Getting funded3 min read

Profitable days: the minimum trading days rule, explained

The step that turns an account into a record. What it depends on, what delays it, and why the first one is worth more than its cash value.

  • October 20, 2026
  • 3 min read
  • 6 sections
  • Getting funded

In short

  • A CFD profitable day closes at +0.5% of the account size or more, 17:00 to 17:00 New York.
  • 3 to pass on the one-step plans, 2 per phase on the two-step plans, the same again before each payout.
  • Instant Go needs 5 before each payout; Instant Pro needs none.
  • Futures count +0.25% days, before payouts only.
  • There is no maximum: no evaluation has a time limit.

Many prop firms set a minimum number of trading days. WhitePips counts something narrower: profitable days, days that close up by a set amount. There is no maximum, because no evaluation has a time limit. This piece sets out what counts as a profitable day, how many each plan needs, and why the rule rarely holds back a trader who sizes sensibly.

What counts as a profitable day on CFDs

A day that closes at +0.5% of the account size or more. The day is a New York trading day, from 17:00 to 17:00. On a $50,000 Edge 2 Step a qualifying day closes at $250 or more; a day that closes $245 up does not count.

How many each plan needs

  • Edge 1 Step and Prime 1 Step: 3 to pass, and 3 again before each payout once funded.
  • Edge 2 Step and Prime 2 Step: 2 in each phase, and 2 before each payout once funded.
  • Instant Go: 5 before each payout.
  • Instant Pro: none.

It is never a breach. If the target is reached first, the pass or the payout waits until the days are done: reaching the Phase 1 target on your first day still leaves one more qualifying day before the phase passes.

Futures: profitable trading days

On futures a profitable trading day is one whose net realised profit is at least +0.25% of the starting balance: $62.50, $125, $250 or $375 on the $25K, $50K, $100K and $150K accounts. It is a payout condition only, so the futures evaluation has none. A funded One Step account needs 3 before each payout and Instant 5, and after a payout the count starts again.

Why the rule exists

A profit target can be reached in one trade. Profitable days ask for the result to be repeated on more than one day, which is the difference between a method and a lucky afternoon. At sensible size it costs almost nothing: risking 0.5% a trade with a target of twice the risk, one clean winner is a 1% day, twice the threshold.

The other day counts

  • No maximum. Max Trading Days is unlimited on every CFD evaluation and indefinite once funded; the futures plans have no time limit.
  • Inactivity. 30 days without a closed trade ends a CFD account; on futures, 15 days without trading activity deactivates it.

The figures for every plan and size are on Trading rules, explained and on each plan page, for example Edge 1 Step.

Questions traders ask

Does WhitePips have a minimum number of trading days? Not as a count of days traded. CFD plans need profitable days that close at +0.5% or more: 3 on Edge 1 Step and Prime 1 Step, 2 in each phase of the two-step plans, 5 before each payout on Instant Go and none on Instant Pro. The futures evaluation needs none.

Can I pass a challenge in one day? You can reach the target in one day, but the pass waits for the plan's profitable days: three on a one-step plan, two in each phase of a two-step plan.

When does a trading day end? On CFDs at 17:00 New York, which is also the point the Max Daily Loss is measured from.

Do profitable days count again after a payout? Yes. Once funded, the plan's number of profitable days is needed again before each payout.

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Educational content, not financial advice. Trading carries risk and most people who attempt an evaluation do not pass it. Accounts are simulated; the rules that bind yours are the ones printed on your plan and in the trading rules.

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