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FTMO's Consistency rule says your best trading day can be no more than 50% of your total profit on the FTMO Challenge: 1-Step and the FTMO Account that follows it. On the Instant account the limit is 30%. It replaced the older Best Day Rule for orders created from 12 October 2026, and the key difference is that losing days now count. Breaking it is not a breach: you simply keep trading until your profit is spread out enough.
This guide explains the rule, how it differs from the Best Day Rule, worked examples, and how to plan for it. Rules change, so check FTMO's Trading Objectives page before you trade.
What is the FTMO Consistency rule?
| Consistency rule (new) | Best Day Rule (old) | |
|---|---|---|
| Limit | Best day ≤ 50% of total profit | Best day ≤ 50% of Positive Days' Profit |
| Losing days | Count. They reduce total profit | Ignored. Only winning days are added up |
| Applies to | 1-Step accounts from orders created on or after 12 Oct 2026, 9:00 platform time (GMT+3), and FTMO Accounts merged on or after that date | 1-Step accounts from orders created before 12 Oct 2026 |
| Instant account | 30% of total profit, for Reward eligibility | Not used |
| 2-Step | No consistency rule | No best day rule |
| If you exceed it | Not a breach: keep trading | Not a breach: keep trading |
Total profit is the sum of closed profits and losses across all trading days. Your Best Day is the single day with the highest closed profit, counted at 00:00 CE(S)T.
How the Consistency rule differs from the Best Day Rule
The old rule divided your best day by the profit from winning days only. A losing day made no difference. The new rule divides by your total profit, so every losing day lowers the total and pushes your best day's share up. FTMO calls the new rule stricter, and the arithmetic agrees: the same trading can pass under the old rule and fail under the new one.
Worked example: same trades, different result
A 1-Step challenge on a $100,000 account, with a $10,000 profit target:
| Day | Closed profit |
|---|---|
| Monday | +$5,500 |
| Tuesday | −$2,000 |
| Wednesday | +$3,500 |
| Thursday | +$3,000 |
| Total profit | $10,000 |
- Best Day Rule (old): winning days add up to $12,000. $5,500 ÷ $12,000 = 45.8%, under 50%, so it passes.
- Consistency rule (new): $5,500 ÷ $10,000 = 55%, over 50%, so it is not met yet.
Under the new rule this trader must keep going until total profit reaches at least $11,000, which is twice the best day, without setting a new best day above $5,500.
How to work out the profit you need
On the 1-Step, the total profit you need is at least 2 × your best day. On the Instant account, with its 30% limit, it is at least 3.33 × your best day.
| Best day | 1-Step: total profit needed (50%) | Instant: total profit needed (30%) |
|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $4,000 | $6,667 |
| $3,000 | $6,000 | $10,000 |
| $5,000 | $10,000 | $16,667 |
| $6,000 | $12,000 | $20,000 |
So on a $100,000 1-Step challenge with a $10,000 target, any day above $5,000 pushes your required total above the target itself.
How to plan for the Consistency rule
- Cap your daily profit. On a $100k 1-Step, keeping every day under $5,000 means hitting the $10,000 target also meets the rule.
- Size positions so no single trade can make your week. A fixed risk per trade, such as 0.5% to 1%, keeps daily results in a narrower range. Our guide on how to calculate lot size shows the formula.
- Treat losing days as twice as expensive. A loss now costs you the money and also raises your best day's share of the total.
- Keep reward-to-risk steady. Taking profits at a consistent multiple of your risk, rather than letting one trade run huge, smooths daily results. The risk-reward calculator and win rate calculator show how the two fit together.
- Watch the other 1-Step limits too. The maximum daily loss is 3% (the balance at 00:00 CE(S)T minus 3%, measured on equity). The maximum loss is 10%, trailing at the end of each day. You can model losing streaks against these limits with our drawdown calculator.
- Remember it is not a breach. If one big day puts you over the limit, the account stays open. You just need more total profit before you pass or take a Reward.
Does the Consistency rule apply to existing accounts?
No, not to accounts from orders created before 12 October 2026, 9:00 (GMT+3). Those stay on the Best Day Rule, including when they pass the Challenge, withdraw a Reward or move to a subsequent FTMO Account. FTMO Accounts (1-Step) merged on or after 12 October 2026 move to the Consistency rule.
FAQ
What is the FTMO consistency rule percentage?
50% of total profit on the FTMO Challenge: 1-Step and its FTMO Account, and 30% on the Instant account. The 2-Step has no consistency rule.
Can you fail FTMO for breaking the consistency rule?
No. FTMO says exceeding the Consistency limit is not a rule breach. You keep trading until your best day is within the limit.
Do losing days count in the FTMO consistency rule?
Yes. That is the main change from the old Best Day Rule. Total profit includes losing days, so losses raise your best day's share.
Does the consistency rule reset after a payout?
On the Instant account, FTMO says total profit starts again from zero when you withdraw a Reward and continue. Check the Trading Objectives page for how your own account type handles it.
Does the 2-Step FTMO Challenge have a consistency rule?
No. FTMO's Trading Objectives page lists the Consistency rule for the 1-Step and Instant accounts only.
Sources
- Trading Objectives, FTMO: the current rule wording for each account type.
- Trading update, 8 October 2026, FTMO: the announcement of the change and the 12 October start.
TradeAnalysis is not affiliated with FTMO. This is educational content, not financial advice.
Written by
Pranav, Founder of TradeAnalysis
After five years in trading and research, Pranav built TradeAnalysis to bring multi-angle analysis to individual traders. About us
Educational content, not financial advice. Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Full risk disclaimer.