FTMO rules for US traders (2026): objectives, consistency rule, platforms and payouts

What FTMO US is, and who runs it

FTMO and OANDA announced their US partnership on 26 August 2025. FTMO US is operated by two companies. JV Prop Corporation, a US-registered FTMO Group company, provides the evaluation (the 1-Step and 2-Step FTMO Challenge) and the FTMO Instant Account until the first reward withdrawal conditions are met. OANDA Prop US Corporation, a US-registered OANDA Group company, provides the FTMO Rewards Account, the account on which rewards are paid.

Two points matter for US traders. First, every account is simulated: you trade fictitious funds, and FTMO US pays rewards in real money based on simulated results. Second, FTMO US says that although some of its infrastructure is provided by OANDA Corporation, the NFA-member forex dealer, you have no client relationship with OANDA Corporation, and FTMO US's site says none of its services is subject to oversight by any financial regulator. An FTMO US account is therefore not a regulated forex account. If you want to trade your own money under CFTC and NFA rules, see our US forex brokers guide.

Who can join FTMO US

According to FTMO US's eligibility FAQ, you need to meet all of the following:

• Age and residence — at least 18 and a legal resident of the United States (or, for a company, legally incorporated in the US with an authorized representative). The 50 states and the US territories count, but FTMO US does not currently accept Arkansas, Delaware, Louisiana, Montana or South Carolina.
• US tax ID — a valid US Tax Identification Number, for example a Social Security Number. Without one you cannot receive a reward.
• US bank account — proof that you own the US bank account that will receive rewards. The bank must be a fully licensed and regulated banking institution; fintech and digital-only payment institutions such as Wise or Chime are not accepted.
• IRS Form W-9 — required as part of your first reward payment.

FTMO US also excludes people on sanctions lists, people with financial-crime or terrorism records, anyone previously banned for breaching its terms, and company trusts or non-profit organizations. Check these conditions before you pay, because a fee is not refunded just because you later turn out to be ineligible for a reward.

The three FTMO US products

FTMO US sells three routes to an FTMO Rewards Account. On 4 November 2026 its comparison table listed starting prices of $99 for the 2-Step, $89 for the 1-Step and $189 for the Instant Account; the price rises with the simulated account size, and FTMO US says the account goes up to $200,000 of simulated capital. Fees are one-time, not subscriptions. Check the current price at checkout.

• 2-Step FTMO Challenge — two evaluation phases (FTMO Challenge, then Verification), then the Rewards Account. Available as a Standard or Swing account.
• 1-Step FTMO Challenge — a single evaluation phase, then the Rewards Account. Standard account only.
• FTMO Instant Account — no evaluation phase: your simulated results count toward a reward from your first trade, but you still have to follow its rules before any withdrawal. Standard account only.

FTMO US also offers a Free Trial, which you can use to try the platforms and rules before paying. There is no time limit on any of the three paid products, according to its comparison table.

Trading Objectives: profit targets and loss limits

FTMO calls its rules "Trading Objectives". Percentages are of the initial simulated capital. This summary follows FTMO US's comparison table and Trading Objectives page as of 4 November 2026.

How the daily loss limit works

Your equity (balance plus open profit or loss, swaps and commissions) must not fall below the daily limit. FTMO US recalculates it every day at midnight Central European time (00:00 CE(S)T, usually 6 p.m. in New York) as that moment's balance minus the daily loss amount. On a $100,000 1-Step account the amount is $3,000: if your balance at midnight is $102,000, your limit for the next day is $99,000. Because it is measured on equity, an open losing trade can breach the limit even if you have not closed it.

How the maximum loss works

The three products use different maximum loss methods, and this is where many traders get caught out:

• 2-Step: static. The limit is fixed at 90% of the initial capital ($90,000 on a $100,000 account) and does not move.
• 1-Step: end-of-day trailing. The limit is the highest midnight balance so far (or the initial capital, if higher) minus 10%. It can only rise. On the 1-Step it resets to 90% of initial capital when a reward is withdrawn and a new Rewards Account is issued.
• Instant Account: intraday trailing. The limit rises the moment a trade closes at a new balance high, and FTMO US says it does not reset when you withdraw a reward. Once your balance is above 110% of the initial capital, withdrawing a reward would itself breach the limit, so plan withdrawals with care.

The FTMO US consistency rule

The consistency rule stops a single outsized day from carrying the whole result. FTMO US applies it to the 1-Step Challenge (including its Rewards Account) and to the FTMO Instant Account. For accounts from orders created on or after 12 October 2026, it replaced the older Best Day Rule, which measured the best day against "positive days' profit" instead of total profit.

The rule: your best day, measured on closed trades, may not exceed 50% of your total profit on the 1-Step, or 30% on the Instant Account. Total profit is the sum of closed profits and losses across all trading days, so losing days count against you. Going over the limit is not a breach that ends the account. You simply cannot pass, or claim a reward, until you have made enough additional profit to bring the best day back under the limit.

FTMO US's own example: day 1 +$6,000, day 2 −$2,000, day 3 +$4,000, day 4 +$2,000. Total profit is $10,000 and the best day is 60% of it, so the 50% rule is not met. If day 1 stays your best day, you need at least $12,000 of total profit to qualify. On the Instant Account, profit counting restarts from zero after each reward withdrawal.

News, weekend and strategy restrictions

• News trading. FTMO US restricts order execution, including stop-losses, take-profits and pending orders, from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after selected news releases, on the instruments affected. You may keep positions opened more than 2 minutes before the release. Breaking this rule may end an FTMO Rewards Account or Instant Account.
• Market breaks. You must close positions before market breaks longer than 2 hours, such as the weekend.
• Exceptions. Neither restriction applies during the FTMO Challenge or Verification phases, or on Swing accounts. Swing accounts trade at a base leverage of 1:30 instead of 1:100 and are available only on the 1-Step and 2-Step Challenges.
• Forbidden Trading Practices. FTMO US says any legitimate strategy is allowed, including expert advisors, but your trading should be replicable in real markets. Its separate Forbidden Trading Practices page sets out what can lead to an account being closed.

Platforms and instruments available to US clients

FTMO US lists two platforms: MetaTrader 5 and TradingView. Its simulated instruments are 42 forex pairs and 7 others: 3 US indices, gold, silver, crude oil and BTCUSD. These are "Rollover Simulated Contracts" with no expiry date and a daily swap on positions held overnight, and position sizes are expressed in units rather than lots.

FTMO US uses a hedging account structure: you can hold long and short positions on the same symbol and close them in any order, with no FIFO requirement. That differs from a regulated US retail forex account, where NFA rules require FIFO. Because the account is simulated, it does not change the rules for your own trading account. To follow the markets FTMO US covers, see our EUR/USD, gold and oil market pages, and our guide to what moves the price of gold.

How FTMO US pays rewards

1. Request. In Account MetriX, on the 14th day or later after the first trade on that account, with all positions and pending orders closed. Instant Account traders must also complete FTMO Identity (identity checks) before the first reward is processed.
2. Review. FTMO US says it reviews the account and notifies you within 1 to 2 business days.
3. Paperwork. For the first reward you submit IRS Form W-9 and proof of ownership of your US bank account. If you cannot, you are not eligible for rewards.
4. Payment. The reward is typically sent within 1 to 2 business days after the invoice is approved, by bank wire (FTMO US names Revolut bank wire transfer). FTMO US says it charges no extra commission, but a minimum closed profit of $20 applies to cover transaction costs.

Reward share: 90% of simulated profit on the 1-Step and Instant Account; 80% on the 2-Step by default, rising to 90% if you meet the Scaling Plan or Premium Program conditions. On the 2-Step only, FTMO US refunds the initial fee once you request your first reward; the 1-Step and Instant Account fees are not refundable. You can also choose to take a reward as FTMO Points (one point equals $1.15), which can only be spent on FTMO US products and cannot be exchanged for cash. Rewards may be taxable; FTMO US says it cannot give tax advice, and neither can we.

Checklist before you buy an FTMO US product

1. Confirm your state is accepted and that you have a US tax ID and an account at a fully licensed US bank.
2. Pick the product by its loss rule, not only its price: static, end-of-day trailing and intraday trailing limits behave very differently.
3. Check whether the consistency rule fits your style. A strategy that makes most of its profit on a few big days will struggle on the 1-Step and Instant Account.
4. Decide on Standard or Swing. If you hold through news or weekends, the Swing type (1-Step and 2-Step only) avoids those restrictions at lower leverage, and you cannot switch from Standard to Swing later.
5. Try the Free Trial first, and treat any fee as money you may lose.