Valid trading days
A valid day is a session the firm recognises as actually traded, for evaluation or for payout purposes. Not every day you opened the platform counts. Run this calculation now: valid trading days calculator
What qualifies a day
Rules vary, but three criteria show up almost everywhere: at least one trade was closed that day; volume or result reaches a minimum (some firms require 0.5% profit for the day to count); and the date used is the firm's timezone, not your clock.
The required minimum usually sits between 3 and 10 days in the evaluation phase, and between 5 and 15 days per payout cycle on a funded account. Hitting the target in two days and requesting the payout on the third is the classic mistake: the target was met, the day count was not.
Why counts disagree
A trade opened on one day and closed on the next may count for the opening day at one firm and for the closing day at another. Add the 5pm New York rollover and the firm's dashboard and your spreadsheet land on different numbers in the same week.
TCC counts valid days by unique calendar date, with a timezone configured per account, and shows how many are left before a payout unlocks. No manual tally, no surprise on request day.