Drawdown calculator

See how far your balance can fall before you hit the daily loss limit or the maximum drawdown. Enter your own account numbers and your firm's rules. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Account size ($) The starting balance of the account.

Maximum drawdown

As a % of the account size, or a dollar amount.

Drawdown type

Static Trailing (intraday) End-of-day trailing

Highest balance reached ($) Only used for trailing types. Leave blank if the account has not gone above its starting size.

Current balance or equity ($) Use equity (including open trades) if your firm measures drawdown on equity.

The trailing floor stops rising once it reaches the starting balance

Some firms stop trailing at this point. Tick only if your firm's rules say so.

Daily loss limit (%) Leave blank if your account has no daily loss limit.

Balance at the start of today ($) The daily limit is counted down from this level.

The daily limit is a % of

the account size the balance at the start of today

How each drawdown type works

These are the general rule types. Each firm sets its own details, so read your firm's rules page and enter its numbers.

Static drawdown: The lowest allowed balance is fixed when the account starts: account size minus the drawdown. On a $100,000 account with a 10% static drawdown, the floor is $90,000 however much profit you make.
Trailing drawdown (intraday): The floor follows the highest level your account reaches, including highs reached during the day, and keeps the same distance below it. Profits raise the floor; it does not move down again. Some firms measure this on equity, so open profit can raise the floor too.
End-of-day trailing drawdown: The floor moves up only from your balance when the trading day closes. A high during the day does not raise the floor until the day ends, so you get more room during the day than with an intraday trailing drawdown.
Trailing that stops at the starting balance: Some firms stop moving the floor once it reaches the starting balance. After that it behaves like a static floor at the starting balance.
Daily loss limit: A separate limit on how much you can lose in one day, counted down from the balance (or equity) at the start of the day. Firms set the amount as a % of either the account size or the start-of-day balance. Whichever floor is higher, daily or overall, is the one you would hit first.

The formulas

Drawdown amount  = account size × max drawdown %   (or the $ amount)
Static floor     = account size − drawdown amount
Trailing floor   = highest level reached − drawdown amount
                   (end-of-day: highest end-of-day balance)
Daily floor      = balance at start of today − daily limit amount
Breach level     = the higher of the floors above
Room left        = current balance − breach level

For more detail, read our guide to drawdown types, or see firms whose own websites say they offer a static drawdown.

Questions

What is the difference between static and trailing drawdown?

With a static drawdown the lowest allowed balance is fixed: the starting balance minus the drawdown amount. With a trailing drawdown the lowest allowed balance moves up as your account makes new highs, so profits raise the floor and you never get more room than the drawdown amount below your best level.

How is end-of-day trailing drawdown different?

An end-of-day trailing drawdown only moves the floor up based on your balance when the trading day closes. A high reached during the day does not raise the floor until the day ends, which gives more room during the day than an intraday trailing drawdown.

Does the calculator use my firm's exact rules?

No. It applies the rule type you choose to the numbers you enter. Firms define drawdown in different ways, for example on balance or on equity including open trades, and with or without the floor stopping at the starting balance. Check your firm's own rules page and enter its numbers.

Is anything I type stored or sent?

No. The calculation runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to us or saved.