Prop Firm Trailing Drawdown & Consistency Calculator

How a trailing drawdown is calculated: the liquidation threshold is your high-water mark minus the max loss limit, and it never moves down. Intraday trailing counts open profit, end-of-day trailing counts only closing balances, and a static limit never moves. Many accounts stop the trail at a lock point, such as the starting balance plus $100.

Trailing Drawdown Formulas

Firms check for a breach in real time, including open P&L, even on end-of-day accounts; "end-of-day" only describes when the threshold moves. This calculator works from daily closes and peaks, so it cannot see an intraday dip that touched the threshold and recovered.

Worked Example: Intraday vs End-of-Day Trailing

A $50,000 account with a $2,500 max loss limit starts with its threshold at $47,500. On day 1 open profit peaks at +$1,800 and the day closes at +$815.

• Intraday trailing: the high-water mark is $51,800, so the threshold rises to $49,300 and the distance to breach is $50,815 − $49,300 = $1,515.
• End-of-day trailing: only the $50,815 close counts, so the threshold is $48,315 and the distance stays $2,500.

The intraday rule cost $985 of buffer for profit that was never banked. Our end-of-day vs intraday drawdown guide runs the same trader through five days.

When the Trail Stops: Lock Points

Topstep's 50K Trading Combine has a $2,000 end-of-day limit that locks at the starting balance, so the threshold starts at $48,000. A $51,000 close lifts it to $49,000; a $52,500 close would lift it to $50,500, but the lock holds it at $50,000 for good. With a lock at the starting balance plus $100, the threshold stops at $50,100 once the high-water mark reaches $52,100.

How the Consistency Check Works

A consistency rule caps your best day as a share of profit. At 40%, a $400 best day needs $1,000 of total profit and a $450 best day needs $1,125; going over usually means trading on until the total catches up, not a failed account. Topstep's Trading Combine measures against the profit target instead: the best day must stay at or below 55% of the target, or the target rises to best day ÷ 0.55. Enter a target and the calculator applies the limit to the larger of total profit and the target. Our consistency rule guide compares firms.

Firm Presets (as of October 2026)

Presets copy each firm's official pages as checked on October 5, 2026; confirm your exact account before trading on a number. Not preset, because the official pages contradict each other or omit a value: MyFundedFutures evaluations, Rapid and Pro. Apex says the best day must be under 50%, but its own example passes exactly 50%; this calculator uses "at or below". For Topstep, see Topstep rules explained.

Common Drawdown Mistakes

• Treating end-of-day as intraday-proof. An open loss that touches the threshold still ends the account.
• Counting open profit as safe. On an intraday account, a winner you give back has already raised the threshold for good.
• Using evaluation rules on a funded account. Limits, lock points and consistency rules often change at funding; see static vs trailing drawdown.
• Sizing from the account label. Size trades from your distance to breach with the position size calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is trailing drawdown calculated?

Subtract the max loss limit from your high-water mark. The result is the liquidation threshold, and it only moves up. If the account has a lock point, the threshold stops rising when it reaches it.

What is the difference between intraday and end-of-day trailing drawdown?

Intraday trailing follows the highest balance including open profit, as it happens. End-of-day trailing only updates from the closing balance. Both are enforced in real time against the current threshold.

When does a trailing drawdown stop trailing?

It depends on the account. Topstep's Maximum Loss Limit locks at the starting balance in the Trading Combine and at $0 in an Express Funded Account. Apex Performance Accounts stop at the starting balance plus $100. Apex evaluations keep trailing on Tradovate and stop only at the profit-target balance on Rithmic and WealthCharts.

How does the Topstep consistency rule work?

In the Trading Combine, the best day must stay at or below 55% of the profit target, or the target rises to best day ÷ 0.55. On an Express Funded Account using the Consistency payout path, the largest winning day must be 40% or less of net profit for the payout window.

How do I calculate a prop firm consistency rule?

Divide your best day by your total profit. If the result is above the limit, you need total profit of at least best day ÷ limit: a $900 best day under a 30% rule needs $3,000.

Sources

• Topstep Help Center: What is the Maximum Loss Limit?
• Topstep Help Center: Consistency at Topstep
• Apex Trader Funding: EOD drawdown explained
• Apex Trader Funding: Intraday trailing drawdown explained
• Apex Trader Funding: EOD evaluations
• Apex Trader Funding: Intraday trailing drawdown evaluations
• Apex Trader Funding: EOD Performance Accounts
• Apex Trader Funding: Intraday Performance Accounts
• Apex Trader Funding: 50% consistency requirement
• MyFundedFutures: Builder plan
• MyFundedFutures: Rapid EOD plan
• MyFundedFutures Help Center: Consistency rule

Related Reading

• Trailing Drawdown Explained: How It Works at Prop Firms
• Topstep Rules 2026: Combine, XFA and Live Account Rules
• Futures Position Size and Tick Value Calculator