CRITICAL WARNING: It is crucial for all traders to know that The Funded Trader (TFT) experienced a major operational collapse in March 2024, leading to a temporary shutdown, a massive backlog of unpaid profits to traders, and a severe loss of trust within the community.
While TFT has since attempted to relaunch, it is operating in a highly unstable environment and is still processing payouts owed from before its collapse.
Therefore, before you follow their advertised path on how to get a funded trading account, we strongly advise that you conduct your own extensive due diligence and research. Consider this article as an analysis of what is promised; your task is to verify the reality by:
- Searching for the latest reviews and feedback from the trading community on international forums (like Forex Peace Army, Trustpilot, and Reddit).
- Verifying the firm’s current payout status through independent, recent sources.
- Researching any recent structural changes, rule updates, or incidents that may not be disclosed in their marketing materials.
By taking these steps, you will gain a complete picture and make the most informed decision for your trading career. Now, let’s analyze what The Funded Trader advertises.
1. What is a funded trading account, and how does TFT work?
A funded trading account is capital provided by a proprietary trading firm (prop firm) to qualified traders who have successfully demonstrated their skills and discipline through a structured evaluation process.
With this model, traders can access significant virtual capital, trade in a simulated live market environment, and earn real payouts, without risking their own money.
At TFT, instead of offering a one-size-fits-all evaluation, TFT gives traders multiple challenge types tailored to different trading styles, from fast-paced scalping to long-term swing trading.
Once you register, your journey to becoming a funded trader involves three main stages:
- Phase 1 – The Challenge: Hit a profit target while following strict risk management rules.
- Phase 2 – Verification: Show continued consistency in a slightly more forgiving environment.
- Phase 3 – Funded Account: Trade with TFT’s capital, earn up to 95% of your profits, and become eligible to scale up to $1.5 million in capital.
This model allows you to focus purely on trading performance, while TFT handles the funding, risk management infrastructure, and payout systems.
2. How to get a funded trading account with TFT
If you’re serious about trading and want to access significant capital without risking your own funds, understanding how to get a funded trading account is the first step.
TFT offers a structured and accessible path through its multi-phase evaluation process, giving you the opportunity to prove your skills and earn a funded account backed by real capital.
To begin, you must choose one of TFT’s challenge programs, each tailored to different trading styles and risk preferences. Whether you’re looking for how to get a funded forex trading account or seeking fast payouts and trading freedom, TFT provides options that balance flexibility, fairness, and opportunity.
Once you select a challenge, the journey to becoming a TFT-funded trader typically includes the following phases:
- Phase 1: The Challenge: This is the initial test of your trading discipline, strategy, and risk management. You’ll trade in a simulated environment designed to reflect real market conditions. To move forward, you must hit a predefined profit target while staying within strict daily and overall drawdown limits.
- Phase 2: The Verification: A second round of evaluation confirms that your performance is consistent, not the result of a one-time high-risk approach. The profit target here is typically lower, but you’re expected to follow the same trading rules.
- Phase 3: The Funded Account: Once both phases are successfully completed, you’ll be granted a funded account and start trading with TFT’s capital. From here, you can earn up to 95% of profits, request payouts in as little as 3–7 days, and work toward scaling your account up to $1.5 million.
No matter which challenge type you choose, TFT allows full use of Expert Advisors (EAs), hedging, swing trading, and a wide range of instruments, from forex to indices and crypto. This is an ideal path for those wondering not just how to get a funded trading account, but also how to get a funded account for trading that aligns with their strategy, goals, and long-term growth.
Read more related articles:
3. Breakdown of TFT programs: Choose your path
TFT offers five distinct evaluation programs, each tailored to different trading styles, risk profiles, and timelines. Whether you’re looking for the fastest payout, the lowest evaluation cost, or maximum flexibility, TFT has a challenge built to suit your approach.
| Program | Challenge Phases | Profit Targets | Drawdown | Payout Time | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal | 2 | 8% / 5% | 10% overall | ~14 days | Best drawdown-to-target ratio |
| Royal Pro | 2 | 8% / 5% | 10% (soft breach) | 3 days | Fast payout, unlimited freedom |
| Knight | 1 | 10% | 8% | 7–10 days | Quickest route to funding |
| Knight Pro | 1 | 10% (with limit) | 8% (balance-based) | 7–10 days | Steadfast Gains Rule, daily reset |
| Dragon | 3 | Varies | 10% | 7 days | No time limit, lowest fee |
3.1. Royal Challenge
Designed for traders who prefer a balance between risk and reward, the Royal Challenge offers:
- 2-phase evaluation
- Profit target: 8% (Phase 1), 5% (Phase 2)
- Max drawdown: 10%
- Daily drawdown: 5%
- No restrictions on holding trades over the weekend or during news events
- EA, hedging, and swing trading allowed
Its generous drawdown-to-target ratio makes this one of the most cost-effective challenges on the market.
3.2. Royal Pro Challenge
An advanced version of the Royal, the Royal Pro provides more trader-friendly features:
- First payout in 3 days after receiving the funds in the account
- Soft breach model: Account pauses instead of failing if the daily drawdown is exceeded
- Drawdown resets daily at 5 PM EST
- Full freedom: no limits on news trading, lot size, weekends, or trade copiers
- Suitable for high-frequency or systematic traders using EAs
3.3. Knight Challenge
Built for speed and simplicity, the Knight Challenge is TFT’s 1-phase program:
- No verification phase, get funded directly after passing the challenge
- Profit target: 10%
- Drawdown: 8%
- No limits on EA usage or trading style
- First payout possible within 7–10 days
This is an excellent option for traders with consistent, short-term strategies who want to get funded faster.
3.4. Knight Pro Challenge
The Knight Pro introduces TFT’s unique Steadfast Gains Rule, which:
- Cap daily profits at 50% of net profits to promote consistent growth
- Uses balance-based drawdown, recalculated every 24 hours
- Encourages disciplined, methodical trading
- No trading restrictions: EA, trade copier, swing/overnight trades all allowed
This structure helps maintain long-term account stability while still offering fast payout timelines.
3.5. Dragon Challenge
The Dragon Challenge is the most flexible and cost-accessible program TFT offers:
- 3-phase structure (Challenge -> Verification -> Funded)
- Evaluation fee under $360 for a $100,000 starting balance
- No time limit to complete each phase, ideal for patient, cautious traders
- First payout possible in just 7 days after getting funded
- Unlimited timeframes, full trading freedom
Though longer in duration, the funded trader Dragon Challenge is perfect for those seeking low pressure and low cost.
4. Common reasons why traders fail TFT challenges
Despite the opportunities TFT provides, many traders still struggle to overcome the challenges. Understanding common pitfalls can help you avoid costly mistakes:
- Overtrading to reach the profit target too quickly: Trying to hit profit targets prematurely often leads to reckless trade sizing and poor decision-making, increasing the likelihood of hitting drawdown limits.
- Lack of control over emotions and position sizing: Trading without emotional discipline or proper risk sizing results in inconsistent performance and costly mistakes during volatile market conditions.
- Misunderstanding soft breach vs. hard breach: Some traders confuse TFT’s soft breach system, which pauses the account temporarily, with hard breach, which results in failure. Misinterpretation can cause unnecessary frustration or risky behavior.
- Trading during high-impact news events without a risk management strategy: Entering trades during major news releases without appropriate hedging or stop-loss management often leads to sharp drawdowns and account pauses.
- Prop firm failure: The single largest risk to your success with TFT is not your trading strategy, but the firm’s own instability. You can do everything right, pass the challenge, follow the rules, and be profitable, but still fail to get paid because the firm itself is unable or unwilling to pay.
Avoiding these common errors by maintaining discipline, educating yourself about TFT’s rules, and implementing sound risk management will significantly improve your chances of success.
5. Realistic tips for navigating the TFT challenge
Successfully navigating the TFT challenge in its current state requires a fundamental shift in perspective. You are no longer just a trader proving your skills; you are an investigator assessing the viability of a high-risk business partner.
The following tips are designed to help you adopt this defensive posture and protect your capital and effort.
5.1. Conduct forensic-level due diligence before you pay
This is the most critical step. Do not rely on TFT’s marketing or older reviews. You must actively search for the most current, unbiased information available. Go to independent platforms like Trustpilot, Reddit (specifically subreddits like r/propfirm), and Forex Peace Army. Your goal is to find verifiable proof that new traders are receiving their payouts in a timely manner.
5.2. Your documentation is your primary shield
Create a dedicated folder for your TFT journey and save everything. This includes screenshots of the specific rules and FAQ sections at the time you signed up (as these can change), your dashboard showing you passed each phase, your account metrics, every payout request you submit, and a complete transcript of any conversation you have with their support team.
This evidence trail is invaluable if your account is breached or your payout is denied for a subjective reason.
5.3. Acknowledge that the fee is a high-risk, non-refundable investment
Many prop firms advertise a “refundable fee” upon your first payout. In a stable company, this is a great perk. With a firm like TFT that has a documented history of payment failures, you must mentally treat this promise as void.
The refund is contingent on a payout that may be severely delayed or never arrive. Therefore, you must view the fee as the price of admission, a high-risk, non-refundable investment in an unstable venture.
5.4. Your best strategy might be choosing a different firm
This may be the most important tip of all. The skills required to learn how to get a funded trading account, discipline, risk management, and a consistent strategy, are highly transferable.
The time and energy you would spend navigating TFT’s risks, documenting everything, and worrying about payouts could be more productively spent applying those same skills at a firm with a long-standing, proven track record of reliability and stability.
The ultimate goal is to get paid for your profitable trading, and the most direct path to that outcome is by partnering with a company where payment is a standard procedure, not a source of constant uncertainty.
Don’t miss it: Easiest prop firms to pass in 2025: 12 best picks
6. FAQs
No, participating in TFT’s evaluation requires paying an evaluation fee. This fee varies by program, typically starting under $360 for the Dragon Challenge. The fee covers access to the simulated trading environment and evaluation process.
Yes, you must pay the evaluation fee to begin the challenge. Once funded, there are no additional fees to trade with TFT’s capital.
TFT supports MetaTrader 5 (MT5), Match-Trader, and C-Trader, allowing traders to select the platform they are most comfortable with.
Yes, all TFT programs permit the use of EAs, hedging, and trade copiers, offering flexibility for automated and manual trading styles.
Depending on the program, traders can request payouts as early as 3 to 7 days after their first funded trade.
7. Conclusion
Understanding how to get a funded trading account is about more than just passing an evaluation; it’s about choosing a reliable partner. While this guide has outlined the steps advertised by The Funded Trader, it has also highlighted the severe, documented risks that make the company an extremely precarious choice.
The promises of high profit splits and flexible rules are irrelevant if the firm cannot or will not pay you. The real path to success as a funded trader lies in meticulous due diligence and prioritizing safety and reliability above all else. At present, the evidence suggests that traders should seek these qualities elsewhere.
For more insights and practical advice on prop trading and effective trading strategies, explore the extensive resources available at H2T Funding in the Prop Firm & Trading Strategies section. These articles will further guide you on maximizing your chances of success in the competitive world of funded trading.
