Activation Fee

The activation fee is the second price tag that does not appear on the evaluation banner. You pay it after you pass the evaluation and before the firm hands over your funded account login. It is separate from the evaluation fee, and you will not get the funded account until it is paid.

It comes in two forms. A one-time fee, often called a lifetime or PA fee, is paid once and covers the funded account for as long as it lives. A monthly fee is smaller but recurs while the account stays open, so it can end up costing more if you trade funded for a long time. Some firms let you choose.

Firms say the fee covers the cost of setting up a funded account: platform access, data and risk setup. It also discourages traders who passed on luck. Plenty of firms charge none at all, and some promotions reduce or waive it.

Activation fees are almost never refundable. If you break a rule on day one of the funded account, the fee is gone.

Always compare accounts on the all-in price: evaluation cost plus activation. A $49 evaluation with a $130 activation is more expensive than an $89 evaluation with none. Every price on this site's board and firm pages is already all-in.