Minimum Trading Days and Inactivity Rules
Minimum trading days set the fewest days you must trade before passing or withdrawing, while inactivity rules close accounts left untraded for too long.
A minimum trading days rule sets the fewest days you must trade before you can pass a phase or request a payout, and some firms count only profitable days above a threshold such as 0.5% of the starting balance. An inactivity rule sets the longest you can go without trading, commonly 30 days and as little as 7 at some futures firms, before the account is closed. Neither is hard to meet with planning, but both catch traders who reach the target early or take a break.
How minimum trading days work
Firms set minimum days so that a pass reflects more than one lucky session. The rule comes in three main forms.
- Trading days. Any day on which you open at least one position counts. The size and result of the trade usually do not matter.
- Profitable days. Only days that close with a profit above a threshold count, typically 0.5% of the starting balance, so $500 on a $100,000 account.
- Qualifying days with a cash minimum. Common at futures firms, where a day counts only if it makes at least a set dollar amount, such as $100 or $200 depending on account size.
The rule may apply to each evaluation phase, to the funded account before each payout, or to both. Where it applies to payouts, it usually covers each payout cycle rather than the life of the account.
How inactivity rules work
Many firms have no time limit on evaluations, but they will not keep an unused account open for ever. An inactivity rule closes or breaches any account that goes a set period without trading. The details that matter are the length of the period, whether it is counted in calendar days, and what counts as activity. At some firms a trade must be opened and closed; at others any new trade resets the clock. Holding an open position or leaving a pending order unfilled does not always count.
Worked example
A trader buys a made up $100,000 example challenge with an 8% target ($8,000). The same trading is shown under two versions of the rule: four trading days, where any day with a trade counts, and three profitable days of at least 0.5% ($500).
| Day | Result | Balance | Trading days counted | Profitable days of $500 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Up $5,200 | $105,200 | 1 | 1 |
| Day 2 | Up $3,100 | $108,300 | 2 | 2 |
| Day 3 | Up $300 | $108,600 | 3 | 2 |
| Day 4 | Down $200 | $108,400 | 4 | 2 |
| Day 5 | Up $650 | $109,050 | 5 | 3 |
The target was reached on day 2. Under the trading days rule the trader passes at the end of day 4, having placed small trades on days 3 and 4 only to meet the count. Under the profitable days rule, day 3 did not count because $300 is below the $500 threshold, and day 4 was a loss, so the pass comes on day 5. In both cases the balance had to stay above the target while the extra days were completed.
The inactivity side works like a deadline. If the trader’s last trade closed on 3 March and the firm’s limit is 30 calendar days without a trade, a new trade is needed by 2 April. Under a 21 day rule the deadline is 24 March, and under a 7 day rule it is 10 March.
How firms differ
The rules below are those published by each firm in September 2026. Firms change them often, so confirm the current version before you buy.
FTMO requires at least four trading days on its 2 Step challenge, where a trading day is any day on which at least one position is opened. Orion Funded requires four trading days in each evaluation for its Standard, Swing and Select programs and none on Zero, Nova or any funded account; accounts with no trades for 30 consecutive calendar days expire.
Several firms count only profitable days. Blue Guardian needs three profitable days of at least 0.5% to pass its 1 Step Standard and 2 Step Standard challenges and five profitable days before an Instant payout, and it requires one trade every 30 days to avoid an inactivity breach. Blueberry Funded requires three active days per phase on 1 Step and Prime, each with at least 0.5% closed profit, and breaches an account with no closed trade for 30 days. Hola Prime requires three profitable days of 0.5% within 14 days before a payout on its fortnightly cycle, or seven within 30 days on the monthly cycle, and at least one trade every 30 calendar days.
Futures firms use cash thresholds and shorter inactivity limits. DayTraders.com requires two qualifying days to pass, with minimum daily profit of $100 on 25K and $200 on 50K and 75K accounts, and its one time accounts need four qualifying days in each rolling 30 day cycle. YLOS Trading requires activity at least once every seven days, defined as a closed result of at least $100 either way, and its funded Standard accounts need ten trading days with seven winning days of $50 or more before a payout. The5ers Futures has no minimum days but closes accounts with no trade for 14 calendar days.
The Trading Pit shows why the definition of activity matters: an account with no new trade for 21 consecutive days is breached, and holding a position or leaving a pending order unfilled does not count as activity.
| Firm | Minimum days to pass | Inactivity limit |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Guardian | 3 profitable days of 0.5% (Standard challenges) | 30 days |
| Blueberry Funded | 3 days of 0.5% closed profit (1 Step, Prime) | 30 days without a closed trade |
| Orion Funded | 4 trading days (Standard, Swing, Select) | 30 calendar days |
| DayTraders.com | 2 qualifying days | 4 qualifying days per 30 day cycle on one time accounts |
| The Trading Pit | Varies by account size | 21 days without a new trade |
| The5ers Futures | None | 14 calendar days |
| YLOS Trading | 1 day (Standard) | 7 days, with a closed result of $100 either way |
Firms with no time limit but an inactivity rule are compared in best prop firms with no time limit.
Common mistakes
- Counting calendar days instead of trading days. Weekends and days without a trade do not count towards a minimum, but they do count towards most inactivity limits.
- Missing the profit threshold. A day that ends up $300 on a $100,000 account does not count under a 0.5% rule, as day 3 in the example shows.
- Taking large risks on filler days. Once the target is met, the extra days only need to be completed. A full size trade on those days can undo the pass.
- Assuming an open position is activity. At The Trading Pit, a held position or an unfilled pending order does not reset the clock, and at YLOS Trading the result must be at least $100 either way.
- Forgetting unused or spare accounts. Traders with several accounts often lose one to inactivity during a holiday.
- Getting the day boundary wrong. The firm’s trading day may end at its server midnight or at the futures session close, so two trades on the same local evening can fall on one firm day or two.
How to trade within these rules
Plan the minimum into your timeline before you start. If a challenge needs four trading days, the earliest pass is day four however fast the target is reached, and a realistic timeline is usually longer; see how long it takes to pass a prop firm challenge. Where the rule counts any trading day, a single small, well protected trade meets it. Where it counts profitable days, spread the target across several days rather than chasing it in one, which also helps with the consistency rules covered in prop firm consistency.
Do not let the day count push you into trades you would not otherwise take. Forcing trades to reach a number is one of the patterns described in what counts as overtrading, and a large loss on a filler day can become a breach; the consequences of each type are explained in soft breach vs hard breach. Keep filler trades small and within your normal risk per trade.
For inactivity, keep a simple list of every account with the date of its last qualifying trade and set a reminder a week before each deadline. Before a holiday, check every account’s limit and place a qualifying trade shortly before you leave if needed. Payout day counts and withdrawal timing are covered in prop firm payouts and the payouts and scaling hub, and the evaluation structure behind these rules is explained in how prop firm challenges work.
Checklist
- Does the minimum count trading days, profitable days or qualifying days with a cash threshold?
- What is the profit threshold for a day to count?
- Does the minimum apply per phase, per payout, or both, and does it reset after a withdrawal?
- How long can the account go without a trade, in calendar days?
- What counts as activity: a new trade, a closed trade or a minimum closed result?
- Does a purchased challenge need to be started within a set period?
- When is the next inactivity deadline for each account you hold?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a minimum trading days rule?
It is the fewest days on which you must trade before passing a phase or requesting a payout. FTMO, for example, requires four trading days on its 2 Step challenge, where any day with at least one opened position counts. Other firms count only profitable days above a threshold, such as three days of at least 0.5% of the starting balance.
What counts as a trading day at a prop firm?
At firms that count trading days, usually any day on which you open at least one position, whatever its size or result. At firms that count profitable or qualifying days, the day must also close with a profit above a threshold, such as 0.5% of the starting balance or a set dollar amount on futures accounts. The day follows the firm's server time.
How long can a prop firm account be inactive?
Commonly 30 days. Blue Guardian, Blueberry Funded, Orion Funded and Hola Prime all use about 30 days. The Trading Pit uses 21 days without a new trade, The5ers Futures 14 calendar days, and YLOS Trading seven days. Check what counts as activity, because an open position or a pending order does not always reset the clock.
Can I pass a prop firm challenge in one day?
Only where there is no minimum trading days rule or the minimum is one day. The5ers Futures has no minimum days, and YLOS Trading's Standard evaluation requires one day. Challenges with a four day or three profitable day minimum cannot be passed before that count is met, even if the profit target is reached on the first day.
What happens if I reach the profit target before the minimum days?
You keep trading until the minimum is met, and the balance usually has to remain above the target when it is. Where any trading day counts, small trades on the remaining days are enough. Where only profitable days count, each remaining day must close above the threshold, so a loss on a filler day delays the pass.
