Earn2Trade offers two paths: Trader Career Path (TCP, 5-stage ladder $25K → $200K live) and Gauntlet Mini (single-phase eval, funded at eval size $50K-$200K). Education library and webinars bundled into TCP subscriptions. Full account-type breakdown in my Earn2Trade accounts guide, or read the complete review. Sign up at Earn2Trade.
The Trader Career Path (TCP) is Earn2Trade's flagship evaluation program: a subscription-based, 5-stage ladder that takes you from a $25,000 simulated evaluation account all the way to a $200,000 live funded account. It's not a one-step challenge. It's not a single phase you pass and forget. The TCP is designed as a full career development track, with distinct rules, profit targets, drawdown limits, and contract caps at each rung of the ladder.
As of May 2026, the TCP is still Earn2Trade's most distinctive product. It's the one that separates the firm from most of the prop space, which trends toward quick one-or-two-phase evaluations.
What is the Trader Career Path at Earn2Trade?
Earn2Trade describes the TCP as a structured path that progresses through evaluation, simulated live (LiveSim), and then funded live trading, all within the same program. You don't switch products between stages. You start the TCP and climb.
The program is designed specifically for futures traders. Earn2Trade is strictly a futures-only firm (CME, COMEX, NYMEX, CBOT). No forex, no stocks, no crypto, no CFDs. That restriction applies throughout the entire TCP ladder.
The core logic of the TCP: each stage has a profit target. Hit the target, stay within the risk rules, meet the 10-day minimum, and you advance to the next stage with a larger account and wider limits. The drawdown mechanics shift as you climb: EOD (end-of-day) during evaluation and LiveSim, converting to trailing drawdown on the early live stages, then locking to a fixed floor at the top $200K stage.
That education bundling is also central to the product. Every TCP subscription includes access to Earn2Trade's free video library and study guides. The firm runs webinars and maintains an active Discord community. This isn't a bonus. It's part of what Earn2Trade is selling. The company positions itself as an education-prop hybrid, not a pure evaluation product. That's the brand differentiator, and it matters if you're comparing against Apex Trader Funding, Topstep, or TakeProfitTrader.
One number worth noting: Earn2Trade publicly discloses an 8.89% pass rate for TCP based on 2025 data. Most prop firms don't publish this figure at all. That transparency is either a trust signal or a warning shot depending on your confidence level. Either way, it's unusually honest for the industry.
What are the 5 stages of the TCP?
The TCP ladder has five distinct stages. Here's the full breakdown based on verified data from earn2trade.com as of May 2026:
| Stage | Account Size | Profit Target | Max Drawdown | Daily Loss Limit | Max Contracts | Drawdown Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluation | $25K | $1,750 | $1,500 | $550 | 3 | EOD |
| LiveSim | $25K | $1,750 | $1,500 | $550 | 3 | EOD |
| Live Stage 1 | $50K | $3,000 | $2,000 | $1,100 | 6 | Trailing |
| Live Stage 2 | $100K | $6,000 | $3,500 | $2,200 | 12 | Trailing |
| Live Stage 3 | $200K | $11,000 | ~$194K floor | $4,400 | 16 | Fixed/Static |
A few things to flag from this table:
The $200K stage uses a fixed (static) drawdown rather than trailing. Based on available data, the drawdown locks at approximately a $194,000 balance floor once you reach a certain high-water mark, meaning your worst-case floor stops trailing upward. The exact lock mechanic is not fully detailed on product pages; verify at help.earn2trade.com before planning around this.
The 10-day minimum trading requirement applies at every stage. There's no published maximum time limit per stage, which means your pace is self-directed. The monthly subscription fee continues regardless.
Consistency rules are required at each stage. The specific percentage threshold is not published on the main product pages. Check the help center for the current consistency requirement before trading aggressively on a few days and coasting.
The profit targets shown above come from earn2trade.com's TCP page as of May 2026. Verify them directly before subscribing, because pricing and rules in the prop space shift without notice.
How does TCP pricing work?
The TCP runs on a monthly subscription model. No upfront activation fee. No one-time payment. You pay per month until you're funded and no longer need the subscription.
As of May 2026, the pricing page shows:
| TCP Tier | Monthly Fee |
|---|---|
| TCP25 ($25K) | $150/mo |
| TCP50 ($50K) | $190/mo |
| TCP100 ($100K) | $350/mo |
There's a discrepancy worth flagging: the homepage has shown "from $69/mo" for TCP25, which may reflect a discounted or promotional entry price. The pricing page shows $150/mo as the standard rate. Verify the current rate at earn2trade.com. One of these figures may have been updated since this was written.
If you breach at any stage, a reset costs $65. That restarts the current stage. Given that the TCP25 is $150/mo, a reset is a relatively cheap option compared to starting a fresh subscription, but costs stack up if you're resetting repeatedly.
There are no announced promo codes for Earn2Trade as of May 2026. Check earn2trade.com or their Discord for any current offers.
The TCP pricing structure is worth comparing against Topstep and TradeDay, which also use subscription-based models with varying reset economics.
What's bundled with TCP?
The educational layer is the TCP's clearest differentiator from single-phase challenges at firms like Gauntlet Mini or Apex Trader Funding.
Every TCP subscription includes:
- Free video library and study guides (included with all TCP tiers), covering futures trading fundamentals and strategy concepts.
- Webinars: Earn2Trade's help center lists 7 articles under "Mentors and webinars" in the Education section. Frequency and format should be verified at earn2trade.com.
- Discord community: an active trader community with implied mentoring, according to the firm's positioning.
- Help center: 22 platform articles, 28 evaluation articles, and 7 education articles in the self-service knowledge base. That's a substantial resource set for new futures traders.
The standalone Beginner Crash Course is listed on the homepage as a separate product from the TCP. Details on curriculum, format, and pricing are not confirmed from available sources. Verify at earn2trade.com.
This education bundling isn't cosmetic. If you're new to futures trading, the video library and webinar access have practical value beyond the evaluation itself. For traders already experienced with futures mechanics, the education layer may matter less. In that case, the Gauntlet Mini or a faster single-phase product at TakeProfitTrader might be a better fit.
How long does it take to climb the TCP ladder?
Each stage requires a minimum of 10 trading days. There is no maximum time limit per stage.
A realistic estimate, based on the 10-day floor:
- Hitting 5 stages minimum means 50 trading days of active evaluation. That's roughly 10 weeks if you trade every weekday, without accounting for time spent on the live stages.
- In practice, traders take longer. The consistency rule, the drawdown limits, and the reality of futures trading mean most traders spend multiple months per stage.
- The 2025 data Earn2Trade published showed 94.77% of TCP passers stayed on LiveSim accounts rather than advancing to live funded accounts. That's not a criticism. Many traders choose to stay in the LiveSim environment. But it signals that reaching the $200K live stage is a longer journey than the 5-stage description might imply.
There's no published average completion timeline from Earn2Trade. Hedging any timeline estimate: plan for 6-18 months to reach live $200K funding if you're starting from the $25K evaluation, trading regularly, and advancing through each stage without extended breaches.
The monthly subscription cost accumulates the longer you take. A trader on TCP25 for 12 months at $150/mo has spent $1,800 before accounting for any resets. Compare that to Apex Trader Funding, which uses a different pricing structure. Neither model is strictly cheaper. It depends on how fast you advance.
What happens at each stage transition?
When you hit the profit target for a stage while staying within the risk rules and meeting the 10-day minimum, Earn2Trade advances you to the next stage. Here's what changes:
Evaluation → LiveSim ($25K): The profit target, drawdown, and DLL remain the same ($1,750 / $1,500 / $550). The key change is that you're now trading in Earn2Trade's LiveSim environment: real market data, real fills, but still simulated capital. The March 2026 update gives traders immediate access to LiveSim after passing the evaluation, without waiting through an extended onboarding period. Compliance documentation (agreements, KYC) must still be completed before any withdrawal.
LiveSim → Live $50K: The account size doubles, profit target increases to $3,000, drawdown widens to $2,000, DLL rises to $1,100, and contract cap increases to 6. Critically, the drawdown type changes from EOD to trailing. This is a meaningful shift in risk mechanics. EOD drawdown only calculates at end of day, while trailing drawdown locks in against your intraday equity high.
Live $50K → Live $100K: Profit target increases to $6,000, drawdown widens to $3,500, DLL to $2,200, contract cap to 12. Still trailing drawdown.
Live $100K → Live $200K: Profit target $11,000, DLL $4,400, contract cap 16, and drawdown converts from trailing to a fixed/static floor (approximately $194K). The widening daily loss limit and contract cap give you more room to trade with conviction.
Each transition is the same evaluation: profit target, drawdown, minimum days, consistency. The mechanics change; the evaluation structure stays consistent.
A practical note on contract caps: the cap at each stage scales alongside the account size. At $25K you're capped at 3 contracts. At $200K you get 16. That matters if your strategy requires scaling position size with account size. Traders who rely on fixed-size strategies may not feel the cap constraints, but traders who scale aggressively need to account for the lower limits at the earlier stages.
The March 2026 "faster LiveSim access" update removed the waiting period between passing the evaluation and beginning to trade LiveSim. Before that change, traders who passed had to wait through an onboarding queue. Now, LiveSim trading begins immediately after passing. Compliance documentation (KYC, agreements) still gates the first withdrawal, but you don't lose trading time waiting to be onboarded.
When does TCP make sense vs Gauntlet Mini?
Earn2Trade offers two programs: TCP (5-stage ladder) and Gauntlet Mini (single-phase, funded at eval size). Choosing between them comes down to three things.
Start TCP if:
- You want to start at a smaller account size ($25K) with lower subscription cost and less initial pressure.
- You value the educational content bundled into the subscription.
- You're comfortable with a longer journey in exchange for structured progression.
- You want to reach $200K live funding. The TCP's top stage exceeds Gauntlet Mini's maximum eval size through its ladder structure.
Consider Gauntlet Mini if:
- You're confident in your consistency and want to get funded faster with one pass.
- You want to start at $50K–$200K without grinding through the $25K stage first.
- You don't need the education layer. You know how to trade futures.
- You prefer the single-phase logic: pass once, trade funded. No additional profit targets required post-funding.
The Gauntlet Mini also has "no additional performance targets required to withdraw" after funding. The TCP has profit targets at each live stage before advancing, but withdrawals on funded TCP accounts aren't gated behind hitting the next stage's profit target specifically. They're gated behind compliance completion.
If you're newer to futures and want a guided framework with education included, TCP is the right product. If you have a working strategy and want capital faster, Gauntlet Mini is the faster route.
For broader context on how these products stack up against other firms, see the Earn2Trade vs Topstep comparison and Earn2Trade Gauntlet Mini overview.
How does TCP compare to Topstep Trader Combine?
Topstep is the most natural comparison for TCP. Both are subscription-based futures evaluation programs with structured progression. The differences matter.
Program structure: Topstep uses a 2-step evaluation (Express Funded Account or the prior Combine → Step 2). TCP uses 5 stages. The TCP is a longer journey; Topstep gets you funded faster in terms of stage count.
Account sizes: Topstep funds at $50K, $100K, and $150K on the Express Funded Account track. TCP tops out at $200K through the live ladder. If reaching $200K live capital is the goal, TCP has the higher single-account ceiling, though Topstep allows combining multiple funded accounts to reach similar totals.
Drawdown mechanics: Both firms use trailing drawdown on live funded accounts. The specific drawdown amounts differ. Verify current Topstep rules at /prop-firms/topstep before comparing directly.
Pricing model: Both are subscription-based. TCP adds an education layer to the subscription. Topstep does not bundle a comparable educational product.
Pass-rate transparency: Earn2Trade publishes its 8.89% TCP pass rate for 2025. Topstep does not publish comparable figures publicly. That's not inherently good or bad, but if transparent performance data matters to you, Earn2Trade has the edge.
Consistency rules: Both firms require consistency. The specific thresholds are not published on the main product pages for either firm. Verify via each firm's help center.
The firms are comparable in pricing tier, audience (independent futures traders), and general structure. The TCP is more comprehensive and slower; Topstep is faster to funding with less educational scaffolding. Neither is universally better. Pick the model that fits your pace.
Also worth considering: Elite Trader Funding, Alpha Futures, and Bulenox each have distinct approaches to staged evaluation that are worth reviewing before committing to a program.
The bottom line
The Trader Career Path is the most structured futures evaluation product in the prop space. Five stages, clear rules at each rung, education bundled in, and transparent pass-rate data that most competitors won't touch. That structure is either what you're looking for or a reason to look elsewhere. Depends entirely on your timeline and what you already know about futures trading.
If you want a guided, incremental path to $200K live funding with educational resources built in, TCP is a serious contender. If you want to get funded fast and skip the ladder, the Gauntlet Mini or a firm like TakeProfitTrader or Apex Trader Funding will get you there faster.
One thing worth respecting: Earn2Trade publishes the 8.89% pass rate. That's an honest number. The TCP is not easy, and they're not pretending otherwise.
Verify current pricing and rules at earn2trade.com before subscribing. The prop space updates rules regularly. This article reflects May 2026 data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Earn2Trade Trader Career Path?
The Trader Career Path (TCP) is Earn2Trade's flagship futures evaluation program. It's a 5-stage ladder progression that starts with a $25K evaluation account and can scale you to a $200K live funded account. Each stage has defined profit targets, drawdown limits, and contract caps. Verified structure as of May 2026; confirm current details at earn2trade.com.
How many stages does the TCP have?
The TCP has 5 stages: Evaluation ($25K), LiveSim ($25K), Live $50K, Live $100K, and Live $200K. You advance by hitting the profit target for each stage while staying within the risk parameters and trading a minimum of 10 days.
What is the profit target for the TCP $25K evaluation stage?
The profit target for the $25K evaluation stage is $1,750. The same $1,750 target applies at the LiveSim $25K stage. Targets increase at each live stage: $3,000 at $50K, $6,000 at $100K, $11,000 at $200K.
What is the drawdown type on TCP live accounts?
TCP live accounts up to $100K use trailing drawdown. At the $200K stage, the drawdown converts to a fixed (static) floor, reported as approximately $194,000, meaning the drawdown locks once you reach a certain high-water mark. Verify the exact lock mechanics at help.earn2trade.com.
How much does the Earn2Trade TCP subscription cost?
As of May 2026, the TCP25 ($25K) shows $150/mo on the pricing page, TCP50 shows $190/mo, and TCP100 shows $350/mo. The homepage has shown a "from $69/mo" figure which may reflect a promotional rate. Verify the current standard rate at earn2trade.com before subscribing.
How long does it take to advance through the TCP stages?
Each stage requires a minimum of 10 trading days. There is no published maximum time limit per stage. A realistic full-ladder timeline is 6–18 months to reach $200K live funding, depending on trading frequency, consistency, and whether you breach and reset at any stage.
What education is bundled with TCP subscriptions?
TCP subscriptions include Earn2Trade's free video library and study guides. The firm also runs webinars and maintains a Discord community. This educational content is included in the subscription cost, not sold separately.
What is the difference between TCP and the Gauntlet Mini?
The TCP is a 5-stage ladder starting at $25K with education bundled in. The Gauntlet Mini is a single-phase evaluation at $50K–$200K: you pass once and get funded at your eval size with no additional profit targets required to withdraw. TCP is built for gradual progression; Gauntlet Mini is for traders who want faster capital access.
How does TCP compare to Topstep Trader Combine?
Both are subscription-based futures evaluation programs. Topstep funds after 2 steps; TCP requires 5 stages. TCP tops out at $200K live; Topstep funds at $50K–$150K per account. TCP bundles education; Topstep doesn't. Earn2Trade publishes pass-rate data; Topstep doesn't. Verify current Topstep details at /prop-firms/topstep.
What happens after you reach $200K on the TCP?
At the $200K live stage, the trailing drawdown converts to a fixed floor (approximately $194K based on available data; verify at earn2trade.com). Earn2Trade reports a $400,000 maximum funding level, which may accommodate multiple concurrent accounts. Confirm directly with Earn2Trade for details on scaling beyond $200K.
Can you reset a TCP account if you breach?
Yes. Earn2Trade offers a reset for $65. This restarts the current stage without requiring a new full subscription. Verify reset terms (including whether resets apply at both evaluation and live stages) at help.earn2trade.com.
What is Earn2Trade's pass rate for TCP?
Earn2Trade publicly discloses an 8.89% pass rate for TCP based on 2025 data. This is one of the few firms in the prop space to publish this figure, signaling transparency about the difficulty of the program.