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You passed the evaluation. You're funded. Now what? A scaling plan determines whether your $50K account stays at $50K forever — or grows to $150K, $250K, or beyond. Here's everything you need to know about how scaling plans work, what to compare, and where to check the details for each firm.
A funded $50K account sounds great until you run the math. Trading 2 MNQ contracts with reasonable risk, even a disciplined trader caps out near $3,000-$5,000 per month in realistic profit — and that is before profit splits, payout cycles, and drawdown resets. Scaling is how that monthly number becomes a career. Firms with aggressive scaling plans can triple your buying power inside twelve months; firms without scaling plans leave you trading the same size account forever, no matter how consistent you are.
The problem: scaling rules are buried in PDFs and rarely shown on firm homepages. Some firms require 10 consecutive payout-eligible days. Others require a fixed dollar profit before unlocking the next tier. A few use rolling averages that reset every time you take a drawdown. Two firms with identical evaluation pricing and similar drawdowns can have wildly different long-term earning potential purely because of scaling mechanics.
This page distills every firm's scaling plan into comparable fields — triggers, increments, cooldowns — so you can pick the firm whose growth curve actually matches your trading horizon. If you want the cheapest entry to test a plan first, start with cheap evaluations; if fast payouts matter more to you than scaling, sort by payout speed.
A scaling plan is a firm's structured path for increasing your funded account. After proving consistent profitability, firms may offer:
Not all firms offer formal scaling plans. Some keep your account at the same size permanently. Others have clear milestones with specific requirements.
Many traders focus only on the initial account size. But long-term earning potential depends on growth:
Example:
Trader A starts with a 100K account, 80% split, no scaling → max monthly profit at $2,000/month = keeps $1,600.
Trader B starts with a 50K account, 80% split, scales to 150K + 90% split → same $2,000/month but keeps $1,800 — and earned it with more room to grow.
The lower-cost 50K evaluation with a scaling path often produces better lifetime value than a more expensive 100K account with no growth trajectory.
How much profit do you need to qualify? How many funded days? Some firms require 10% profit over 30 days; others have more flexible criteria. Check each firm's specific requirements on their profile page.
What's the maximum account size? Some firms cap at $150K. Others go to $250K or $500K. The cap determines your long-term earning ceiling with that firm.
Does the profit split increase as you scale? Moving from 80% to 90%+ significantly impacts your take-home over months. Compare profit splits.
Does your drawdown buffer grow with the account? A scaled 150K account with only $3,000 of drawdown room isn't much better than a 50K with $2,500. Absolute drawdown matters more than account size. Calculate your buffer.
Scaling plans change frequently. Always verify the latest details directly on each firm's website or through their support. Here are the firm profile pages where we track the latest information:
Short-term trader (1-3 months): Scaling matters less. Focus on low evaluation cost and fast payouts.
Career prop trader (6+ months): Scaling is critical. Choose firms with clear milestones, high growth caps, and increasing profit splits.
Multiple-account strategy: Some traders run 2-3 accounts at different firms instead of relying on one scaling plan. Compare true cost across firms to see if this is viable.
A structured path to increase your funded account size, contract limits, or profit split as you demonstrate consistent profitability. Not all firms offer scaling — and the requirements vary widely.
They determine your long-term earning potential. A $50K account with a path to $150K+ is worth more than a $100K account with no growth potential.
Scaling plans change frequently. Visit each firm's profile page for the latest details. See all firms ranked.