How the trailing floor locks (2026)

A trailing floor doesn't rise forever. Once you've banked enough, it "locks" and stops moving — and where it locks decides how much permanent cushion you have.

The two lock points

Firms lock the floor in one of two places: at your starting balance, or a small amount above it. Until you reach the lock point, every dollar of profit you give back pulls the floor up with you. After it locks, the floor is fixed and your banked profit is finally safe.

By firm (50K examples)

Apex locks $100 above your start — on a 50K, the floor climbs until you hit ~$52,600, then freezes at $50,100. Topstep funded locks right at your $50,000 starting balance — it never rises above where you began. Tradeify locks $100 above start ($50,100) once you close above ~$52,100. TradeDay and Lucid lock at the starting balance. Small differences, big impact on your cushion.

Why it matters

Before the lock, a good day that you give back can still breach you. The goal is to build past the lock point as fast as safely possible, so your floor stops chasing your equity. Knowing your exact distance to the lock is the whole game early on.

Risk-tracking tool, not financial advice, not affiliated with any prop firm. Verify rules against your firm's current terms.