The Consistency Rule
The consistency rule is the rule that ends careers, or at least, payout requests. It exists to stop traders from gambling up a profit in one lucky session and cashing it out. Whether that’s fair is a separate question. What matters is understanding it before you buy.
What it says
Most firms phrase it like this:
When requesting a payout, no single trading day may account for more than 30% (or 40%) of the total profit in the account.
The percentage varies by firm:
| Firm | Cap | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FTMO | 30% | Applies to payout requests |
| FundingPips | 40% | Applies to payout requests |
| FundedNext (Stellar) | 40% | Applies to payout requests on the flagship program |
A lower cap is stricter. A 30% cap means your best day can be a smaller share of your profit than under a 40% cap.
What it means
Imagine you profit $1,000 over a month:
- Best day: $250 → 25% of total profit → passes a 30% cap, passes a 40% cap.
- Best day: $400 → 40% of total profit → fails a 30% cap, passes a 40% cap (barely).
- Best day: $550 → 55% → fails both.
The rule is about the proportion, not the amount. A $5,000 profit with a $1,000 best day (20%) passes. A $600 profit with a $300 best day (50%) fails.
Why it matters
It changes how you should trade in the days before a payout:
- Don’t swing. A monster day that earns most of your profit sets the proportion against you.
- Plan the split. If you’re close to the target, take smaller, regular profits so the best-day share stays under the cap.
- Check per firm. Caps differ. 30% vs 40% is a material difference in how much one day can matter.
The gotcha
The consistency rule is rarely on the pricing page. It lives in the rulebook. That’s the single most common “I didn’t know about that” moment in prop trading, and it’s why we stamp it GOTCHA when we see it.
Questions to ask before buying
- What is the cap? (30%, 40%, other?)
- Does it apply to the challenge, the payout, or both?
- Does it apply to every program or only some?
- What counts as “a day”, your timezone, the firm’s, the platform’s?
If the firm’s answer to any of these is not on one page, that’s friction. Note it.