Prop Firm Trailing Drawdown Calculator — FTMO, TopStep, Apex
After a winning streak, your trailing drawdown floor moves up — which means your most dangerous moment in prop trading is right after your best performance. Enter starting balance, peak balance, and prop firm rules for FTMO, TopStep, Apex, or any custom firm to see your exact current floor and how much room remains before account failure. Track this number before every session.
Updated · Reviewed by Foysal Mostafa
Drawdown Status
Drawdown Floor
$92,000
Distance to Breach
$8,500
Max Allowed Loss
$10,000
Starting Balance
$100,000
Floor = Peak ($102,000) − Max Loss ($10,000) = $92,000. Trailing drawdown follows your peak balance.
Why Use the Trailing Drawdown Calculator?
Trailing drawdown is the most misunderstood rule in prop firm trading. Your floor moves up with every dollar of profit — which means a streak of wins actually creates a tighter safety net. Knowing your exact floor before every session prevents accidentally failing on a profitable account because you didn't track the trailing floor.
Formula Used
Drawdown Floor = Peak Balance − (Starting Balance × Max Drawdown %) | Distance to Breach = Current Balance − FloorWorked Example
FTMO $100K account, 10% max trailing drawdown. Start: floor = $90K. Grow to $107K: floor = $107K − $10K = $97K. Balance drops from $107K to $97K: account fails — even though you are up $7K from the start. The trailing floor created a scenario where a 9.3% decline from peak causes failure while the account is still profitable from inception.
How to Use the Trailing Drawdown Calculator — Step by Step
- 1
Select your prop firm
Choose FTMO, TopStep, Apex, or Custom. The calculator pre-fills the drawdown rules for each firm.
- 2
Enter starting balance
Input your challenge or funded account starting balance (e.g. $100,000 for FTMO 100K).
- 3
Enter peak balance
Enter the highest balance your account has ever reached. The trailing floor is calculated from this number.
- 4
Enter current balance
Enter your current account balance to see how much room you have left before breaching the drawdown floor.
- 5
Read your floor and safety room
The calculator shows your exact drawdown floor, distance to breach, and safe position sizing based on remaining room.
What Your Trailing Drawdown Calculator Results Mean
Current Drawdown Floor
The exact balance level that will fail the account. Calculated from your peak balance minus the maximum allowed drawdown. The floor only moves up, never down.
Distance to Breach
How many dollars separate your current balance from the failure level. Trade with awareness of this number at all times — particularly after a winning streak that has moved the floor up significantly.
Safe Position Size
The maximum position size (in dollars of risk) that keeps any single trade from breaching the floor if stopped out. Typically calculated as a fraction of the distance to breach.
Trailing Drawdown Calculator — Frequently Asked Questions
Q.What is trailing drawdown in prop firms?
Trailing drawdown is a maximum loss rule that follows your highest balance. If your FTMO $100K account reaches $105K, the trailing floor moves up from $90K to $95K. You can never recover lost floor — it only moves up. If your balance hits the floor, you fail.
Q.What is the FTMO trailing drawdown rule?
FTMO uses a relative (trailing) max loss of 10% of the initial account balance. For a $100K account, the max drawdown is $10,000. The floor moves up as your balance grows — at $105K peak, the floor is $95K. The daily loss limit is 5% ($5,000 for a $100K account).
Q.What is TopStep trailing drawdown?
TopStep uses an intraday trailing drawdown based on your highest intraday equity. For a $50K combine, the trailing drawdown is $2,000. It follows your highest intraday balance — if you reach $51,000 intraday, your floor becomes $49,000. It stops trailing once you reach the starting balance, creating a permanent floor.
Q.Does trailing drawdown move when I make profits?
Yes — trailing drawdown floors move up when your balance increases. If you start with $100K, max drawdown $10K (floor at $90K), and grow to $103K, your floor moves to $93K. This means consistent profits lock in your drawdown floor at a higher level, giving you less room for losing streaks.
Q.How do I protect my prop firm account from breaching trailing drawdown?
Risk no more than 0.5–1% per trade. Use a position size calculator to ensure each trade cannot breach your floor alone. Keep a daily loss limit well inside the prop firm rule — if the firm allows $2,000 daily loss, stop at $1,000. Never revenge trade after losses. The floor is merciless: one bad day can end the account.
About the Author
Forex Trader & Software Developer · Founder, TradeCalc
Active forex trader since 2019, specializing in risk management and systematic position sizing. Built TradeCalc to replace manual spreadsheets used in live trading. Every calculator is cross-verified against broker platforms before publishing.
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