Profit day
A day counts as a profit day if the change in balance between the start and the end of the day is at least 0.5% of the account's starting balance. The threshold is fixed at 0.5% of the starting balance for the whole trading period and is never recalculated.
The balance used in the calculation includes unrealised PnL on open positions. Profit is reflected in the balance on the day it appears, whether or not the position has been closed.
Example: how unrealised profit affects a profit day
Starting balance — $10,000.
Day 1. A position is opened with unrealised profit of +$500, bringing the balance to $10,500. The change over the day is +$500, or 5% — this is a profit day.
Day 2. The position is closed, the $500 becomes realised, and the balance stays at $10,500. The change over the day is zero, so the day is neutral: that profit was already counted on Day 1.
The key point: what matters is the growth in balance over the day, not the moment a trade is closed.
Challenge stages
A two-stage format. Both stages run on the same account, and positions are closed automatically between them.
| Parameter | Stage 1 | Stage 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Profit target (realised PnL) | 5% | 8% |
| Minimum profit days | 3 | 5 |
| Daily drawdown | 5% | 5% |
| Maximum drawdown | 10% | 10% |
One stage instead of two: a higher profit target and tighter drawdown limits.
| Parameter | Stage 1 |
|---|---|
| Profit target (realised PnL) | 10% |
| Minimum profit days | 3 |
| Daily drawdown | 3% |
| Maximum drawdown | 6% |
There is no assessment stage — trading starts on a funded account from day one.
| Parameter | Funded |
|---|---|
| Profit target | none |
| Minimum profit days | 5 |
| Daily drawdown | not applied |
| Maximum drawdown | 6% of the highest balance |
Withdrawals are additionally subject to the 30% rule.
Risk parameters
Daily drawdown
The limit is measured from the balance at the start of the trading day and resets at 00:00 UTC. A loss from the previous day has no effect on the next day's limit — each day is assessed independently.
| Format | Limit | Example on a $10,000 account |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 5% | a fall to $9,500 or below at any point in the day closes the account immediately |
| Accelerated | 3% | a fall to $9,700 or below closes the account immediately |
| Turbo | not applied | — |
Maximum drawdown
| Format | Calculation base | Limit | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | starting balance | 10% | on $10,000 the challenge fails at $9,000 |
| Basic $200,000 (Stage 2 and funded) | starting balance | 8% | the account closes at $184,000 |
| Accelerated | starting balance | 6% | on $10,000 the challenge fails at $9,400 |
| Turbo | highest balance reached | 6% | see the calculation below |
Example: how drawdown is calculated in Turbo
Day 1. Starting balance — $10,000.
Day 5. The balance grows to $12,000, which becomes the new highest balance. The drawdown limit is recalculated from it: 6% of $12,000 is $720, so the minimum allowed balance is $11,280. A fall to $11,279 closes the account.
Day 15. $1,000 is withdrawn, leaving $11,000. The highest balance drops to $11,000, the new minimum allowed balance becomes $10,340, and the permitted fall narrows from $720 to $660.
Funded account conditions
The risk parameters of a funded account depend on which challenge was completed.
| Parameter | After Basic | After Accelerated | Turbo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily drawdown | 5% | 3% | not applied |
| Maximum drawdown | 10% of the starting balance (8% for new Basic $200,000) | 6% of the starting balance | 6% of the highest balance |
| Profit days required for withdrawal | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Minimum gain on a profit day | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
Profit days accumulate with no time limit: if you pause your trading, the days already earned are kept.
Maximum allocation
The combined notional of one trader's funded accounts is capped at $400,000 and counted from the accounts' starting balances rather than their current ones: an account that has grown from $200,000 to $230,000 still occupies $200,000 of the cap. The cap applies at the funded stage: completed challenges above it are not lost.
What happens when the cap is exceeded, how the "Paused" status works and how to activate an account are covered on the Scaling page.
Profit split
Once an account reaches funded status, profit is split between the trader and the platform.
| Scheme | Trader's share | Upscale's share | Payout on $1,000 of profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 80% | 20% | $800 |
| Upgrade bought with the challenge | 90% | 10% | $900 |
The 90/10 upgrade is activated at the moment the challenge is purchased and makes the most difference with consistent profitable trading.
Withdrawing profit
The payment period runs from the launch of the account — for a first withdrawal — or from the last successful withdrawal.
To request a withdrawal you need to:
- reach at least 5 profit days within the current payment period;
- stay within the daily and maximum drawdown limits;
- satisfy the 30% rule — Turbo only;
- close any positions on paused RWA markets.
Full conditions, limits by account size and payout networks are covered on the Withdrawal Rules page.
The 30% rule
This restriction applies to Turbo only. If the single most profitable day of the current payment period accounts for 30% or more of the total profit for that period, withdrawal stays unavailable until profit is spread more evenly.
Example: how the 30% rule is calculated
Five profit days: +$200, +$300, +$1,500, +$300, +$200. Total profit — $2,500.
The best day contributes $1,500, or 60% of the total — withdrawal is unavailable.
For that day's share to fall to 30%, total profit has to reach $1,500 ÷ 0.30 = $5,000. That means earning another $2,500. After that, the large day accounts for exactly 30% and withdrawal opens up.
The more evenly profit is distributed across days, the sooner withdrawals become available.
Hedging
Hedging means holding opposite positions (long and short) in the same instrument at the same time to offset risk.
The rules below concern trading accounts — the individual accounts you get with each challenge — and not your Upscale login, under which several trading accounts can be held at once.
- Within one trading account — allowed. A long and a short position in the same instrument can be open together on the same challenge account.
- Across two or more trading accounts — prohibited. You may not hold positions in the same instrument in opposite directions on different accounts — a long on BTC on one account and a short on BTC on another, for example. The restriction applies to every trading account held by the same trader, including accounts on different challenges and accounts of different sizes.
Moving between stages
Applies to Basic only. When an account moves to the next stage, all open positions are closed automatically at market price and pending limit orders are cancelled.
Breaches and account closure
| Situation | Consequence |
|---|---|
| The minimum number of profit days is not reached | The account stays active and trading continues, but withdrawal is unavailable until the requirement is met |
| A daily or maximum drawdown limit is breached | The account closes immediately and all accumulated profit is forfeited |
When an account closes, all open positions are force-closed at market price, pending limit orders are cancelled, and access to the account is revoked permanently.