Prop Firm Scaling Plans Explained

A scaling plan is a firm’s rule for increasing the size of a funded account, and often the profit split, after a trader meets set targets over a set period. CFD and forex firms usually add a percentage of the starting balance every few months, while futures firms more often raise contract limits as profit builds or move strong traders to a live account.

How balance based scaling works

A typical balance based plan has three parts: a review period, a set of conditions to meet within it, and an increase applied when the conditions are met. FTMO is a clear example. Its plan asks for at least four months of trading as an FTMO Trader since the start or the last increase, at least 10% net simulated profit over those four months, at least two processed rewards in the same period and a positive balance at the time of the increase. A trader who qualifies gets a 25% increase to the account balance, up to a maximum of $2,000,000 across all FTMO accounts, and the plan describes a 90% reward ratio, valid for its 2 Step programme only.

Three details in that structure are common across firms. The profit target is net, so losses in the period count against it. The payout requirement means you must withdraw during the period, not leave profit to build. And the increase is often a percentage of the initial balance, so the size of each step is known in advance.

Worked example: a made up $100,000 account

Take a made up $100,000 funded account under a made up plan that adds 25% every four months when the trader makes 10% net and takes two payouts in that time, and that raises the split from 80% to 90% at the first increase. The figures are an illustration.

A 10% net return over four months averages 2.5% a month. At the start, a 2.5% month on $100,000 makes $2,500, and at 80% the trader receives $2,000. After two increases, the same 2.5% on $156,250 makes $3,906, and at 90% the trader receives $3,516. The trading has not changed, but the payout has risen by about three quarters.

The loss side grows in the same way. A 10% maximum loss that was $10,000 at the start is $15,625 after two steps, and a trader who keeps the same lot sizes is now taking less risk as a share of the account, while one who scales lot sizes up with the balance keeps the same percentage risk. Either choice is valid, but it should be a decision, not an accident.

How firms differ

The targets look similar but are not. Top One Trader’s plan needs 25% over three months with at least 8% in each month, a much higher bar than FTMO’s 10% over four months. Orion Funded asks for 15% over three months but counts reward requests rather than processed payouts. Read the exact wording on each firm’s scaling page.

Futures firms scale contracts, not balances

Futures firms usually control risk through contract limits, so scaling means more contracts rather than a bigger balance. At Funded Futures Family, a Prime 50K funded account starts at three minis and reaches five minis at $2,000 of profit, with the limit updated at the end of each session. The5ers Futures uses milestones instead: each 10% of profit, with its consistency rule met and positions closed, triggers a review and a new account with 5% more balance plus the trader’s 80% share of the profit, one more mini contract, up to $500,000. Its payout cycle resets when an account is scaled.

Ladders, doubling and live accounts

Some firms use other routes. Hantec Trader lets traders move up by passing the challenge at the next account size at no extra cost, up to $200,000. FundedElite‘s Catalyst product doubles the account after each approved payout, from $25,000 or $50,000 up to $1,000,000. Others move proven traders to live accounts: Funded Futures Family can review traders for a live account once they reach $5,000 in approved payouts, and Hola Prime Futures offers invitation only live accounts to traders with at least ten payouts totalling $50,000 or more.

What a scaling plan does not promise

Meeting the numbers does not always mean an automatic increase. Several plans include a review: at The5ers Futures each milestone triggers a risk review before the new account is issued, and live account moves at futures firms are usually by invitation or review. The larger balance is also simulated capital at many CFD firms, as FTMO’s own scaling page describes it, so scaling raises the amount the firm will pay on, not a pool of real money under your control.

Plans also sit under allocation caps. WSFunded caps combined funded accounts at $400,000 even though its scaling plan runs to $2,000,000, and The Trading Pit limits active Prime earning accounts to eight with a combined initial balance of $400,000. When a firm quotes a multi million ceiling, check both the per account limit and the per trader limit, and how each one is reached.

Common mistakes

• Forcing returns to hit the target. A plan that needs 10% in four months rewards steady months, and a large loss while chasing it resets progress.
• Skipping payouts. Many plans require a number of payouts or reward requests in the period, so profit left in the account may not count.
• Confusing a scaling ceiling with a realistic path. Even if each 25% step compounds on the last, reaching $2,000,000 from $100,000 takes about 14 successful steps, which at four months each is more than four years.
• Forgetting that loss limits grow in dollars. Decide in advance whether position sizes rise with the balance.
• Ignoring resets. Some firms restart the payout cycle or review period when an account scales.

Checklist

• Write down the review period, profit target and whether it is net or gross.
• Count the payouts or reward requests the plan requires.
• Check whether the increase is a share of the initial or current balance.
• Note any change to the split, drawdown or payout cycle after scaling.
• Check the maximum allocation per account and per trader.
• Plan position sizes for the larger balance before it arrives.

Scaling works together with the split, so read prop firm profit split explained alongside this guide. For sizing decisions, see best prop firm account size and funded account risk management, and browse the payouts and scaling section for more.