Account rules
Futures prop account size: headline balance vs. loss room
Doubling the advertised account size does not necessarily double the amount you can lose before a breach.
What does a $50K futures prop account mean?
A $50K label does not, by itself, mean you have $50,000 to withdraw or lose. First identify what the figure represents: a simulated starting balance, a buying-power tier, or a balance in a separately approved live account.
Boxcar’s $50K simulated-account label refers to its starting balance and rule set. Topstep’s Express Funded Account is also simulated, but its displayed balance starts at $0 while its account-size label still identifies $50K, $100K or $150K of buying power. Comparing the displayed balances alone would miss that difference.
At Boxcar, evaluation results qualify toward progression, simulated-funded trading can qualify for real-money payouts, and live trading requires separate approval and terms. Read the applicable stage before treating “funded” as live capital.
Sources: Boxcar: evaluation, simulated-funded and live stages · Topstep: Express Funded Account parameters
Two account sizes can have the same loss allowance
Consider two hypothetical fresh simulated accounts with different headline sizes but the same $2,500 loss allowance. These are invented terms for illustration, not Boxcar or competitor offers. Assume each loss floor stays fixed during the example, no tighter daily limit applies, and a loss includes all trading costs.
For an account measured against a dollar floor, the distance to breach is current equity minus the current loss floor. Touching the floor is a breach in this example, so that distance is a boundary, not an amount you may lose while keeping the account active.
| Measure | Account A | Account B |
|---|---|---|
| Starting balance | $50,000 | $100,000 |
| Loss floor | $47,500 | $97,500 |
| Initial loss allowance | $2,500 | $2,500 |
| $500 loss / starting balance | 1% | 0.5% |
| $500 loss / initial allowance | 20% | 20% |
| Room after the $500 net loss | $2,000 | $2,000 |
Sources: Boxcar: current loss floors and Daily Loss Limits · Topstep: Express Funded Account trading rules
Use current loss room when the account has traded
The original allowance may no longer equal current loss room after trades or payouts. Read the account’s current equity and enforced floor. In a separate hypothetical example, $50,250 of equity above a $49,900 floor leaves $350 to that boundary, regardless of the account’s $50K label or original allowance.
A trailing floor can rise after qualifying gains without falling after losses. A Daily Loss Limit may stop the session before the account reaches its overall loss floor; it is a separate limit with a different consequence. Use the drawdown guide for how end-of-day, intraday and static floors behave.
Check the enabled contract limit separately. It controls quantity, not the dollars you can lose. A higher advertised cap may also differ from the tier currently enabled on a scaling account. It does not add to the $350 distance in the example.
Sources: Boxcar: current loss floors and Daily Loss Limits · Boxcar: account and position limits
Keep cash fees and payout amounts separate
List purchase, subscription, activation, reset and data charges separately from the quoted loss allowance, wherever those charges apply. Trading commissions and fees deducted from the account affect the equity used in the loss-room calculation.
Profit above the starting balance is not automatically the amount available to request. A simulated-funded program can require retained profit, qualifying days, consistency or a request cap. A trader profit split then affects the amount received. Those conditions are separate from the distance to the loss floor.
Sources: Topstep: Express Funded Account trading rules · Boxcar: payout eligibility by plan