What is Apex Trader Funding's half-contract scaling rule rule?

You're limited to HALF your tier's max contracts until your end-of-day balance exceeds Initial Balance + Trailing Drawdown + $100 (a 50K unlocks full 10 contracts at $52,600). After that the full contract limit stays unlocked even if balance later drops. Watch out: Oversizing before that cushion is reached is a violation that can void payouts/accounts. As of March 2026 Rithmic/Tradovate block over-limit orders automatically — but exceeding it on a platform that doesn't block still violates the rule.

Do other prop firms have a max lot size rule like Apex Trader Funding?

Yes — My Funded Futures (voids account), Take Profit Trader (voids account), Finotive Funding (payout denied) all have a max lot size rule. The specifics differ — compare them on FundedWiki before you pick a firm.

Apex Trader Funding · Max lot size

Apex Trader Funding: Half-contract scaling rule

ConditionalPayout deniedVerifiedUpdated Jun 5, 2026

▶Apex Trader Funding Half-Contract Rule: Unlock Full Size Right — 41s explainer, decoded by FundedWiki

You're limited to HALF your tier's max contracts until your end-of-day balance exceeds Initial Balance + Trailing Drawdown + $100 (a 50K unlocks full 10 contracts at $52,600). After that the full contract limit stays unlocked even if balance later drops.

The gotcha

Oversizing before that cushion is reached is a violation that can void payouts/accounts. As of March 2026 Rithmic/Tradovate block over-limit orders automatically — but exceeding it on a platform that doesn't block still violates the rule.

What happens if you break it

Payout deniedPayout denied

Breaching this doesn't necessarily close the account, but it can disqualify the payout you were trading toward — you keep trading, the profit doesn't get paid.

The numbers

halfUntil

balance > start + DD + $100

Source: official tos — official page . Confidence: verified.

How other prop firms handle max lot size

Apex Trader Funding's half-contract scaling ruleis one approach. Here's how the rest of the field treats max lot size — sorted by how hard a breach hits.

Firm	Rule	If breached
My Funded Futures	Contract limits	Voids account
Take Profit Trader	Contract limits	Voids account
Finotive Funding	Notional Volume limit (payout-cutting strikes)	Payout denied

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Informational only — not financial advice, not affiliated with Apex Trader Funding. Verify against official terms before relying on this. Last reviewed Jun 5, 2026.

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How other prop firms handle max lot size

Apex Trader Funding's half-contract scaling ruleis one approach. Here's how the rest of the field treats max lot size — sorted by how hard a breach hits.

Firm	Rule	If breached
My Funded Futures	Contract limits	Voids account
Take Profit Trader	Contract limits	Voids account
Finotive Funding	Notional Volume limit (payout-cutting strikes)	Payout denied