What Is a Prop Firm Scaling Plan?
A prop firm scaling plan increases a funded trader's account balance, and sometimes the profit split, after a fixed review period of consistent profit. How the general mechanic works, what can stop a scale-up, and FTMO's and FXIFY's own published numbers compared side by side.
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In short. A prop firm scaling plan is a performance-based program that increases a funded trader's account balance, and sometimes their profit split, after they hit a profit target over a fixed review period while staying inside the firm's trading rules. It is not a new challenge: there is no extra fee and no fresh evaluation from zero. The exact thresholds differ by firm. Two of the best-documented examples, FTMO and FXIFY, are compared below with their published numbers.
What a scaling plan actually changes
A scaling plan sits after the funded stage, not before it. A trader first passes a prop firm challenge or an instant-funding gate, whether structured as one step or two, gets a live simulated account, and only then becomes eligible for scaling once the firm's review clock starts running.
What scaling changes is capital access, not risk permission. The account balance grows in fixed steps, and on some programs the profit split (the percentage of a withdrawal that goes to the trader) grows with it. What does not change is the underlying rule set: the same maximum drawdown, the same daily loss limit, and the same forbidden-strategy list from the original evaluation still apply on the larger balance. Scaling rewards a track record; it does not relax the rules that produced it.
How the mechanic generally works
Programs differ in the exact numbers, but most published scaling plans share the same four components:
- A review period. A fixed window, commonly every 3 to 4 months, either from the start of funded trading or from the last scale-up.
- A profit threshold. A minimum net return the account has to show over that window, typically stated as a percentage of the starting balance.
- A consistency check. Several programs also require a minimum number of profitable months, or a minimum number of processed payouts, inside the same window, so one lucky month cannot substitute for a sustained result.
- A balance increase. A fixed percentage boost, or in some cases a doubling, applied once the review passes, up to a stated account-size ceiling.
Important. Scaling terms are set and changed by each firm individually, and firms revise them over time. Treat any specific percentage or ceiling as a snapshot of what one firm currently publishes, not an industry standard, and confirm the live terms on the firm's own site before planning around them.
Two published examples side by side
FTMO and FXIFY both publish their scaling mechanics directly, which makes them useful as concrete, sourced reference points rather than generic illustrations.
| Aspect | FTMO | FXIFY |
|---|---|---|
| Review period | Every 4 months, from account start or the last scale-up | Every 3 months |
| Profit required | At least 10% net profit above the starting balance in that period | At least 10% return, with at least 2 of the 3 months profitable |
| Extra condition | At least 2 processed reward payouts in the same period; positive balance at the scale-up date | No separate payout count stated beyond the profit and monthly-consistency test |
| Balance increase | +25% of the account size per cycle | +25% on the first scale-up, then the balance doubles on each subsequent cycle |
| Account ceiling | Up to $2,000,000 across all FTMO accounts | Up to $4,000,000 after 4 scale-ups (example: $400,000 to $500,000 to $1M to $2M to $4M) |
| Other benefit tied to scaling | Profit split can reach 90%, valid for the 2-Step product | Not specified as part of the scaling mechanic itself |
Sources: FTMO, Scaling Plan and FXIFY, "How does your scaling plan work?", both firms' own published terms, checked directly.
The two structures reward the same underlying behavior (repeatable, rule-compliant profit) but pay it out differently. FTMO adds a fixed percentage each cycle and layers in a payout-count requirement; FXIFY starts with the same 25% step, then compounds by doubling, which reaches a higher ceiling faster if a trader keeps qualifying every cycle.
What can stop a scale-up before it happens
| Situation | What typically happens | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Negative account balance on the review date | The scale-up does not apply, even if the period's overall return was positive earlier | The check looks at the balance at the specific review date, not the best point in the period |
| A trading-rule breach during the window | The account can be closed for the violation itself, before the review date is even reached | Scaling never overrides the drawdown, daily loss, or forbidden-strategy rules from the original evaluation |
| Missing the profit or month-count threshold | No penalty on the existing account, but that review cycle does not produce a scale-up | The window is fixed; a slow stretch inside it is not made up for later unless the firm's terms say otherwise |
Why tracking matters more once scaling is on the table
A scaling review is really a rolling audit: net return over a fixed window, count of profitable months inside it, and account balance on a specific date. Doing that math from memory or from a broker statement alone gets harder the moment a trader is running more than one funded account, since each account can be on a different point in its own review cycle. A trading journal that logs entries against dates and computes running period P&L removes the guesswork about whether a given account is on track for its next review, the same discipline covered in how prop firms enforce drawdown day to day and in what actually shows up in a prop firm payout. BitStat's multi-account view is built for exactly this: tracking several funded accounts, each against its own rules and dates, in one place.
Risk disclaimer. Simulated funded trading carries real financial and psychological risk, and most retail traders who attempt prop firm evaluations do not pass them. Scaling plan terms, profit splits, and account ceilings are set by each firm and can change; nothing here is a guarantee of funding, profit, or account growth, and it is not financial advice.
Ready to see where each of your funded accounts stands against its next review window? Explore BitStat's account tracking.
Frequently asked questions
What is a prop firm scaling plan? It is a program that increases a funded trader's account balance, and on some firms the profit split, after the trader shows a consistent profit over a fixed review period while following the account's trading rules. It applies after a trader is already funded, not during the initial challenge.
Do all prop firms offer a scaling plan? No. Scaling plans are common among prop firms but not universal, and the terms, when offered, vary significantly between firms. Always check a specific firm's own published rules rather than assuming a general figure applies.
Does scaling always increase my profit split too? Not always. FTMO ties a higher profit split (up to 90%) to its scaling and Premium programmes for the 2-Step product specifically. Other firms may scale only the account balance and leave the profit split unchanged. Check the individual firm's terms.
What happens if I miss the profit target during a review period? Typically nothing happens to the existing funded account itself; the trader simply does not receive a scale-up for that cycle. The next review period usually still applies on its normal schedule, though exact continuation rules depend on the firm.
Is a scaling plan the same as passing a new challenge? No. A challenge is the initial evaluation that gets a trader funded in the first place, usually with a fee. A scaling plan applies after that, reviews live trading performance on the already-funded account, and does not require paying for a new evaluation.
Can my account size decrease after it has scaled up? Scaling plans as published by firms like FTMO and FXIFY describe balance increases, not automatic reductions tied to the scaling mechanic itself. A breach of the account's trading rules (such as exceeding the maximum drawdown) is a separate matter and can end the account regardless of scaling status.
How long does it take to reach the maximum account size? It depends entirely on the firm's cycle length and how many consecutive cycles a trader qualifies for. Under FXIFY's published structure, for example, reaching the $4,000,000 ceiling requires 4 consecutive successful 3-month cycles, or about a year of qualifying performance.
Is a scaling plan worth planning for from day one? It can be, since scaling is one of the few ways to grow simulated funded capital without paying for another evaluation, which changes the fee-versus-return math of staying with one firm long term. But it depends on consistently clearing a real profit and consistency bar for months at a time, which is a different (and harder) challenge than passing a single evaluation once.
Frequently asked questions
What is a prop firm scaling plan?
Do all prop firms offer a scaling plan?
Does scaling always increase my profit split too?
What happens if I miss the profit target during a review period?
Is a scaling plan the same as passing a new challenge?
Can my account size decrease after it has scaled up?
How long does it take to reach the maximum account size?
Is a scaling plan worth planning for from day one?
BitStat Team
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