Apex Trader Funding Rules: A Plain-English Reference
A concise reference for the rules that actually matter at Apex Trader Funding, written for traders who want to focus on trading, not legalese.
Apex publishes their rulebook in detail and updates it periodically. This is a plain-English summary of the rules that affect day-to-day decisions. Always confirm the current text on Apex's official site before relying on any of it.
Evaluation in one paragraph
You pay a monthly fee for an evaluation account, hit a profit target without violating the trailing drawdown, and pass to a Performance Account. The evaluation has no minimum days in most plans, but you do need to respect the trailing drawdown the entire time.
Trailing drawdown
Apex uses a trailing threshold based on unrealized intraday equity in the evaluation. The threshold trails up to your highest equity point and then locks once you are above the starting balance plus the trailing amount. Hit it, and the account is closed.
Consistency rule
Performance Accounts have a consistency requirement: no single day's profit can exceed a defined percentage of total profit when you request a payout. The point is to discourage one-shot lottery passes. Plan your exits with this in mind.
Other rules worth knowing
- Allowed products are futures only, including micros.
- News trading and certain holiday sessions have restrictions; check the calendar.
- Stop loss orders are required on all positions.
- Copy trading across accounts is permitted but governed by its own rules.
Where automation fits
A rules-aware execution layer can enforce stop placement on every entry, refuse trades that would push you against the trailing drawdown, and respect daily profit caps that keep you on the right side of the consistency rule. None of that replaces understanding the rulebook. It just keeps a bad afternoon from ending your account.
Rules and fees at Apex Trader Funding change over time. This article is informational and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apex. Always verify against the official rulebook before trading.