Prop firm eval cost calculator: what does getting funded really cost?
Last reviewed: Oct 13, 2026
Enter what you paid, or pick a firm to start from its typical fees. You'll see your total cost to get funded, what your first payout nets after the split, how many payouts it takes to break even, and your ROI. It runs in your browser, with no signup.
Start from a firm (50K account)
Pick a firm to prefill its typical fees, or enter your own. Check current pricing. Presets last reviewed Oct 13, 2026. Every field is editable.
If the evaluation is a subscription
How many months you pay the monthly fee
Before the profit split
You've spent $350 to get funded, and you need $389 in payouts to break even (1 payout of $1,500 at a 90% split).
Spent to get funded
$350
Net after first payout
$1,000
$1,350 take-home
Payouts to break even
1
$389 before split
ROI after 3 payouts
1,057%
$3,700 net
- Evaluation: $150
- Resets: $100
- Activation: $100
Track the real number automatically
Track this automatically. Tradervana's payout tracker logs every fee and payout across your firms so you always know your real net. Try Pro free for 14 days.
How the calculator works
The cost to get funded is a plain sum: the evaluation price, plus the monthly fee multiplied by the months you pay it, plus the number of resets times the price of a reset, plus any activation fee. That total is what you've put in before you ever see a dollar back.
The return side starts with a typical payout request and your profit split. A $1,500 payout at a 90% split puts $1,350 in your pocket, and the first payout nets that figure minus everything you spent. Break-even is your total cost divided by your split, which is how much you have to withdraw, before the split, to earn it back. ROI is your net after the number of payouts you expect to take, divided by your total cost.
Worked example
Say you buy a $150 evaluation, pass it after one reset that costs $100, and pay a $100 activation fee. You've spent $350 to get funded. Your first payout request is $1,500 at a 90% split, so you take home $1,350 and you're $1,000 ahead after one payout. Breaking even needs $389 in payouts before the split, which one payout covers. If you take three payouts of $1,500, you net $3,700 on a $350 spend.
Now the same account with two resets instead of one and smaller $1,000 payouts. Cost rises to $450, each payout takes home $900, and after three of them you net $2,250. Still positive, but your return on what you spent drops from about 1,057% to 500% for the same account, because the extra reset and the smaller payouts compound.
Those ROI figures look great because they assume you get paid. They say nothing about the evaluations that never reached a payout, which is why the next section matters.
Common mistakes
- Counting only the evaluation you passed. Every failed attempt is part of the cost of the account that finally paid. Add the others as resets or into the evaluation field.
- Forgetting that subscriptions keep billing. A monthly evaluation that takes three months costs three times the headline price. Set the months you actually take.
- Using list prices after a promotion. Enter what you paid, not what the page says today.
- Skipping the one-time extras. Activation fees, data fees and platform costs rarely appear in the headline price but all of them come out of the same pocket.
- Treating a payout as profit. A payout is revenue. Your result is the payout after the split, minus everything you spent at that firm and at the ones that didn't pay.
- Assuming the first payout is automatic. Many firms require a minimum number of trading days or a profit buffer before you can withdraw. See payout buffer and days to payout.
FAQ
How much does it cost to get funded by a prop firm?
It depends on the firm and on how many attempts you need. The pieces are the evaluation price (a one-time fee at some firms, a monthly subscription at others), any resets, and an activation fee some firms charge after you pass. Add every one of them across every attempt, not just the evaluation you passed. This calculator does that sum for you.
What does break-even mean here?
Break-even is the point where what you've taken home from payouts equals what you've spent. Because the firm keeps a share of each payout, you have to withdraw more than you spent: at a 90% split, earning back $450 takes $500 in payouts before the split.
Should a failed evaluation count toward my cost?
Yes. If you bought three evaluations and passed one, your cost to get funded includes all three. Enter the combined price in the evaluation field, or enter the extra attempts as resets. Counting only the evaluation you passed makes funded accounts look far cheaper than they were.
Are the firm presets the current prices?
No. They're typical list prices for a 50K account taken from our firm rules catalog and last reviewed on Oct 13, 2026. Firms change pricing and run promotions often, so check current pricing and edit any field to match what you actually paid.
Does this include data fees, platform fees or taxes?
Not as separate lines. Add recurring data or platform fees into the monthly fee field (multiplied by the months you pay), and one-time extras into the activation field. Taxes are not included. For a running total across firms, a payout tracker keeps every cost and payout in one ledger.
Firm presets are typical list prices for illustration, last reviewed Oct 13, 2026, and may be out of date. Results are estimates from the inputs you enter, not tax or financial advice. Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss.