Passing the FTMO Challenge gets you a funded account where you trade with the firm’s capital and keep 80-90% of the profits. That is the part every trader focuses on. The part that matters more is what does not change: the daily loss limit, the max drawdown, and the risk management rules still apply. Breach them on the funded account and you lose the account, same as failing the challenge.
The profit split is real. Payouts process every 14 days with 1-2 business day turnaround. The challenge fee is refunded in full on your first payout. But the funded account is not a license to print money. It is a trading job with risk limits, and the traders who treat it like one are the ones who keep it.
This page covers everything that changes and everything that stays the same after you pass.
Key Takeaways
- The funded account is where you earn real money. The profit target goes away, but the daily loss limit and max drawdown rules carry over. Breach them and the account closes permanently.
- The 1-Step pays 90% from day one. The 2-Step pays 80% base, scaling to 90% through the Scaling Plan. Payouts process every 14 days via Skrill, bank wire, or crypto.
- After your first payout, a 1% risk-per-trade-idea rule kicks in. This is a post-payout rule that does not exist during the challenge. It catches traders who sized up after passing.
- The Scaling Plan grows your account by 25% every 4 months up to $2M. The Premium Programme (Prime, Supreme, Quantlane) rewards long-term consistency with higher splits and more capital.
- The most common funded account mistake is overleveraging after passing. Traders treat the funded account like a green light to double position sizes. The daily loss limit does not care that you passed.
On This Page
What Is an FTMO Funded Account?
An FTMO Funded Account is a simulated trading account backed by FTMO’s capital. You trade under the firm’s risk rules, and you keep a percentage of the profits you generate. The account is not a live brokerage account in your name. It is a demo environment where FTMO mirrors your trades and pays you based on the results.
The distinction matters because some traders expect to receive a live MT5 account with real money in it. You do not. You trade on a demo account that FTMO manages, and the firm pays you from its own funds based on your performance. This is the standard prop firm model, and FTMO has been doing it since 2015 with $500M+ in verified payouts.
The funded account activates after you complete the challenge. There is no additional interview, no extra verification phase, and no extra fee. You pass the challenge, you get the funded account, you start trading and earning.
Account sizes mirror the challenge sizes: $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K, and $200K. The size you chose for the challenge is the size of your funded account.
If this page answered your questions, the next step is checking current pricing for your target account size. FTMO's fee is 100% refundable on your first funded payout.
Funded Account Rules
Here is what changes and what does not when you move from the challenge to the funded account.
| Rule | Challenge | Funded Account |
|---|---|---|
| Profit target | 10% (1-Step) or 10%/5% (2-Step) | None |
| Daily loss limit | 3% (1-Step) / 5% (2-Step) | Same as challenge |
| Max drawdown | 10% trailing (1-Step) / 10% static (2-Step) | Same as challenge |
| Best Day Rule | Applies on 1-Step | Does not apply |
| News trading | Restricted (Standard) | Restricted (Standard) |
| Weekend holds | Prohibited (Standard) | Prohibited (Standard) |
| 1% risk-per-trade | Does not apply | Applies after first payout |
| Time limit | None | None |
The profit target goes away. That is the headline benefit. You no longer need to hit a specific percentage to get paid. Every profitable trading day contributes to your next payout.
But the daily loss and max drawdown rules carry over unchanged. On a $100K 1-Step funded account, the daily loss limit is still 3% ($3,000) and the max drawdown is still 10% trailing. On a $100K 2-Step funded account, the daily loss is still 5% ($5,000) and the max drawdown is still 10% static.
The Best Day Rule that applies during the 1-Step challenge does not apply on the funded account. Once you are funded, you can have one massive day without worrying about the consistency cap.
After your first payout, FTMO enforces a 1% risk-per-trade-idea rule. This means your maximum risk on any single trade idea cannot exceed 1% of the account balance.
On a $100K account, 1% is $1,000. If your stop loss is 50 pips on EUR/USD, your maximum position size is 2 standard lots. If you normally trade 5 lots with a 50-pip stop, you need to cut your size by more than half.
This rule does not exist during the challenge. Traders who pass with aggressive sizing and then maintain that sizing on the funded account can breach the 1% rule on their first post-payout trade. The account closes. The trader writes an angry Trustpilot review. The rule was in the terms the whole time.
Plan your position sizes for the funded account before you start the challenge. If your challenge sizing does not fit the 1% rule, you are training yourself on sizing that will get your funded account closed.
Profit Split: What You Actually Keep
The profit split depends on which challenge path you passed.
| Challenge Path | Base Split | Scaling Plan Split | Premium Programme Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Step Challenge | 90% | 90% (no change) | 90% (already at max) |
| 2-Step Challenge | 80% | 90% after Scaling Plan qualification | 90% at Prime Status |
On the 1-Step, you start at 90% and stay at 90%. It is the highest base split in the FTMO ecosystem and one of the highest in the retail prop industry.
On the 2-Step, you start at 80% and can scale to 90% through the Scaling Plan or by reaching Prime Status in the Premium Programme. The upgrade is not automatic. You need 4 months of consistent profitability to trigger it.
What this means in dollar terms on a $100K account generating 5% monthly returns:
- 1-Step at 90%: $5,000 monthly profit = $4,500 to you, $500 to FTMO.
- 2-Step at 80%: $5,000 monthly profit = $4,000 to you, $1,000 to FTMO.
- 2-Step at 90% (after scaling): $5,000 monthly profit = $4,500 to you, $500 to FTMO.
The 10% difference between 80% and 90% is real money. On a $200K account generating 5% monthly, it is $1,000 per month. Over a year, that is $12,000. The Scaling Plan upgrade to 90% is worth chasing if you are on the 2-Step.
There is no minimum profit required for a payout. You can withdraw any positive balance above the withdrawal threshold. The fee refund is added to your first payout.
Before you pick a challenge type or account size, run your strategy through the FTMO free trial for 14 days. The dashboard shows your drawdown in real time. If you breach the daily loss on the trial, you just saved yourself the entry fee.
Payout Schedule and Methods
FTMO pays every 14 days from your first trading day. The processing time is 1-2 business days. That is the standard cadence and it is among the fastest in the retail prop industry.
Payout Methods
| Method | Processing Time | Minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skrill | 1-2 business days | Varies | Fastest for non-US traders |
| Bank wire | 1-2 business days | $20 | Standard for large withdrawals |
| Cryptocurrency | 1-2 business days | $50 | USDT/USDC on major chains |
The first payout includes your 100% challenge fee refund. On a $100K 2-Step, that is an extra €439 added to your first withdrawal. On a $100K 1-Step, it is €499.
The KYC process on the first payout is where friction happens. Multiple Trustpilot reviews from 2025-2026 mention KYC taking longer than expected, particularly for non-EU traders. Documents get rejected, address proofs get re-requested, and the payout window extends from the advertised 1-2 business days to 5-7 business days while KYC clears. This is not a scam signal. It is a friction signal. Have your documents ready before you request the first payout.
Subsequent payouts are faster because the KYC is already cleared.
Payout Math: What You Actually Receive
Here is a concrete example on a $100K 2-Step account. Assume you generate 5% profit ($5,000) in your first payout period:
- Profit split at 80%: $4,000 to you
- Challenge fee refund: €439 (approximately $475 at current rates)
- Total first payout: approximately $4,475
For subsequent payouts (no fee refund):
- Profit split at 80%: $4,000 to you per 14-day period at 5% returns
- After Scaling Plan upgrade to 90%: $4,500 to you per period
The Scaling Plan: Growing Your Capital
The FTMO Scaling Plan grows your funded account by 25% every 4 months, up to a $2,000,000 ceiling. The qualification is consistent profitability over the scaling period.
How It Works
Every 4 months, FTMO evaluates your account. If you have been consistently profitable, your account balance increases by 25%. The daily loss limit and max drawdown scale proportionally with the new balance.
Here is the growth trajectory from a $100K starting balance:
| Period | Account Size | Daily Loss (2-Step, 5%) | Max DD (2-Step, 10%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | $100,000 | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| Month 4 | $125,000 | $6,250 | $12,500 |
| Month 8 | $156,250 | $7,813 | $15,625 |
| Month 12 | $195,313 | $9,766 | $19,531 |
| Month 16 | $244,141 | $12,207 | $24,414 |
At 25% compound growth every 4 months, it takes roughly 12-16 months to reach the $2M cap from a $100K starting balance. Most traders who reach the ceiling do so by generating consistent 2-3% monthly profit, not by catching one big month.
What the Scaling Plan Requires
The qualification criteria for each scale-up: consistent profitability over the 4-month period, no account breaches, and payouts processed on schedule. FTMO does not publish a specific minimum profit threshold for the scale-up, but the pattern of consistent positive returns is the signal.
The 2-Step base split upgrades from 80% to 90% when you qualify for the Scaling Plan. This is the path to the 90% split on the 2-Step. Without the Scaling Plan qualification, the 2-Step stays at 80% indefinitely.
Starting at $200K costs €999 on the 1-Step or €1,080 on the 2-Step. Growing from $100K to $200K through the Scaling Plan costs €499 (1-Step) or €439 (2-Step) and takes 4-8 months.
The Scaling Plan route is cheaper but slower. The direct $200K route is faster but more expensive and carries a higher absolute dollar risk from day one.
For traders who are not sure they can manage $200K of risk on day one, starting at $100K and scaling up is the safer path. The Scaling Plan forces you to prove you can handle the risk before giving you more capital.
Common Funded Account Mistakes
The funded account is where the money is. It is also where most traders lose it. Here are the five mistakes that close funded accounts.
1. Overleveraging After Passing
The most common mistake. Traders pass the challenge with conservative sizing, get the funded account, and immediately double their position sizes because “it is real money now.” The daily loss limit does not care that you passed. One oversized trade in the wrong direction and the account is gone.
The fix: trade the same size on the funded account as you did on the challenge. If your challenge sizing worked, keep it. If it did not work, you would not have passed.
2. Ignoring the 1% Risk Rule After First Payout
The 1% risk-per-trade-idea rule kicks in after your first payout. Traders who do not adjust their sizing breach this rule on their first post-payout trade. The account closes.
The fix: calculate your maximum position size under the 1% rule before you start the funded account. If your normal sizing does not fit, adjust down before the first trade.
3. Treating the Funded Account Like a Challenge
The challenge has a profit target. The funded account does not. Traders who carry the “hit the target” mentality into the funded account take unnecessary risks to reach a number that does not exist anymore.
The fix: shift from “hit the target” to “consistent daily P&L.” On the funded account, 1% per day with no daily loss breaches is worth more than 5% one day and -3% the next. Consistency keeps the account. Volatility kills it.
4. Not Planning for Drawdowns
The challenge rewards you for hitting the target quickly. The funded account rewards you for surviving long enough to get paid. Traders who do not plan for losing streaks on the funded account get caught by the max drawdown during their first rough patch.
The fix: have a drawdown management plan. If you are down 5% on the funded account, reduce position sizes. If you are down 8%, pause trading for the day. The max drawdown is not a suggestion. It is a hard stop.
5. Skipping KYC Preparation
The first payout requires full KYC. Traders who wait until payout day to gather documents face delays. Non-EU traders face longer processing times.
The fix: complete your KYC documents as soon as your funded account is active. Have your ID, proof of address, and any other required documents uploaded and verified before you request the first payout.
Premium Programme: Prime, Supreme, Quantlane
The Premium Programme is FTMO’s loyalty ladder. It is not a marketing badge. It is a real status with real perks that compound over time.
Prime Status
Achieve 4 rewards on a single account, each at 4%+ profitability, with no failed accounts in the last 4 months. The perks:
- One free FTMO Challenge of the same size
- 90% reward split (overrides the base 80% on 2-Step)
- Max capital allocation raised to $400K per strategy ($600K across strategies)
- 10% discount on all new FTMO Challenges
- 15% off the FTMO e-shop
- 5% bonus on the rollover amount for the next account
- Dedicated customer support agent
The free challenge alone is worth €89-€1,080 depending on account size. The 90% split on the 2-Step is worth thousands per year on a consistently profitable account.
Supreme Status
Hold a $400K demo FTMO Account for at least 3 months at Prime Status, with 3+ rewards at 4%+ profitability. The perks:
- $1M max capital allocation
- No Maximum Daily Loss
- Immediate reward payouts
- Option to move to Quantlane (subject to passing their assessment)
The removal of the daily loss limit at Supreme is the single most valuable perk in the programme. It transforms the account from a strict risk-managed environment to a trust-based environment where you manage your own risk.
Quantlane
The apex tier. FTMO’s affiliated proprietary trading firm. Elite traders who reach Quantlane can negotiate a fixed salary, relocation package, and access to institutional-grade trading tools. This is the long-term career path that the Premium Programme builds toward.
Most funded traders will never reach Quantlane. That is fine. Prime Status is achievable for any consistently profitable trader, and the perks at Prime are meaningful enough to justify staying with FTMO long-term.
The funded account is where the real money is. Trade it like a job, not like a lottery ticket, and the payouts will follow.
