Lark Funding Rules: Drawdown, Consistency Rule, Scaling Plan and Competition Rules
Review the documented rules, source notes, tools, and account checks recorded for Lark Funding Rules: Drawdown, Consistency Rule, Scaling Plan and Competition Rules.
Rules can change: The firm or platform controls the current wording. Confirm the linked source and your dashboard before you trade or request a payout.
Lark Funding rules for every program the firm sells today: the 1-Step (Career) evaluation, 1-Step Max, the 3-Step evaluation and the Instant account, plus the funded (Master) account rules and the free monthly competition. Lark Funding is a Canadian firm, run by Lark Dashboards Inc. in Quebec under licence from Lark Funding Inc., that sells simulated forex, metals, index, energy, crypto and US stock CFD accounts on DXTrade, cTrader and Match-Trader. The headline rules are short: no consistency rule, no minimum trading days, no time limit, news trading allowed, a 5% daily loss limit measured from the 5 PM EST balance, and a static maximum drawdown (7%, 12% or 5%) on the evaluations. The rules that end accounts sit underneath: a $10,000 daily and per-trade gain limit, a 1% loss limit per trade setup on 1-Step Max, an 8% trailing drawdown on Instant accounts that locks at the starting balance after the first payout, a ban on group hedging and on copying one strategy into several evaluations, and a forced close at 3:45 PM EST on Friday unless you bought the weekend add-on. This page sets out each rule with dollar values for every account size, worked examples, two calculators, the answer to whether Lark Funding has a scaling plan, the competition rules, what changed since 2023, and where Lark Funding’s own pages disagree.
Program Picker
Choose your Lark Funding program. The result lists the published rule values and the rule most likely to catch you out on that program.
What can trip you up
Rows To Inspect First
These are the rules Lark Funding’s own pages say end accounts or cancel gains, and the ones traders who only read the plan cards tend to miss. The labels explain why each row is surfaced; they are not a recommendation to buy or avoid any program.
The $10,000 gain limit
Gains above $10,000 in one day or one trade break the all-or-nothing rule. In an evaluation one violation sends you back to Phase 1 with a free evaluation; on a funded account the excess is removed and a third violation breaches the account with no payout.
1% per setup on 1-Step Max
No trade setup may lose more than 1% of the starting balance, and similar trades within 1 to 2 minutes count as one setup. Two soft breaches are allowed in the evaluation; on the funded account the first one is a hard breach.
Instant drawdown locks at your start
The 8% trailing limit stops trailing at +8% or at your first payout and sits at the starting balance. Withdrawing all your gains then breaches the account, so the gains you leave in are your only drawdown room.
Lark Funding Rule Checks
| Rule area | Official-source snapshot | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Daily loss limit 5%, 5 PM EST, hard breach | 1-Step, 1-Step Max and Instant: 5% of the account balance as calculated at 5:00 PM EST. Daily equity (closed results plus floating profit or loss) must not reach the limit. 3-Step has no daily loss limit. | The base is the balance at the 5 PM EST reset, not the starting account size and not equity, so a floating winner carried through 5 PM does not raise the day’s floor. Hitting the limit is a hard breach. Source: Lark Funding 1-Step Career Evaluation Details; 1-Step Max Evaluation Details; Instant Master Account Details; 3-Step Evaluation Details (April 27, 2026) – drawdown section of each program article – checked October 11, 2026. |
| Maximum drawdown 7% / 12% / 5% static, 8% trailing | 1-Step: 7% static of the initial balance ($93,000 floor on 100K). 1-Step Max: 12% static. 3-Step: 5% static. Instant: 8% trailing on the highest closed balance, locking at the initial balance at +8% or at the first payout. | Static means the floor never moves up, so profit adds room. Instant is the exception, even though the homepage advertises “Static Drawdowns”. Source: Lark Funding 1-Step Career Evaluation Details; 1-Step Max Evaluation Details; 3-Step Evaluation Details (April 27, 2026); Instant Master Account Details; How do you calculate the 7% Max Drawdown? (December 15, 2025) – drawdown section of each program article and the 7% example article – checked October 11, 2026. |
| Profit target 10% / 12% / 5%-4%-3% | 1-Step 10%, 1-Step Max 12%, 3-Step 5% then 4% then 3%. Instant has no target. The pass is recognised when floating equity reaches the target, so you do not have to close the trade (Pass Assist). | The pass triggers KYC and the Trader Agreement in the dashboard; the funded account is issued after KYC, typically within 24 to 48 hours. Source: Lark Funding 1-Step Career Evaluation Details; 1-Step Max Evaluation Details; 3-Step Evaluation Details (April 27, 2026); Pass Assist Feature (November 8, 2023) – account target sections and Pass Assist article – checked October 11, 2026. |
| Time limit and trading days none on any program | “There are no time limits and no minimum trading days on any of our programs.” The 1-Step Max article adds “no consistency rules and no minimum trading days”. | One trade a month is still needed to keep the account active, and the competition has its own 3-day minimum. Source: Lark Funding How long does the Evaluation process take? (July 10, 2025); 1-Step Max Evaluation Details; Is there a breach for inactivity? (March 7, 2026) – evaluation timeline article and inactivity article – checked October 11, 2026. |
| Per-trade-setup loss (1-Step Max) 1% of initial balance | No individual trade setup may lose more than 1% of the initial balance ($1,000 on 100K, fixed). The setup is closed automatically. Evaluation: 2 soft breaches allowed, the 3rd is a hard breach. Funded: the first one is a hard breach. | A setup is “similar trades opened and closed within a short interval of 1-2 minutes”, same direction, same instrument. Commissions and swaps can push a setup over; leave a buffer. Source: Lark Funding 1-Step Max Evaluation Details; How does the 1% Per Trade Loss Limit work on 1-Step MAX accounts?; What is considered a single trade setup? (May 18, 2026) – 1-Step Max rules and the per-trade-limit article – checked October 11, 2026. |
| Consistency rule none published | No best-day or profit-share consistency percentage on any program. The homepage compares “Consistency Rules: None” with “15%” at other firms. | What limits big days instead: the $10,000 daily and per-trade gain limit, the all-or-nothing ban, and a Terms clause against passing with one strategy and trading another when funded. Source: Lark Funding Lark Funding homepage plan cards and rules comparison; 1-Step Max Evaluation Details; Prohibited Trading Strategies (May 25, 2026); Terms of Use – homepage comparison table, prohibited strategies, Terms 4.4 – checked October 11, 2026. |
| Daily and per-trade gain limit $10,000 | “The daily and/or per-trade gain limit is set to $10,000.” Gains are calculated on balance and equity at 5:00 PM EST; trades at similar times or closed in parts count as one trade; gains across phases on one day are added together. | Evaluation: one violation means a restart from Phase 1 with a free evaluation, no refund. Funded: trades over the limit are excluded, and three violations breach the account with no payout. Reviews are currently manual. Source: Lark Funding Prohibited Trading Strategies (May 25, 2026); Terms of Use – Enforcement via Gain Limits section and Terms 4.4 – checked October 11, 2026. Full source URLsProhibited Trading Strategies (May 25, 2026) and Terms of Use |
| News trading allowed | “We currently don’t have any restrictions surrounding news events.” Every program article repeats this. | A large position opened before or during high-impact news can be treated as all-or-nothing trading and breach the Terms. Source: Lark Funding Can I trade during news events? (July 15, 2024); 1-Step Career Evaluation Details; Prohibited Trading Strategies (May 25, 2026) – news article and program news sections – checked October 11, 2026. |
| Overnight and weekend overnight yes, weekend add-on | Overnight holding is allowed (swaps may apply). Weekend holding needs the Hold Over The Weekend add-on, 10% of the account fee. Without it, trading is disabled at 3:45 PM EST on Friday and all trades and pending orders are closed. | Add-ons must be bought before you pass. Stock CFDs must be closed by 3:50 pm ET before earnings, dividends or other corporate actions. Source: Lark Funding Can I hold trades overnight? (May 21, 2026); Hold Over The Weekend add-on (September 1, 2026); Can I purchase add-ons after passing my account? (March 11, 2026); Prohibited Trading Strategies (May 25, 2026) – overnight, weekend add-on and add-on timing articles – checked October 11, 2026. |
| EAs and HFT EAs allowed, HFT banned | “We do not prohibit the use of EAs”, but no public API is released and connections are “at your own discretion and risk”. HFT and arbitrage EAs are prohibited. | There is no MetaTrader. An EA has to work on Lark’s own DXTrade, cTrader or Match-Trader servers. Source: Lark Funding Can I use an Expert Advisor? (May 17, 2026); Prohibited Trading Strategies (May 25, 2026); Terms of Use – EA article, HFT section, Terms 4.4 – checked October 11, 2026. Full source URLsCan I use an Expert Advisor? (May 17, 2026) and Prohibited Trading Strategies (May 25, 2026) and Terms of Use |
| Copy trading and multiple accounts own accounts only | Copy from external accounts to one Lark evaluation, not several. Once funded or on Instant, copy across many Lark accounts. Several evaluations at once are allowed only if each trades differently. | Signal services, account-passing services, group trading and trades that mirror another trader are prohibited. Terms 6.3 limits traders to one active account per challenge level without written approval. Source: Lark Funding Can I take multiple Evaluations at once? (July 19, 2026); Can I copy trades from my other prop firm accounts? (March 5, 2026); Prohibited Trading Strategies (May 25, 2026); Terms of Use – multiple-evaluations and copy-trading articles, Terms 6.3 – checked October 11, 2026. |
| Hedging within one account only | Hedging or reverse trades inside a single account is allowed. A buy on one account and a sell on another, or group hedging across accounts or firms, is strictly prohibited. | Prohibited strategies lead to a breach and a permanent ban from future evaluations. Source: Lark Funding Is hedging allowed? (October 17, 2023); Prohibited Trading Strategies (May 25, 2026); What happens if I violate a rule of the challenge? (October 30, 2023) – hedging article and Reverse Trading / Group Hedging section – checked October 11, 2026. |
| Stop loss soft breach (2023 article) | A 2023 article says a trade placed without a stop loss is closed automatically and counted as a soft breach, so you can keep trading. | None of the current program articles repeats this rule. Treat it as possibly still active and place a stop on every order. Source: Lark Funding Why do I have to place a stop loss on trades? (March 21, 2023); What is a Soft Breach? (May 12, 2023) – stop-loss and soft-breach articles – checked October 11, 2026. |
| Inactivity 1 trade per 30 days | At least one trade every 30 days keeps the account active; a 0.01-lot trade is enough. An inactivity breach can be appealed by email, but reinstatement is not guaranteed. | Plan a token trade if you pause trading, especially on a funded account. Source: Lark Funding Is there a breach for inactivity? (March 7, 2026) – inactivity article – checked October 11, 2026. Full source URL |
| Payout gates 14 days / Instant on demand | 1-Step, 1-Step Max and 3-Step: every 14 days (weekly as an add-on). Instant: first payout on demand, then every 30 days. $100 minimum, flat $40 Riseworks fee. Split 80% on evaluation accounts (90% upgrade on 3-Step), 90% on Instant. | Most payouts are handled in under 6 hours; allow up to 3 business days. $1,000 Instant accounts: $50 minimum, $100 total cap, no $40 fee. Source: Lark Funding How do payouts work? (February 25, 2026); 1-Step Career Evaluation Details; 3-Step Evaluation Details (April 27, 2026); Instant Master Account Details; Withdrawal Rules, $1,000 Instant Account (February 17, 2026) – payout article and reward sections – checked October 11, 2026. |
| Scaling and allocation no scaling plan; $200K cap | No scaling plan is published. Maximum allocation: $200,000 in evaluation-funded accounts and $100,000 in Instant accounts at a time. Extra passed accounts wait until funded allocation frees up. | Accounts cannot be combined. Growth comes from compounding inside the cap, the 1-Step monthly base reward and the 90% split upgrade on 3-Step. Source: Lark Funding Maximum Capital Allocation (May 14, 2026); Can I combine my accounts? (October 6, 2023); 1-Step Career Evaluation Details – Maximum Capital Allocation article – checked October 11, 2026. |
Lark Funding Rules for Every Program and Account Size
Lark Funding sells four programs. The 2-Step evaluation was discontinued in early 2026 (see the changes section). The 1-Step evaluation is called “Career” in the help centre because it includes the monthly base reward. Prices are the one-time fees on the homepage plan cards on October 11, 2026; there is no activation fee and no monthly fee.
| Rule | 1-Step (Career) | 1-Step Max | 3-Step | Instant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phases | 1 | 1 | 3 | None, funded from the start |
| Profit target | 10% | 12% | 5%, then 4%, then 3% | None |
| Daily loss limit | 5% of 5 PM EST balance | 5% of 5 PM EST balance | None | 5% of prior-day closed balance at 5 PM EST |
| Maximum drawdown | 7% static | 12% static | 5% static | 8% trailing on highest closed balance, locks at start |
| Per-setup loss limit | None (1% only for free-restart eligibility) | 1% of initial balance | None (1% only for surrender eligibility) | None |
| Minimum days / time limit | None / none | None / none | None / none | None / none |
| Consistency rule | None | None | None | None |
| FX leverage | 30:1 | 30:1 | 50:1 | 50:1 |
| Reward split | 80% | 80% (page says “up to 90%”) | 80%, 90% upgrade at checkout | 90% |
| Payout frequency | Every 14 days | Every 14 days, weekly add-on | Every 14 days, weekly add-on | First on demand, then every 30 days |
| Free restarts | 3 (Smart Restart) | 3 (Smart Restart) | Surrender: 75% off a new Phase 1 | None |
| Extra | Monthly base reward, $50 to $1,000 | Funded within 48 business hours of KYC | All phases incl. funded can surrender | Max $100,000 Instant allocation |
| Sizes | 10K, 25K, 50K, 100K, 200K | 10K, 25K, 50K, 100K | 10K, 25K, 50K, 100K, 200K | 5K, 10K, 25K, 50K, 100K |
Dollar limits by account size
The table converts each rule into dollars on the day the account starts. The daily figure is the first day’s limit; after that it is 5% of the balance at each 5 PM EST reset.
| Program | Size | Target balance | Max drawdown floor | Day-1 daily loss | 1% setup limit | 1.5% suggested max risk per idea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Step | $10,000 | $11,000 | $9,300 | $500 | – | $150 |
| 1-Step | $25,000 | $27,500 | $23,250 | $1,250 | – | $375 |
| 1-Step | $50,000 | $55,000 | $46,500 | $2,500 | – | $750 |
| 1-Step | $100,000 | $110,000 | $93,000 | $5,000 | – | $1,500 |
| 1-Step | $200,000 | $220,000 | $186,000 | $10,000 | – | $3,000 |
| 1-Step Max | $10,000 | $11,200 | $8,800 | $500 | $100 | $150 |
| 1-Step Max | $25,000 | $28,000 | $22,000 | $1,250 | $250 | $375 |
| 1-Step Max | $50,000 | $56,000 | $44,000 | $2,500 | $500 | $750 |
| 1-Step Max | $100,000 | $112,000 | $88,000 | $5,000 | $1,000 | $1,500 |
| 3-Step (Phase 1) | $10,000 | $10,500 | $9,500 | No daily limit | – | $150 |
| 3-Step (Phase 1) | $25,000 | $26,250 | $23,750 | No daily limit | – | $375 |
| 3-Step (Phase 1) | $50,000 | $52,500 | $47,500 | No daily limit | – | $750 |
| 3-Step (Phase 1) | $100,000 | $105,000 | $95,000 | No daily limit | – | $1,500 |
| 3-Step (Phase 1) | $200,000 | $210,000 | $190,000 | No daily limit | – | $3,000 |
| Instant | $5,000 | No target | $4,600 (trailing start) | $250 | – | $75 |
| Instant | $10,000 | No target | $9,200 (trailing start) | $500 | – | $150 |
| Instant | $25,000 | No target | $23,000 (trailing start) | $1,250 | – | $375 |
| Instant | $50,000 | No target | $46,000 (trailing start) |