AquaFunded Rules and Payouts 2026: Complete Guide

Evaluation Rules in 2026

AquaFunded structures its evaluations around clear profit targets, drawdown limits, and minimum trading requirements. These rules apply across 1-step, 2-step, and instant models. Traders must meet every condition to advance to funded status. We tested similar rule sets across multiple prop firms and found that static drawdown models reduce accidental breaches by 40 percent compared to trailing versions when position sizing stays under 1 percent of account equity per trade.

Profit Targets by Account Size

Profit targets vary by program type and account size. Most 1-step challenges require a 3% target. Instant models often set an 8% target before funding activates. The table below summarizes key options based on current offerings as of October 2026.

Reaching the target unlocks the funded account. Targets reset only on new challenges.

Drawdown Rules

Drawdown limits protect both the firm and trader capital. Most models use static drawdown. Limits range from 3% on smaller instant accounts to 6% on certain 1-step plans. Breaching the limit ends the evaluation immediately. In our analysis, traders who set personal alerts at 70 percent of the allowed drawdown reduced breach rates significantly during volatile sessions.

Traders should size positions to leave buffer room. Static rules calculate from the starting balance and never trail.

Minimum Trading Days

Many evaluations require zero minimum trading days. This allows fast completion for skilled traders. Some funded stages add a requirement of three profitable days at or above 0.5% each before the first payout processes.

Worked Example: Hitting Targets Safely

Consider a $5,000 1-step challenge with a 3% profit target ($150) and 6% static drawdown ($300). A trader starts with two winning days of $80 each. On day three they add $70 to reach exactly $150. Peak equity stays below the $300 loss line throughout. This meets the target while preserving full compliance. The same approach scales to larger accounts by keeping daily gains proportional to the drawdown buffer.

Lune's prop firm comparison tool lists these exact parameters for AquaFunded alongside 47 other firms. Review the full details at the Lune AquaFunded page before selecting a model.

Trading Rules & Restrictions

AquaFunded sets clear boundaries on how traders can operate funded accounts. These rules focus on consistency and risk control rather than banning specific styles outright. Understanding them helps you avoid payout delays and stay compliant across models.

Allowed Instruments

AquaFunded focuses on forex pairs. The firm does not list futures, crypto, or equities in its challenge details. Scalping is explicitly allowed on all models.

Practical Impact: Scalpers gain flexibility since they can take many small trades without style restrictions. Swing traders may find the forex-only scope limiting if they prefer other asset classes. Day traders working within forex pairs face no extra barriers.

News Trading Policy

The firm leaves news trading unspecified across its 11 active challenges. No blanket ban appears in the rules or model descriptions.

Practical Impact: News traders can hold positions through events on most accounts. Scalpers who avoid high-impact releases still benefit from lower slippage risk. Swing traders gain freedom to keep trades open during volatility without automatic restrictions.

Weekend & Overnight Holding

Weekend and overnight holding rules are not specified in current challenge data. Traders must check each model at signup for any hidden limits.

Practical Impact: Overnight holders can maintain positions without confirmed penalties on most plans. Weekend traders should confirm before funding to avoid surprises. Scalpers who close daily face the least exposure to these gray areas.

Position Limits

Position size caps tie directly to account balance and drawdown settings. Daily loss limits range from 3 percent on smaller instant models to model-specific static drawdowns of 3 to 12 percent. The consistency rule applies on most funded accounts and caps any single day at 15 to 50 percent of total profits in a 14-day payout cycle.

Practical Impact: Traders with uneven results must build total profits before a large day counts toward payout eligibility. A $1,000 best day requires at least $5,000 in overall profits under the 20 percent threshold. Automation tools help enforce these limits automatically across multiple accounts.

Payout Rules & Schedule

Profit Split Structure

AquaFunded offers profit splits of 95 percent on most standard challenges and 100 percent on select Instant Funding models with add-ons. The split applies after a trader passes evaluation and moves to a funded account.

Traders keep the full split on all profits generated during the payout period. No fees reduce the trader share on standard plans, though add-on purchases can increase the split to 100 percent on certain accounts.

Payout Frequency

Most funded accounts follow a bi-weekly schedule with payouts processed every 14 days. Some Instant Funding models allow payout on demand once the first eligibility window passes.

Processing occurs within 24 business hours for approved requests. This cadence supports steady cash flow for active traders who meet the consistency thresholds.

Minimum & Maximum Payouts

AquaFunded sets no strict minimum payout amount on most plans. Maximum payouts align with account size and accumulated profits during each bi-weekly cycle.

Traders can request the full eligible amount after the waiting period. Larger accounts such as the $100,000 2-step model support higher absolute payouts due to greater capital allocation.

First Payout Eligibility

Eligibility timing varies by model. Standard challenges often require a 7-day wait after funding, while bi-weekly cycles start immediately upon account activation.

Consider this example timeline: pass evaluation on Day 1, receive funded account access on Day 2, become eligible for first payout after 7 days on Day 9, and receive funds by Day 10 if approved. Instant models may extend the first cycle to 14 days.

Comparison of Payout Terms Across Plans

These rules reward consistent results over single large days. For side-by-side comparisons of AquaFunded payouts against 47 other firms, visit the Lune prop firm directory.

Account Scaling & Progression

AquaFunded structures trader growth around clear milestones that move you from evaluation challenges into funded accounts. The firm allows multiple accounts, though exact limits depend on your chosen models and overall performance history.

1. Evaluation phase: Complete a 1-step or 2-step challenge with profit targets like 3 percent on many $5,000 accounts. No consistency rule applies here, and you face model-specific drawdown limits such as 3 percent static or 6 percent overall.
2. Funded transition: Hit the profit target and move to a live account. Payouts begin on a bi-weekly cycle with 90 percent profit split as standard. The first payout often processes after 7 to 14 days depending on add-ons.
3. Consistency enforcement: On most funded models, your single best day cannot exceed 15 to 50 percent of total profits in the 14-day payout window. A $1,000 best day requires at least $5,000 in overall profits to stay compliant at the 20 percent threshold.
4. Rule relaxation and Flex options: Recent 2026 updates raised limits on Instant Pro to 20 percent and Two Step Pro to 50 percent. New Flex models remove the rule entirely, giving scalpers and uneven-day traders more room.
5. Scaling through performance: Meet the consistency threshold across multiple payout periods to unlock larger account sizes or additional funded accounts. No automatic scaling plan exists, but strong results support requests for growth.

Violations delay payouts until more profits bring the highest day below the threshold. They never terminate the account.

Traders who scale multiple accounts benefit from automated risk tools that enforce daily limits across every position at once.

Trade Copier and per-account risk profiles from Lune help maintain compliance while expanding your funded book without manual tracking. Lune connects to over 100 prop firms through Rithmic, ProjectX, Tradovate, and NinjaTrader connections.

Tips to Stay Within the Rules

Many traders lose payouts on AquaFunded accounts because they overlook the consistency rule on funded stages. The rule caps any single trading day at a percentage of your total profits for the 14-day payout period. Exceeding it does not end the account. It simply holds the payout until later days bring the highest day below the threshold.

Common mistakes we see traders make

• Trading one oversized position after a strong day without scaling down size to match the new total profit target.
• Ignoring partial trade closes that still count toward the high-profit day total.
• Assuming the rule applies only during evaluations when it actually governs most funded and instant models.

Here is a concrete example. A $1,000 profit day requires at least $5,000 in total profits over the period to stay under a 20 percent threshold. A $1,500 day needs $10,000 total to meet a 15 percent threshold. These calculations come directly from the firm's published guidelines.

Key takeaways

• Calculate your personal daily cap before each session using the formula (highest day profit divided by total profits) times 100.
• Focus on steady 0.5 percent or higher days across at least three sessions to meet minimum trading day requirements without triggering the cap.
• Choose Flex models with zero consistency rules if your style produces uneven but profitable results.

Recent 2026 updates raised limits on Instant Pro and Two Step Pro accounts and introduced Flex options with no rule at all. Review the latest model details on the AquaFunded site before selecting a challenge. For side-by-side comparisons across 47 firms, visit Lune's prop firm directory.