# Consistency rule: the largest-day limit

> The consistency rule says that your largest single day may not exceed a set share of the total profit of the cycle: 40% on funded Cycle accounts, 50% during Clear and Stream evaluations, 20% on Direct accounts. Clear and Stream have no consistency rule once funded. The rule resets after each payout and never fails an account.

Source: https://startrading.io/rules/consistency-rule · Updated 2026-09-08

## What is the consistency rule?

A ratio: your best day divided by the total profit of the current cycle. It must stay at or under the threshold of your account type. The cycle is the evaluation for an evaluation account, and the period since the last payout for a funded account.

| Account | Evaluation | Funded |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cycle | none | 40% |
| Clear | 50% | none |
| Stream | 50% | none |
| Direct | no evaluation | 20% |

## How is the ratio calculated?

Largest profitable day ÷ net profit of the cycle. Both numbers are closed profit. The check happens when you request a pass or a payout, and it resets after each payout.

100K Cycle, funded, first payout cycle

-   Days: +$1,800, +$400, −$300, +$900, +$700. Net profit $3,500.
-   Largest day $1,800. Ratio 1,800 ÷ 3,500 = 51%, above 40%.
-   You need a cycle profit of at least $4,500 for an $1,800 day to fit (1,800 ÷ 4,500 = 40%). One more $1,000 day gets you there.

## What does 50% mean in practice on Clear and Stream evaluations?

Your best day may not be more than half the profit target. On a 100K [Clear](https://startrading.io/accounts/clear) with a $6,000 target, a $4,000 day alone does not pass; you need at least $4,000 more from other days. Two solid days is the realistic minimum, which is why Clear and Stream evaluations rarely pass in one day.

## Why is Direct at 20%?

Because there is no evaluation. A Direct trader is funded from the first trade, so the 20% threshold replaces the evaluation as the filter: no single day may weigh more than a fifth of the cycle. With a $6,000 first-cycle goal on a 100K, the largest day may be at most $1,200 when you request the payout.

50K Direct, first payout

-   Goal for the first cycle: $3,000.
-   You reach $3,200 with a best day of $900. Ratio 28%, above 20%.
-   Keep trading: at $4,500 of cycle profit the $900 day is exactly 20% and the payout can be requested.

## How do you fix a consistency breach?

Trade more days at a normal size. The ratio only improves as the cycle profit grows, so a breach is a delay, not a failure. Do not try to “fix” it by taking a large risk to inflate the profit: a second outsized day makes the ratio worse and raises the Max Loss Limit exposure.

## Common mistakes

-   Sizing up on a strong signal during a payout cycle on a funded Cycle account, creating a day that needs weeks of normal trading to absorb.
-   Passing a Clear evaluation in mind on day one and forgetting the 50% check; the second day is required.
-   On Direct, requesting the first payout at the profit goal exactly, with a best day above 20%.
-   Counting unrealised profit. Only closed profit enters the ratio.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does a consistency breach fail my account?

No. It delays the pass or the payout until the rest of your trading brings the largest day under the threshold. Keep trading normally; the ratio improves as the cycle profit grows.

### Why is Direct at 20%?

Direct accounts skip the evaluation, so consistency is the only proof of skill before the first payout. Twenty percent means at least five comparable profitable days per cycle. It is the main reason a Direct payout is declined.

### Does the consistency rule apply to losing days?

No. Only your largest profitable day is compared with the cycle profit. Losing days lower the cycle profit, which makes the ratio harder to meet, but they are not counted as a largest day.