What does profit split actually mean?

The short answer

Profit split is the share of trading profits you keep once you're funded. A “90% split” means you keep 90% and the firm keeps 10%. It applies to withdrawals on a funded account — not during the evaluation, where you pay a fee and earn no split at all. And the headline percentage is only one of several terms that decide what you actually take home.

What it actually is

In RETICLE's catalog the split is stored as the trader's percentage, and it's frequently tiered — it can start lower and rise as you take more payouts or cross cumulative-profit milestones (for example 70% rising to 80% then 90%). So an advertised “up to 90%” may mean you begin at 70% and only reach 90% after several payouts. Read the tier schedule, not just the top number.

When it applies

• Evaluation phase: no split. You pay the eval fee and you are not paid on profits — you're proving yourself, not earning.
• Funded phase: the split applies to each payout you request from your funded account.
• Some firms also gate that first payout behind minimum winning days or a profit buffer, so “funded” and “able to withdraw” are not the same day.

Why the headline % isn't the whole story

RETICLE's catalog models the payout terms that sit alongside the split, and they often matter more than a few percentage points: the payout cadence (how often you can withdraw — every few winning days, or on a 14-day calendar), the per-cycle cap (a ceiling on how much you can take per payout — anywhere from a few thousand to $15,000), the minimum payout, and the maximum percentage of your balance you can pull at once. A high split with a low cap and a slow cadence can pay you less, and far slower, than a lower split with a high cap and frequent payouts.

Worked example ($5,000 of funded profit, two firms)

Firm A advertises the better split, but its low per-cycle cap holds your payout to $3,000 and its slower cadence makes you wait longer. Firm B's lower split actually pays more this cycle and lets you withdraw sooner. The headline number lost to the fine print.

What to actually compare

• Your effective take-home over time, not the headline percentage — model a realistic month against each firm's cap and cadence.
• The tier schedule: where the split starts, and how many payouts it takes to reach the advertised top rate.
• The per-cycle cap and cadence together — they set the real ceiling on how fast funded profit becomes cash.
• First-payout gates (minimum winning days, profit buffers) that delay your very first withdrawal.