Prop firm marketing shows the biggest payouts. The realistic number comes from four inputs you can estimate yourself: account size, monthly return, profit split and how many months you keep the account.

The formula

Monthly payout = account size × monthly return × split. Annual income = monthly payout × the months you stay funded.

How Much Can You Realistically Make With a Prop Firm?. The formula; What the firms publish; The factor that matters most: staying funded; How the ceiling rises
What this guide covers: 4 key sections at a glance.
Monthly return$50,000 at 80%$100,000 at 80%$100,000 at 90%$200,000 at 90%
1%$400$800$900$1,800
2%$800$1,600$1,800$3,600
3%$1,200$2,400$2,700$5,400

Two per cent a month, every month, without breaching a 5 per cent daily or 10 per cent maximum loss limit, is a strong professional result. Most traders who manage it do so with small risk per trade and many flat or losing months along the way.

What the firms publish

FTMO’s pricing table shows an “average reward” for each 2-Step account size: €680 for $10,000, €1,431 for $25,000, €2,805 for $50,000, €5,957 for $100,000 and €12,234 for $200,000. FTMO does not say there over what period these averages run, so read them as its own indication rather than a monthly figure. They are averages among traders who are paid, and Topstep’s figures are a reminder of how many are not: in 2025, 33.3 per cent of its funded participants received a payout.

The factor that matters most: staying funded

A trader making 2 per cent a month on $100,000 at 80 per cent earns $1,600 a month, or $19,200 a year, only if they keep the account all year. Lose it in month three and the year is $4,800, less the cost of passing again. Survival is worth more than return.

Illustrative example: a realistic first year

A trader passes a $100,000 2-Step in month two, makes 1.5 per cent in months three to six, breaches in month seven, re-passes by month nine and makes 1 per cent a month to year end. Payouts: four months at $1,200 and three at $800, about $7,200, against two fees of €540 each with one refunded. That is a good year for a funded trader, and far below the marketing.

How the ceiling rises

  • Scaling plans: FTMO adds 25 per cent to the account every four months for traders who make 10 per cent and take two payouts in that time.
  • Several accounts: firms allow combined funding up to a cap, which multiplies both income and risk.
  • A higher split: FTMO’s 2-Step rises from 80 to 90 per cent through scaling.

Use our prop firm calculator to plug in your own account size, return and split.

Frequently asked

How much do prop firm traders make?

Account size times monthly return times split. At 2 per cent a month on a $100,000 account with an 80 per cent split, that is $1,600 a month, but only for the months you keep the account. Many funded traders are never paid: Topstep reports 33.3 per cent of its funded participants received a payout in 2025.

What is a realistic monthly return on a prop account?

One to two per cent a month, sustained without breaching the loss limits, is a strong result. Higher returns usually require more risk, which makes losing the account more likely.

What is FTMO's average reward?

FTMO's pricing table shows an average reward per 2-Step account size, such as €5,957 for $100,000, without stating the period. Treat it as FTMO's own indication, not a monthly figure.

Can you make a living from prop trading?

A small number of consistent traders do, usually across several accounts and after a long record. For most, it is a supplement at best, and many are not paid at all.