Activation Fee
A one-time fee charged by most prop firms to activate the funded account stage after passing the evaluation, typically $85-$200.
What is Activation Fee?
An activation fee is a one-time charge that converts your passed evaluation into an active funded account. You pass the evaluation (typically ~30% of attempts succeed), then before you can place real-payout-eligible trades, you pay the activation fee to spin up the funded account.
The fee covers the firm’s cost of allocating the account in their broker/clearing infrastructure, setting up Deel/payment processor records for future payouts, and the operational overhead of monitoring a new funded trader. It also acts as a small filter — traders who can’t afford $130 to activate aren’t going to be reliable revenue partners for the firm long-term.
Activation fees are separate from evaluation fees, monthly subscription fees (which most firms have moved away from), and reset fees. They’re a one-shot charge per account, paid only once even if you maintain the funded account for years.
How Activation Fee works
When you pay: After passing evaluation but before placing your first funded-account trade. The firm sends an email confirming evaluation pass with a link to pay activation. You typically have 30 days from evaluation pass to pay before the offer expires.
What you get: Access to the funded account dashboard, the ability to place real-payout trades, eligibility for payouts after meeting minimum trading day requirements, and (at most firms) full rule set documentation specific to the funded stage.
Per-account cost: If you have multiple funded accounts (which Apex and TPT allow), you pay activation per account. A trader running 5 funded accounts has paid 5 × $130 = $650 in activation fees over time.
Promo waivers: Most firms run periodic promotions that discount or eliminate activation. Apex has waived activation during certain holiday promos. TPT discounts activation when bundled with PRO+ upgrades. Watching for these promos can save $100+ per account.
Refund policy: Activation fees are universally non-refundable. If you activate the funded account, place 3 trades, breach the trailing drawdown, and lose the account on day 5 — the $130 is gone. This is intentional: it forces traders to be ready to commit to the funded stage before activating.
Worked example
Total cost-to-funded calculation for an Apex $50K account (typical pricing):
- Evaluation purchase: $167 (often discounted to ~$50-80 with promo codes like DGT)
- If first eval fails — reset fee: $80 each (Apex allows multiple resets)
- Activation fee on pass: $130 (one-time)
- Total best-case (pass first try with promo): $50 + $130 = $180
- Total worst-case (3 resets before passing): $50 + (3 × $80) + $130 = $420
TPT $50K Test → PRO transition:
- Test (evaluation) monthly subscription: typically $49-$165 depending on account size and promo
- Test passes — no per-pass fee, but PRO activation: $130
- Total minimum: ~$50 (one month of Test) + $130 (PRO activation) = $180
Important: The DGT discount code Kyle’s site promotes typically applies to evaluation purchases, NOT activation fees. Activation is separate and full-price.
Activation Fee vs related concepts
Side-by-side comparison of Activation Fee against the most commonly confused alternatives.
| Concept | Definition | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Activation Fee this term | A one-time fee charged by most prop firms to activate the funded account stage after passing the evaluation, typically $85-$200. | Fees & Costs |
| Reset Fee | A fee paid to restart a failed evaluation account from scratch, typically $50-$100 per reset, allowing traders to retry without buying a new evaluation. | Fees & Costs |
| Profit Split | The percentage of profits a funded trader keeps versus the percentage retained by the prop firm, typically ranging from 80% to 100%. | Rules & Risk |
| Funded Account | A trading account capitalized by a prop firm — usually after evaluation — where the trader executes real strategies and receives payouts under firm-defined rules. | General Concepts |
How major prop firms handle Activation Fee
Every firm implements activation fee differently. Here's the firm-by-firm breakdown — DGT-trusted firms surface first, with implementation notes for each.
| Firm | How they handle it | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Apex Trader Funding DGT TRUSTED | $130 one-time activation fee per funded (PA) account. Required after passing evaluation. Periodically waived during promo periods. Non-refundable. | |
| Take Profit Trader DGT TRUSTED | $130 one-time activation fee for PRO accounts after passing the Test. Often discounted or waived during seasonal promotions. PRO+ promotion is automatic and does not require additional activation. | |
| Tradeify DGT TRUSTED | Activation fee policy varies by account product. Lightning Funded accounts often have NO activation fee — the cost is bundled into the evaluation purchase, which is one of Tradeify's differentiators. | |
| Lucid Trading DGT TRUSTED | Activation policy varies by plan. Many Lucid funded products bundle activation into the evaluation cost — verify on lucidtrading.com before purchase. | |
| FundedNext DGT TRUSTED | Activation fee applies on the futures vertical after evaluation pass. Specific amount varies by account size — check fundednext.com for current pricing. | |
| Phidias Prop Firm DGT TRUSTED | Activation policy varies by plan tier. Phidias offers multiple plans with and without activation fees — review the specific plan details before purchase. |
Why traders fail Activation Fee
Forgetting to budget for activation. The DGT-discounted evaluation may cost $30-$50, leading traders to think “I can do this for $50.” Then they pass and discover they need another $130 to actually start trading. Plan for total cost.
Activating before being ready. Activation starts the clock on the funded account’s inactivity rule. If you activate then take a 30-day vacation, you may hit the dormancy threshold and the firm closes the account. Activate when you’re ready to trade actively, not the moment you pass.
Confusing activation with reset. Activation = converting passed eval into funded account. Reset = restarting a failed evaluation. Different fees, different timing. Both are non-refundable.
Paying activation on a marginal pass. If you barely scraped through the evaluation with a high consistency violation or a near-miss on the trailing stop, you’re statistically likely to fail the funded account quickly. Some traders pay $130 activation, blow the account in 3 days, and resent the fee. Activate when you’ve passed CLEANLY, not just barely.
Frequently asked questions about Activation Fee
Is the activation fee refundable if I blow the funded account?
No. Activation fees are universally non-refundable across all major prop firms. If you activate, place trades, then breach a rule and lose the account, the activation fee is gone.
Why do prop firms charge activation fees?
Activation fees cover the cost of allocating broker/clearing infrastructure, setting up payment processor records, and operational overhead. They also act as a commitment filter — traders willing to pay activation are more likely to actively trade the account.
Can I get the activation fee waived?
Sometimes. Most firms run periodic promotions waiving or discounting activation. Watching firm announcement channels and checking sites like DamnPropFirms before activating can save $50-130 per account.
Which prop firms have no activation fee?
Tradeify Lightning Funded and certain Lucid plans bundle activation into the evaluation cost (effectively no activation fee). See our filter page on prop firms with no activation fee for the current ranked list.
Do I pay activation per account or once?
Per account. If you maintain 3 funded accounts simultaneously (which Apex and TPT allow), you've paid 3 activation fees. The fee is one-time per account but stacks across multiple accounts.