums) are independent communities not affiliated with FTMO or PickMyTrade.
Last updated: May 2026.