The 1-Step (Live Trailing) Plan at Elite Trader Funding

The Elite Trader Funding 1-Step plan is a single-phase evaluation account with live trailing drawdown and no daily loss limit, available at four sizes from $50,000 to $250,000 on a monthly subscription.

The "live trailing" label is precise: the drawdown floor moves against the highest unrealized equity touched during the session, not just closed profits or end-of-day balances. This is the most aggressive drawdown mechanic in the ETF catalog, and it is also why ETF does not layer a daily loss limit on top. The trailing ceiling itself is the constraint. Everything documented below comes from ETF's published help center and the May 2026 PTV verification pass. Paul has not personally traded ETF accounts; all parameters are research-based.

The 1-Step plan sits at the center of the ETF product lineup. As of May 2026 it is the most broadly purchased evaluation archetype at Elite Trader Funding: four sizes, the cheapest monthly price at each comparable size versus EOD or Static, no time limit on the evaluation, and a clean single-phase structure. If you are comparing ETF's plans side-by-side, the ETF account types pillar is the right starting point; this article goes deep on 1-Step mechanics only.

How the 1-Step plan works mechanically

The Elite Trader Funding 1-Step evaluation runs as a single phase: there is no Step 2 or Phase 2. The trader buys a subscription, gets access to a simulated CME futures account, and must hit the profit target without breaching the trailing drawdown floor. Upon passing, the account converts to Elite Sim-Funded status, and the trailing mechanic continues, with a modification that locks the floor once the safety net is reached.

Four sizes are available. The $25,000 account size is NOT offered on the 1-Step plan; entry begins at $50,000. Drawdown amounts below are verified from ETF's safety net requirements help article.

The $50K profit target ($3,000) is confirmed by ETF's help center. Targets for the $100K, $150K, and $250K sizes are not published in a single extractable table; they derive from ETF's stated 6% general range across their blog content. These are PTV estimates; label them and verify directly with ETF support before placing your evaluation.

Evaluation rules beyond the drawdown:

• Minimum trading days: 5 (waivable via the One Day To Pass add-on)
• Time limit: None; subscription renews monthly until the trader passes or cancels
• Overnight positions: Prohibited; all trades must close at least 1 minute before market close
• Micro scaling ratio: 1 mini = 10 micros (the 1:10 position equivalence applies)
• HFT, Martingale, DCA, scratch trades, contract scaling: All permitted as of the September 17, 2025 rule update

The 1-Step plan is fully covered under ETF's September 2025 modernization. News trading is also unrestricted: ETF explicitly permits holding through CPI, FOMC, NFP, and any other release, per their help center. See the ETF rules overview for the full post-September 2025 rule set.

1-Step pricing and drawdown table

As of May 2026, Elite Trader Funding's 1-Step subscription pricing and verified drawdown figures across all four sizes:

Drawdown amounts come from ETF's safety net requirements help article, which lists the starting minimum balance per account type. The minimum balance equals the account size minus the max drawdown, which gives us the verified drawdown figure for each size. The $50K example is also directly stated in ETF's 1-Step help page.

GOFUTURES is Elite Trader Funding's permanent promo code (no stated expiration as of May 2026). It applies 80% off the first month on subscription plans including the 1-Step. DTF is excluded. GOFUTURES cannot be stacked with other codes. For the full coupon code breakdown including seasonal promotions, see the ETF coupon code article.

The 1-Step is the cheapest monthly plan at every comparable account size in the ETF catalog. A $50K 1-Step at $197/mo is 43% cheaper than a $50K EOD at $347/mo, for the same account size and roughly similar drawdown. The difference is the trailing mechanic: 1-Step trails against unrealized intraday highs; EOD trails only against end-of-day closes. A trader who avoids running open positions into the close will find the EOD plan more forgiving, but the 1-Step is cheaper for any trader confident in their intraday discipline.

Why 1-Step has no daily loss limit by design

The Elite Trader Funding 1-Step plan does not impose a daily loss limit during evaluation. This is a verified product design decision, not a gap in the documentation.

ETF's own help center article for the 1-Step plan makes no mention of a daily loss limit. The same help center pages for EOD, Static, and Diamond Hands all explicitly state their daily loss limits and how they are calculated. The 1-Step omission is documented and intentional: the live trailing drawdown is aggressive enough that ETF considers it the only necessary gate during evaluation.

The structural logic: on a 1-Step $50K account with a $2,000 drawdown, if a trader has an extremely bad session and gives back all unrealized gains plus more, the trailing floor can be breached in a single session without any daily loss limit needing to kick in. The trailing ceiling already punishes a trader who over-extends unrealized equity and then lets it give back. Adding a daily loss limit on top would be redundant.

What this means in practice:

• A trader can start flat at $48,000 minimum balance, have a session where they go down $1,800 on the day and close just above the floor, and the evaluation survives. There is no separate "daily loss limit" that would have triggered at $750 or $1,000.
• The entire risk-of-ruin calculation comes from the trailing floor, not from a separate per-day limit.

This is a meaningful differentiator. EOD, Static, and Diamond Hands all carry a daily loss limit calculated from the prior day's closing balance, with open positions counting intraday. If the balance dips below that limit at any tick during the session, the evaluation fails immediately, even if the position would have recovered. The 1-Step removes that intraday ambush. For a detailed comparison of how daily loss limits work on the plans that do have them, see the daily loss limit article.

Profit targets per size

The confirmed profit target for the Elite Trader Funding 1-Step $50K account is $3,000. This is explicitly stated in ETF's help center.

For the three larger sizes, profit targets are not published in a single downloadable table. ETF's evaluations pricing page uses JavaScript-rendered dynamic tables that are not accessible via static fetch. PTV's May 2026 verification pass could not extract these numerically from any public page. The following estimates are derived from ETF's own blog content, which references a general 6% target range:

These estimates are PTV research estimates only. Before purchasing a 1-Step $100K, $150K, or $250K account, verify the exact profit target with ETF directly at elitetraderfunding.app or via their help center at help.elitetraderfunding.com. The live-facts verification file for this cluster documents this gap as remaining unconfirmed due to JS-rendering restrictions.

How the safety net converts trailing to static

In the Elite Sim-Funded phase of the ETF 1-Step plan, the trailing drawdown does not trail forever. Once the trader earns realized profits equal to the account's max drawdown plus $100, the trailing floor permanently locks into a static minimum balance.

The formula:

> Safety net threshold = max drawdown + $100 in realized profits

For the $50K 1-Step account: earn $2,100 in realized profits ($2,000 drawdown + $100), and the floor permanently locks at starting balance + $100. For the $250K account: earn $6,600 in realized profits ($6,500 drawdown + $100), and the floor locks.

What "locks" means mechanically:

• The drawdown stops trailing against new unrealized highs
• The minimum balance becomes a permanent static floor (cannot go lower)
• Any remaining daily loss limit on the account is removed after lock-in

This mechanic is identical across all ETF evaluation plans: 1-Step, Static, EOD, Diamond Hands, and DTF all share the same safety net formula. The difference is what trails before the lock: on 1-Step it is live intraday unrealized equity; on EOD it is only end-of-day closes; on Static the floor never moved to begin with.

The safety net is documented in ETF's help center at `/help/safety-net-requirements`. The minimum balance table for all account types is at `/help/elite-minimum-balances`. The full safety net mechanics article on PTV is the safety net deep-dive. For a detailed breakdown of how live trailing works versus EOD trailing mechanics, see the trailing drawdown deep-dive.

For the 1-Step plan specifically, the safety net is the critical milestone to reach early. Until the floor locks, the trailing mechanic is active even in the Elite Sim-Funded phase, meaning a big unrealized peak that gives back still permanently moves the floor up. The safety net unlocks the account as a stable, static-floor environment.

How resets work on the 1-Step plan

Resets on the Elite Trader Funding 1-Step plan apply to Elite Sim-Funded accounts that have been terminated. A failed evaluation itself ends when the subscription is canceled or the profit target is not hit; the trader simply renews or purchases a new evaluation. Resets specifically apply to Elite Sim-Funded accounts that were terminated after passing the evaluation.

Reset fees (1-Step plan):

The $147 reset fee for the $50K 1-Step account is confirmed from ETF's reset help article. Reset fees for larger sizes are not published in accessible pages; ETF's article states the range runs from $87 to $557 across all plans and sizes. The $50K figure is in the middle of that range.

Key reset rules for the 1-Step plan:

• Maximum resets: 3 per Elite Sim-Funded account
• Pre-September 17, 2025 accounts: Evaluations purchased before that date that resulted in failed Elite Sim-Funded accounts cannot be reset under the current policy
• Resets are final: No refunds on reset purchases
• Fast Track contrast: Fast Track evaluations cannot be reset at all; a failed 10-day deadline is permanent

The reset mechanic originally applied to a different account type (the Reset Account, which was an earlier ETF product that had a 301 redirect applied to its old URL). The current reset policy governs Elite Sim-Funded accounts only. Reset purchases are available through the ETF Trader Dashboard after account failure.

Activation after passing the 1-Step evaluation

Passing the Elite Trader Funding 1-Step evaluation does not automatically activate Elite Sim-Funded status. There is an activation step with three pricing paths.

The Double Down Deal at $47 is the minimum activation cost and the headline number in any ETF pricing comparison. The catch: the 3D add-on must be purchased when buying the original evaluation. It cannot be added retroactively after passing. A trader who bought a $50K 1-Step without the 3D add-on cannot access the $47 rate; they must use the $87/mo or one-time-fee path.

The monthly activation at $87/mo is the standard fallback and auto-renews every month the Elite Sim-Funded account remains active. The one-time-fee path ends recurring billing; the exact amount scales by account size (approximately $177 for accounts at $75K and below, up to $277 for $250K-size accounts, per PTV research; confirm exact figures at ETF's fee article).

Elite Sim-Funded Credit Bonus: When activating, ETF credits the account with the full amount paid for the original evaluation, including any add-on costs. On a $50K 1-Step first month at $39.40 with GOFUTURES, this credit is small. On a $250K 1-Step at full price ($597), the credit provides a meaningful cushion. The credit does not count toward ATD profit thresholds or balance-based rules, but it does provide a positive starting balance buffer.

Full activation fee math, the 3D optimization path, and one-time-fee breakeven analysis are covered in the ETF activation fee article.

The 23% ATD rule in the funded phase

Once in Elite Sim-Funded status on the 1-Step plan, payout eligibility is governed by Active Trading Days (ATDs). Not every trading day qualifies as an ATD.

A trading day qualifies as an ATD on the 1-Step plan when BOTH conditions are met:

1. At least $200 in realized profit on that day (or $100 for accounts at $25K and smaller; note the 1-Step minimum is $50K, so the $200 threshold applies)
2. That day's realized profit must equal at least 23% of the trader's best single ATD profit to date

The 23% consistency rule is the dominant ATD gate. Example: if the trader's best single ATD is a $5,000 day, every subsequent ATD must generate at least $1,150 in realized profit to qualify. A $900 day does not count as an ATD, even if it exceeds the $200 minimum.

Payout cycle structure on the 1-Step plan:

Payout requests can be submitted on Mondays and Wednesdays. The minimum withdrawal is $100. The first $12,500 in profit per cycle pays out at 100% to the trader; amounts above $12,500 in a single cycle split 80/20 (trader keeps 80%). The lifetime sim payout cap is $25,000 across all Elite Sim-Funded accounts.

The 23% rule is the most common source of surprise for new ETF traders. A single exceptional day early in the funded phase can permanently raise the bar for every subsequent ATD. If managing payout cycles strategically matters, see the consistency rule article and the pass-fast strategy guide.

When the 1-Step plan is the right choice

The Elite Trader Funding 1-Step plan is the best match for an intraday futures trader who trades defined risk, closes positions before the end of regular trading hours, and has historically been knocked out by daily loss limits on other prop firm evaluations.

The no-DLL design is the key selector. A trader who builds positions into a setup, experiences drawdown during the trade, and then sees the position recover has repeatedly been a victim of intraday daily loss limits on EOD or Static plans at ETF and other firms. The 1-Step removes that specific failure mode. The trailing drawdown still punishes holding a large unrealized gain that gives back, but there is no separate daily loss reset that fires at a fixed dollar from yesterday's close.

A secondary selector: cost. The 1-Step is the cheapest monthly plan at every size. A trader who wants $100K of simulated capital pays $247/mo on the 1-Step versus $487/mo on EOD. If the trader's trading style is compatible with live trailing (they close positions before unrealized gains grow to dangerous levels), the 1-Step is structurally better value.

The 1-Step is not the right plan if:

• The trader needs to hold overnight or over the weekend: Diamond Hands ($100K) or DTF are the only overnight-permitted plans; see the overnight trading article and the Direct to Funded article
• The trader needs the cleanest possible mental model: Static's permanent floor is simpler to track
• The trader frequently lets unrealized profits run large before closing: every unrealized spike moves the trailing floor permanently, even if the position closes above it

For traders who want the Static alternative, see the ETF Static account article. For traders interested in the EOD plan's intraday-swing-forgiveness, see the ETF EOD plan article. For a full plan comparison matrix, see the ETF account types pillar.

Common mistakes that fail the 1-Step evaluation

The trailing drawdown mechanic creates two failure modes that are specific to the 1-Step plan and less relevant on EOD or Static.

Mistake 1: Letting unrealized equity spike before closing. On a $50K 1-Step, the floor starts at $48,000. A trader enters a NQ long that runs to a $3,000 unrealized profit before they exit. At peak, the floor has trailed up to $51,000. If the trader then closes at $2,500 profit (a solid trade), the floor has permanently moved to $50,500, and the account's effective new minimum balance is $50,500. The trader did not lose money, but the floor moved up permanently. This is the trailing mechanic working exactly as designed, and it compresses the remaining buffer for any subsequent losing sessions.

The practical implication: on the 1-Step plan, there is an argument for taking profits before they run too far unrealized, specifically to avoid locking the floor at an uncomfortably high level. A trader who runs a position to +$3,000 unrealized and then sees it pull back to +$1,000 before exiting has moved the floor up by $3,000 but only added $1,000 to their realized profit balance.

Mistake 2: Ignoring the safety net conversion target. In the Elite Sim-Funded phase, the trailing drawdown remains active until the safety net threshold is hit. Many traders pass the evaluation, activate their Elite Sim-Funded account, and immediately start tracking ATDs and payout cycles without prioritizing the safety net. The trailing mechanic in the sim phase compounds the same spike-and-giveback risk as the eval phase. Reaching the safety net target ($2,100 in realized profit on the $50K account) early in the funded phase eliminates the trailing risk permanently.

A focused trader should consider treating the safety net as the first mini-target of the funded phase, before optimizing for ATD count.

The bottom line

The Elite Trader Funding 1-Step plan is the right ETF evaluation for intraday futures traders who trade defined-risk, close before the market close, and have a history of failing evaluations specifically because of daily loss limits. Removing the DLL and using only the trailing drawdown as the gate is the plan's defining advantage, and it comes at the cheapest monthly price in the ETF catalog at every comparable account size.

The plan is not the right choice for swing traders who need overnight holds, for traders who run large unrealized positions before closing, or for traders who want the simplest possible drawdown model. Diamond Hands and DTF serve swing traders; the Static plan serves traders who want a permanent non-moving floor.

If cost-per-attempt is the primary constraint, the $50K 1-Step with GOFUTURES at approximately $39.40 for the first month is the lowest-stakes serious evaluation in the ETF product lineup. Add the Double Down Deal at checkout to lock in $47 activation if you pass within the first month, and the total first-month cost-to-funded is approximately $86.40 before payout fees. Full ETF strategy around the 1-Step plan, including payout cycle optimization and the 23% ATD rule interaction, is in the ETF strategy guide and the pass-fast guide. For the full firm context, see the Elite Trader Funding main review.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Elite Trader Funding 1-Step plan?

The Elite Trader Funding 1-Step plan is a single-phase evaluation account with live (intraday) trailing drawdown and no daily loss limit during evaluation. The trailing floor moves against the highest unrealized equity touched in the session. Four sizes are available: $50K ($197/mo, $2,000 drawdown), $100K ($247/mo, $3,000 drawdown), $150K ($347/mo, $5,000 drawdown), and $250K ($597/mo, $6,500 drawdown). As of May 2026 it is the cheapest monthly evaluation plan at every comparable account size in the ETF catalog.

Does the ETF 1-Step plan have a daily loss limit?

No. The Elite Trader Funding 1-Step plan does not impose a daily loss limit during evaluation. ETF's help center confirms this by design: only the live trailing drawdown ceiling applies. This is the primary differentiator between the 1-Step plan and ETF's other plans (EOD, Static, Diamond Hands), which all carry a daily loss limit calculated from the prior day's closing balance.

What is the drawdown on the ETF 1-Step $50K account?

The Elite Trader Funding 1-Step $50K account has a maximum trailing drawdown of $2,000, placing the minimum balance at $48,000 at the start of the evaluation. This figure is verified from ETF's safety net requirements help article. Larger sizes: $100K = $3,000 drawdown, $150K = $5,000 drawdown, $250K = $6,500 drawdown.

What is the profit target for the ETF 1-Step $50K account?

The confirmed profit target for the Elite Trader Funding 1-Step $50K account is $3,000. This is explicitly documented in ETF's help center. Profit targets for the $100K, $150K, and $250K sizes are not published in a single accessible table; PTV estimates these at approximately $6,000, $9,000, and $15,000 (roughly 6% of account size), labeled. Verify larger size targets directly with ETF before purchasing.

How does the trailing drawdown lock into a static floor on the 1-Step plan?

Once a trader in the Elite Sim-Funded phase of the Elite Trader Funding 1-Step plan earns realized profits equal to the account's maximum drawdown plus $100, the trailing floor permanently converts to a static minimum balance. For the $50K account, this means earning at least $2,100 in realized profits locks the floor. After lock-in, the trailing mechanic stops, the floor cannot decrease, and any daily loss limit is removed. The safety net formula and threshold table are documented in ETF's help center at /help/safety-net-requirements.

How much does a 1-Step reset cost at ETF?

Resetting a failed Elite Trader Funding 1-Step Elite Sim-Funded account costs $147 for the $50K size, per ETF's reset help article. Reset fees across all plans range from $87 to $557 depending on plan and size. The 1-Step plan allows a maximum of 3 resets per Elite Sim-Funded account. Elite Sim-Funded accounts linked to evaluations purchased before September 17, 2025 cannot be reset under the current policy.

What are the activation options after passing the ETF 1-Step evaluation?

After passing the Elite Trader Funding 1-Step evaluation, there are three ways to activate Elite Sim-Funded status: the Double Down Deal at $47 (requires the 3D add-on purchased at the original eval checkout), a monthly subscription at $87/month (auto-renewing), or a one-time fee ranging from approximately $177 to $307 depending on account size. ETF also applies an Elite Sim-Funded Credit Bonus equal to the original evaluation fee paid, credited to the account at activation.

What is the 23% ATD consistency rule on the ETF 1-Step plan?

In the Elite Sim-Funded phase of the Elite Trader Funding 1-Step plan, an Active Trading Day counts toward payout only if two conditions are both met: (1) the day generates at least $200 in realized profit, and (2) that day's profit equals at least 23% of the trader's best single ATD profit to date. Payout Cycle 1 requires 8 qualifying ATDs; Cycles 2 through 4 each require 10 ATDs. Payouts are processed twice weekly on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Can I use the GOFUTURES code on the ETF 1-Step plan?

Yes. GOFUTURES is Elite Trader Funding's permanent promo code as of May 2026 and applies 80% off the first month on the 1-Step plan and all other subscription-based ETF plans. The $50K 1-Step drops from $197 to approximately $39.40 for the first month with GOFUTURES. After the first month, the subscription renews at the full $197 price. GOFUTURES cannot be combined with other codes and does not apply to DTF accounts, which are one-time fee products.

How does the ETF 1-Step plan compare to the EOD plan?

The Elite Trader Funding 1-Step plan trails the drawdown floor against the highest unrealized intraday equity touched during the session; any open profit that gives back still permanently raises the floor. The EOD plan trails only against end-of-day closing balances, so intraday unrealized swings do not move the floor at all. The 1-Step has no daily loss limit; the EOD plan does. The 1-Step is cheaper at every comparable size (e.g., $197 vs $347 for the $50K). The EOD plan is better for traders who hold through intraday chop and exit into clean prints; the 1-Step is better for traders with disciplined intraday exit discipline who want to avoid daily loss limit risk.

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