Quick Answer — Brightfunded Inactivity Rule
- • Brightfunded deactivates any account that goes 30 calendar days without a qualifying trade — evaluation or funded, no exceptions.
- • A qualifying trade must be open for at least 60 seconds. Pending orders that never execute do NOT reset the clock.
- • As of April 2026: Open positions keep the account active indefinitely — the 30-day countdown only starts after your last trade closes.
- • Deactivated accounts can be reactivated by contacting Brightfunded support, but waiting longer than 6 months triggers a permanent hard breach.
- • Purchased challenges that haven't been started yet have no expiry — the inactivity timer only begins once you place your first trade.
Learned the hard way: I've researched every Brightfunded rule in detail—drawdown mechanics, news trading windows, hedging restrictions, and the prohibited strategies that get accounts killed. This breakdown is based on their help center documentation, community reports, and direct verification.
The single most important rule at Brightfunded is the static 5% daily drawdown—it works differently than trailing drawdowns at other firms. I broke it down in my complete rules overview. For the full picture, read my complete Brightfunded review. For the absolute latest, check Brightfunded's website or their help center.
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The Brightfunded inactivity rule requires traders to place at least one qualifying trade every 30 calendar days. Miss that deadline, and Brightfunded deactivates the account. No warning pop-up, no grace period, no second chance notification. The account just goes dark.
As of April 2026, this rule applies to both evaluation and funded accounts. It's been in effect since September 1, 2025, and it's one of those rules that catches people off guard because you don't think about it until you've already violated it.
I've tracked dozens of prop firm inactivity policies across the industry, and Brightfunded's version sits in the middle of the pack on strictness. Thirty days is standard. The 60-second minimum trade duration and the 6-month permanent closure window are where things get specific. Let me break down every piece of this rule so you know exactly where the lines are.
How Does the 30-Day Inactivity Rule Work at Brightfunded?
The inactivity rule at Brightfunded is straightforward in concept. You have 30 calendar days from the close of your last qualifying trade to place another one. If 30 days pass without activity, the account is deactivated.
Calendar days. Not trading days, not business days. Weekends count. Holidays count. That December stretch where markets are half-dead and you're taking time off? Those days are ticking.
The clock starts the moment your most recent trade closes. Not when you log in, not when you open the platform, not when you check your balance. The trigger is specifically trade execution.
One thing traders miss: this rule went into effect on September 1, 2025. If you purchased a Brightfunded account before that date, it still applies to you. The policy change was retroactive across all active accounts.
What Counts as a Qualifying Trade at Brightfunded?
Not every order qualifies. Brightfunded has two specific requirements for a trade to count as "activity" under the inactivity rule.
Requirement 1: The trade must actually execute. A pending order sitting in your order book does nothing. Limit orders, stop orders, or any conditional order that never fills will not reset the 30-day clock. The order has to go from "pending" to "filled" to count.
I've seen traders in Brightfunded's Discord who thought their resting limit orders kept them active. They didn't. The order sat there for three weeks, never got triggered, and the account was deactivated on day 31.
Requirement 2: The trade must be open for at least 60 seconds. Opening and closing a position in under a minute doesn't qualify. Brightfunded put this minimum duration in place to prevent traders from gaming the inactivity rule with meaningless micro-trades. You can't just scalp one tick in 10 seconds and call it a day for the next month.
Sixty seconds is not a high bar. It's roughly the time it takes to place a single micro-lot position on any liquid pair and close it manually. But it does mean your "keep alive" trade needs to be real enough to stay open for a full minute.
What does qualify:
- Any market order that executes and stays open 60+ seconds
- A limit order that fills and the resulting position stays open 60+ seconds
- A position in any instrument Brightfunded offers (forex, indices, commodities, crypto)
- Trades on evaluation accounts AND funded accounts
What does NOT qualify:
- Pending orders that never execute
- Trades opened and closed in under 60 seconds
- Logging into the platform without placing a trade
- Modifying stop losses or take profits on old trades without opening new ones
How Do Open Positions Keep Your Account Active?
This is the part most traders overlook, and it works in your favor.
An open position keeps your Brightfunded account active indefinitely. There's no 30-day limit while you're holding a trade. The inactivity countdown only starts when your last open position closes.
Say you open a swing trade on EUR/USD and hold it for 45 days. That's fine. Your account stays active the entire time the position is open. The 30-day clock doesn't start until that position closes. Once it does, you have 30 calendar days to open another qualifying trade.
This means swing traders and position traders get a natural buffer. If your strategy involves holding trades for weeks, you don't need to worry about the inactivity rule at all during those holds.
Where it gets tricky: partial closes. If you have three open positions and close two, the remaining open position still keeps the account alive. The countdown only starts when ALL positions are flat. One micro-lot position still open on any pair is enough to keep the timer paused.
The practical takeaway? If you're going on vacation or taking a trading break and don't want to think about the 30-day rule, leave one small position open. As long as something is active in the account, the clock never starts.
What Happens When Brightfunded Deactivates Your Account?
Account deactivation at Brightfunded is not a breach. That distinction matters.
When 30 days pass without a qualifying trade, Brightfunded deactivates the account. Your trading access is suspended, and you can't place new orders. But the account itself isn't terminated. Your balance, trade history, and progress remain intact in the system.
Deactivation is a freeze, not a kill. Think of it as Brightfunded putting your account on pause. The profits you've made are still there. The evaluation progress you've completed is still tracked. You just can't trade until you request reactivation.
This is a meaningful difference from a hard breach (drawdown violation, prohibited strategy, etc.), where the account is permanently closed and all progress is lost.
How Do You Reactivate a Deactivated Brightfunded Account?
Reactivation requires contacting Brightfunded support directly. There's no self-service button in the dashboard.
As of April 2026, the process involves:
- Email Brightfunded support or use the live chat on their website
- Explain that your account was deactivated due to inactivity
- Request reactivation
The turnaround depends on support volume. I've seen community reports of reactivation happening within 24 hours, and others where it took 3-4 business days. There's no published SLA for reactivation speed.
One thing Brightfunded doesn't do: charge a reactivation fee. At the time of writing, there's no cost to reactivate an account that was deactivated for inactivity. Some firms charge $50-100 for reactivation. Brightfunded doesn't.
But there's a hard deadline on reactivation eligibility.
What Is the 6-Month Permanent Closure Rule?
This is where the inactivity rule gets permanent teeth.
If a Brightfunded account remains deactivated for 6 months without the trader requesting reactivation, the account is subject to a hard breach. Permanent closure. No recovery. The account, any progress, and any unrealized profits are gone.
Six months is a long time. If you're actively trading, you'll never hit this limit. But I've talked to traders who purchased Brightfunded challenges during a discount event, never started them, took a break from trading entirely, and then came back 7-8 months later expecting their accounts to still exist.
The 6-month hard breach is cumulative from the deactivation date. It's not 6 months from purchase. It's 6 months from the point Brightfunded actually deactivated the account due to inactivity.
Timeline example:
- January 15: You place your last trade
- February 14: 30 days pass, account deactivated
- August 14: 6 months since deactivation, account permanently closed
If you contact support on August 13, you can still save it. August 15? Too late.
The takeaway is simple. If you know you're stepping away from trading for an extended period, request reactivation before the 6-month window closes. Even if you don't plan to trade immediately, resetting the clock by reactivating and then placing one quick trade buys you another 30 days.
When Did the Brightfunded Inactivity Rule Take Effect?
Brightfunded's inactivity rule became effective on September 1, 2025.
Before that date, Brightfunded had a more relaxed stance on dormant accounts. Traders could hold accounts indefinitely without activity. The policy change was part of a broader rules update that Brightfunded rolled out in the second half of 2025.
The September 2025 update didn't grandfather existing accounts. Every account, whether purchased in 2023 or 2025, became subject to the 30-day inactivity requirement.
One important carve-out: the inactivity rule does NOT apply to purchased challenges that haven't been started yet. If you buy a Brightfunded challenge and never place your first trade, there's no expiry on that purchase. The 30-day clock only starts after your first qualifying trade. This means you can stock up during sales and activate accounts on your own timeline.
What Are Practical Tips to Stay Active at Brightfunded?
Avoiding inactivity deactivation at Brightfunded requires almost zero effort. The bar is one trade, one minute, once a month. But people still get caught. Here's how to avoid it.
Set a calendar reminder. Put a recurring reminder on your phone for the 25th of every month. That gives you 5 days of buffer before the 30-day window expires. Don't wait until day 29.
Use a minimum-risk keep-alive trade. If you're not actively trading, open the smallest position your account allows on a major forex pair. Hold it for 2 minutes. Close it. Your total exposure is pennies of spread, and you've bought another 30 days.
Leave a swing trade open during breaks. Going on vacation? Keep one small position running. Even a micro-lot on a stable pair with a wide stop loss keeps the account active indefinitely. Just make sure your stop loss isn't so tight that the position closes while you're on the beach.
Track your last trade date. Don't rely on memory. Write it down, put it in a spreadsheet, or screenshot the trade history. Thirty days feels long until it's day 28 and you realize you haven't logged in since the last month.
Don't confuse pending orders with activity. This is the most common mistake. A limit order that never fills does not count. If you place a pending order and walk away for a month, you'll come back to a deactivated account.
If deactivated, act fast. Don't let a deactivated account sit for months. Contact support within the first week. The longer you wait, the closer you get to the 6-month permanent closure.
How Does Brightfunded's Inactivity Rule Compare to Other Prop Firms?
Brightfunded's 30-day inactivity window is standard across the industry, but the specific mechanics differ from firm to firm.
| Prop Firm | Inactivity Window | Minimum Trade Duration | Permanent Closure | Reactivation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brightfunded | 30 calendar days | 60 seconds | 6 months after deactivation | Contact support, no fee |
| FTMO | 30 calendar days | Not specified | Account closure after inactivity | New purchase required |
| The5ers | 30 calendar days | Not specified | Immediate breach | No reactivation |
| Funded Trading Plus | 30 calendar days | 2 minutes | Immediate breach | No reactivation |
| MyFundedFX | 30 calendar days | Not specified | Account termination | Contact support |
Brightfunded's approach is actually more forgiving than several competitors. The two-step system of deactivation followed by a 6-month grace period before permanent closure gives traders a real safety net. At firms like The5ers and Funded Trading Plus, 30 days of inactivity is an immediate breach. Done. No reactivation, no second chance.
The 60-second minimum trade duration at Brightfunded is also relatively low. Funded Trading Plus requires 2 minutes. Both are designed to prevent hollow "keep alive" trades, but 60 seconds is barely a hurdle.
Where Brightfunded stands out: the no-fee reactivation. Some firms charge for bringing a dormant account back online. Brightfunded doesn't charge anything as of April 2026. You just need to ask.
The unlimited hold on unpurchased challenges is another differentiator. Firms like FTMO start the clock the moment you buy a challenge. Brightfunded lets purchased challenges sit indefinitely until you place that first trade. If you like buying during discount events, that flexibility matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a Brightfunded account be inactive before deactivation?
Brightfunded deactivates accounts after 30 calendar days without a qualifying trade. The 30-day window counts from the close of the last executed trade, not from the last login. Weekends and holidays count toward this total.
Does Brightfunded's inactivity rule apply to evaluation accounts?
Yes. Brightfunded's 30-day inactivity rule applies to both evaluation and funded accounts equally. There's no exemption for accounts still in the challenge phase. Whether you're on day 1 of an evaluation or month 6 of a funded account, the same 30-day window applies.
Does a pending order count as activity at Brightfunded?
No. Pending orders that never execute do not count as a qualifying trade at Brightfunded. Only trades that actually fill and remain open for at least 60 seconds reset the inactivity timer. A resting limit order or stop order sitting unfilled in the order book does nothing for your activity status.
How long does a trade need to be open to count at Brightfunded?
Brightfunded requires a trade to stay open for at least 60 seconds to count as a qualifying trade under the inactivity rule. Any trade closed in under 60 seconds does not reset the 30-day clock. This prevents traders from gaming the system with instant open-close micro-trades.
What happens if my Brightfunded account gets deactivated for inactivity?
Brightfunded deactivates the account, suspending trading access. The account is not permanently closed at this stage. Traders can contact Brightfunded support to request reactivation at no charge. Account balance and trade history are preserved during the deactivation period.
Can I reactivate a deactivated Brightfunded account for free?
Yes. As of April 2026, Brightfunded does not charge a reactivation fee for accounts deactivated due to inactivity. Traders need to contact Brightfunded support directly via email or live chat. Reactivation typically takes 1-4 business days depending on support volume.
When does the Brightfunded inactivity timer permanently close an account?
Brightfunded permanently closes (hard breach) an account that remains deactivated for 6 consecutive months without the trader requesting reactivation. The 6-month window starts from the deactivation date, not from the last trade date. Once this threshold passes, the account cannot be recovered.
Does keeping a position open prevent inactivity at Brightfunded?
Yes. An open position at Brightfunded keeps the account active indefinitely. The 30-day inactivity countdown only begins after the last open position closes. Even a single micro-lot position still open on any instrument is enough to keep the timer paused.
Do purchased Brightfunded challenges expire if I don't start them?
No. Brightfunded challenges that have been purchased but never started have no expiry date. The 30-day inactivity rule only activates after the first qualifying trade is placed. Traders can buy challenges during sales and start them whenever they're ready.
When did Brightfunded introduce the inactivity rule?
Brightfunded's inactivity rule became effective on September 1, 2025. The policy applies to all accounts regardless of purchase date, including accounts created before the rule existed. Before September 2025, Brightfunded did not enforce a mandatory trading activity requirement. The bottom line: Brightfunded's 30-day inactivity rule is one of the easier rules to manage. One trade, one minute, once a month. The deactivation-then-reactivation structure is genuinely more forgiving than firms that treat inactivity as an immediate breach. Set a calendar reminder, don't confuse pending orders with real trades, and keep a small position open during breaks. The only way this rule becomes a problem is if you forget about it for half a year. And at that point, Brightfunded has a fair argument that the account wasn't being used anyway.
