FTMO 1-Step Evaluation rules
In the FTMO 1-Step, the maximum daily loss is 3% of the initial capital and the maximum total loss is 10%, measured from the highest balance recorded at 00:00 CE(S)T on any previous day — so the floor rises at end of day. The target is 10% and the best day cannot exceed 50% of the profit from positive days.
This page explains every 1-Step objective as FTMO publishes it, shows what changes when the floor trails, and says what the official page does not state.
To go deeper into each part of this calculation: Drawdown calculator · Consistency rule calculator · How trailing drawdown works
The objectives in numbers
FTMO describes the 1-Step with four objectives. The values below are the ones on the firm's trading objectives page on the verification date; percentages are always of the initial simulated capital.
- Maximum daily loss: 3% of the initial capital.
- Maximum total loss: 10% of the initial capital, referenced to the highest balance at 00:00 CE(S)T on any previous day.
- Profit target: 10% in the evaluation; the account that follows has no target.
- Best Day: the best day cannot represent more than 50% of the profit summed over positive days.
- Minimum trading days: not stated on the page consulted.
- Profit split: not stated on the page consulted.
How the floor rises: what 'highest balance at 00:00' means in practice
The detail that ends the most 1-Step accounts is how total loss is measured. The amount is fixed at 10% of the initial capital, but the starting point is not the initial balance: it is the highest balance the account has had at a daily close (00:00 CE(S)T). On a 100,000 account the limit starts at 90,000. If the account closes a day at 104,000, the floor becomes 94,000 and never goes back.
Two practical consequences. First: a good day's profit is a cushion only until the close — after that it pushes the floor up and the headroom is the same 10,000 again. Second: because the reference is the closing balance and not intraday equity, an unrealized peak during the day does not move the floor. That differs from the intraday trailing used by futures firms, where open equity counts.
Best Day: why 50% is a distribution rule, not a size rule
The Best Day rule does not cap how much you can make in one day. It caps the share a single day can have in the total of positive days. If positive days add up to 10,000 and the best one was 6,000, the share is 60% and the objective is not met — even with the target reached. The way out is not to erase the good day: it is to add positive days until the share falls below 50%.
That is why TCC's consistency calculator asks for the total of positive days and the best day, and returns how much still has to be earned on other days before the best one stops breaking the percentage.
How TCC tracks the 1-Step
In TCC, the FTMO 1-Step is registered with a floor that trails the closing balance, and the dashboard shows daily headroom (3%) and total headroom (10% from the highest close) in currency, not only in percent — because the next order is sized in currency. The alert fires before the breach, at the headroom percentage you choose.
When the firm changes a figure, the rule version changes in the catalog, with the new date and source; the account keeps being measured by the version that applied when it was opened.
Source and verification date
The figures on this page were read from FTMO's official documentation on 2026-09-12, at https://ftmo.com/en/trading-objectives/. Nothing here comes from a blog, a comparison site or an affiliate.
Prop firm rules change without notice. If the firm's page says something different from this one, the firm wins — and the error can be reported to suporte@tradercommandcenter.com for correction with a new verification date.
FAQ
Is the FTMO 1-Step drawdown trailing?
Yes, at end of day: the 10% total loss is measured from the highest balance recorded at 00:00 CE(S)T on any previous day. The floor rises when the account closes a day above its record and never falls.
Is the 3% daily loss based on the initial balance or the day's balance?
On the initial simulated capital, according to the objectives page. On a 100,000 account the daily limit is 3,000 regardless of how much the account has already made.
Is there a minimum number of days in the 1-Step?
The objectives page consulted on 2026-09-12 does not state minimum days for the 1-Step. Before relying on that, check the firm's full rulebook.
What happens if the best day exceeds 50%?
The Best Day objective stays pending until the sum of the other positive days grows enough for the best day to fall below 50% of the total. The 10% target alone does not complete the evaluation.