Scaling plans explained: what grows and what does not

Every plan answers the same six questions, each in its own way:

• Condition: how much simulated profit in how much time, sometimes with extra hurdles such as payouts or profitable months.
• Pace: a fixed period, or every target reached.
• Step: a share of the original size, or a doubling.
• Cap: per account, across all accounts, and active at the same time.
• Side effects: split, loss limits or payout pace change along with it.
• Request: does the increase happen by itself, or do you have to ask for it?

The table shows each rule as it stands in the firm profile. Two rows show programmes of the same firms without a scaling plan.

FTMO

On its Scaling Plan page FTMO lists five requirements: an FTMO Account obtained through the 1-Step or 2-Step Challenge; at least 4 months as an FTMO Trader, counted from the start or the last scale-up; at least 10% net simulated profit above the starting balance within those 4 months; at least 2 processed payouts in the same period; a positive balance on the day of the scale-up. The plan explicitly does not apply to the FTMO Instant Account^[1].

Whether the 25% is calculated on the original or on the current size, the requirements do not say. The “Growth Path” example on the same page uses equal steps: an account of USD 400,000 stands at USD 500,000 after 4 months and USD 800,000 after 16 months, while the maximum loss grows from USD 40,000 to USD 80,000^[1]. For the split, the profile gives 80%, 90% with the Scaling Plan or Premium Programme^[17]. The scaling page adds that the 90% is “valid for 2-Step only”^[1].

The5ers

On High Stakes the account grows not by the calendar but with every target reached: at each 10% target (at least 3 profitable days) per table up to USD 500,000^[18]. A 100K account moves to USD 125,000 after its USD 110,000 target, and from there in steps up to USD 500,000^[3].

The split rises with size: 80% to 100%: 85% from USD 175,000, 90% from USD 250,000, 100% from USD 350,000 account size^[19]. From USD 350,000 the table also shows “$4,000 fixed payout”, at USD 500,000 “$10,000 fixed payout”, each with an asterisk. We did not find the note explaining the asterisk on the page; the programme overview speaks of a “monthly fixed payout”^[3].

Hyper Growth doubles: doubles at every 10% target, up to USD 4M^[20]. The table on the programme page doubles from USD 5,000 to USD 1,280,000 and then lists USD 4,000,000 as the last row. Target, maximum loss and daily pause stay the same in the pro stages^[4]. Per the FAQ, the split starts at 50% and rises to 100%^[5].

City Traders Imperium

At CTI the plan depends on the programme. On the 1-Step you need at least +10% profit over the last 4 months; withdrawals do not count against it. You also need to be profitable in at least 2 of those 4 months and in profit on the day of the scale-up. Each qualification adds +50% of the original size up to USD 100,000; from there it goes in smaller steps via USD 112,500 up to USD 200,000^[6].

On Instant Funding the account doubles: doubles at 10% net profit on the initial balance and a consistency score of at most 20%, up to USD 2M per account^[22]. At CTI the consistency score counts only for the scale-up, and on Instant Funding, per the help article, only from Level 2: “relevant from Level 2+”^[8]. How such rules are calculated is in the guide to consistency rules. The split rises with the level: 50% on Level 1, 70% on Level 2, 80% from Level 3^[7]. For the drawdown, the help page states “6% of the initial balance”. Whether the new size counts as the initial balance after a doubling, it does not say^[7].

Goat Funded Trader

GOAT scales in four levels: 4 levels on request: +15% to +50% of the original account size, after 2 to 6 months and 4 to 15 payouts^[24]. The split rises from 90% on Level 1 to 95% on Level 4. It is always calculated on the original account size, even if accounts were merged. Nothing happens by itself: you request the scale-up from support^[10].

From Level 3, GOAT lists a “Monthly Salary” of USD 300 (5K to 50K) or USD 500 (100K to 200K)^[10]. “Salary” sounds like employment. In its FAQ, though, GOAT describes the compensation as that of an “independent contractor”^[11].

Blue Guardian

Blue Guardian states a single rule: with 12% profit in 3 months +30% of the initial size, up to USD 4M^[25]. Per the help article you must follow all trading rules along the way, and the 30% refers to the original size^[12].

Keep two caps apart: at most USD 400,000 may be active at the same time across post-evaluation and Instant accounts combined (evaluation accounts do not count), while the scaling plan grows the allocation “over time” up to USD 4,000,000^[12]. Whether a scale-up requires payouts, and whether the split changes, the article does not say^[12].

Tradeify: contracts instead of account size

In futures, “scaling” can mean something else. On Tradeify Select it is not the account size that grows but the number of contracts allowed: contract limits rise with end-of-day profit: start at 1 / 2 / 3 / 3 minis (25K / 50K / 100K / 150K), at most 2 / 4 / 8 / 12 minis^[26]. For Growth, by contrast: no scaling plan, full position size from day one^[27]. So check whether a plan means the size of the account or the size of your position.

Suppose you hold a simulated account of 100,000 after passing the evaluation and meet every condition at the earliest possible moment. Here is the first step:

The right-hand column is simulated; more on that in the next section. Money moves only through your share of a simulated profit, when the firm pays it under its rules. At FTMO and GOAT, even the first step requires payouts^[1][10]. If you never get that far, the plan does nothing for you.

More simulated balance is not more money. CTI's terms say the fictitious funds are not real and cannot be used for real trading; you are not entitled to any payout of them^[9]. FTMO states that all trading on its platform is simulated, the FTMO Account included^[2]. An FTMO Account of USD 2,000,000 is therefore a bigger number on a simulated account, not wealth you control^[1].

The words on scaling pages are not always the words of the terms. CTI's help page on Instant Funding says “Real funding from the start — no simulation or test”^[7]. The same firm's terms say all accounts are simulated demo accounts and no live capital is traded^[9]. The CTI profile therefore lists the account as a simulated account^[23]. GOAT's scaling page speaks of the “live funded phase”^[10]; its FAQ, by contrast, describes a fully simulated account with virtual funds: “We never issue real funds”^[11].

Austria's FMA notes that the same offer on the same platform is often interpreted in very different ways. This can stem, among other things, from a lack of transparency about whether actual trading takes place or only a simulation^[14].

A live account does not take over the simulated balance. Tradeify may move traders to a live account at its own discretion; the profile lists the account type as simulated account first, possibly a live account later^[28]. Per the help article, that live account starts with a balance of USD 0 and no simulated profit carries over^[13].

A bigger account also means bigger amounts on the loss side. If the percentages stay the same, as at The5ers Hyper Growth^[4], the amount the next target asks for grows with the account, and so does the amount at which the account ends. At GOAT the loss limits are also raised per level^[10]. Recalculate the limits after every scale-up before you change your position size.

1. 1Does the plan cover your programme? At FTMO not the Instant Account^[1]; at Tradeify Growth: no scaling plan, full position size from day one^[27]. Whether GOAT scales Instant accounts, its scaling page does not say; it names only 1 Step and 2 Step^[10].
2. 2What is the step based on? GOAT and Blue Guardian calculate on the original size^[10][12]. FTMO's requirements do not say; the example on the page shows equal steps^[1].
3. 3Are payouts required? FTMO wants at least 2 within the 4-month period^[1], GOAT 4 to 15 depending on the level^[10].
4. 4Which cap applies? Per account, in total and active at the same time can be different figures, as at CTI^[6] and Blue Guardian^[12].
5. 5What changes besides size? At GOAT, for instance, Level 2 and Level 3 list weekly payouts^[10]. At The5ers Hyper Growth the 14-day payout cycle restarts with every scaled account^[4].
6. 6Automatic or on request? At GOAT on request^[10]. Note the date you met the conditions, and ask in writing when two pages of the same firm say different things.

The payout calculator shows what is left of a simulated profit after split and fees. After a scale-up, use the drawdown calculator with the new size to see where the floor now sits. What “funded” means at these firms is explained in “Funded” explained. The full rules are in the profiles of FTMO, The5ers, City Traders Imperium, Goat Funded Trader, Blue Guardian and Tradeify.