A prop firm pays you a share of the profit on your funded account, but the profit split is the smallest part of the answer. Before the split applies, most firms make you clear a buffer, log a set number of qualifying days, pass a consistency check, and stay under a per-request cap. Those rules decide when you get paid and how much, and they vary far more across the 18 firms we track than the split does.
Payout split and timing, firm by firm
"Trader keeps" is the range of splits each firm quotes across its plans. Hover it for the firm's full wording, or open the firm for caps, minimums, and sources.
| Firm | Trader keeps | Payout timing |
|---|---|---|
| Topstep | 90% | XFA Standard: after 5 winning days of $150+ net (non-consecutive). XFA Consistency: after 3 trading days with at least 1 trade each. LFA: 5 winning days of $150+ per cycle; daily payouts unlock after 30 winning LFA days. |
| Apex Trader Funding | 90% to 100% | After 5 qualifying trading days per payout (weekly at the fastest); maximum 6 payouts per PA, after which the PA closes. |
| MyFundedFutures | 80% to 90% | Rapid and Rapid EOD: daily (every 24 hours). Builder: every 48 hours, 2 qualifying days per cycle. Pro: first request 14 calendar days after the first funded trade, then bi-weekly. |
| Tradeify | 80% to 90% | Growth: after 5 profitable days meeting the daily minimum. Select Flex: every 5 winning days. Select Daily: daily. Lightning: whenever the cycle profit goal and consistency rule are met (pricing card lists 5 days). Payments issued within 24-48 hours of approval (homepage advertises 1-hour payouts). |
| Take Profit Trader | 80% to 90% | Daily, from day one of PRO (no payout windows). Account-to-wallet withdrawals on Tradovate PRO accounts are automated and take seconds; wallet-to-bank requests are reviewed within up to 12 business hours. |
| Lucid Trading | 90% | No payout windows: request any day once eligible (LucidDaily daily). Approved payouts are deducted within minutes and disbursed within 2 business days; site advertises about 15 minutes from request to bank. |
| Alpha Futures | 80% to 90% | Up to 4 times per month; Zero, Standard and Advanced after every 5 winning days of $200+ (non-consecutive). Direct after hitting its per-cycle profit target and 20% consistency. Requests processed in 48 business hours or less per site FAQ. |
| Bulenox | 90% to 100% | Master Account: processed weekly on Wednesdays, each payout needs 10 new trading days. Fast Track and Momentum Master: requests processed the same day (weekday requests before 12:01 PM CT for Fast Track). |
| TradeDay | 50% to 90% | Quick Pay Funded Sim: any time the account shows positive profit (day-one payouts, no buffer). Fast Pass Funded Sim: once per cycle of 5 profitable trading days meeting the tier's daily minimum. Requests before 5:30 pm CT processed within 24 business hours. |
| Earn2Trade | 50% to 80% | Weekly: processed on Wednesdays; requests must be emailed to the prop firm by 2:00 pm CT the preceding Friday. |
| Elite Trader Funding | 80% to 100% | Elite Sim-Funded: once per cycle after the required Active Trade Days (8 in cycle 1, 10 after on standard plans; 5 to 20 on DTF). Rewards approved daily Mon-Fri from 3 pm ET and paid in Monday and Wednesday batches via Rise. LIVE ELITE: daily on business days (requests before 1 pm ET prioritized same day). |
| FundedNext Futures | 80% to 95% | Flex and Legacy: every 5 benchmark days. Rapid Pro: every 3 days. Rapid Daily: daily once eligible. Processing guaranteed within 24 hours or FundedNext adds $1,000 to the reward. Live: daily withdrawals. |
| Top One Futures | 80% to 90% | Elite Daily: any trading day. Elite ACCESS and Elite ACCESS Intraday: on demand once 5 qualifying profitable days are logged. Instant Sim Funded: whenever the payout target and 20% consistency are met (the site advertises 5-day payouts). Ignite: whenever the 5% target and 15% consistency are met. Live accounts: every 24 hours. |
| Funded Futures Network | 80% to 90% | Same day once eligible on Standard MAX (no fixed cycle). STEADY: every 5 winning days. Live-funded: daily, same-day. |
| Funded Futures Family | 80% to 90% | Prime and Velocity every 3 trading days; Premier+ every 5 qualifying days; S2F Standard after 7 qualifying days; S2F Accelerate after 5. A qualifying day needs at least $200 of profit. Velocity with the Daily Payout add-on allows one request a day. Approved payouts go through Rise and are sent within 24 hours (crypto same day to 24 hours, bank 1 to 3 business days). |
| Phidias Propfirm | 75% to 100% | Fundamental: every 10 qualifying trading days. Premium: every 5 qualifying trading days. E2L: one bonus when the CASH target is hit, then LIVE payouts every day. Payouts go to the Phidias Wallet and out via Rise; the site claims 90% are processed within 30 minutes. |
| DayTraders.com | 80% to 100% | Pro: minimum 8 qualifying days between requests. S2F: 10 qualifying days. Live: daily. Requests approved before 5:00 PM ET are processed the same day, via Plane. |
| FTMO Futures | 90% | Once per payout cycle: Growth after 4 qualifying days, Pro after 5 (FTMO lists this as every 4 days and every 5 days). Live Funded accounts can request payouts daily once a one-time buffer is cleared. |
Why the headline split misleads
Of the 18 firms, 5 quote a trader share that reaches 100%. In each case the top number comes with a condition that decides what you actually receive:
| Firm | Trader keeps | What limits it |
|---|---|---|
| Apex Trader Funding | 90% to 100% | Per-request caps rise with payout number (50K EOD: $1,500 on the first), and a Performance Account closes after 6 payouts. |
| Bulenox | 90% to 100% | 100% covers the first $10,000 in payouts, counted once per trader. After that, 90/10. |
| Elite Trader Funding | 80% to 100% | Sim rewards are capped at $25,000 cumulative per trader, and each cycle has its own maximum (50K End of Day: $1,250 in cycle 1). |
| Phidias Propfirm | 75% to 100% | Premium starts at 75% and reaches 100% only from the 5th payout. Fundamental is 80/20. |
| DayTraders.com | 80% to 100% | Pro caps each request ($2,000 on 50K) and needs 8 qualifying days between requests. |
Some splits also depend on how much you withdraw. Earn2Trade pays 50% on any single withdrawal below a threshold and 80% at or above it ($2,250 on a 50K), so small, frequent withdrawals cost you 30 points of split. TradeDay Quick Pay pays 50/50 on the first $4,000 of profit in each account and 80/20 above it.
Buffers and safety nets: profit you can't withdraw
A buffer is profit that has to stay in the account. Until your balance clears it, you can't withdraw anything, and after that only the profit above it can come out. The point is to keep a full drawdown of room between your balance and your loss floor after the money leaves.
The most common shape is the drawdown plus $100, used on at least some plans at Apex Trader Funding, MyFundedFutures, Lucid Trading, Elite Trader Funding, and FundedNext Futures. Take Profit Trader and Funded Futures Network set the buffer equal to the max drawdown ($52,000 on a Take Profit Trader 50K PRO account). Others use a fixed level: Bulenox Master accounts keep a Safety Threshold Reserve of $2,600 above the start on a 50K, and Phidias Propfirm and DayTraders.com set a $52,600 minimum balance to request on a 50K. Earn2Trade has no buffer on funded accounts, and some plans elsewhere skip it too: LucidFlex at Lucid Trading, Flex at FundedNext Futures, and Quick Pay at TradeDay, which still won't let you withdraw below the starting balance.
Worked example
| Hypothetical 50K, $2,000 drawdown | Up $2,000 | Up $3,500 |
|---|---|---|
| Balance | $52,000 | $53,500 |
| Buffer level ($50,000 + $2,000 + $100) | $52,100 | $52,100 |
| Withdrawable (balance minus buffer level) | $0 | $1,400 |
| Your 90% of it | $0 | $1,260 |
| Balance after the payout | $52,000 | $52,100 |
Up $2,000, you can't withdraw a dollar: $52,000 is still under the $52,100 buffer. Up $3,500, only $1,400 can come out, and a 90/10 split puts $1,260 in your pocket. The other $2,100 of profit stays in the account as the buffer.
At Take Profit Trader, money inside the buffer can only be taken by closing the PRO account, and then only 50% of it within the first 60 trading days (80% after). A percentage cap can do a buffer's job: neither Topstep nor Alpha Futures states a buffer in our data, but Topstep caps each request at 50% of the balance and Alpha Futures at 50% of profit, so part of every gain stays in the account either way.
Winning days and payout timing
Some firms pay any day you're eligible. Take Profit Trader pays daily from the first day of PRO, Lucid Trading has no payout windows, and the Rapid plans at MyFundedFutures pay every 24 hours. Most others pay per cycle, and the cycle is counted in days that meet a minimum profit:
| Firm | Days per payout | A day counts if it makes |
|---|---|---|
| Topstep | 5 winning days (Standard path) | $150+ net |
| Apex Trader Funding | 5 qualifying days | $250 on a 50K EOD PA, $200 on Intraday |
| Alpha Futures | 5 winning days (Zero, Standard, Advanced) | $200+ |
| Bulenox | 10 new trading days (Master) | No profit minimum stated |
| TradeDay | 5 profitable days (Fast Pass) | $100 to $250 by tier |
| Elite Trader Funding | 8 Active Trade Days in cycle 1, then 10 (standard plans) | $200+ realized, and at least 23% of the best day |
| FundedNext Futures | 5 benchmark days (Flex) | $200 on 50K |
| Top One Futures | 5 qualifying days (Elite ACCESS) | $200 to $350 by size |
| Funded Futures Family | Every 3 trading days (Prime, Velocity) or 5 qualifying days (Premier+) | $200+ |
| Phidias Propfirm | 10 (Fundamental) or 5 (Premium) qualifying days | $150 on 50K |
| DayTraders.com | 8 qualifying days (Pro) | The size's minimum daily profit |
| FTMO Futures | 4 (Growth) or 5 (Pro) qualifying days | $150 to $500 by size |
A day that misses the minimum by a few dollars doesn't count, and at Topstep the $150 is net, so commissions can push a day under. The journal in CrossTrade (from our publisher) tracks P&L by day on NinjaTrader 8 and Tradovate accounts, which makes qualifying days easier to count. The firm's own dashboard is what counts, so treat any journal as a cross-check, and check your firm's rules on connecting third-party tools.
Processing adds its own calendar. Earn2Trade processes withdrawals on Wednesdays, and requests must reach the partner firm by 2:00 pm CT the Friday before. Bulenox Master payouts are also processed weekly on Wednesdays.
Consistency checks at payout time
Of the 18 firms, 15 apply a best-day rule to at least some payouts, with limits from 15% to 50% of the cycle's profit. Take Profit Trader, Earn2Trade, and FTMO Futures have none on funded accounts. The math is the same everywhere: divide your best day by the limit to get the profit you need. Under a 40% rule, a $1,000 best day means you need at least $2,500 of cycle profit ($1,000 / 0.40) before you can request.
Some limits tighten as you go. Tradeify's Lightning accounts and Bulenox's Fast Track step from 20% on the first payout to 25% and then 30%. The full math, and how to recover from one big day, is in consistency rules explained.
Caps, and accounts that stop paying
Per-request caps are common on sim-funded accounts. On a 50K, Topstep's Standard path caps a request at $2,000, and Apex Trader Funding's EOD Performance Account starts at $1,500 and rises to $3,000 by the sixth payout. Funded Futures Network adds a user-level cap of $10,000 per payout event across all your accounts. Take Profit Trader is one exception: no maximum withdrawal on its PRO accounts once the buffer is built.
Some accounts also have a lifetime limit, after which they close or move on:
- Apex Trader Funding: Maximum 6 payouts per Performance Account, then the account closes.
- MyFundedFutures: Builder allows 5 sim payouts in total. Pro caps sim payouts at $100,000 per user.
- Lucid Trading: LucidFlex allows 5 payouts per account.
- TradeDay: Quick Pay Funded Sim pauses at $10,000 gross profit for Funded Live review, and profit above $10,000 is forfeited.
- Elite Trader Funding: Sim rewards stop at $25,000 cumulative per trader, which triggers the move to LIVE ELITE.
- FundedNext Futures: Flex, Rapid Pro, Rapid Daily and FNL:003 accounts conclude after 5 rewards.
- Funded Futures Family: The firm states a $100,000 total payout cap per user.
A payout-count limit changes the math on an account. Six capped payouts is a ceiling on what one account can ever pay, however well you trade it.
Fees that come out of a payout
- FundedNext Futures charges a processing fee of up to 3.5% on every reward.
- Take Profit Trader charges $50 on wallet withdrawals of $250 or less.
- Topstep charges $30 for ACH or wire, and nothing for Aeropay, Wise, or prop-to-brokerage transfers.
- Earn2Trade deducts its $139 LiveSim activation fee (non-professional traders) from your first withdrawal, and payment providers charge their own fees (Rise: $50 outside the US, 1.5% in the US).
- TradeDay charges $15 for international wires; US wires are free.
- Funded Futures Network charges no payout fees.
The path to live capital
Live capital usually comes by review, not by right. Apex Trader Funding's live program is invitation only, Topstep's is a discretionary call-up, and Take Profit Trader grants PRO+ at its sole discretion. A few firms set a trigger: TradeDay Fast Pass moves you to Funded Live on the 5th payout request, MyFundedFutures Rapid moves you after a $10,000 net-profit day, and Elite Trader Funding moves you after 5 rewards, 50 Active Trade Days, or $25,000 in rewards.
Read what the move costs before you celebrate it:
- Sim accounts close. At Apex Trader Funding, Topstep, Lucid Trading, and Alpha Futures, moving live closes your remaining sim-funded accounts.
- Sim profits may not transfer. Funded Futures Network accounts bought after the July 1, 2026 close forfeit sim-funded profits on the move, and Bulenox Master profits don't transfer.
- Live often starts at $0. Apex Trader Funding, Lucid Trading, Alpha Futures, and TradeDay open live accounts at a $0 balance with the drawdown below it. Topstep makes only 20% of the transferred balance tradable at first.
- Saying no has a price. Declining live ends the relationship at Alpha Futures and closes the Master account at Bulenox.
Payout rules are only half of choosing a firm. For the evaluation side, see how evaluations work, and use the compare tool to line up three firms' payout terms side by side.
Questions traders ask
Is a prop firm payout real money if the funded account is simulated?
Why can't I withdraw my profit yet?
Does taking a payout change my drawdown?
Which firms pay out daily?
Prop firm rules change often. Figures here were checked against each firm's own site on the date shown on its firm page; confirm the current terms with the firm before you buy. Nothing here is financial advice.