Withdrawal Thresholds and Requirements for Prop Firm Traders
Every prop firm requires you to hit certain thresholds before you’re allowed to withdraw profit. These rules are separate from payout schedules and exist to filter out gamblers who get lucky once. If you don’t understand these requirements, you’ll request a payout too early and get denied instantly.
The Three Withdrawal Requirements Most Firms Use
Almost every futures prop firm checks the same three things before approving withdrawals:
- Minimum profit amount
- Minimum number of active trading days
- No rule violations since the last payout
It doesn’t matter how good your trades looked on your statement. If you miss one requirement, you wait until the next payout window.
Minimum Profit Thresholds
Before a withdrawal is allowed, you must exceed a certain profit amount above your starting balance.
| Account Size | Typical Withdrawal Threshold |
|---|---|
| $50,000 | $100–$250 profit |
| $100,000 | $200–$350 profit |
| $150,000+ | $300–$500 profit |
This is not the same thing as the profit target to pass an evaluation. That has its own structure covered in the upcoming profit target calculation article.
Minimum Trading Day Requirements
Prop firms don’t want someone passing the evaluation, hitting one big trade, and cashing out immediately. So they require a certain number of trading days before your withdrawal request is eligible.
- 3–5 days (aggressive firms)
- 7–10 days (standard)
- 15+ days (strict firms)
These don’t need to be winning days. They just need to be real trading days.
Consistency Requirements
Some prop firms check your consistency before allowing a withdrawal. That means:
- Your average size can’t change dramatically
- Your winning days must be balanced (not 1 giant day and 9 tiny ones)
- Your behavior must match what you did during the evaluation
Consistency rules are explained in more detail in your upcoming **Consistency Rules Explained** article.
No Violations Before Withdrawal
The firm checks your account before sending money. If you broke any of the following after your last payout:
- Trailing drawdown
- Daily loss limit
- Weekend holding rules
- Max position size
- Trading during restricted news
Your withdrawal gets denied. It doesn’t matter if the account is profitable—violations block payouts until the next cycle.
Withdrawal Caps
Many firms cap the first few withdrawals to prevent traders from yanking too much money out too early:
- $1,000–$2,000 cap
- Percentage caps (20–40%)
- Fixed caps for the first 1–3 payouts
Caps usually drop once you reach their higher-tier account stage, like a paid performance account.
Proof-of-Identity Requirements
Before they send money, firms require:
- Government ID
- Address verification
- Account verification through their payout provider
If anything is mismatched or missing, your payout is delayed until the issue is fixed.
Final Takeaway
Withdrawal thresholds exist because prop firms want stable, rule-following traders—not one-hit wonders. If you hit the minimum profits, trade enough days, and avoid violations, your withdrawal goes through without drama. Fail one requirement and you wait for the next payout cycle.