What is the Withdrawal Buffer on Instant Funding?

The short answer: a 2% buffer of your initial balance is permanently reserved on Instant Funding accounts and cannot be withdrawn. It exists to protect your account from breaching the drawdown floor immediately after a payout.

How it works

On a $100,000 account, $2,000 is always held back. If your total profit above capital is $10,000, you can only request $8,000. The $2,000 stays in the account at all times.

This is built into the payout formula:

Gross = Balance − Capital − Buffer

Net = Gross × Payout Split %

Why does it exist?

After a payout your balance drops to just above the floor. Without a buffer you could withdraw everything above the floor and be left with zero cushion – one bad trade would breach the account immediately. The 2% ensures there's always a minimum margin between your post-payout balance and the drawdown floor.

Does the buffer amount change over time?

No. It's always calculated as 2% of your initial balance – fixed from day one. On a $100,000 account it's always $2,000, regardless of how large or small your balance becomes.