Complete TradeDay Prop Firm Guide

TradeDay offers three drawdown types across $50K-$150K futures accounts with day-one payouts and up to 95% profit split. This review covers evaluation models, payout rules, platforms, automation policy, and the path to live capital.

TradeDay is a Chicago-based futures proprietary trading firm founded in 2020 by James Thorpe and Steve Miley¹. The firm offers three drawdown types (Intraday, EOD, and Static) across $50,000 to $150,000 account sizes with no daily loss limits and day-one payouts².

Traders keep 80% of the first $50,000 in profits, 90% from $50K-$100K, and 95% above $100K³. TradeDay holds a 4.6/5 Trustpilot rating from over 1,300 reviews⁴.

Company Overview

TradeDay LLC operates from 412 S. Wells in Chicago, Illinois¹. CEO James Thorpe has 15+ years of full-time futures trading experience and previously served as CEO of Mercury Derivatives and Futures First¹. Co-founder Steve Miley spent 13 years as Head of Technical Analysis at Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse¹.

Three Evaluation Types

All evaluations are single-phase with no time limit, minimum 5 trading days, and a 30% consistency rule⁵.

Intraday Trailing Drawdown

Trails upward with your highest intraday equity in real time⁶. Freezes once the drawdown floor reaches starting balance⁶. Most aggressive drawdown type. Starting at $125/month⁷.

End of Day (EOD) Trailing Drawdown

Updates based on end-of-day closing balance only, not intraday peaks⁶. However, if equity drops below the active drawdown level during the session, auto-liquidation still triggers⁶. Starting at $175/month⁷.

Static Drawdown

Fixed drawdown that never moves regardless of account growth⁶. Tighter drawdowns ($500-$1,000) with lower profit targets ($1,500-$3,750)². Starting at $165/month⁷.

Account Sizes and Parameters

Intraday and EOD Accounts²:

$50,000: $3,000 profit target, $2,000 trailing drawdown, 5 contracts max
$100,000: $6,000 profit target, $3,000 trailing drawdown, 10 contracts max
$150,000: $9,000 profit target, $4,000 trailing drawdown, 15 contracts max

Static Accounts²:

$50,000: $1,500 profit target, $500 fixed drawdown, 1 contract max
$100,000: $2,500 profit target, $750 fixed drawdown, 2 contracts max
$150,000: $3,750 profit target, $1,000 fixed drawdown, 3 contracts max

Profit Split and Payouts

Tiered profit split based on lifetime cumulative withdrawals³:

First $50,000: 80% to trader
$50,000 to $100,000: 90% to trader
Above $100,000: 95% to trader

Day-One Payouts

Payouts available from the first day of funded trading³. Minimum payout is $250³. Requests submitted before 5:30 PM CT are processed the next business day via Riseworks³.

Payment methods include US bank wire (free), international wire ($15), and cryptocurrency⁸.

Buffer Zone

Before withdrawing, your account must exceed the buffer zone (starting balance plus maximum drawdown)³. Once cleared, the trailing drawdown floor locks at starting balance. Buffer zone profits are split 50/50³.

Trading Rules

No daily loss limit — only the trailing or static drawdown applies²
5 minimum trading days during evaluation⁵
30% consistency rule during evaluation only — no consistency rule on funded accounts⁵
No overnight holds — positions auto-liquidated 10 minutes before market close⁹
News restriction — positions auto-liquidated before Tier 1 economic data releases⁹
Maximum 200 trades per day¹⁰
Up to 6 accounts per trader (3 Funded Sim + 1 Funded Live + evaluations)¹¹

Supported Platforms

TradeDay supports Tradovate (primary), NinjaTrader, TradingView, and Jigsaw Daytradr¹². All platforms use CQG data feed through Tradovate¹².

Automation Policy

TradeDay's automation policy prohibits third-party purchased trading bots and automated trading systems (ATS)¹³. The firm states that it does not expose the Tradovate API for traders to connect automated trading systems directly¹³.

Custom strategies built and executed through supported platforms (NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView) are permitted¹³. Verify the current automation policy with TradeDay support before connecting any third-party automation tools.

Funded Account Progression

Funded Sim

After passing, pay a $139 activation fee to receive a Funded Sim account¹⁴. No professional data fees, simulated execution, instant setup¹⁵.

Funded Sim Milestones

Progress is reviewed at $5,000 gross profit increments ($5K, $10K, $15K, $20K)¹⁶. At each milestone, trading is paused and reviewed by the Head of Trading. Most traders reaching the $20,000 milestone advance to Funded Live¹⁶.

Funded Live

Approximately 5 business days setup with KYC/AML checks¹⁵. Professional market data required at $156/month per exchange¹⁵. Limited to 1 Funded Live account¹¹.

Pros and Cons

Advantages

Three drawdown types for different trading styles²
Day-one payouts with next-business-day processing³
No daily loss limit²
No consistency rule on funded accounts⁵
Trailing drawdown freezes at starting balance⁶
Professional founding team with institutional backgrounds¹
4.6/5 Trustpilot with 85% five-star reviews⁴
Free reset included with subscription renewal⁷

Disadvantages

No overnight or weekend position holding⁹
Positions auto-liquidated before Tier 1 economic events⁹
Third-party automation tools prohibited¹³
$139 activation fee upon passing¹⁴
Static accounts have very tight drawdown ($500-$1,000)²
Maximum 6 accounts per trader¹¹
Funded Live requires $156/month per exchange for data¹⁵

Conclusion

TradeDay combines three drawdown calculation methods², day-one daily payouts³, and no daily loss limits into a trader-friendly package. The tiered profit split reaching 95% at $100K+ in lifetime withdrawals³ rewards consistent traders.

The main limitations are the strict day-trading-only requirement⁹ and the prohibition on third-party automation tools¹³. Verify current rules and pricing on the TradeDay website before purchasing.

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