Minimum trading days are one of the rules that raise the most questions, mostly because they look simple but have details worth knowing. In this guide you'll learn what they are, how many each Funded Profit program requires, what exactly counts as an active trading day and how to plan them without giving in to the urge to force trades just to add days.
In short: an active trading day is a Monday-to-Friday day, not a US holiday, on which you open at least one trade; the day runs from 20:00 to 20:00 UTC-4. You need 5 to pass the 1-Phase Challenge and 5 before each payout on the funded account; on Direct Access, 8 before each payout. Plan them around your normal rhythm, not filler trades.
What minimum trading days are
Minimum days are the number of separate days you need to trade before you can pass an evaluation or request a reward. They're not a profit target or a time limit. They're a way to confirm your results come from several sessions rather than one lucky day.
The logic is straightforward. A trader can have a great day by chance. Repeating disciplined behavior across several days is much harder, and that's what the program wants to see. That's why this rule works hand in hand with consistency, which caps how much a single day can weigh in your total profit.
How many days each program requires
| 1-Phase Challenge | Funded account (after the Challenge) | Direct Access | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum active days | 5 to pass | 5 before each payout | 8 before each payout |
| Time limit | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
On funded and Direct Access accounts, the count resets after each payout, after a reset and after a rejected request. In other words, every payout cycle starts from zero. You can see each program's other requirements in the trading objectives.
What counts as an active trading day
This is where most of the confusion comes from. An active trading day meets three conditions:
- It's a trading day, which at Funded Profit runs from 20:00 to 20:00 UTC-4, not midnight to midnight.
- It falls Monday to Friday and isn't a US holiday.
- You open at least one trade during that window.
Details worth getting clear
- Opening counts, not closing. If you open a trade on Tuesday and close it on Thursday, Tuesday counts as an active day; Wednesday and Thursday don't, unless you open another trade on them.
- The 20:00 UTC-4 cutoff matters. Two trades opened at 19:55 and 20:05 UTC-4 fall on different trading days. If you trade in your local evening, check how that time translates. The trading day calculator helps you convert it.
- Several trades on the same day count as one day. Ten trades on Monday add up to one active day, not ten.
- Weekends and holidays don't count, and you can't open new trades on them anyway.
Why they exist and how they relate to consistency
Picture two traders with the same simulated profit at the end of a cycle. The first made it in a single day with a large size. The second spread it across seven sessions with the same risk per trade. From the outside the result looks identical; underneath, the process is completely different.
Minimum days and the consistency rule are designed to identify the second kind of trader. So rather than a hurdle, it helps to see them as a guide: if the way you trade already spreads risk over several days, meeting the minimum happens naturally.
How to plan your days without forcing trades
The classic mistake is treating minimum days as boxes to tick. That leads to opening trades without a setup at the end of the day "so it counts," and a trade without a setup is still real risk to your account.
1. Start from your real frequency
Look at your history or journal. On how many days a week does at least one opportunity that fits your plan genuinely show up? If the answer is three, completing 8 active days will take you around three weeks, and that's fine. There's no time limit.
2. Put quality ahead of the calendar
If your setup doesn't show up on a given day, don't trade. A day without trading costs you nothing; a forced trade can eat into your loss room or, if it breaks a rule, trigger a reset.
3. Keep risk small and steady
With a fixed risk, for example 0.5% per trade, each active day weighs little on your account and you can keep the pace without pressure. If you're in a cycle with many days without a setup, don't make up for it by sizing up when an opportunity finally appears.
4. Track it in writing
Write down the start date of the cycle in your journal and mark each active day. That keeps you from requesting a payout one day short, which would reset the count.
5. Adjust your schedule if you trade near the cutoff
If you usually trade between 18:00 and 22:00 UTC-4, some of your trades land on one trading day and some on the next. That's not a problem, but it's worth knowing so you count correctly.
Planning example: a Direct Access trader who trades the morning sessions Tuesday to Thursday. If setups appear on all three days, they complete 8 active days in about three weeks. If one week only offers opportunities on two days, the cycle stretches a few days longer. The plan doesn't change; only the calendar does.
Common mistakes with minimum days
- Opening tiny filler trades. Beyond the risk, activity that's very different from your usual trading can be treated as a prohibited practice if its purpose is to reach a target.
- Mixing up the calendar day and the trading day. The cutoff is 20:00 UTC-4.
- Forgetting the count resets after each payout, reset or rejected request.
- Counting days on which you only held an open position. If you didn't open a trade, that day doesn't add up.
- Letting too much time go by. There's no time limit, but there is an inactivity rule: you need to open at least one trade every 30 calendar days.
If you recognize a tendency to trade too much, reading about overtrading may help. And if you trade with limited time, take a look at part-time trading.
A healthier way to see it
Minimum days don't ask you to trade more; they ask you to trade on more than one day. For most traders with a plan, that difference is huge: it's not about increasing activity, it's about not concentrating it. If your plan produces opportunities through the week and you respect your risk, you'll meet the minimum almost without thinking about it.
Trading involves risk, and no calendar rule changes that. What you can control is that every active day reflects decisions you'd make even if the rule didn't exist. When it's time to request, also go over how payouts work.
FAQ
What counts as an active trading day?
A trading day, Monday to Friday and not a US holiday, on which you open at least one trade. The trading day runs from 20:00 to 20:00 UTC-4.
Does a day count if I only hold an open position?
No. What counts is opening at least one trade during that trading day. Holding a position you opened earlier doesn't make it an active day.
Is there a deadline to complete the minimum days?
There's no time limit. You just need to open at least one trade every 30 calendar days to avoid the account being closed for inactivity.
Do the days reset after a payout?
Yes. On funded and Direct Access accounts, the count goes back to zero after each payout, after a reset and after a rejected request.