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Wealth.cat

    Drawdown recovery calculator

    Find the gain needed to recover from a loss and how many months it takes at your average return. Includes a loss-to-gain table.

    Gain needed to get back to the start
    25%
    Months to recover
    8

    Results are estimates. Brokers and prop firms calculate prices and limits in their own way — check their rules.
    Loss vs. gain needed
    Loss Gain needed
    5% 5.3%
    10% 11.1%
    15% 17.6%
    20% 25%
    25% 33.3%
    30% 42.9%
    40% 66.7%
    50% 100%
    60% 150%
    70% 233.3%
    80% 400%
    90% 900%
    Gain needed to recover from a loss
    0% 100% 200% 300% 400% 0%20%40%60%80% Loss on the account Gain needed −20% → +25% −20% → +25% −50% → +100% −50% → +100% −75% → +300% −75% → +300%

    Gain needed = loss ÷ (1 − loss). The deeper the drawdown, the steeper the climb back.

    Why losses are harder to win back

    After a loss L, the remaining balance must grow by L ÷ (1 − L) to get back to the start. A 20% loss needs a 25% gain; a 50% loss needs 100%.

    Time to recover

    At a steady return g per month, recovery takes ln(1 ÷ (1 − L)) ÷ ln(1 + g) months, rounded up. Recovering from a 20% loss at 3% a month takes 8 months.

    This is why prop firms cap daily and total losses: keeping drawdowns small is what keeps an account alive.

    Updated October 7, 2026