Also known as: Active Days, Trading Days Requirement, Qualifying Trading Days
Active Trading Days (ATD) are the unique calendar days within a measurement window on which a client places at least one valid trade. Brokers and prop firms count these days to gauge genuine engagement and to unlock milestones like affiliate CPA payouts, prop-challenge passes, or bonus releases.
The key word is "unique." Ten trades placed in a single afternoon still count as one active day, whereas one trade a day across five days counts as five. This design pushes clients toward sustained participation rather than a one-off burst, because sustained participation correlates far more strongly with long-term account survival and lifetime value.
Each broker writes its own qualifying definition, and the fine print varies widely. A "valid" trade may need a minimum volume (for example, 0.10 standard lots), a minimum hold time (so scalped trades opened and closed in seconds do not count), or a minimum notional value. FTMO-style prop firms historically required a minimum number of trading days inside a challenge phase; many CPA broker deals require 3, 5, or 10 active days before commission is released.
As an example, a partner runs a CPA deal that pays $400 once a referred client completes a $250 first deposit plus 5 active trading days, each with at least 0.5 lots traded. A client who deposits and trades 0.5 lots on five separate days triggers the full $400; a client who fires twenty micro-lot trades in one session triggers nothing.
The broker's back office logs every executed trade with a timestamp, volume, and instrument. A batch job groups those trades by client and by calendar day, discards any that fail the qualifying rules (too small, too short, wrong instrument class), and produces a distinct-day count per client for the window.
That count is checked against the threshold attached to the commission plan. When a referred client crosses the required number of active days — and any parallel conditions such as minimum deposit or minimum total volume — the affiliate or IB record flips to "qualified" and the payout enters the next settlement run. Because timezones affect where a day boundary falls, most brokers anchor the count to server time (commonly GMT+2/GMT+3 for MetaTrader), which can shift a late-night trade into the following active day.
The referred trader completes the qualifying first deposit tied to your CPA or hybrid plan.
Each trade is logged with server-time timestamp, volume, and instrument for eligibility checks.
The system discards trades below the minimum lot size, hold time, or notional the broker defines.
Qualifying trades are grouped by server-time calendar day; ten trades in one day still count as one.
Once the distinct-day count meets the requirement, the commission qualifies and enters settlement.
Why it matters for partnership: CPA and prop commissions usually hinge on active days, not just deposits. Understanding each broker's exact ATD definition prevents unpaid commissions from technically-funded-but-unengaged referrals, and shapes how you onboard and nurture traders.
An IB partnered with an Exness-style broker runs a $500 CPA that requires a $250 deposit and 5 active trading days at 0.5 lots minimum each. A referred client deposits $250 and trades 0.6 lots on five separate days over two weeks, clearing the rule and releasing the full $500. A second client deposits the same $250 but crams eight 0.5-lot trades into one Friday afternoon and never returns — only one active day is recorded, so the IB earns nothing on that referral.
| Trigger type | What it measures | Partner risk |
|---|---|---|
| Active Trading Days | Distinct days with a qualifying trade | Client may deposit but stay idle after day one |
| Minimum Total Volume | Cumulative lots traded in the window | One large trade can qualify a low-engagement client |
| Deposit-only | Funds cleared into the account | Highest chargeback / bonus-abuse exposure |
Before you promote any CPA offer, read the broker's exact active-day definition — minimum lot, hold time, and server-time cutoff — and build your onboarding emails to nudge clients to trade on separate days.
Assuming any trade counts: many brokers exclude sub-minimum lots or trades held only seconds, so a client can look active on paper yet never satisfy the rule, leaving your commission permanently unpaid.
To confirm the referral is a genuine trader rather than someone depositing solely to trigger a commission. Sustained activity across days is a strong anti-fraud and quality signal.
No. Active days are unique calendar days. Ten trades placed on the same server-time day count as a single active day.
It varies by plan, but 3, 5, and 10 active days are common CPA thresholds, and prop challenges often specify a minimum number of trading days per phase.
No. Only trades on a funded live account under your tracking are counted; demo activity is excluded.
Each broker sets its own bar — commonly a minimum lot size, a minimum hold duration to exclude ultra-fast scalps, or a minimum notional value. Always check the specific plan terms.
Usually the broker's server time, frequently GMT+2 or GMT+3 on MetaTrader. A trade just before or after midnight server time can land in a different active day than the client expects.