The Short Answer
Vanguard (Instant Funding) has its own first-payout timing rule. Because you skip the evaluation and start on a funded account, your first payout unlocks after a minimum of 5 trading days, not immediately. On Thunderbolt Classic you can request as soon as the conditions are met, with no day minimum; Thunderbolt Legacy also needs a minimum of 5 trading days before its first payout. The four standard payout conditions (1% profit, best day within limit, all positions closed, $100 minimum) still apply to every Vanguard payout on top of this timing rule.
Why Vanguard is different
Thunderbolt Classic and Thunderbolt Legacy are evaluation programs. You pass a challenge first, which already tests your trading before any money is funded. Vanguard is instant funding, so there is no Trial Phase and no challenge. There is no profit target either. You buy the account, it is funded, and you trade the funded rules from your first trade.
To keep that fair, Vanguard requires a minimum number of trading days on the funded account before your first payout can be requested. That minimum is 5 trading days.
The Vanguard first-payout rule
First payout: available after a minimum of 5 qualifying trading days. A qualifying trading day is one where you make at least 0.5% profit that day (Vanguard's Daily March). A day on which you trade but close under 0.5% profit does not count toward the five. Once you have five qualifying trading days and the four standard conditions are met, you can request your first withdrawal.
Later payouts: after the first, each payout needs the same four standard conditions. There is no fixed interval. The 0.5% qualifying-day minimum only gates your first payout, not later ones.
On top of the standard conditions. The 5-trading-day minimum is specific to how Vanguard reaches its first payout. It sits on top of the four standard payout conditions, it does not replace them. You still need 1% profit, a best day within the Best Day Rule limit, all positions closed, and at least $100.
The four standard conditions (still apply)
Every Vanguard payout, including the first, has to meet the same four conditions as the rest of the funded lineup:
At least 1% profit since your last payout, or since the account started for the first one. On a $50,000 account, that is $500.
Your best day within 20% of total profit (the Best Day Rule). If your total profit is $2,000, no single day can be more than $400.
All positions closed at the moment you request.
A minimum payout of $100, your 99% share.
There is no fixed payout interval once your first window has opened. Meet the conditions and request whenever you are ready. You keep 99% of your profit.
How it differs from Thunderbolt payouts
The payout conditions are the same across all three products. The differences are the account type, the first-payout timing, and the best day limit:
Rule | Thunderbolt Classic | Thunderbolt Legacy | Vanguard |
Account type | 1-step evaluation | 1-step evaluation | Instant funding |
First payout | Anytime, conditions met | After 5 trading days, conditions met | After 5 qualifying trading days (0.5% profit each), conditions met |
Later payouts | Conditions only | Conditions only | Conditions only |
Best Day Rule | 20% | 30% | 20% |
1% profit since last payout | Yes | Yes | Yes |
All positions closed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Minimum payout | $100 | $100 | $100 |
Profit split | 99% | 99% | 99% |
Worked example: your first Vanguard payout
Say you are on a funded $50,000 Vanguard account. Over your first two weeks you trade on six days. On five of those days you close at least 0.5% in profit ($250 or more on a $50,000 account), so all five count as qualifying trading days. Your total profit sits at $1,600.
Run the checks for a first payout:
5 qualifying trading days: five days each closed at least 0.5% ($250) in profit. Cleared. A day where you trade but make less than 0.5% does not count toward the five.
1% profit: 1% of $50,000 is $500. Your $1,600 is above that. Pass.
Best day: your best single day must be 20% or less of the $1,600 total, so no more than $320. If your biggest day is under that, you pass. If one day was larger, you keep trading to spread the profit before requesting.
Positions closed and $100 minimum: close everything, and $1,600 is well above the $100 floor.
With all of that true after 5 qualifying trading days, you can submit your first payout. For the next one, the same four conditions apply (the qualifying-day minimum only gates the first payout).
Payout processing fees
A processing fee applies when your payout is sent. It depends on how you choose to receive it:
Bank transfer: $19.90 + 2.49%.
Crypto: $19.90 + 30%. If you originally funded the account in crypto, this drops to $19.90 + 2.49%.
Processing time: the same as the CFD product. Once your payout is approved, it is processed the same day.
Common questions
Do the five trading days have to be consecutive?
No. The five qualifying trading days do not have to be consecutive. What matters is reaching five qualifying trading days (each with at least 0.5% profit) with the four standard conditions met.
Does the 5-trading-day rule apply to my later payouts?
No. It gates when you first become eligible. After that, each payout needs the four standard conditions.
Do the trading rules still apply while I work toward my first payout?
Yes. Vanguard is a funded account from your very first trade, so the funded drawdown and trade rules are live the whole time, before and after your first payout. Vanguard uses the Dynamic Risk Shield™: a 3% real-time trailing drawdown that follows your equity higher as you profit, then locks permanently at your initial balance once your account grows by 3%. After it locks it is static and no longer moves. Vanguard also has a 2% daily drawdown (reset 5:00 PM ET) and a 1.5% max trade loss. For those limits, read Vanguard futures.
What is my profit split?
99%. You keep almost everything.
Where to go next
For the full set of withdrawal rules that apply to every funded product, read Futures payout conditions. For the Best Day Rule in depth, read The Best Day Rule. For everything else about the program, read Vanguard futures.
Have a question about your first Vanguard payout? Start a chat with our team from the help center, or email [email protected].