Prop firm payout rules: a checklist before your first request

Start with eligibility, not the split

Before calculating a payout, find the required trading days, any definition of a qualifying day, first-request timing, minimum amount, consistency conditions and maximum request. Clarify whether a day is counted by a local calendar date or by the firm’s trading session.

Request availability, account review and payment delivery are separate events. FTMO’s withdrawal documentation illustrates the distinction by describing a request stage, review and subsequent payment steps. It also distinguishes account products.¹ Do not use a payment estimate as a promise of approval.

Write down which amount the split applies to

For a hypothetical account with $2,000 eligible profit and an 80% trader share, $1,600 follows only if the entire $2,000 is an eligible requested amount and no other limitation changes the calculation. If a $1,000 request cap applies first, the same percentage describes a different amount.

List the order of operations: eligible profit, requested portion, caps, split, retained buffer and fees. A calculator that multiplies every displayed profit by the highest advertised split can conceal the actual conditions.

Check the account after the request

Withdrawals reduce the account value left to absorb losses. The loss floor may remain fixed, lock at a threshold or change under the funded-stage rules. In a simple illustration, a $5,000 balance above a $0 floor has $5,000 of room; withdrawing $3,000 leaves $2,000, unless a separate rule changes that floor.

Topstep explicitly describes how a payout affects its Express Funded Account loss limit. That example is specific to the account type named in the source and should not be generalized to all funded accounts.²

Prepare the non-trading requirements

Check identity verification, account ownership, country eligibility, payment method, account currency, invoicing and any applicable payment-provider limits. Use the firm’s own process; avoid sending identity documents through unofficial contacts.

A useful record contains the account type, rule version, request timestamp, confirmation and the floor that applies afterward. If two sources disagree, resolve the disagreement before placing new trades on assumptions about the withdrawal.

Continue your comparison

• FTMO: programs, rules and source links
• Topstep: programs, rules and source links
• QATS: programs, rules and source links

PropFirmMatcher is affiliated with QATS. This is not an independent rating or a recommendation to purchase an evaluation. Read our methodology.