Individual use — The requirement that only the account holder trades the account, with no sharing, delegation, or third-party management.
How individual use works in prop trading
Every firm requires that the person who registered the account is the person trading it. This rules out sharing credentials, having a friend trade while you travel, joining a group that trades accounts on members' behalf, and buying or selling a funded account. Payouts also go only to the verified account holder, which is where most violations surface.
Enforcement uses IP addresses, device fingerprints, and login patterns, plus the identity check at payout. Legitimate situations do trip it — travelling, using a VPN, or trading from two locations — so firms generally allow you to notify them in advance. Doing so before the anomaly appears is far easier than explaining it during a payout review.
Key points
- Only the registered holder may trade; credentials cannot be shared or delegated.
- Payouts go to the verified holder only, which is where most breaches are caught.
- IP, device, and login-pattern monitoring is standard, and VPN use can trigger review.
- Buying, selling, or renting a funded account violates this rule at every firm.
Also known as
- one trader rule
- account sharing
- sole trader rule
- no delegation
Frequently asked questions
Can someone else trade my prop firm account?
No. Every firm requires the account holder to be the trader. Delegating to a friend, a mentor, or a managed-account service is a violation that normally closes the account and forfeits profits, and it is detected at the payout identity check if not before.
Can I use a VPN with a prop firm account?
Policies differ. Some firms permit it, some flag it as a possible account-sharing or restricted-jurisdiction indicator. If you need one, tell the firm before you start rather than explaining it during a payout review.
Individual use is described here as a plain-language educational definition. Firms, platforms, and account programs may apply different conditions or calculations. Verify the current official terms before using this definition to make an account decision.