Scaling plan: definition and what it changes
A scaling plan is the mechanism by which the size of a funded account grows when the trader reaches profit milestones, without buying another evaluation.
Updated 15 September 2026Of the 62 evaluation programs we track, none is concerned: they document a numeric scaling milestone. Recomputed from the records on 20 September 2026.
How it works
The plan defines milestones: a cumulative gain of 10% on a $50,000 account might trigger a move to $75,000, with the drawdown recomputed in proportion. Some firms also raise the profit split at each step, others only lift the number of contracts allowed without touching the nominal capital.
The trigger is not always automatic. Part of these plans require an explicit request, a minimum number of trading days since the last milestone, or no breach over the period. A plan that requires you not to have withdrawn your profits is common and rarely advertised.
What it changes for the trader
It is the only route to meaningful capital without buying evaluation after evaluation, so it is the line item that decides profitability over a year. It does impose a trade-off: withdrawing gains often pushes back progress towards the next milestone, while leaving gains on the account speeds up scaling but keeps the money at the firm.
What to check before buying
The exact amount of each milestone rather than the maximum capital shown in large type, which assumes a trajectory almost nobody reaches. The trigger conditions, especially any ban on withdrawing between two milestones. And how the drawdown evolves: a drawdown recomputed on the new capital is very different from one frozen at the previous level.
Where Scaling plan shows up on real firms
Of the 13 prop firms we track, 9 meet the “profit split of 90% and above” criterion. The ranking sorts them on verified fields, and every row leads to the record where the rule is detailed program by program.
Related terms
- Funded account
- A funded account is the account, usually simulated, that a prop firm entrusts to a trader after a passed evaluation, and on which they receive a share of the profits made.
- Profit split
- The profit split is the share of simulated profits paid to the trader on a funded account, the rest going to the prop firm: 80% and 90% are the most common levels.
- Payout
- A payout is the payment to the trader of their share of the simulated profits made on a funded account, on a schedule and under conditions set by the prop firm.