End-of-Day vs Intraday Trailing Drawdown

Most futures prop firms use a trailing drawdown. The big question is when the trail moves. End-of-day (EOD) trailing moves only at the close. Intraday trailing moves the moment your equity makes a new high, including open profit you never banked. This guide compares the two with dollar examples at Topstep, Tradeify, My Funded Futures and Take Profit Trader, then shows when each firm's trail stops. Rules were checked on official help centers on 3 November 2026.

New to the basics? Start with trailing vs static drawdown, then come back.

Two separate questions

Every trailing drawdown answers two questions. Firms rarely spell out both in one place.

1. When does the floor move up? At the end of the day, or in real time?
2. When is a breach checked? Only at the close, or in real time?

Here is the part many traders miss. At Topstep and Tradeify, the floor moves only at the end of the day, but breaches are checked in real time. Topstep's Maximum Loss Limit article says the limit "updates at the end of each trading day but is monitored in real time." Tradeify's rules overview says the limit is enforced against net liquidation value, including unrealized P&L.

So EOD trailing does not mean you can dip below the floor during the day. It means your intraday highs do not drag the floor up.

End-of-day trailing: a worked example

Take a Topstep 50K Trading Combine. The balance starts at $50,000 and the Maximum Loss Limit sits $2,000 below, at $48,000.

• Day 1: a trade runs your equity to $51,200 intraday. You close the day at $50,600. The new floor is $50,600 − $2,000 = $48,600.
• Day 2: a bad morning takes equity to $48,700. That is $100 above the floor, so the account survives. You close at $49,800. The floor stays at $48,600, because it never moves down.
• Day 3: you close at $51,000. The floor rises to $49,000.

The $51,200 intraday high on day 1 never counted. Only the $50,600 close did.

Real-time monitoring still bites. Topstep's own example: with a $48,000 limit, an open trade that drops the account to $47,750 is liquidated. Exiting later at $48,050 does not undo the breach.

Intraday trailing: the same days

Now run the same three days on an intraday trailing account with the same $50,000 start and $2,000 drawdown. My Funded Futures' intraday drawdown article says the trail follows your peak balance including unrealized gains.

• Day 1: equity touches $51,200. The floor jumps to $51,200 − $2,000 = $49,200 immediately. You close at $50,600, only $1,400 above it.
• Day 2: equity falls to $48,700. That is $500 below the $49,200 floor. The account fails.

Same trades, different outcome. Under EOD trailing you had $2,000 of room going into day 2. Under intraday trailing you had $1,400.

The round-trip trap

The most common intraday failure is a winner that turns back. Say a trade on a fresh $50,000 intraday account runs to +$1,200 open profit, then you exit at +$100.

• Intraday trailing: the floor rose to $49,200 at the peak. Your balance is $50,100. Room left: $900.
• EOD trailing: if that is your close, the floor becomes $50,100 − $2,000 = $48,100. Room left: $2,000.

One trade cost $1,100 of drawdown room on the intraday account, while booking $100 of profit.

Where each firm uses which type

Topstep

Topstep's Trading Combine and Express Funded Account use an EOD trailing limit: $2,000 on the 50K, $3,000 on the 100K and $4,500 on the 150K. It is monitored in real time on realized and unrealized P&L.

Tradeify

Tradeify says all its evaluation and funded accounts, Growth, Select and Lightning, use EOD trailing. The limit recalculates at market close from your final daily balance. It only moves up on days you end profitable. See the Growth 50K rules.

My Funded Futures

MFF mixes both, so read your plan's page.

• Rapid: EOD in the evaluation, intraday trailing once sim funded. See the Rapid 50K rules.
• Rapid EOD: EOD in the evaluation and EOD trailing when funded. See the Rapid EOD 50K rules.
• Builder and Pro: labeled EOD trailing on MFF's homepage.
• Studio: a static max loss, so no trail at all.

Take Profit Trader

Our database lists the Test evaluation as EOD trailing. For the funded PRO account, TPT's help center says the trailing drawdown is calculated intraday from your peak balance, including unrealized gains. TPT's homepage says PRO+ moves to end-of-day drawdown with no buffer requirement. More detail is in our Take Profit Trader review.

When the trail stops

A trailing drawdown is most dangerous early. Once it locks, it behaves like a static floor. Each firm sets the lock differently.

Topstep: locks at the starting balance

In the Combine, the limit locks permanently once it reaches your starting balance. On a 50K, that happens when your end-of-day balance reaches $52,000, putting the floor at $50,000.

The Express Funded Account starts at a $0 balance with the limit at −$2,000 on the 50K. Once your balance reaches $2,000, the limit locks at $0. After your first payout, it is set to $0 whatever it was before.

Tradeify: locks at starting balance plus $100 when funded

Tradeify says the drawdown never locks on evaluation accounts. On a 50K Growth funded account with a $2,000 trail, the floor locks at $50,100 once the end-of-day balance reaches $52,100.

My Funded Futures: locks at +$100

MFF says the funded drawdown locks at +$100 once the drawdown amount plus $100 has been reached. On a 50K with a $2,000 drawdown, that means a $52,100 peak and a $50,100 floor. On Rapid, the peak counts open profit, so an intraday spike can trigger the lock.

Take Profit Trader: capped at the starting balance

TPT's help center says the PRO trailing drawdown "will not exceed the starting balance." It does not give a numeric example, so check the firm's site for your account size.

Which one should you choose?

EOD trailing is easier to manage for most intraday traders. Your open-profit swings do not cost you room. Intraday trailing suits traders who take profit quickly and rarely let winners give back much.

The choice can cost money. MFF's Rapid 50K lists at $209 and Rapid EOD 50K at $225 in our database. The EOD version also asks for 4 minimum trading days and a 30% evaluation consistency rule, against 2 days and 50% on Rapid. You pay $16 more and accept stricter evaluation rules in exchange for an EOD trail when funded.

How to trade each type

On an EOD trailing account

• Know tonight's floor before tomorrow's open. Use our drawdown calculator.
• Remember breaches are still checked in real time. Size so a full stop-out stays above the floor.
• A big close raises the floor for good. Bank a strong day, then trade lighter the next.

On an intraday trailing account

• Treat every new equity high as a new floor.
• Take partial profits or use tighter targets so open gains do not round-trip.
• Watch the live liquidation level. MFF points Tradovate users to the "DRAWDOWN AUTO LIQ LEVEL" and "DIST DRAWDOWN" columns.
• Aim for the lock early. Room stops shrinking once the floor stops moving.

Common questions

Can I go below the floor during the day on an EOD account?

No, not at Topstep or Tradeify. Both check breaches in real time, including open losses. EOD only changes when the floor moves up.

Does unrealized profit move an intraday trailing drawdown?

Yes. MFF and TPT both describe the intraday trail as based on a peak that includes unrealized gains.

Does the floor ever move back down?

No. Topstep, Tradeify and My Funded Futures all say the trail only moves up. For Take Profit Trader, check the firm's site.

Is a locked drawdown the same as a static one?

In practice, yes. Once locked, the floor stays put and every dollar of profit adds room. The difference is how long it took to get there.

Related reading

• Trailing vs static drawdown
• Daily loss limits explained
• Futures contract limits and micros
• My Funded Futures plans compared

Firms define drawdown in different ways and update their rules often. Read the exact definition on the firm's official rules page before you trade. This guide is educational and not financial advice. Trading involves risk.