

Maintenance margin excess is anything above the $25,000 minimum. Don’t trade more than 4x the maintenance margin excess.If the account’s value drops below that minimum on any given day, your broker will block day trading activity until you make a deposit to bring it back above $25,000. Maintain a minimum balance of $25,000.


If you trade frequently enough to fit the SEC’s criteria, you have to meet and maintain certain requirements in order to continue day trading: Anyone interested in day trading should take a day trading course and do plenty of research to develop a solid strategy before they dive into this fast-paced mode of trading. It requires a clear strategy and strong discipline to avoid impulsive or emotional decision making. A day trade is any trade that you open and close inside of 24 hours. Securities and Exchange Commision (SEC) official definition of a day trader is an investor who executes 4 or more day trades within a 5 business day period.
