The FTMO Scaling Plan: How to Reach 90% Profit Split (2026)

The FTMO Scaling Plan is a performance-based progression system that gives traders on the 2-Step Funded account a defined path to a 90% profit split and growing account sizes. After meeting a consistent profitability threshold across a 4-month cycle, FTMO increases your funded balance by 25% and upgrades your split from the 80% base to 90%.

This plan is exclusive to 2-Step Funded accounts. If you trade the FTMO 1-Step Challenge, you receive 90% profit split from your first payout with no scaling required. The Scaling Plan exists specifically to bring 2-Step traders up to the same split level, and then to reward continued consistency with compounding capital.

As of May 2026, the Scaling Plan conditions are: 10% net profit over 4 months, a minimum of 2 payouts processed within that window, and a consistent trading approach. When all conditions are met, FTMO increases your account balance by 25% and locks in the 90% split for all future payouts on that account.

What is the FTMO Scaling Plan?

The FTMO Scaling Plan is a structured growth mechanism built into the FTMO 2-Step Funded account. It answers a specific question: what happens for traders who want more than an $80K or $100K account after consistently pulling profits month after month?

Standard prop firm models hand you a fixed account size and a fixed profit split. You pass the eval, you trade funded, you get paid. FTMO's Scaling Plan adds a third layer: demonstrate sustained performance and your allocated capital grows automatically, and your share of that capital increases.

The mechanism is straightforward. Every 4 months, FTMO reviews your account performance. If you have generated at least 10% net profit across that window and processed at least 2 payouts, you qualify for a scale. On the first qualifying scale, two things happen at once:

1. Your account balance increases by 25%
2. Your profit split upgrades from 80% to 90%

After the first scale, the split stays at 90% permanently on that account. Subsequent qualifying cycles continue to grow your balance by 25% per cycle, compounding the capital available to you without the split changing again.

The Scaling Plan is documented on FTMO's dedicated scaling page at `ftmo.com/en/scaling-plan/`. It is part of the funded account structure, not an optional upgrade or paid tier.

Who qualifies for the Scaling Plan?

The Scaling Plan applies exclusively to traders holding a 2-Step Funded account. This is a firm boundary, not a technicality.

Here is why the boundary exists: the 2-Step Challenge produces funded accounts that start at 80% profit split. The Scaling Plan is the mechanism that bridges those traders to 90%. Traders on the FTMO 1-Step Challenge receive 90% profit split from their first funded payout with no qualifying period required. There is simply no split gap to close on the 1-Step side, so the Scaling Plan is not part of that account's structure.

Eligible account variants within the 2-Step path:

• 2-Step Standard Funded account: news trading restrictions apply; overnight/weekend holding not permitted
• 2-Step Swing Funded account: no news trading restrictions; overnight and weekend positions allowed

Both variants start at 80% split and qualify for scaling under identical conditions. The Swing variant's relaxed trading rules do not affect scale eligibility in either direction.

The Scaling Plan is also available across all five account sizes in the 2-Step range: $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, and $200K starting balances. A trader who begins at the smallest tier qualifies under the same rules as a trader at the largest tier.

What does the Scaling Plan unlock?

Qualifying for a scale unlocks two simultaneous upgrades:

Profit split upgrade (first scale only): The profit split moves from 80% to 90%. On a $100K funded account generating $5,000 profit in a payout cycle, the difference between 80% and 90% is $500 per payout ($4,000 vs $4,500). Compounded over a year of bi-weekly payouts, the difference adds up materially.

Account balance increase (every qualifying scale): Each qualifying cycle adds 25% to your current funded balance. The compounding effect over multiple cycles is significant.

The total combined cap across all FTMO accounts a trader holds is typically $400K. This means a trader running two funded accounts simultaneously can hold up to that combined ceiling while each account scales independently.

The Scaling Plan does not change the FTMO daily loss limit, max loss rule, or payout rules that apply to the funded account. Those rules remain consistent with whatever challenge variant produced the account.

What is the qualifying trigger?

Three conditions must all be met within a single 4-month window to trigger a scale:

1. 10% net profit on the account over the 4-month period
2. Minimum 2 payouts processed during that 4-month window
3. Consistent trading approach throughout the period

The profit target and payout minimum are the concrete checkboxes. The consistency requirement is qualitative but aligns with FTMO's general philosophy around not gaming payout structures. It is similar in spirit to the Best Day Rule on 1-Step accounts, though the 2-Step track does not have that specific rule applied during evaluation.

A practical read on the payout requirement: FTMO pays bi-weekly, meaning a 4-month window spans roughly 8 potential payout cycles. Meeting 2 payouts out of 8 is not a high bar; it means you are an active funded trader making consistent withdrawals, not someone holding a dormant account. The more meaningful constraint is the 10% net profit target, which requires positive performance across the entire 4-month stretch, not just a single strong month followed by drawdowns.

The 4-month clock restarts after each qualifying scale. You do not accumulate credit across cycles; each scale is evaluated independently within its own 4-month window.

FTMO's payout rules page covers the bi-weekly structure in full. The first payout in any funded account also includes a 100% refund of your original challenge fee, which counts toward the 2-payout minimum for scaling purposes.

How does account size grow across scaling levels?

The 25% increment compounds because each new cycle starts from the scaled balance, not the original funded balance.

Note that for the $200K starting account, the first scale takes you to $250K. At $250K and $312K, the figures exceed FTMO's $200K single-account maximum, but they become attainable through holding multiple accounts toward the $400K combined cap. In practice, a trader at the top tier who scales is likely running two or more accounts.

The growth compounds meaningfully at the lower tiers too. A $10K trader who qualifies four times ends the fourth cycle with roughly $24K allocated, triple the starting balance, at 90% split. That progression is available without paying additional challenge fees, simply by continuing to trade consistently.

Does it apply to all account sizes?

Yes. The Scaling Plan is available across all five account sizes in the 2-Step funded structure: $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, and $200K. The qualifying conditions (10% net profit over 4 months, 2 payouts) are identical regardless of account size.

The FTMO accounts overview covers the full account tier structure, including both 1-Step and 2-Step variants and their respective starting splits.

One nuance for traders starting at $200K: the single-account scaling ceiling means additional growth past a certain point requires opening and funding a second account. FTMO's multi-account policy allows this; managing two independently funded accounts is a common structure for traders who have scaled the first.

When does the 80% split upgrade to 90%?

The split upgrades on the first qualifying scale, when FTMO confirms you have met the 4-month, 10% profit, and 2-payout conditions simultaneously. From that point forward, all payouts on that account are calculated at 90%.

To be clear on timing: you spend at least 4 months at 80% split before the upgrade is possible. If you complete the 2-Step Challenge and fund in month one, the earliest possible upgrade is month five, assuming you hit 10% net profit and two payouts in months one through four.

There is no partial or early upgrade. The 80% rate applies fully until the moment the scale triggers. After it triggers, the 90% rate applies fully to all subsequent payouts.

This structure is worth factoring into your capital planning. Traders choosing between the FTMO 1-Step Challenge and the 2-Step path are choosing between 90% immediately (with the tighter 3% daily loss limit and trailing max loss) versus 80% for at least 4 months before reaching 90% (with the more lenient 5% daily loss limit and static max loss). Neither is universally better; the right choice depends on your trading style, risk tolerance, and how you value that split gap during the qualifying window.

What happens if you breach during a scaling cycle?

A breach terminates your funded account. The Scaling Plan does not change the loss limits or create any buffer for accounts mid-scaling. The same daily loss limit and maximum loss rules that applied from day one of your funded account continue to apply through every scaling cycle.

For 2-Step accounts:

• Daily loss limit: 5% of initial balance
• Maximum loss: 10% static (does not trail; the floor does not move as your balance grows)

A breach during cycle two (after you have already scaled once and unlocked 90% split) ends the account. You would need to repurchase a 2-Step Challenge and pass again to obtain a new funded account. The new account restarts at 80% split and begins a fresh scaling journey from the base balance.

The practical implication: the Scaling Plan rewards survival as much as it rewards profitability. Traders who focus on protecting their downside and taking consistent 1–2% months will reach scale faster than traders who swing for large months and periodically breach. Two payouts per 4-month window is a low bar; keeping the account alive to collect them is the actual discipline.

The FTMO rules overview covers all funded account constraints in full. The FTMO prohibited strategies guide is also worth reviewing if you are planning to trade aggressively during a qualifying cycle.

How do peers compare on scaling?

FTMO is not the only firm offering progression-based account growth, but the structure and generosity of competing plans varies significantly.

A few observations:

FTMO's 90% ceiling is competitive but not the highest in the market. FundingPips advertises up to 95% on scaled accounts. The5ers offers paths to 100% for their Hyper Growth product. If maximum split percentage is your primary criterion, competitors exist.

FTMO's trigger is explicit and time-bounded. The 4-month cycle with clear numeric thresholds (10% profit, 2 payouts) gives traders a precise planning target. Some competitors use vaguer milestone language, which makes it harder to know exactly when you qualify.

The 4-year institutional track record matters in this comparison. FTMO's $329M in 2024 revenue and $500M+ cumulative payouts across 3.5M customers provide a context that newer scaling competitors cannot match. The Scaling Plan's longevity means traders who have been on FTMO for years have actually received scaled capital. It is not a marketing feature that has never been tested at scale.

For futures traders, note that FTMO is a Forex/CFD firm and does not offer futures. If your strategy requires futures instruments, firms like Topstep or Apex Trader Funding operate entirely different structures. The Scaling Plan comparison above is limited to multi-asset and forex prop firms that are genuinely comparable to FTMO's offering.

For traders already in Paul's research orbit: FundedNext's Stellar plan has similar scaling language. The key difference is in the trigger mechanics. FundedNext's conditions are reviewed monthly rather than every 4 months, which can either accelerate or delay scaling depending on your consistency pattern.

The bottom line

The FTMO Scaling Plan is one of the more straightforward capital growth mechanisms in the prop trading industry. The conditions are explicit, the math is simple, and the track record of FTMO as a payer gives it credibility that newer scaling promises cannot match.

The key distinctions to internalize:

1-Step accounts do not need the Scaling Plan. They start at 90% from the first funded payout. If you want 90% immediately, the FTMO 1-Step Challenge is the direct path. The trade-off is a tighter 3% daily loss limit and a trailing max loss structure that penalizes volatility more than the 2-Step's static floor.

2-Step accounts reach 90% through the Scaling Plan. The minimum timeline is 4 months post-funding. During that window, the 80% base applies. After the first qualifying scale, 90% applies permanently on that account. The 5% daily loss limit and static max loss on the 2-Step funded side compensates for the 4-month wait by giving you more room to breathe during the qualifying period.

The 25% balance growth compounds. A trader who stays alive and consistent across multiple cycles ends up with materially more capital than their starting funded allocation. For longer-term prop trading careers, this compounding is the more significant long-term benefit compared to the split upgrade.

FTMO's $329M in 2024 revenue and the completed OANDA acquisition signal a firm operating at an institutional level. The Scaling Plan is backed by that infrastructure, not by a startup's promise. Whether that justifies 4 months at 80% versus an immediate 90% on the 1-Step is a calculation only you can make based on your trading style and risk management.

The FTMO accounts overview, payout rules, and 2-Step Challenge breakdown cover the surrounding structure in full.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the FTMO Scaling Plan?

The FTMO Scaling Plan is a performance-based upgrade mechanism for 2-Step Funded account holders. It increases your account balance by 25% and raises your profit split from 80% to 90% after you meet consistent profitability criteria over a 4-month cycle. The plan is documented at `ftmo.com/en/scaling-plan/` and is built into the 2-Step Funded account structure.

Does the Scaling Plan apply to 1-Step accounts?

No. The Scaling Plan is for 2-Step Funded accounts only. FTMO's 1-Step Challenge Funded accounts receive 90% profit split from day one. There is no 80% base rate to upgrade from. The Scaling Plan exists specifically to bring 2-Step traders up to the same 90% level that 1-Step traders receive immediately.

What triggers a scale?

Three conditions must all be met within a single 4-month window: at least 10% net profit on the account, a minimum of 2 payouts processed during that period, and consistent trading throughout. All three must be satisfied simultaneously. A strong profit figure without 2 payouts, or 2 payouts without the profit threshold, does not qualify.

How much does my account grow per cycle?

Each qualifying scale increases your account balance by 25%. A $100K account becomes $125K after the first scale, then $156.25K after the second, and so on. The compounding is based on the post-scale balance, not the original funded amount.

What is the maximum account size I can reach through scaling?

FTMO's single-account cap is $200K. Combined across all FTMO accounts a trader holds simultaneously, the typical total funded ceiling is $400K. Traders who scale past a single account's ceiling generally do so by holding two or more independently funded accounts.

Does my profit split change after the first scale?

The split upgrades once: from 80% to 90% on the first qualifying scale. After that, the split stays at 90% permanently on that account regardless of how many subsequent scales you complete. Additional scales only grow the balance.

Does the 4-month clock reset after each scale?

Yes. Each scale cycle is evaluated independently over its own 4-month window. Progress from a previous cycle does not carry over. After a scale is granted, the next 4-month window starts fresh.

What happens if I breach my account during a scaling cycle?

A breach ends your funded account immediately, regardless of progress within the scaling cycle. Loss limits (5% daily, 10% static maximum) remain constant through every scaling period. To continue trading funded with FTMO after a breach, you must repurchase and pass a new 2-Step Challenge and restart the scaling journey from the base balance and 80% split.

Can I hold multiple FTMO accounts and scale each one?

Yes. FTMO allows multiple funded accounts simultaneously, each scaling independently under its own 4-month cycle. The $400K combined cap applies to total funded capital across all accounts. Running multiple accounts is a common approach for traders who have scaled one account to its ceiling and want additional capital.

Do 2-Step Swing accounts qualify for scaling?

Yes. Both Standard and Swing variants of the 2-Step Funded account are eligible for the Scaling Plan under identical conditions. The Swing account's relaxed rules on news trading and overnight/weekend holding do not affect scale eligibility.

How does FTMO's Scaling Plan compare to The5ers?

The5ers uses a milestone-based growth path where traders progress through defined capital levels tied to profit targets. FTMO's model uses a time-bound 4-month cycle with fixed percentage increments. FTMO's trigger is more explicit (you know exactly what you need to hit), while The5ers offers a broader range of entry products and can reach 100% profit split on their top tier. The right comparison depends on whether you trade Forex/CFDs (FTMO's domain) or need a multi-asset or funded futures path.

Is the challenge fee refunded before scaling cycles begin?

Yes. FTMO refunds 100% of the initial challenge fee with your first funded payout. That first payout counts toward the 2-payout minimum for scaling. The fee refund is a separate mechanism from scale qualification, but the two events often coincide: your first payout triggers the refund and starts counting toward the minimum simultaneously.