How we score
How a PayoutScore is made
One number from 0 to 100, built from five measurements. Every formula is on this page, so you can check any firm's score yourself.
The formula
A firm's score is the sum of five parts. Each part has a maximum, and the maximums add up to 100. The parts are recalculated every hour from the last 90 days of data.
PayoutScore = speed (35) + refusals (25) + rule stability (15) + reviews (15) + value (10)
Payouts carry 60 of the 100 points, because a firm that sells cheap challenges and then delays or refuses payouts is the most expensive firm you can pick.
Payout speed, up to 35 points
We take the median time from the moment a trader asked for a payout to the moment the money reached them, across every checked payout in the last 90 days.
speed = 35 × (1 − (median hours − 12) ÷ 160)
A firm that pays in 12 hours or less gets all 35 points. Each extra 16 hours costs 3.5 points, and a firm that takes a week loses almost all of them. A firm needs at least 10 checked payouts before it gets a score.
Refusals, up to 25 points
The share of payout requests the firm refused. A refusal under a rule that was not in the firm's published rules on the day the trader bought counts twice.
refusals = 25 × (1 − refused % ÷ 20)
A firm that never refuses keeps all 25 points. A firm that refuses one payout in five gets none.
Rule stability, up to 15 points
Every change to rules, prices or payout terms in the last 90 days, whether it helps traders or not. You bought under one set of rules, and a firm that keeps changing them is harder to plan around.
rule stability = 15 × (1 − changes ÷ 6)
Every change is listed with its date on the rule radar.
Trader reviews, up to 15 points
The average rating out of 5, times 3. Only traders who sent proof of purchase from that firm can leave a review, and each trader counts once per firm.
reviews = average rating × 3
Value, up to 10 points
The price per $1,000 of account size after the best working code, against the median of every firm in the same market. A firm at the median gets 7.5 points. Cheaper firms get more, up to 10.
Grades
| Score | Grade | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| 90–100 | Pays fast | Paid within a day, almost no refusals, stable rules. |
| 80–89 | Reliable | Pays within two days with few refusals. |
| 70–79 | Mixed record | Slower payouts or a rule change that hurt traders. |
| 60–69 | Slow payer | Payouts take days, and refusals are common. |
| 0–59 | High risk | Frequent refusals or rules added after purchase. |
What counts as proof
- A record of the money arriving: a bank statement line, a card refund record, a Rise record, or a crypto transaction hash we can look up.
- The firm's own email or dashboard screen confirming the payout request and its amount.
- For a refusal, the firm's message with the reason, plus the purchase date so we can check which rules applied then.
A person checks both records match before the payout counts. We never count payout figures a firm publishes about itself, advertising, or commission deals.
Worked example
Any firm's breakdown is on its profile page under "Score breakdown".
Corrections
A firm or a trader can send evidence that a payout record is wrong. We reply within two business days, and every correction is logged with its date. Firms cannot pay to change a score, remove a refusal, or be listed higher.