Onboarding Pain Points and Payout Consistency with Prop Firms

Hey everyone, I've been diving deeper into the prop firm world recently, looking to scale up my capital allocation beyond what I'm comfortable self-funding. I've passed a few challenges, but the real friction points are starting to emerge now that I'm actually live. The onboarding process, particularly the KYC/KYB checks, feels incredibly inconsistent across firms. Some are a breeze, literally a few clicks and a quick ID verification, while others demand a level of documentation that feels more suited to opening a bank in a tax haven. It's not just the time sink, but the sheer ambiguity of what's required sometimes. Has anyone else noticed this wide disparity in the effort required?

Beyond that, the payout reliability and the actual mechanics of receiving funds are becoming a major focus for me. I've had one firm promise payouts within 48 hours that took over a week, citing 'payment processor issues,' which just adds an unnecessary layer of stress. And then there's the fee structure on the payouts themselves – some firms have surprisingly high transfer fees or mandatory minimums that eat into profits, especially if you're trying to take out smaller, more frequent amounts. I'm curious to hear about others' experiences here. Are there specific red flags to watch out for, or perhaps best practices to ensure a smoother, more predictable payout experience?