A payout is cash in. It is not proof of profit
One payout can feel like success while net to desk is still negative. The only clean answer starts with separate records for cash position and cash return.
The short answer
Start here
Net to desk is received payouts minus logged firm costs. Trading-bank cash position starts with the declared fund, then adds received payouts and top-ups, and subtracts costs and withdrawals. A bank feed can corroborate individual recent charges; it does not replace the manual history.
What matters
- Top-ups increase cash but do not create trading profit.
- Withdrawals reduce the bank balance but do not erase a received payout.
- Plaid evidence stays separate from manual totals and is not a complete spend record.
01
Two numbers, two jobs
Net to desk answers whether received payouts have exceeded logged prop-firm costs. The Bank number answers how much declared campaign cash remains after money in and money out. They can move differently and both can be correct.
A trader can have positive net to desk and a smaller Bank balance after withdrawing cash. A trader can also have a large Bank balance after a top-up while net to desk remains negative.
02
Use bank data as evidence, not an oracle
A linked charge can reveal a specific transaction that deserves reconciliation. It cannot prove that a difference between two monthly totals is “what you forgot.” Refunds, unmatched merchant names, date windows and feed limits can all create a difference.
That is why NANO keeps the Plaid lens separate. It identifies a recent-spend floor for supported U.S. institutions and leaves the manual ledger authoritative for the campaign history.
03
The common mistake
Do not call the Bank balance profit and do not call a bank-feed total complete prop spend. Name the number by the formula that produced it.
Worked example
Assumptions, not a forecastCash position versus net to desk
- Starting trading fund: $3,000.
- Received payouts: $2,500. Logged firm costs: $1,100.
- Manual top-up: $200. Cash withdrawn from the trading bank: $500.
Net to desk is $2,500 − $1,100 = $1,400. Bank cash position is $3,000 + $2,500 − $1,100 + $200 − $500 = $4,100.
Both figures assume a complete same-currency ledger. Neither is a tax calculation, a brokerage balance or a forecast.
Tool tutorial
Build the manual trading bank
- 01
Declare the starting fund and currency once.
- 02
Log account costs, top-ups and withdrawals in their correct categories.
- 03
Use Quick Log for the payout request and received dates. Bank pulls the received payout from that separate record.
- 04
Use the linked U.S. charge lens only as a reconciliation queue, never as a merged replacement total.
Give the campaign one honest cash ledger
The free manual Bank keeps cash position, costs and received payouts in one currency. Pro Capital Control and the U.S. Plaid lens add connected review layers.
Manual Bank is free. Pro features remain separately labeled and never merge Plaid transactions into the manual total.
Evidence boundary
What NANO can and cannot know
NANO cannot reconstruct charges outside the available bank feed, identify every merchant, convert currencies or determine whether a selected recurring charge should be stopped.
Common questions
- Is my Bank balance the same as net profit?
- No. Bank includes starting fund, top-ups and withdrawals. Net to desk is received payouts minus logged firm costs; it is a cash-return record, not trading P&L.
- Does Plaid replace manual logging?
- No. It is a separate recent-charge cross-check for supported U.S. institutions. It does not produce a complete lifetime spend total.