Apex Trader Funding Max Drawdown Rule, Explained
Rules verified 2026-07-15 · official source
Apex Trader Funding's max loss line is trailing intraday (follows your live peak, open profit included). Hit the line — even for a moment — and the account fails.
How the line moves
Apex Trader Funding trails your live intraday peak — including open, unrealized profit. Run a trade up $500 and give it back, and the line has already moved up behind you. This is the least forgiving drawdown style and the one that catches most traders off guard.
Trailing threshold follows your intraday PEAK (open profit included). What happens next depends on your PLATFORM (Apex's own help center): on TRADOVATE the threshold keeps trailing your Peak Balance indefinitely — it never locks. On RITHMIC and WEALTHCHARTS it trails in real time until your account reaches $27,500, then FIXES at $26,500 and no longer trails.
The numbers, by account size
Rule mechanics are identical across Apex Trader Funding sizes — only the dollar amounts scale.
| Plan | Max drawdown | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 25K Evaluation | $1,000 | Trailing (intraday) |
| 50K Evaluation | $2,000 | Trailing (intraday) |
| 100K Evaluation | $3,000 | Trailing (intraday) |
| 150K Evaluation | $4,000 | Trailing (intraday) |
| 250K Evaluation (Legacy) | $6,500 | Trailing (intraday) |
How traders actually breach it
The classic breach: a winner runs, the trailing line follows the open profit up, the trade reverses — and the giveback crosses a line that's higher than the trader thinks it is. If you're not recomputing the line from your PEAK, you don't know where it is.
TradersGuild tracks this rule live against your trade log and alerts you while there's still room — "you're $220 from the line" beats finding out from a breach email. Tracking is free for your first account.
Recent Apex Trader Funding rule changes
2026-07-15 — Evaluation drawdown-lock corrected per Apex's own help center: the eval threshold's behavior is PLATFORM-SPLIT — on Tradovate it trails your Peak Balance indefinitely and never locks; on Rithmic/WealthCharts it trails until the account reaches start + target + trailing threshold (e.g. $55,000 on the 50K), then fixes at start + target ($53,000) and no longer trails. TradersGuild now encodes the conservative Tradovate (never-locks) branch so room is never overstated. The PA (funded) lock is unchanged and re-verified: real-time trail locking at start+$100 once the peak (realized or unrealized) reaches start + trailing threshold + $100.
2026-07-07 — Added the legacy 250K Evaluation ($15,000 goal, $6,500 trailing threshold, 27 contracts) — retired for new purchases in Apex 4.0, but live legacy accounts keep trading under the 4.0 payout policy.
FAQ
Is Apex Trader Funding's drawdown static or trailing?
It's trailing intraday (follows your live peak, open profit included).
Does open (unrealized) profit move the Apex Trader Funding drawdown line?
Yes — the line trails your live peak including open profit, which is what makes it dangerous.
What happens if I touch the Apex Trader Funding max loss line?
The account fails immediately — even a momentary touch by open equity counts. There is no warning and no grace amount, which is why tracking your live distance to the line matters.
Stop memorizing rules. Track them.
TradersGuild encodes these exact rules and recomputes every line the moment you log a trade — live meters, and a warning while you still have room. Runs on the trades you log. Free for your first account.