Intermediate Plans: Rules, Requirements, and Payouts
How to Pass the Intermediate Evaluation
Minimum Trade Days: 3
Any day you place a trade qualifies. Sunday and Monday are counted as the same trading day.
Consistency: 40%
Your best profitable day cannot exceed 40% of the overall profit.
Hit your profit target.
Complete all requirements within 10 calendar days.
If you cannot pass within 10 calendar days, the evaluation auto‑fails and cannot be reset.
If you successfully complete the requirements to pass the evaluation, you will be assigned an Elite Sim-Funded account within 72 hours and be on your way to trading toward a payout.
10K End of Day
Profit Target: $2,000
Max Contracts: 1 mini OR 10 micros
Max Loss: $500
Daily Loss Limit: None
Drawdown Type: End of day realized profit
Reset Fee: Ineligible
Activation Fee: Free for 1st Month, then $87 monthly
One-Time Activation Fee: Ineligible
Purchase Limit: 1 active account per trader
10K End of Day Payout Structure
10K Static
Profit target: $2,000
Max positions: 1 mini OR 10 micros
Max static drawdown: $500
Drawdown Type: Static minimum balance never trails
Reset Fee: Ineligible
Elite activation fee: Free for 1st Month, then $87 monthly
One-Time Activation Fee: Ineligible
10K Static Payout Structure
Note: You must request the full cycle maximum before you advance and your ATDs start counting toward the next payout cycle.
Have questions about eligibility, payouts, or Live transitions? Read the Payout Audit FAQ or submit a ticket through our Contact Us page.
Evaluation Rules
1. Reach the Profit Target
Each Intermediate plan has its own profit target and max drawdown amounts. The goal is to reach the profit target without hitting the max drawdown.
2. Consistency
To qualify for an Intermediate plan, you must achieve 40% consistency, meaning your best trading day cannot exceed 40% of your total profit.
3. Minimum Trade Day Requirement
You must trade for a minimum of 3 days.
4. Evaluation Resets
Intermediate (Fast Track) plans cannot be reset.
Elite Sim‑Funded Rules
These rules govern trading in your Elite account and the requirements to qualify for payouts.
1. Drawdown
Reach your safety net by earning your account's max drawdown, plus $100 in realized profit.
Once that safety net is reached, any drawdown type stops permanently, and your starting balance plus $100 becomes the minimum balance.
For Static accounts, the account minimum remains unchanged from your default values even when the safety net is reached.
2. No Hedging
Hedging against yourself using the same or correlated instruments across one or multiple accounts is not allowed. Learn more.
3. Maximum Account Position Limits
Do not exceed the account’s maximum positions for minis and micros at any time. Violations will fail the account and forfeit profits.
Legend: 1 mini equals 1 position, 10 micro equals 1 position.
4. Household Trading Rule
Traders from the same household are not permitted to participate at ETF. Learn more.
5. Trading for Others
Trading for another user, whether in the same household or remotely, is prohibited. Learn more.
6. Flatten Trades
Close all trades one minute before market close. See CME Market Hours and holiday trading hours.
7. Weekly Trading Requirement
Place at least one trade per week to keep your account active. If you cannot trade, notify ETF using the self‑serve form. Missing a week closes the account and voids payouts.
8. Loss Limit Rule
Once a trader earns 20% profit on their Elite Sim‑Funded account, a new loss limit applies. If you lose more than 35% of total accumulated profit after reaching 20% growth, the account will be removed from the Elite Sim-Funded program. This overrides the initial max drawdown and disqualifies you from the Live Elite program.
9. Elite Reset
Elite Sim-Funded accounts can be reset up to three times
Please visit the article below to review your reset pricing options.
Payout Requirements
For each payout cycle, maintain the safety net, complete the required number of Active Trading Days (ATD), and meet consistency in your Elite Sim-Funded account.
1. Achieve the Safety Net
Earn realized profits equal to the account max drawdown plus $100. The trailing drawdown then locks permanently. You cannot withdraw from the safety net during any payout cycles.
2. Meet the Active Trade Day (ATD) Requirement
8 ATDs for Payout Cycle 1. 10 ATDs for Cycles 2 through 4.
An Active Trade Day (ATD) is any day that meets the minimum daily profit requirement for the specific Intermediate plan.
Note: You must request the full cycle maximum before you advance, and your ATDs start counting toward the next payout cycle.
3. Meet Consistency
Once you have achieved the required number of Active Trade Days, you must achieve at least 30% consistency based on your overall profit relative to your best trading day.
Note: The Request Payout button will not appear until you have satisfied both the ATD and consistency requirements.
Payout Steps
Meet Requirements: Ensure you’ve met the safety net, required number of ATDs, and 30% consistency.
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.
Request Cycle Maximum: The Cycle maximum must be fully withdrawn before moving to the next cycle.
Payout Request 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.
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.
Withdrawals can be as little as $100, up to the cycle maximum.
In any Payout Cycle, you may withdraw a minimum of $100 until reaching the Payout Cycle maximum cap. (New requests can only be made once the payout has been processed.)
Daily withdrawals may also count as an ATD or trade day, allowing you to keep progressing.
Note: You must request the full cycle maximum before you advance, and your ATDs start counting toward the next payout cycle.
Withdrawals can be as little as $100, up to the cycle maximum.
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 34 lessons on CME Rules and Regulations before advancing. Review CME guidelines here.