# How to scale a funded account > There are three ways: meet a firm’s scaling plan, which raises your balance (and sometimes split) after a period of profit; earn more contracts inside a futures account as its balance grows; or add more funded accounts, up to the firm’s cap. All three depend on first protecting the drawdown you have. **Source:** https://propfirmpal.com/learn/how-to-scale-a-funded-account **Generated:** 2026-09-25 **Publisher:** Prop Firm Pal — independent prop firm comparison _Prop Firm Pal earns affiliate commission from some listed firms. This is disclosed on-site and does not affect the computed ranking order._ --- _Updated 2026-09-24._ ## What scaling means at a prop firm Scaling is growing the capital you trade without paying for a bigger evaluation. Because payouts are a percentage of profit, doubling the account doubles the payout from the same percentage return — which is why scaling, not a higher return, is how funded traders usually grow income. ## Route one: the firm’s scaling plan A [scaling plan](https://propfirmpal.com/glossary/scaling-plan) raises an account’s balance when you meet its conditions. A typical structure: after a set period — often a few months — with net profit above a threshold and a set number of payouts, the balance rises by a fixed percentage, sometimes with a better profit split. The drawdown limit rises in proportion. The terms vary a great deal, so compare them before you buy: how often you can scale, the profit required, whether payouts reset the clock, and the maximum balance. [Prop firms with scaling plans](https://propfirmpal.com/features/scaling-plans) lists firms that publish one. ## Route two: contract scaling in futures accounts Futures prop firms often cap the contracts you may hold, and raise the cap as the account’s profit grows — [contract scaling](https://propfirmpal.com/glossary/contract-scaling). On a $50,000 account you might start limited to a few mini contracts and unlock more after the account is some thousands of dollars in profit. Micros let you size between those steps: one [micro contract](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/micro-vs-mini-futures) is one-tenth of a mini, per [CME Group](https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/equities/micro-emini-equity.html). This is also the practical answer to “how do I scale a 50K account”: grow the balance beyond the trailing drawdown’s lock level first, then let the extra room — not optimism — decide your size. The [futures position size calculator](https://propfirmpal.com/calculators/futures-position-size) converts dollar risk into contracts. ## Route three: more accounts Many firms let one trader hold several funded accounts, up to a combined cap — see [max accounts](https://propfirmpal.com/glossary/max-accounts). Traders often run the same strategy across them with a [trade copier](https://propfirmpal.com/glossary/trade-copier), where the firm allows it. Two cautions: the accounts are correlated, so one bad day can breach them all at once; and some firms forbid copying between accounts or across firms. Read the [copy trading](https://propfirmpal.com/glossary/copy-trading) rules first. ## Protect the drawdown before you scale Scaling multiplies losses as well as gains. The sound order is: build the balance until the trailing drawdown locks or a solid buffer exists, take payouts on schedule, and only then increase size. Model growth over 12 to 24 months at a realistic return with the [account growth calculator](https://propfirmpal.com/calculators/compound-growth), and check the [risk of ruin](https://propfirmpal.com/calculators/risk-of-ruin) at the new size before using it. ## A worked example Take a $50,000 futures account with a $2,000 end-of-day trailing drawdown that locks at the starting balance. The illustrative numbers below show why the order of steps matters. At the start the floor is $48,000, so a trader risking $200 a trade has ten losing trades of room. Once the account closes above $52,000, the floor locks at $50,000; the trader now has $2,000 of room plus any profit above $52,000. Only after that — and after taking the first payouts on schedule — does raising size, adding a contract tier or opening a second account stop putting the whole account at risk. Reverse the order, and the same trader who doubles size at $51,000 has ten losses of room at the old size but five at the new one, on an account whose floor is still trailing. ## Scaling plans compared: what to ask Scaling plans are marketed with their maximum balance, which says little about how quickly you get there. The questions that decide their value are more mundane: - How much profit, over how many months, triggers an increase? - Do payouts count towards the profit required, or reset it? - Does the drawdown rise in dollars with the balance, and does the daily limit change? - Is the higher profit split automatic, or a separate condition? - Can a breach after scaling lose the whole increased account? ## Frequently asked questions ### What is scaling in prop trading? Growing the capital you trade — through a firm’s scaling plan, a futures account’s contract limits, or extra funded accounts — without buying a bigger evaluation. ### How do you scale a 50K funded account? Build profit until the trailing drawdown locks or a buffer exists, then unlock more contracts or qualify for the firm’s scaling plan. Adding a second account is the other route. ### Does scaling increase the drawdown limit? Usually, in proportion to the new balance. Check whether the firm also changes the daily limit or payout rules at the new size. ### Can you have multiple funded accounts? At many firms, yes, up to a combined funding cap. Rules on copying trades between them differ, so check before using a trade copier. ### What is contract scaling? A futures prop firm rule that limits how many contracts you may trade and raises the limit as the account’s profit grows. ## Related pages - [Prop firms with scaling plans](https://propfirmpal.com/features/scaling-plans) - [Scaling plan in the glossary](https://propfirmpal.com/glossary/scaling-plan) - [Account growth calculator](https://propfirmpal.com/calculators/compound-growth) - [Prop firm drawdown types](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/prop-firm-drawdown-types) - [How prop firm payouts work](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/how-prop-firm-payouts-work) - [What is a prop firm?](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/what-is-a-prop-firm) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/what-is-a-prop-firm.md - [How funded trading accounts work](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/funded-trading-accounts) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/funded-trading-accounts.md - [How to get a funded trading account](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/how-to-get-a-funded-trading-account) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/how-to-get-a-funded-trading-account.md - [How prop firm challenges work](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/how-prop-firm-challenges-work) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/how-prop-firm-challenges-work.md - [Instant funding vs evaluation](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/instant-funding-vs-evaluation) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/instant-funding-vs-evaluation.md - [Why traders fail prop firm challenges](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/why-traders-fail-prop-firm-challenges) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/why-traders-fail-prop-firm-challenges.md - [Prop firm drawdown types explained](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/prop-firm-drawdown-types) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/prop-firm-drawdown-types.md - [Futures vs forex prop firms](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/futures-vs-forex-prop-firms) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/futures-vs-forex-prop-firms.md - [How to choose a prop firm](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/how-to-choose-a-prop-firm) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/how-to-choose-a-prop-firm.md - [Prop firm vs broker vs hedge fund](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/prop-firm-vs-broker-vs-hedge-fund) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/prop-firm-vs-broker-vs-hedge-fund.md - [How do prop firms make money?](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/how-do-prop-firms-make-money) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/how-do-prop-firms-make-money.md - [How prop firm payouts work](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/how-prop-firm-payouts-work) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/how-prop-firm-payouts-work.md - [Can you make money with a prop firm?](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/can-you-make-money-with-a-prop-firm) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/can-you-make-money-with-a-prop-firm.md - [Prop firm taxes](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/prop-firm-taxes) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/prop-firm-taxes.md - [Are prop firms legit?](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/are-prop-firms-legit) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/are-prop-firms-legit.md - [Are prop firms regulated?](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/are-prop-firms-regulated) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/are-prop-firms-regulated.md - [Are prop firms going away?](https://propfirmpal.com/learn/are-prop-firms-going-away) — markdown: https://propfirmpal.com/learn/are-prop-firms-going-away.md