For beginners
Minimum Capital Calculator
How much money do I need to start forex trading? It depends on the smallest lot your account allows, how wide your stop is and how much you are willing to risk. This calculator works backwards from the smallest lot to the minimum capital.
Example, EURUSD
Minimum capital is the loss at the smallest lot divided by the risk you accept. It is a sizing figure, not a promise that the account will grow.
Your plan
Stop is in pips for forex pairs and in USD per ounce for gold and silver. The balance and the USDJPY price are examples: replace them with yours.
Starting small?
If your balance is below the minimum, a smaller lot size is one way to size the trade within your risk. It does not make losses less likely, and small accounts feel the same trading costs as a larger share of their balance. Check the trading cost calculator before you choose.
Exness
Standard Cent account. Balance in cents, and Exness says 1 cent lot = 1,000 USD = 0.01 standard lot. Exness also says it does not serve residents of the EU or UK.
IC Markets
Standard account. Smallest trade “as small as one micro lot (0.01)”, no commission, leverage up to 1:5000 and dynamic. Minimum deposit not stated on the page we read.
Tickmill
Classic and Raw accounts. Minimum deposit $100 on both, per Tickmill’s accounts page. It does not state the smallest lot on that page.
Disclosure. These buttons are affiliate links and we may be paid if you open an account. They are not ranked and not a recommendation. Facts are from each broker’s own pages, read October 20, 2026. Availability depends on your country: Exness says it does not serve the EU or UK, and IC Markets excludes the US, Canada, Iran and North Korea. See our affiliate disclosure.
Cent accounts have limits. Exness’s Help Center says its Standard Cent account is the only account type that uses cent lots, shows balances in cents, has fewer base currencies and some restricted symbols for clients of its Kenyan entity, and leaves some crypto symbols off MetaTrader 4. High leverage and a very small account together raise your risk, they do not lower it.
01Minimum capital at 0.01 lot, by stop
These figures are calculated with the same formula as the tool, at 1% risk and a 0.01 lot. They are illustrations for a USD account, not a target.
| Symbol | Stop | Loss at 0.01 lot | Minimum capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| EURUSD | 10 pips | $1.00 | $100 |
| EURUSD | 20 pips | $2.00 | $200 |
| EURUSD | 30 pips | $3.00 | $300 |
| EURUSD | 50 pips | $5.00 | $500 |
| XAUUSD | 2 USD | $2.00 | $200 |
| XAUUSD | 5 USD | $5.00 | $500 |
| XAUUSD | 10 USD | $10.00 | $1,000 |
| XAUUSD | 20 USD | $20.00 | $2,000 |
| USDJPY at 150.00 | 20 pips | $1.33 | $133 |
| USDJPY at 150.00 | 30 pips | $2.00 | $200 |
| USDJPY at 150.00 | 50 pips | $3.33 | $333 |
EURUSD: $10 per pip per standard lot. XAUUSD: $100 per $1 move per lot (100 ounces). USDJPY: 1,000 yen per pip per lot converted at 150.00. Contract sizes differ between brokers, so check your platform’s specification.
02The risk percentage moves the answer most
For the same 0.01 lot and stop, halving the risk you accept doubles the capital you need.
| Risk per trade | EURUSD, 20 pips | XAUUSD, $5 stop |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5% | $400 | $1,000 |
| 1% | $200 | $500 |
| 2% | $100 | $250 |
| 3% | $67 | $167 |
Minimum capital is not recommended capital. A single losing streak of several trades can take a large part of a small account, and trading with money you cannot afford to lose changes how you decide.
03What the minimum leaves out
- Margin. The smallest lot needs margin, and a high leverage setting lets you open positions that are too big for a small account.
- Costs. Spread, commission and swap eat a larger share of a small account.
- Gaps and slippage. Your loss can be larger than the stop distance.
- Your first losses. Plan to lose some trades while you learn, and risk less than you think you can.
Before you deposit anywhere, check which company will hold your money with the licence and entity checker, and run anything that feels pushy through the red flag scanner.
Other tools that help: the XAUUSD lot size calculator, the position size calculator, the margin calculator and the grid and averaging calculator, which shows how quickly averaging down uses up a small account.
04Let the chart size the trade
Once your account is open, Lot Architect for MetaTrader lets you set risk and drag entry, stop and target on the chart to see lot size, margin and risk to reward. It does not give signals, cannot guarantee any result and does not change what a broker charges. It is our own product, and we earn money if you buy.
05Questions
How much money do I need to start forex trading?
There is no single figure. The smallest lot, the stop and your risk percentage set the minimum: at 0.01 lot, a 20-pip EURUSD stop and 1% risk it is about $200. Many beginners start with more because losses are part of learning.
Can I start with $100?
Only with a very small lot size, a tight stop or a higher risk percentage. Use the calculator with your own numbers and see which one gives way.
Is a cent account a good idea for a small balance?
It lets you trade smaller sizes, which can fit a small balance. It does not reduce the chance of losing, and it has limits, listed above. Practise on a demo first.
Does leverage reduce the capital I need?
It reduces the margin a broker holds, not the loss on a trade. The loss depends on lot size and stop distance, so leverage does not change the minimum capital this tool shows.
Do you earn from the broker buttons?
Yes, we may be paid if you open an account through them. We list three brokers with the same kinds of facts, unranked. See the affiliate disclosure.