Earn2Trade runs two evaluation programs (Trader Career Path 5-stage ladder + Gauntlet Mini single-phase) with rule sets that differ across daily loss, max loss, and minimum trading days. Futures-only on CME/COMEX/NYMEX/CBOT. Full rule breakdown in my Earn2Trade rules guide, or read my complete review. Sign up at Earn2Trade.
The Earn2Trade Trader Career Path (TCP) is a five-stage progression program for futures traders. Unlike single-phase evaluations, the TCP ladder requires traders to meet separate profit targets, respect distinct drawdown rules, and log a minimum number of trading days at each account size before advancing to the next level. The five stages run from a $25K evaluation account all the way to a $200K live funded account, with the monthly subscription fee continuing throughout. As of May 2026, the TCP remains Earn2Trade's flagship product and its most demanding.
This article walks through the specific rules at every stage of the ladder, explains how drawdown mechanics shift as you scale, and covers what happens at stage transitions, resets, and breach events. Where Earn2Trade has not published exact parameters on its product pages, those details are flagged for verification at earn2trade.com or help.earn2trade.com.
What rules apply during the Trader Career Path?
The TCP applies five categories of rules at every stage: a profit target you must reach, a daily loss limit you must never breach on a single trading day, a maximum drawdown limit measured against your account high-water mark, a minimum number of trading days you must complete, and a consistency requirement that prevents traders from hitting the target in one or two outsized days.
All five rule categories apply from the first day of the Evaluation phase through the final Live $200K stage. The numbers attached to each category change as the account size grows, but the structure does not.
The table below summarizes all five TCP stages using the values published on earn2trade.com as of May 2026. Stage-by-stage annotations appear in the sections that follow.
| Stage | Account Size | Profit Target | Daily Loss Limit | Max Drawdown | Drawdown Type | Min Trading Days | Max Contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluation | $25K | $1,750 | $550 | $1,500 | EOD | 10 | 3 |
| LiveSim / Live | $25K | $1,750 | $550 | $1,500 | EOD → Trailing | 10 | 3 |
| Live | $50K | $3,000 | $1,100 | $2,000 | Trailing | 10 | 6 |
| Live | $100K | $6,000 | $2,200 | $3,500 | Trailing | 10 | 12 |
| Live | $200K | $11,000 | $4,400 | Fixed floor ~$194K | Fixed | 10 | 16 |
Values sourced from earn2trade.com product and pricing pages, May 2026. Confirm current figures at earn2trade.com before trading.
One distinction worth noting before the stage-by-stage breakdown: Earn2Trade separates the Evaluation from the LiveSim and Live phases at the $25K level. In practice the Evaluation and the LiveSim/Live $25K phase share the same profit target and drawdown numbers, but the drawdown type changes at the transition point (EOD during Evaluation, moving toward a trailing mechanic on the live-funded side). That shift in drawdown type is one of the key rule changes traders need to understand before they advance.
Stage 1 ($25K) rules
The Evaluation phase starts every new TCP trader at a $25,000 simulated account. The rules at this stage are the most forgiving in absolute dollar terms, though not necessarily the easiest to meet proportionally.
The profit target is $1,750, approximately 7% of the starting balance. You need to reach this target on a marked-to-market end-of-day basis while keeping all other rules intact. Hitting $1,750 intraday but closing the session below it does not count.
The daily loss limit is $550. This means your net realized and unrealized losses on any single trading day cannot exceed $550 below your starting equity for that day. The daily loss limit resets each calendar day, but breaching it on any single day terminates the Evaluation account regardless of where your overall equity sits.
The maximum drawdown is $1,500 measured on an end-of-day (EOD) basis. EOD drawdown means the $1,500 floor is calculated against your highest recorded end-of-day balance, not the intraday high. This is a meaningful distinction: if you run up $800 intraday and give it back before the close, that intraday high does not move the drawdown floor. Your balance must fall $1,500 below the highest closing balance to trigger a breach.
You are limited to 3 contracts at Stage 1. The minimum trading days requirement is 10: you cannot satisfy the profit target in fewer than 10 active trading sessions.
A consistency rule applies, though Earn2Trade does not publish the specific percentage threshold on its product pages. The intent is to prevent traders from hitting the $1,750 target via one large winning day. Verify the exact consistency requirement at help.earn2trade.com before beginning.
Following the March 2026 faster LiveSim access update, traders who pass the Evaluation can log in and begin trading on LiveSim immediately, without waiting for the full compliance onboarding to clear. Compliance documentation (KYC, agreements) must still be completed before requesting any withdrawal.
Stage 2 ($50K) rules
Stage 2 is the first fully live funded stage. The account size doubles to $50,000, and every rule parameter shifts accordingly.
The profit target rises to $3,000, which represents 6% of the $50K balance. While the percentage is slightly lower than the Stage 1 target on a proportional basis, the dollar requirement more than doubles. Traders coming from the $25K stage often find Stage 2 the most operationally demanding phase because the trailing drawdown mechanic is now active.
The daily loss limit at Stage 2 is $1,100. The maximum drawdown is $2,000, and it is now measured on a trailing basis rather than EOD. Trailing drawdown follows your highest achieved balance (including intraday highs), and the $2,000 floor moves up with you as your account grows. This means a strong intraday run that you subsequently reverse can tighten your effective cushion in real time, even if you close the day flat.
Maximum contracts increase to 6. The 10-day minimum requirement continues. Consistency rule details remain at help.earn2trade.com.
The shift to trailing drawdown at Stage 2 is one of the most significant rule changes in the entire TCP ladder. Traders who learned to manage the EOD mechanic in Stage 1 need to recalibrate their position sizing and intraday risk management before they begin Stage 2.
Stage 3 ($75K or $100K) rules
Based on Earn2Trade's published ladder, the Stage 3 funded account is a $100K live account. The TCP product page and pricing page reference $25K, $50K, and $100K as the three TCP subscription tiers, which maps to the Evaluation through Live $100K progression. Earn2Trade's documented progression ladder does not list a separate $75K stage. Verify at earn2trade.com if there have been any product updates since May 2026.
At the $100K stage, the profit target is $6,000. This is 6% of the account size, consistent with the Stage 2 ratio. The daily loss limit increases to $2,200, and the maximum trailing drawdown grows to $3,500.
Maximum contracts double again to 12. The trailing drawdown mechanic remains active at this stage, which means strong performance continues to ratchet the floor upward. A trader who builds the account from $100K to $106,000 has effectively shrunk their maximum drawdown cushion on a percentage basis, because the trailing floor has moved up with every new high.
The 10-day trading day minimum and consistency rule continue to apply in the same form as earlier stages.
Stage 4 rules
Stage 4 of the TCP ladder appears to function as an intermediate transition layer in Earn2Trade's five-stage count. Based on available product page data as of May 2026, the documented live account sizes on the TCP are $25K, $50K, $100K, and $200K. If Earn2Trade defines Stage 4 as a distinct funded milestone between $100K and $200K, exact parameters for that stage are not fully published on the product pages reviewed for this article.
Traders preparing to move beyond the $100K stage should confirm the exact Stage 4 account size, profit target, drawdown parameters, and contract limits directly at earn2trade.com before trading. The pattern established across the earlier stages (profit target near 5–7% of account size, daily loss limit at roughly 2%, maximum trailing drawdown at 3–4%) may serve as a working reference, but should not be treated as a confirmed specification.
Stage 5 (Live $200K) rules
Stage 5 is the top of the TCP ladder: a $200,000 live funded account. The rules at this stage differ from all prior stages in one important structural way: the drawdown converts from trailing to fixed (static).
The profit target at the $200K stage is $11,000, which is approximately 5.5% of the account size. The daily loss limit is $4,400. The maximum drawdown is described as a fixed floor: Earn2Trade's drawdown mechanic data indicates the floor locks at approximately $194,000 balance, meaning the $200K account cannot fall below roughly $194K before triggering a breach. The exact lock mechanic (specifically whether the floor is set at account opening or locks when a trailing high-water mark is reached) requires verification at help.earn2trade.com.
The shift to a fixed drawdown is a material benefit for traders at Stage 5. Unlike the trailing drawdown on Stages 2–4, a static floor does not move upward with your account growth. A trader who builds the $200K account to $215,000 still has their floor anchored at approximately $194,000; the effective cushion has widened, not tightened.
Maximum contracts at Stage 5 are 16. The 10-day minimum trading day requirement and consistency rule continue.
The $200K account represents the standard TCP cap for a single account. Earn2Trade's published max funding figure of $400,000 is not fully explained on product pages; it may refer to multiple funded accounts running simultaneously. Verify the multi-account policy at earn2trade.com.
What happens at stage transitions?
Stage transitions on the TCP are triggered when a trader meets all the stage requirements simultaneously: profit target reached, minimum trading days completed, consistency requirement satisfied, and no rule breach on record.
Following the March 2026 faster LiveSim access update, the transition from the Evaluation stage to the LiveSim/Live $25K stage happens quickly. Earn2Trade allows traders to log into the next stage immediately after passing, without waiting for the full compliance process to complete. Compliance documentation (KYC, trader agreements) must be completed before the first withdrawal request, but does not block the trader from beginning to trade.
Transitions between live stages (from $25K to $50K to $100K to $200K) follow the same general pattern: meet the profit target with all rules intact for the minimum number of days, and the account advances. Earn2Trade's system handles the advancement; traders are notified through their account dashboard.
The profit accrued during a completed stage does not carry forward to the next stage's starting balance in the typical prop-firm sense. Each new stage account starts at its designated notional balance ($50K, $100K, $200K). What scales is the account size, the contract limit, and the drawdown parameters. The cumulative profit earned to date does not carry forward.
Can you fail back to a previous stage?
The TCP does not appear to include a "demotion" mechanic that automatically drops a trader back to a smaller stage after a breach or losing streak. Based on Earn2Trade's published program structure, the consequence of breaching a rule on any live stage is account closure, the same outcome as failing the Evaluation.
When a live account is closed due to a rule breach, traders typically have two options: pay the reset fee ($65 for the Evaluation stage, per published pricing) or purchase a new subscription at the desired starting stage. The program does not automatically rewind your progress; you restart from the beginning.
This design has practical implications for risk management. Traders at the $100K or $200K stage who suffer a drawdown breach do not fall back to Stage 2. They lose the live account entirely and must re-qualify from the Evaluation phase. The TCP ladder rewards consistent, disciplined progression precisely because the cost of a breach at the top of the ladder is high.
For the reset fee structure on live stages (as opposed to the Evaluation), verify at earn2trade.com. The $65 figure applies to the Evaluation phase and may differ for live stage accounts.
How long can you take to climb the ladder?
Earn2Trade does not publish a hard overall deadline for completing the full TCP ladder from Evaluation to $200K live. Each stage requires at least 10 trading days, which means the theoretical minimum is roughly 50 trading days across all five stages, approximately 10 weeks if you trade every eligible session.
In practice, the average TCP progression takes considerably longer. Earn2Trade's own published data shows an 8.89% pass rate for the TCP in 2025, which signals that most traders either take extended time to meet stage requirements or do not advance at all. The firm's education-forward positioning (free video library, study guides, and webinar access bundled into the subscription) reflects an expectation that this is a months-long development process, not a sprint to funding.
The constraint that most traders experience is not calendar time but trading-day count combined with the consistency rule. If your trading schedule allows only two or three sessions per week, a 10-day minimum translates to a three-to-five week minimum per stage. Multiply that across five stages and a conservative TCP timeline could run six months to a year for a trader making steady, compliant progress.
The monthly subscription fee continues throughout this process. As of May 2026, the TCP25 subscription is listed at $150 per month on the pricing page (with a $69 promotional rate also referenced on the homepage; verify which rate applies to new sign-ups at earn2trade.com). That ongoing cost is part of the TCP's cost structure that separates it from one-time-fee evaluation programs at firms like Apex Trader Funding, Topstep, or TradeDay.
How does TCP drawdown compare to competitors?
The TCP's tiered drawdown mechanic (EOD during Evaluation, trailing on live accounts up to $100K, fixed floor at $200K) is more nuanced than most prop firms that apply a single drawdown type across all account sizes.
For context, Apex Trader Funding uses an EOD trailing drawdown across its evaluation accounts. Topstep applies a trailing drawdown on its funded accounts. TradeDay offers three drawdown variants (standard, static, and a third option) as separate SKUs. Elite Trader Funding notably removes the daily loss limit entirely on its 1-Step program.
The TCP's shift to a fixed drawdown floor at the $200K stage is an advantage that not all programs offer at their highest account sizes. Traders who reach Stage 5 with strong performance are rewarded with a drawdown mechanic that does not move against them as their account grows.
For a detailed side-by-side of TCP drawdown against Gauntlet Mini and competing programs, see the Earn2Trade Gauntlet Mini rules and the Earn2Trade rules overview in this cluster.
TCP rules in the context of the full Earn2Trade program structure
The TCP is one of two evaluation programs Earn2Trade operates. The other is the Gauntlet Mini, a single-phase evaluation that funds traders at their evaluation size ($50K to $200K) without a multi-stage ladder.
The choice between the two programs comes down to trading style and risk tolerance. The TCP is structured for traders who prefer to prove themselves incrementally with smaller starting capital and lower absolute dollar risk at each phase. The Gauntlet Mini is designed for traders who want a faster path to a funded account and are confident in their ability to pass a single evaluation at a larger account size.
The TCP's educational component also sets it apart. Free video library access and study guides bundled into the subscription reflect Earn2Trade's positioning as an education-first firm, a distinction discussed in the Earn2Trade review and the Earn2Trade education program article in this cluster. This differentiates Earn2Trade from firms like TakeProfitTrader, Bulenox, or Alpha Futures, which focus purely on the evaluation and funding mechanics.
Earn2Trade also publicly discloses its pass rate (8.89% in 2025), which is an unusual level of transparency in the prop industry. Most competing firms do not publish this data. The figure is referenced on the Earn2Trade homepage and constitutes one of the firm's strongest trust signals for prospective traders evaluating which program to join.
For questions about the TCP rules that go beyond what is published on the product pages, Earn2Trade maintains an active help center at help.earn2trade.com, a Discord community, WhatsApp support, and email. The help center contains 28 evaluation-specific articles covering common rule interpretation questions.
See also: Earn2Trade account sizes, Earn2Trade payout rules, Earn2Trade platforms, and Earn2Trade vs Topstep for adjacent topics in this cluster.
The bottom line
The Earn2Trade Trader Career Path imposes five distinct rule sets across its five-stage ladder. Profit targets range from $1,750 at Stage 1 to $11,000 at Stage 5. Daily loss limits run from $550 to $4,400. Drawdown mechanics shift from EOD to trailing to a fixed floor as account sizes grow. Every stage carries a 10-day minimum trading day requirement and a consistency rule.
This is not a program designed for quick funding. It is a structured career development ladder aimed at traders who want to build capital incrementally under close rule discipline, supported by Earn2Trade's bundled education resources. Traders who breach a live stage do not fall back to a prior level; they restart. Those who make steady progress are rewarded with a $200K live account where the drawdown floor stops moving against them.
Where specific parameters are not fully published on Earn2Trade's product pages — particularly the exact consistency rule threshold, Stage 4 specifications, and fee details for live-stage resets — verify directly at earn2trade.com or help.earn2trade.com before committing capital.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the profit target for TCP Stage 1?
The Evaluation phase and the LiveSim/Live $25K phase each carry a $1,750 profit target. This must be met on a marked-to-market EOD basis across a minimum of 10 trading days.
What is the daily loss limit on the TCP $25K stage?
The daily loss limit on both the Evaluation and LiveSim/Live $25K stages is $550. Breaching this on any single trading day closes the account, regardless of overall equity.
How many trading days are required per TCP stage?
Earn2Trade requires a minimum of 10 trading days per phase before you can advance. This applies to every stage of the ladder, from Evaluation through Live $200K.
Does the drawdown type change as you progress through the TCP ladder?
Yes. Drawdown is end-of-day (EOD) during the Evaluation and LiveSim phases, which means intraday highs do not move the floor. It converts to a trailing drawdown on the Live $50K and Live $100K stages, then converts to a fixed floor at the Live $200K stage.
What is the profit target at the $200K live stage?
The Live $200K stage carries an $11,000 profit target, approximately 5.5% of the account size. Verify the current requirement at earn2trade.com before trading.
Can you fail back to a previous TCP stage?
No. If you breach the drawdown or another rule on a live stage, the account is closed. You would need to restart from the Evaluation stage on a new or reset subscription. There is no automatic demotion to a prior live stage.
Is there a hard time limit to complete the TCP ladder?
Earn2Trade does not publish a hard overall time limit for climbing the full five-stage TCP ladder. However, your monthly subscription fee continues every month you remain on a stage, so there is a financial cost to slow progression.
How many contracts can you trade on the TCP $25K stage?
The TCP $25K stage allows a maximum of 3 contracts. Contract limits scale with account size: 6 at $50K, 12 at $100K, and 16 at $200K.
What happens to profit targets once you reach live funding?
Profit targets continue to apply on each live stage of the TCP ladder until you reach the final $200K account. This is a key difference from the Gauntlet Mini, where no additional profit targets are required post-funding to withdraw.
Is the TCP suitable for traders who want fast funding?
No. The TCP ladder is designed for gradual, multi-stage progression. Traders seeking faster funding typically prefer the Gauntlet Mini, which funds at the evaluation size after a single phase, or alternative firms like Apex Trader Funding or TakeProfitTrader with single-phase evaluations.
What is the consistency rule on the TCP?
Earn2Trade requires a consistency rule across TCP stages to prevent traders from meeting the profit target in one or two large days. The exact percentage threshold is not published on the product pages. Check the help center at help.earn2trade.com for the current specification.
Does the TCP include educational resources?
Yes. A free video library and study guides are bundled into TCP subscriptions. Earn2Trade also offers webinars and maintains an active Discord community. This educational layer is one of the firm's primary differentiators from pure-evaluation prop firms.