# Payout policy: 90% split, $500 minimum

> StarTrading pays 90% of every payout to the trader. The minimum request is $500, there is no fixed payout window, the amount is debited from the account within minutes and the wire leaves within two business days. Cycle caps the first payout only, Direct caps every request, Clear pays up to half the cycle profit and Stream pays everything above the buffer.

Source: https://startrading.io/rules/payout-policy · Updated 2026-09-08

## What is the same for every account?

-   **Split**: 90% to you, 10% to StarTrading, on every payout.
-   **Minimum**: $500 per request.
-   **Window**: none. You request when the rules of your account type are met.
-   **Speed**: debited from the account within minutes, wire within two business days.
-   **Sim payouts**: five, then the [Live review](https://startrading.io/rules/live-program).
-   **Profit goal**: [Cycle](https://startrading.io/accounts/cycle) and Direct cycles have a goal; the consistency rule applies where the account type has one.

## How are Cycle payouts capped?

Each cycle has a profit goal, and only the first payout is capped. Every payout after it takes the whole cycle profit above the buffer. You keep the [buffer](https://startrading.io/rules/buffer) in the account and meet the 40% [consistency rule](https://startrading.io/rules/consistency-rule).

Profit goal per cycle

| Account type | 25K | 50K | 100K | 150K |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Cycle](https://startrading.io/accounts/cycle) | $250 | $500 | $750 | $1,000 |
| [Clear](https://startrading.io/accounts/clear) | 5 days at $100 or more | 5 days at $150 or more | 5 days at $200 or more | 5 days at $250 or more |
| [Stream](https://startrading.io/accounts/stream) | Everything above the buffer, daily, from $500 | Everything above the buffer, daily, from $500 | Everything above the buffer, daily, from $500 | Everything above the buffer, daily, from $500 |
| [Direct](https://startrading.io/accounts/direct) | $1,500, then $1,250 | $3,000, then $2,500 | $6,000, then $3,500 | $9,000, then $4,500 |

Payout cap per request

| Account type | 25K | 50K | 100K | 150K |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Cycle](https://startrading.io/accounts/cycle) | $1,000, then uncapped | $2,000, then uncapped | $2,500, then uncapped | $3,000, then uncapped |
| [Clear](https://startrading.io/accounts/clear) | 50% of cycle profit, up to $1,000 | 50% of cycle profit, up to $2,000 | 50% of cycle profit, up to $2,500 | 50% of cycle profit, up to $3,000 |
| [Stream](https://startrading.io/accounts/stream) | No cap | No cap | No cap | No cap |
| [Direct](https://startrading.io/accounts/direct) | $1,000, then $1,000 | $2,000, then $2,500 | $2,500, then $3,000 | $3,000, then $3,500 |

100K Cycle, second payout

-   Goal per cycle: $750. No cap once the first payout is behind you.
-   Cycle profit $4,200 above the buffer, best day $1,500 (36%, under 40%).
-   You request the full $4,200 and receive $3,780. The buffer stays in the account.

## How do Clear payouts work?

Five separate days at or above the minimum daily profit ($100 on a 25K, $250 on a 150K) and a positive net for the cycle. You can withdraw 50% of the cycle profit, up to the cap for your size. The cap does not grow with later payouts. No buffer, no consistency rule once funded.

50K Clear

-   Five qualifying days of +$150 or more, cycle profit $3,600.
-   Withdrawable: 50% = $1,800, under the $2,000 cap. You receive $1,620.

## How do Stream payouts work?

Request on any trading day. Everything above the [buffer](https://startrading.io/rules/buffer) is withdrawable, from $500, with no cap per request, as long as your net profit since the last payout is positive. If one day reaches the maximum daily profit ($10,000 on a 100K), the account moves to Live at once and the simulated profit above the buffer is paid up to $15,000.

## How do Direct payouts work?

Like Cycle, with a higher cycle goal and the 20% consistency rule. Goals: $1,500 to $9,000 for the first cycle, then $1,250 to $4,500. Caps rise from the fourth payout.

## What can delay or decline a payout?

A consistency ratio above the threshold, a balance below the buffer, a request under $500, or a review for a [prohibited practice](https://startrading.io/rules/prohibited-practices). A declined request explains the reason and what has to change; nothing is lost, the cycle continues.

## Common mistakes

-   Requesting the first Cycle payout at the goal exactly, leaving no cushion above the buffer.
-   Counting a $90 day toward the Clear five-day rule on a 25K ($100 minimum).
-   Expecting the Clear cap to grow after the first payout; it does not.

## Frequently asked questions

### How fast is a payout?

The amount leaves your simulated account within minutes of approval and the wire is sent within two business days. There is no waiting for a payout window: request when you are eligible.

### How many payouts can I take on a simulated account?

Five. After the fifth payout your account enters the Live review pool and, with at least one payout on record, moves to a Live account with daily payouts and no caps from the sim rules.

### Is there a minimum number of trading days before a payout?

Not as a rule. Cycle and Direct require reaching the cycle profit goal and the consistency ratio, Clear requires five separate profitable days, Stream requires a positive net since the last payout. None of them sets a calendar.