What the Scaling Plan is
The FTMO Scaling Plan grows a funded trader’s account in steps of 25%, up to a ceiling of $2,000,000, without ever repeating the evaluation. It also carries the practical prize most traders actually care about: the upgrade from an 80% to a 90% profit split. Note that the $2,000,000 ceiling is counted across all of your FTMO accounts combined, not per account.
The payout mechanics around it are covered in the FTMO payout guide, and an industry-wide comparison of scaling programs is in prop firm scaling plans explained. This article digs into the FTMO program itself.
The four conditions
| Condition | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Time | at least 4 months as an FTMO Trader |
| Profit | at least 10% of the initial (or scaled) capital in total net profit |
| Payouts | at least 2 payouts processed |
| Balance | positive at the time of scale-up |
Meet all four and two things happen:
- Account size increases by 25% (e.g. $100,000 → $125,000)
- Profit split rises from 80% to 90%
The cycle then repeats: every 4 months in which you meet the conditions again, the account grows another 25%, compounding toward $2,000,000.
The increase is not applied automatically. You request it during the reward withdrawal process in the Client Area, and if approved, the scaled account is provided for the next trading period. One wording note: the official page says the boost comes “every active 4 months” without defining exactly how the cycle is counted, so treat your Client Area as the authority on where your own account stands.
The conditions in real numbers
On a $100,000 account, 10% over 4 months means $10,000 — an average of about 2.5% per month. Not impossible, but not trivial under conservative risk.
The condition traders most often miss is the two payouts. If you let profit sit in the account, you can hit 10% and still fail the review because you never withdrew. If you are targeting the Scaling Plan, schedule at least two payout requests inside each 4-month window.
Realistic timeline to $2M
Compounding +25% every 4 months, at the fastest possible pace:
| Elapsed | From $100K | From $200K |
|---|---|---|
| Start | $100,000 | $200,000 |
| 1 year (3 ups) | ~$195,000 | ~$390,000 |
| 2 years (6 ups) | ~$381,000 | ~$763,000 |
| 3 years (9 ups) | ~$745,000 | ~$1,490,000 |
| 3 years 8 months (11 ups) | ~$1,164,000 | $2,000,000 (cap) |
| 4 years 8 months (14 ups) | $2,000,000 (cap) | — |
So the cap takes 11 scale-ups and about 3 years 8 months from $200,000, or 14 scale-ups and about 4 years 8 months from $100,000. Those figures assume 44 to 56 straight months of averaging 2.5% per month with zero rule breaches — every missed cycle pushes them back, and very few traders will ever complete that run.
The 90% split, on the other hand, is achievable at the very first review, four months in. For most traders the real value of the plan is that upgrade and the first one or two boosts, not the $2M headline.
Payouts vs compounding
On a personal account, leaving profit in is compounding. A funded account works differently, and the Scaling Plan changes the usual calculus:
- Account growth comes from the fixed 25% boost, not from retained profit — leaving money on the account does not make the next scale-up bigger
- Two processed payouts are a requirement, so never withdrawing actually disqualifies you
- The profit condition is measured as total net profit and the balance condition is merely “positive”, so withdrawing does not undo your progress
Withdrawing and scaling are therefore complementary rather than in tension; the design pushes you toward taking payouts. The one genuine argument for leaving profit on the account (or using the 2-Step rollover option) is buffer: a balance sitting near the starting level is one bad drawdown away from breaching the Maximum Loss. A sensible middle path is keeping a few percent as cushion and withdrawing the rest. Since a breached account takes its balance with it, cash in your bank beats equity on a funded ledger.
Worth knowing separately: the Premium Programme and the Scaling Plan are independent programmes, and the official FAQ confirms you can take part in both at once.
Common misconceptions
”It scales automatically once you’re funded”
It does not. Each 4-month review requires 10% profit, 2 payouts, and a positive balance. An account that merely survives around breakeven never scales.
”Scaling means re-taking the evaluation”
No re-evaluation. It is a milestone system — you continue trading the same account after each increase.
”1-Step accounts get the same deal”
They do not. The official page labels the Scaling Plan “2-Step only”, and the split upgrade is unambiguously 2-Step-only: 1-Step accounts pay 90% from day one, so there is no split left to raise.
What the official pages do not say is whether the 25% balance boost itself is available on 1-Step accounts. The 1-Step product page advertises scaling the account up to $2,000,000 but gives no conditions. If long-term growth is central to your plan and you still want 1-Step, ask FTMO support before buying. The written, conditional path belongs to the 2-Step route, so that is the safer choice if you intend to grow one account for years. The trade-offs are laid out in FTMO account types.
”Loss limits stay based on the original size”
After scaling, the 5% daily and 10% maximum loss limits are recalculated on the new account size. Bigger account, bigger absolute swings — revisit your lot sizing after every scale-up.
FTMO vs The5%ers doubling model
The most common scaling comparison is with The5%ers.
| Item | FTMO Scaling Plan | The5%ers (Hyper Growth) |
|---|---|---|
| Step size | +25% | ×2 (doubling) |
| Trigger | 4 months + 10% profit + 2 payouts | reach a 10% milestone (no time gate) |
| Ceiling | $2,000,000 | $4,000,000 |
| Split trajectory | 80% → 90% | stepped, up to 100% |
Per milestone, The5%ers grows faster and reaches a higher ceiling; a trader who can produce 10% quickly compounds much sooner there because there is no 4-month clock. FTMO’s model is slower by design but sits on eleven years of operating history. Fast and aggressive versus steady and proven — pick by temperament. Details on the other side: The5%ers scaling explained.
A working routine for chasing the plan
- Size risk so that +2–3% per month is achievable without strain (0.5–1% per trade)
- Take one payout mid-window and one near the end to satisfy the 2-payout condition
- Do not force the 10% with oversized lots in the final weeks — that is exactly how 5% daily-loss breaches happen
- A missed cycle costs nothing; the account survives and the next 4-month window starts
Missing the conditions and losing the account are entirely different outcomes. Miss the conditions and you simply request the scale-up at a later payout once you qualify. Breach the 10% Maximum Loss or the 5% Maximum Daily Loss and the account ends, taking its scaling progress with it. The hardest part of the Scaling Plan is not hitting 10% — it is surviving several consecutive 4-month cycles without ever blowing up. The rules are covered in FTMO rules explained.
Conclusion
The FTMO Scaling Plan trades patience for predictability: clear conditions, +25% per cycle, and a realistic path to a 90% split within four months of being funded. The $2M ceiling is real but measured in years. As always, terms can change — confirm the current conditions on the official site.
Recommended prop firms
Two industry leaders, by use case:
The5%ers — skip the evaluation
Established 2016. Instant Funding starts without an evaluation phase, and the profit split climbs in steps up to 100%.
→ The5%ers official (coupon code “HZZS4”)
FTMO — the industry benchmark
Operating since 2015 with the industry’s largest published payout track record. The classic challenge-then-funded model.