Soft Breach vs Hard Breach Rules Explained for Prop Firm Traders
If you trade prop firm evaluations, you need to understand the difference between a soft breach and a hard breach. These rules decide whether you keep trading, lose the day, or instantly fail your account. Most people fail for avoidable reasons, not bad trading.
What Is a Soft Breach?
A soft breach is a rule violation where the prop firm stops you from trading temporarily, but you don’t fail the account. It’s annoying, but recoverable.
Examples include:
- Trading outside approved hours
- Holding through restricted news events
- Placing too many contracts compared to scaling rules
Most firms simply disable trading until the next session. Apex and Bulenox use soft breaches often, while others are stricter.
What Is a Hard Breach?
A hard breach is the nuclear option — your evaluation is instantly failed. The system locks you out, no second chances. This usually happens when you break something related to risk.
Common hard breach triggers:
- Hitting or passing the trailing drawdown
- Exceeding the daily loss limit
- Ending the day below the account minimum
Once a hard breach happens, your only path is buying a reset or starting a new account.
Soft Breach vs Hard Breach: Side-by-Side
| Rule Type | What Happens | Typical Cause |
|---|---|---|
| Soft Breach | Trading disabled temporarily | Hours, scaling, news restrictions |
| Hard Breach | Evaluation fails instantly | Risk limit violations |
How To Avoid Hard Breaches
Hard breaches almost always come from sloppy risk management. Avoid them by:
- Knowing your trailing drawdown level to the tick
- Using stop losses every single trade
- Reducing size on volatile days
If you need a deeper explanation of the trailing drawdown, read the Trailing Drawdown Explained article you already have on the site.
Which Firms Use Each Type?
Most futures prop firms use both. But how harsh they are varies:
- Apex — heavy use of soft breaches
- Topstep — more strict, more hard breaches
- Bulenox / Leeloo — similar mix
If you want a full comparison, see your existing Apex vs Topstep vs Bulenox breakdown.
Final Takeaway
A soft breach is a slap on the wrist. A hard breach is a death sentence. Know your rules, track your limits, and never put yourself in a spot where a hard breach can wipe out days of progress.