Prop Firm Profit Split Explained

A prop firm profit split is the percentage of the profit on a funded account that the firm pays to the trader, commonly 80% or 90%, with the firm keeping the rest. The headline figure is only the starting point: processing fees, payout caps, tiered splits and paid add ons all change how much of a given profit actually reaches you.

How a profit split works

On a funded account, profit is measured from the starting balance. When you request a payout, the firm applies the split to the amount you withdraw, not to the whole account. If a $100,000 account stands at $104,000 and you withdraw the $4,000 of profit at an 80% split, the firm pays you $3,200 and keeps $800.

Many funded accounts at CFD and forex firms are simulated, so the payout is a reward the firm pays under its terms rather than your share of real market gains. That distinction matters, because it is the terms, not the market, that decide when profit becomes payable. Profit that stays in the account is not paid to you until you request it and the request is approved, so a breach before that point usually means it is never paid. The A book vs B book guide explains where the money for rewards comes from.

Worked example: a made up $100,000 account

Take a made up $100,000 funded account that ends its first payout cycle with $6,000 of profit, all of which the trader requests. This is an illustration, not a real firm.

Now add fees. If the made up firm deducts a 3% processing fee from the trader’s share, the 85% payout of $5,100 becomes $4,947. If it charges a flat $30 instead, the 90% payout of $5,400 becomes $5,370. On this profit, a flat fee costs less than a percentage fee, but on a $500 payout the same $30 would take 6% of it.

Split add ons need the same arithmetic. Suppose a $500 evaluation offers a higher split for an extra 20% of the price, raising the split from 80% to 90%. The add on costs $100 and returns an extra 10 cents on every dollar of profit you withdraw, so it only pays for itself once you have withdrawn $1,000 of profit. A trader who never reaches that point has paid more for less.

Across a year of payouts

Tiered splits need a longer view. Take a made up trader who withdraws $20,000 of profit over a year at a firm using the YLOS Trading tiers described below. The first $15,000 is paid at 100% and the next $5,000 at 90%, so the trader receives $19,500, an effective split of 97.5%. The same $20,000 at a flat 80% would pay $16,000. Push the same trader to $40,000 of withdrawn profit and the tiers pay $15,000, then $13,500, then $8,000, a total of $36,500 or about 91%. The effective split falls as earnings grow, so compare firms at the level of profit you realistically expect to withdraw, not at the best tier.

Why the headline split is not the whole story

Tiered and rising splits

Some firms change the split as your earnings grow. YLOS Trading pays 100% of the first $15,000 of cumulative profit across all of a trader’s accounts, 90% from $15,000 to $30,000 and 80% above that. Topstep uses a 90/10 split, and its payout policy states that traders who joined its new dashboard before 12 January 2026 receive 100% of their first $10,000 in lifetime profits. Other firms raise the split as you scale: Orion Funded pays 80% and moves to 90% once a trader qualifies for its scaling plan, and FTMO describes a 90% reward ratio through its scaling plan, valid for its 2 Step programme only.

Splits chosen at checkout

At some firms the split is part of the product you buy. Hola Prime ties it to the payout cycle chosen at purchase: 80% fortnightly, 95% monthly or 80% on demand. FundedElite lets traders pick 60%, 70%, 80% or 95% at checkout, with different prices, and pays 50% after a free retry. Add on pricing varies too: GOAT Funded Futures sells a 90/10 split for 20% of the challenge price on several plans, and Tradeify 247 sells a 95% split for an extra 25% on the base price.

Splits that can fall

A split is not always fixed once you are funded. Blue Guardian pays 85% by default on funded accounts from its challenges, but a first trigger of its Guardian Shield cuts the split to 50% permanently, and every payout carries a 3% processing fee. On Orion Zero accounts, trades opened or closed within five minutes of a high impact news event are rewarded at 50% instead of 80%.

Stages and live accounts

Axi Select pays nothing at its first stage, then 40% at Incubation, rising in steps to 80% at its top stage. DayTraders.com pays 100% of simulated profit on its Pro and Straight to Funded accounts, but 80/20 once a trader moves to a live account.

How firms differ at a glance

Use the comparison tool to line these up against price and rules, and read what traders should expect from payouts before you buy.

Common mistakes

• Comparing splits without fees. An 85% split with a 3% fee on each payout can leave less than a 90% split with a flat fee, depending on the size of the payout.
• Buying a split add on without working out the break even. Divide the add on price by the extra percentage to find the profit you must withdraw before it pays back.
• Missing lifetime counters. Tiered splits such as YLOS Trading’s count profit across all of your accounts, so the 100% tier does not restart with each new account.
• Leaving profit in the account. The split only applies to profit that is requested and approved, and unpaid profit is usually lost if the account is breached.
• Ignoring rules that reduce the split. Protection tools, news rules and retries can lower the split, in some cases for the rest of the account’s life.
• Treating a 100% split as free. The firm still earns from fees, and understanding how prop firms make money explains why generous splits often come with tighter conditions.

Checklist before you buy

• Find the default split for the exact programme and account size you want.
• Check whether the split changes with payout number, lifetime profit, scaling or stage.
• Note every fee on a payout and whether it is a percentage or a flat amount.
• Read any rule that can cut the split, such as news windows or protection triggers.
• Check payout caps and minimums, which limit how much of the split you can use in each cycle.
• Work out the break even on any split add on before paying for it.

For how often you can use the split, see how long the first prop firm payout takes, and for how the account and split can grow, see prop firm scaling plans explained. More guides sit in the payouts and scaling section.