Passing an evaluation feels like the finish line, but it’s really a change of game. The profit target disappears, your payouts begin, and some of the rules that shaped every trade in the Evaluation work differently once you’re funded.
On Vanquish, there are two stages. The Evaluation is where you prove your strategy. The Performance Account is the funded account you trade once you pass, and it’s where you get paid. This guide explains what each stage asks of you and exactly what changes between them, plan by plan.
If you’d like the complete rule set for every plan in one place, our Vanquish Trader rules overview has it.
The two stages at a glance
The Evaluation has one goal: hit your plan’s profit target without breaching your loss limit, while meeting any consistency or activity rules. There’s no time limit, and you can’t withdraw profit from it. If the idea of an eval is new to you, our guide to what an evaluation is covers the basics.
The Performance Account starts the moment you pass. You’re emailed a certificate and a new account, and you can trade it straight away. There’s no profit target. Instead, you trade to build profit you can withdraw, with your plan’s payout rules deciding when.
Evaluation vs Performance Account: rule by rule
What changes on each plan
On every plan, the maximum drawdown and the way it trails stay the same when you pass. The difference is that on the Performance Account, the limit has a point where it stops.
The Evaluation: proving your strategy
The Evaluation tests whether you can make money without taking reckless risk. Every rule points at that: a profit target to show you can grow an account, a loss limit to show you can protect it, and on most plans a consistency rule to show the result came from a repeatable approach rather than one lucky trade.
How you pass
You pass the moment every condition is true at the same time:
- Your profit on closed trades reaches the target. A winning position that’s still open doesn’t count until you sell it.
- Your equity has never touched your loss limit.
- Your consistency is below your plan’s limit, if it has one.
- You’ve met any minimum activity rule: 10 trades on Basic Options or four trading days on Advanced Options.
If you hit the target but your consistency is too high, you haven’t failed. You keep trading until it comes down. Our guide to the consistency rule shows how to work out exactly how much more profit you need.
What happens if you breach
Touching your loss limit ends the Evaluation. You don’t have to wait for your next billing date to try again, because you can reset the account straight away for your plan’s reset fee. There’s no time limit, so there’s no pressure to rush the next attempt either.
What the Evaluation doesn’t allow
You can’t withdraw profit from an Evaluation, however much you make. Payouts only start once you’re on a Performance Account. Overnight positions aren’t allowed at either stage, so every trade, whether that’s a single GOOGL call or an XSP put, has to be closed by 3:59 p.m. ET.
The Performance Account: trading to get paid
Once you pass, you’re trading a funded account. The goal changes from reaching a number to building profit you can withdraw while protecting the account.
What goes
- The profit target. There isn’t one. Every dollar above your starting balance counts toward a payout.
- The 10-trade minimum on Basic Options. It only applies to the Evaluation.
What stays
- Your maximum drawdown and how it trails. If your Evaluation used an intraday trailing limit, your Performance Account does too, and the same goes for end of day. It’s a common misconception that funded accounts switch to a static limit. On Vanquish, the limit keeps trailing until you reach the Buffer. Our guide to trailing drawdown explains how each type moves.
- Your trading permissions. Whatever your plan allowed in the Evaluation, it allows now.
- The 3:59 p.m. ET close. No positions overnight.
- The monthly fee. It continues for as long as the account is active.
What’s new
- The Buffer. It sits 5.75% above your starting equity. Reach it, and your loss limit locks permanently, so profit above it becomes cushion instead of raising your floor. The Buffer guide has the locked levels for every plan and account size.
- Payouts. Once you have $250 in profit and meet your plan’s consistency and activity rules, you can request a payout and keep 100% of it. Most payouts arrive in about 15 minutes.
- Consistency moves to your payouts. On Basic Options, Advanced Options and Rapid Elite, the same consistency rule you passed with now decides when you can withdraw. On the two daily plans, it resets after each payout.
How often you can withdraw varies a lot between plans, from daily on Basic Options to every four trading days on Advanced Options. The full breakdown is in our payout rules.
Mistakes to avoid after you pass
- Sizing up straight away. The account size is the same as your Evaluation, and so is the room above your loss limit. Passing doesn’t give you more risk to play with.
- Assuming the limit is now fixed. Until you reach the Buffer, it trails exactly as before.
- Withdrawing too much, too early. A payout lowers your balance but leaves your loss limit where it is. Before the Buffer, a large withdrawal can leave you with very little room.
- Forgetting about consistency. On three of the four plans, one oversized day or trade can delay your next payout.
- Leaving Rise until later. Payouts are paid through Rise, and identity verification takes time. Setting it up as soon as you pass means your first payout isn’t held up.
Evaluation vs Performance Account FAQ
Is a Performance Account the same as a funded account?
Yes. Performance Account is Vanquish’s name for the funded account you trade after passing the Evaluation.
Does my Evaluation profit carry over?
No. You start your Performance Account at your plan’s starting balance, and Evaluation profit can’t be withdrawn.
Is there a profit target on the Performance Account?
No. Once you pass, there’s no target to reach. You trade to build profit you can withdraw.
Does the drawdown change when I’m funded?
The size and type stay the same. What’s different is the Buffer: once your equity reaches it, your loss limit locks permanently.
Do the consistency rules still apply after I pass?
On Basic Options, Advanced Options and Rapid Elite, yes. They decide when you can request each payout. Rapid Express has no consistency rule at either stage.
How soon can I get paid after passing?
As soon as you meet your plan’s payout rules, starting with $250 in profit. On Rapid Express, that can be within your first day of trading.
Do I keep paying the monthly fee?
Yes. The fee continues on the Performance Account for as long as it’s active.
What happens if I breach my Performance Account?
The account closes. You can reset it from the Payments page of your Vanquish dashboard, which starts you on a fresh Evaluation at your plan’s starting balance.
Ready to start your Evaluation? Pick a plan and account size on the plans page.
