The5ers review

The5ers (also written The5%ers) has operated since 2016, long before most competitors. Its programs are built around long-term growth: no evaluation time limits, accounts that grow each time you hit a target, and a profit split that climbs toward 100%. The case against it is recent: payout delays the firm acknowledged in 2026, a fee on every cash withdrawal, and slower processing than the fastest firms.

Who is behind The5ers?

The5ers’ website is operated by Five Percent Online Ltd, a UK-registered company based in London. Evaluations run in a simulated environment, and payouts are performance rewards paid by the company. The5ers isn’t authorised by the FSCA. The wider group includes a futures program, the Trade The Pool stock brand and the TSG broker.

The programs

High Stakes (2-step): 10% target in Step 1 and 5% in Step 2, a 5% daily loss limit and a 10% maximum loss, with no time limit but at least 3 profitable days per step (days closing at least 0.5% of the starting balance in profit). Leverage is 1:100. Accounts run from $2,500 (for $19) to $100,000, and the fee is refunded with your first payout.

Growth (1-step): Hyper Growth and Pro Growth both need a single 10% gain with a 6% stop-out, a 3% daily loss limit and 1:30 leverage. Pro Growth requires 3 profitable days and starts at a 75% split; Hyper Growth has no minimum days, starts at 50%, and doubles your account each time you hit the target, up to $4M. You can hold at most $40,000 in Growth evaluation accounts at once.

Bootcamp (3-step) is the budget route, spreading a lower target across three steps. Check current prices on The5ers’ site.

Weekend holding is allowed across programs, though indices carry high weekend swaps. Accounts expire after 30 days without activity.

High Stakes scaling

Every 10% gain grows your High Stakes account, up to $500,000. The split starts at 80%, rises to 85% at $175,000 and 90% at $250,000, and reaches 100% at $350,000, where you also receive a fixed monthly payment of $4,000, rising to $10,000 at $500,000. The advertised $4M ceiling applies to Hyper Growth and Bootcamp only.

Trading rules to know

On High Stakes you can’t open or close trades within 2 minutes of high-impact news; the Growth programs allow news trading except bracket strategies. Everything runs on MT5 in hedge mode, with forex, metals, indices, oil and crypto.

Payouts: the weak point

Your first payout can be requested 14 days after funding, then every 2 weeks; the timer resets when your account scales. The minimum is $150 after the split, and approved requests usually take 5 to 8 business days. Withdrawals by Rise, crypto or bank transfer carry a 3.5% commission; only Hub credits are fee-free, and those can only be spent on new programs. On a $2,000 payout, the fee costs you $70.

In March 2026, The5ers publicly acknowledged that some payouts were taking longer than expected. Traders reported waits of one to two weeks or more, and one reported case involved a trader whose $18,900 payout on a $100K High Stakes account was denied after a strategy interview and a repeat KYC check. We couldn’t verify individual reports, but the pattern led at least one rating site to downgrade The5ers’ trust score in August 2026.

Trading The5ers from South Africa

Can South Africans use The5ers?

Yes. South Africa isn’t on The5ers’ restricted-country list, and South Africans can join High Stakes, Growth and Bootcamp.

Paying the fee in rand

At an illustrative R18 per US dollar, the $2,500 High Stakes account at $19.00 costs about R342. Check today’s exchange rate and your card’s foreign transaction fee before you pay. Paying for an offshore service by card counts toward your annual offshore allowance under South African exchange control, which covers most traders’ challenge fees comfortably.

Getting paid in South Africa

Payouts are in US dollars by Rise, crypto or bank transfer, with a 3.5% commission on these cash methods. Rise is typically processed in one to two business days if your Rise email matches your The5ers account.

Best trading hours in SAST

The London session opens at 09:00 or 10:00 SAST depending on UK daylight saving time, and the London–New York overlap runs through mid-afternoon, which suits South African traders who trade before or after work.

Tax on The5ers payouts

SARS generally treats prop firm payouts as income, not capital gains, and you must declare them even though no tax is deducted. Because the income isn’t a salary, you’ll usually need to register as a provisional taxpayer and submit IRP6 returns, with payments due by the end of August and the end of February. Convert each payout to rand at the rate on the day you receive it, keep records of fees you’ve paid, and speak to a tax practitioner. This isn’t tax advice.

Regulation

The5ers isn’t authorised by the FSCA. The FSCA supervises brokers and financial services providers, while prop firms that sell evaluations on simulated accounts generally fall outside its licensing. That’s legal for South Africans to use, but it means no FSCA complaint route or ombud cover if something goes wrong, so a firm’s track record matters.

Reputation

The5ers holds a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot rating across more than 37,000 reviews. Ten years of operation is a real advantage, but it doesn’t guarantee today’s payout will arrive on time. Request a small payout first before relying on larger ones.

Who The5ers suits

The5ers suits patient traders planning to stay with one firm for years; the High Stakes scaling path rewards consistency more than any competitor we cover. It’s weaker for anyone who needs fast, predictable payouts, MT4 or cTrader users, and High Stakes traders who trade around news.

The5ers FAQ