Upcomers Trading Rules Explained

Understanding the Upcomers trading rules is essential before you purchase a challenge. While Upcomers offers some of the most flexible conditions in the prop firm industry — including news trading and weekend holding — the firm enforces strict risk management and a complete ban on automation. Below is a detailed breakdown of all rules that apply across challenge phases and funded accounts in 2026.

Drawdown Rules

Upcomers uses a clear two-tier drawdown structure on most challenges. The daily drawdown limit is typically set at 5% of the initial account balance, calculated from the equity high of the previous trading day. The maximum overall drawdown is usually 10% of the initial balance, applied as a static loss limit that cannot be breached at any point during the challenge or funded phase. Breaching either limit results in immediate account termination, so disciplined risk management is non-negotiable.

Profit Targets

Profit targets vary depending on the challenge type. The 1-Step Thunderbolt requires a single profit target (typically 10%) before moving directly to a funded account. The 2-Step Phoenix uses 8% in Phase 1 and 5% in Phase 2. Multi-step plans like the 3-Step and 5-Step Eon have lower per-phase targets, making them suitable for traders who prefer slower, more conservative growth. Vanguard Instant Funding has no evaluation phase but applies stricter drawdown and consistency rules from day one.

Minimum Trading Days

Most Upcomers challenges require a minimum of 3 to 5 trading days before you can pass to the next phase or request your first payout on a funded account. A trading day is defined as any day where at least one position is opened and closed. This rule prevents traders from passing challenges with a single lucky trade and rewards consistent strategy execution.

Consistency Rule

Upcomers applies a consistency rule on funded accounts to discourage gambling-style trading. Typically, no single trading day’s profit can exceed 40-50% of the total profit at the time of payout. If your largest day breaks this ratio, your payout may be partially withheld until the consistency requirement is restored through additional trading.

Strict No-Automation Policy

This is the most important rule to understand: Upcomers strictly prohibits all forms of automated trading. This includes Expert Advisors (EAs), trading bots, copy trading services, signal services, high-frequency trading (HFT) systems, latency arbitrage, and any third-party algorithmic tools. The ban applies to every stage — challenge phases, funded accounts, and scaling plans. Violations result in immediate account closure with no refund. If you rely on automation, consider other prop firms that allow EAs.

Allowed Trading Strategies

Despite the automation ban, Upcomers is unusually flexible with manual trading strategies. The firm allows news trading, including positions held during high-impact economic releases like NFP, FOMC, and CPI. Weekend holding is permitted, meaning you can keep positions open over Saturday and Sunday — a major advantage for swing traders. Scalping, day trading, and swing trading are all allowed, provided trades are executed manually.

Prohibited Strategies

In addition to automation, Upcomers prohibits the following: hedging across multiple accounts, group trading (multiple traders coordinating identical positions), tick scalping with sub-second hold times, exploiting platform errors or pricing glitches, and any form of arbitrage between Upcomers and external brokers. These rules protect the firm’s risk model and apply equally to all traders.

Inactivity Rule

Funded Upcomers accounts must show activity at least once every 30 days. Accounts with no trading activity for 30+ consecutive days may be subject to review or closure. This rule encourages traders to actively manage their funded capital rather than letting accounts sit idle.

Scaling Plan Rules

Once you’re profitable on a funded account, the Upcomers Scaling Plan allows you to grow your capital up to $4,000,000. To qualify, traders must achieve consistent monthly profits (typically 10%+ over 3-4 months) and maintain compliance with all standard rules. The scaling structure rewards long-term consistency rather than short-term aggressive trading.

Final Tips for Passing Upcomers

To pass an Upcomers challenge and stay funded long-term: respect the daily and overall drawdown limits, avoid revenge trading, maintain consistency across trading days, never use any form of automation, and read the full rules in your dashboard before placing a single trade. With code TOPPROP you can save up to 85% off your first challenge — but the discount means nothing if you breach the rules. Trade with discipline.