What Is Direct to Funded (DTF)
DTF lets you skip the evaluation entirely and begin trading an Elite Sim-Funded account right away, with EOD or Static drawdown and swing trading allowed.
DTF at a Glance
No evaluation phase — start in Elite Sim-Funded immediately.
End-of-Day (EOD) or Static drawdown
Overnights/weekends allowed — swing trading permitted.
1:1 mini-to-micro relationship (not 1:10).
One-time fee — no monthly subscription.
Up to 5 active DTF accounts per trader
Up to 2 resets per DTF account.
Direct to Funded (DTF) – Elite Sim-Funded Rules
1. EOD Trailing Drawdown & Safety Net
How it works: The max drawdown trails your highest end-of-day balance.
Safety Net: Once you earn realized profits equal to the account’s max drawdown + $100 (the “safety net”), the EOD drawdown stops trailing. From that point on, your starting balance + $100 becomes your permanent minimum allowable balance (you can not withdraw funds from the safety net).
Example: A $25K DTF account with a $2,500 max EOD DD would lock the drawdown after $2,600 realized profit (DD + $100). After locking, the minimum balance is the starting balance + $100.
Static Drawdown & Safety Net
How it works: The max drawdown remains static at the minimum allowed balance and never trails with your account profit.
Safety Net: You must earn realized profits equal to the account max drawdown + $100 to satisfy the safety‑net requirement. This does not change the static nature of the drawdown.
Example: Starting with $100,000 and a $5,000 max loss (minimum balance $95,000), your minimum stays fixed at $95,000 no matter how much profit you make. Once you’ve earned $5,100 in realized profits (max loss $5,000 + $100), you’ve met the safety requirement. If your balance falls to $95,000 at any time, the account fails.
3. ATD Requirements & Minimums (by DTF size)
$25K DTF Account
ATDs per cycle: 10
Drawdown Type: End of Day
Minimum realized profit per ATD: $300
38% Rule: Each ATD must be at least 38% of your best day’s realized profit to count.
Safety Net: $2,600 (max drawdown + $100)
$50K DTF Account
ATDs per cycle: 15
Drawdown Type: End of Day
Minimum realized profit per ATD: $600
62% Rule: Each ATD must be at least 62% of your best day’s realized profit to count.
Safety Net: $5,100 (max drawdown + $100)
$100K DTF Account
ATDs per cycle: 20
Drawdown Type: Static
Minimum realized profit per ATD: $500
50% Rule: Each ATD must be at least 50% of your best day’s realized profit to count.
Safety Net: $5,100 (max drawdown + $100)
4. Payout Caps & Cycles
DTF accounts have a maximum total payout of $25,000 per account. After reaching this cap, trading stops, the account is revoked, and you will be transferred to the LIVE ELITE Program.
Account Size | ATDs per Cycle | Cycle 1 Max | Cycle 2 Max | Cycle 3 Max | Cycle 4+ Max | Total Payout Cap |
25K | 10 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $3,000 | $4,000 | $25,000 |
50K | 15 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $25,000 |
100K | 20 | $1,500 | $2,500 | $3,500 | $5,000 | $25,000 |
25K & 50K minimum withdrawal per cycle: $1,000
100K minimum withdrawal per cycle: $500
5. Holding Overnight & Weekends
Allowed — swing trading is permitted on DTF accounts. Manage risk across sessions and be mindful of gaps.
6. 1:1 Mini–Micro Relationship
In DTF, 1 mini = 1 position and 1 micro = 1 position (not 10 micros = 1 position). Check your specific account’s position limits.
7. Up to 2 resets for DTF accounts.
DTF accounts can be reset 2 times.
8. Details on Trading Days
Q: What qualifies as a trading day?
Any day you place a trade qualifies.
Q: Does Sunday count?
No. Sunday evening and Monday are counted as the same trading day.
Q: What contract can I trade?
You must trade the most current contract with the highest volume.
Q: Can I trade on holidays and during news?
Yes, but volatility can be very low or extremely high. Manage risk carefully.
Note: Elite Trader Funding is not responsible for your account during times of very low or extremely high volatility.
Q: What happens when a contract expires?
Prior to contract expiration, traders should close positions in the expiring contract and re-establish them in the most liquid contract.
9. General Account Rules
No hedging against yourself with the same/correlated instruments across one or multiple accounts.
Position limits apply by account type/size; exceeding limits may cause failure, profit forfeiture, and closure.
Same-household restriction: traders from the same household may not participate.
No trading for others (same household or remote).
Weekly trading requirement: at least one trade per week to keep the account active; use the trading-break form if needed. Missing a week will result in account closure and void payouts.
Loss limit after +20% profit: if you subsequently lose more than 35% of total profits, ETF will remove the account from Elite Sim; this overrides the initial max drawdown and disqualifies you from LIVE Elite. This assessment occurs during audits or payout requests, where accounts are checked for stability.
Payout Steps
Meet Requirements: Ensure you’ve met the safety net and ATDs.
Request a Payout: Visit your Trader Dashboard and request a payout.
Trade Activity Audited: Your activity will be audited for compliance.
Subscription Active: Keep your subscription active during the payout process.
KYC & Rise Onboarding: Complete KYC and onboard with Rise to receive payments. Residents of restricted countries are not eligible.
Payout Requests Timing
Approval Timeline: Payouts are approved daily, Mon–Fri, from 3 PM Eastern (excluding holidays).
Cut‑Off Time: The cut-off time for approved payout requests to be included in Monday’s batch is Friday at 5 PM EST and the cut-off time for the Wednesday batch is Tuesday at 5 PM EST. Requests after this time will be rolled over to next week.
Elite Sim Payouts: Processed twice weekly, Mondays and Wednesdays.
Live Elite Payouts: Processed daily.
Once you receive email confirmation that your payout is approved, funds are deducted from your account and you may immediately resume trading. Your Trader Dashboard will update with your next trade. You must still meet the weekly trading requirement, or your account may be closed, and payouts will be voided.
Profit Split
Once approved, traders keep up to 100% of simulation profits up to $25,000.
Payout Structure
You can request withdrawals once you’ve met the payout requirements and are in a Payout Cycle (the safety net cannot be withdrawn from).
Withdrawals can be as little as $1,000, up to the cycle maximum.
100K DTF withdrawal minimum is $500
In any Payout Cycle, you may withdraw the minimum until reaching the Payout Cycle maximum cap. (New requests can only be made once the payout has been processed.)
⚠️ If you qualify for Payout Cycle 2 before fully withdrawing Payout Cycle 1, unused funds from Payout Cycle 1 are forfeited.
The day your payout is approved does not count toward your ATD requirement, but the funds will be added to your account balance.
This same structure applies to each Payout Cycle.
Example: In Payout Cycle 1, the maximum payout is $2,000. You can withdraw $1,000 per day until reaching $2,000. If you qualify for Payout Cycle 2 after withdrawing $1,000, the remaining $1,000 is forfeited. In Payout Cycle 2, your new payout maximum applies with the same rules.
LIVE ELITE Transition
How do I get moved to Live?
ETF may transition traders from their Elite Sim-Funded account to a LIVE ELITE account at our discretion—this can happen before, during, or after a payout request.
Transition criteria may include:
5 payouts per trader
50 Active Trading Days per trader
$25,000 total payout cap per trader
What is my starting balance for LIVE ELITE?
Your LIVE ELITE static balance is based on your single best-performing Elite Sim-Funded account that has reached the safety net (account max drawdown + $100):
50K or below: $2,000
100K: $3,000
150K or above: $5,000
If your top-performing account is a Direct to Funded (DTF) account:
25K DTF: $2,500
50K DTF: $5,000
100K DTF: $5,000
NOTE: CME Rules Compliance
All traders must complete CME Rules & Regulations lessons. Review CME guidelines here.