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Topstep rules explained

Checked October 16, 2026 against 26 official and public pages. How we check

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50K price
$49per month
Profit target
$3,000on 50K
Max loss
$2,000end-of-day trailing
Consistency
Eval onlyrule applies to
Profit split
90%to the trader
Payouts
Every 5 winning days
Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5

End-of-day trailing drawdown

Your loss limit moves up only when a trading day closes at a new high balance. Open profits during the day do not drag it up, so a winning trade you give back intraday does not tighten the limit until the close.

Account balance Loss limit
Illustration with a $2,000 limit, not this firm's exact numbers.

Topstep plans compared (50K)

50K accountTrading Combine (Standard path) -> Express Funded Account (XFA)Trading Combine (No Activation Fee path) -> Express Funded Account (XFA)
Steps1-step1-step
Price (50K, list)$49 per month$95 per month
Activation fee$149$0
Reset fee$49$95
Profit target$3,000$3,000
Max loss$2,000$2,000
Drawdown typeEOD trailing (Maximum Loss Limit rises with end-of-day balance, never moves down, monitored in real time including unrealized P&L). Combine: locks once it reaches the starting balance. XFA: locks at $0 once balance reaches $2,000 profit on 50K, and is set to $0 after the first payout.EOD trailing (same as Standard path)
Daily loss limit$1,000$1,000
Consistency ruleCombine: best day must be at or below 55% of the profit target; exceeding it raises the target (best day / 0.55), it does not fail the account. XFA Standard path: none.Combine: 55% of profit target (raises target if exceeded). XFA Consistency path: best day must be 40% or less of total net profit to request a payout.
Minimum trading days22
Max contracts / size55
Profit split90/10 (traders who joined the new dashboard before Jan 12, 2026 keep 100% of their first $10,000 lifetime profit)90/10
PayoutsAfter every 5 winning days of $150+ net P&L (not consecutive)Standard XFA path: every 5 winning days of $150+; Consistency XFA path: after at least 3 trading days with the 40% consistency met
Payout rulesXFA Standard: up to 50% of account balance per request, capped at $2,000 on 50K ($4,000 if a DLL was added at checkout on a new Combine bought from June 2, 2026 - limited-time offer). Minimum payout $125. Must be net profitable since the last payout (first payout exempt). After each payout the MLL resets to $0. Up to 5 active XFAs. Back2Funded: reactivate a lost XFA (before first payout) for $599 on 50K, up to 2 times.XFA Consistency path: up to 50% of balance, capped at $3,000 on 50K ($6,000 with the limited-time DLL offer). Standard path caps as in the Standard program. Minimum payout $125.

Account sizes offered: 50K, 100K, 150K.

Drawdown

The $2,000 Maximum Loss Limit rises with your end-of-day balance and is monitored in real time. In the Combine it stops rising once it reaches the starting balance. In the Express Funded Account (XFA) it locks once you are $2,000 in profit and is set to $0 after the first payout.

Daily loss limit

Optional, chosen at purchase: $1,000 on 50K. Hitting it flattens you and pauses trading for the day; it is not a rule violation.

Consistency

Combine: best day at or below 55% of the target, or the target rises (best day ÷ 0.55). XFA Standard path: none. XFA Consistency path: best day at most 40% of net profit before a payout.

Payouts

On the Standard XFA path you need five winning days of $150+ net between payouts, and each request is capped at 50% of the balance and $2,000 on 50K. The minimum payout is $125.

Not allowed

  • Trading your full maximum size straight into a scheduled major news event.
  • Holding positions past 3:10 PM CT, overnight or over the weekend.
  • VPS or VPN use; HFT. Automation is allowed only through the TopstepX API and not on live accounts.

Other rules

News tradingRestricted: prohibited to purposefully trade your full maximum position size directly into a scheduled major news event
Bots and EAsRestricted: custom automated strategies are allowed through the TopstepX/ProjectX API ($29/month, 50% off with code 'topstep'), but not on Live Funded Accounts; HFT and software that gives an 'unfair advantage' are prohibited; VPS/VPN use is prohibited
Copy tradingRestricted: TopstepX has a built-in Trade Copier between your own Trading Combine and XFA accounts (not Live Funded Accounts); coordinated trading with other people or third-party accounts is prohibited
Overnight and weekendNot allowed: all positions must be closed by 3:10 PM CT each weekday (risk managers start flattening at 3:08 PM CT); no overnight or weekend holding
PlatformsTopstepX, Quantower (via TopstepX, Combine and XFA only)
InstrumentsCME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX futures (equity index, FX futures, energy, metals, grains, Treasuries, livestock, crypto micros); no spot forex
US tradersAccepted
Restricted countriesAbout 35 countries/regions restricted by citizenship and residency, including Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Kosovo, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Morocco, Kenya and Venezuela. US is not restricted. List: https://help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284116-am-i-eligible-to-trade-with-topstep
Payout methodsProp-to-Brokerage (US, no fee), Aeropay (US banks, no Topstep fee), Wise (China, Canada, UK only), ACH (US, $30 fee), Wire/SWIFT (international, $30 fee)
Path to a live accountTopstep's Risk Team calls traders up from the XFA to a Live Funded Account at its discretion; all XFAs close at call-up. The LFA starts with 20% of transferred funds tradable (min $10,000) and 80% in reserve, released in 25% steps at profit milestones ($3K on 50K). LFA payouts: 5 winning days of $150+ per cycle, up to 50% of balance with no cap; daily payouts unlock after 30 winning days in the LFA.
CompanyTopstep LLC (Delaware LLC; programs operated by affiliate TopstepTrader, LLC), Chicago, Illinois, USA. Mailing address in Terms of Use: 130 S Jefferson St, Chicago, IL 60661
Founded2010

Rule and price changes in 2026

WhenWhat changed
2026-08Wise payouts restored for traders in China, Canada and the UK. source
2026-06-02Limited-time offer: adding a Daily Loss Limit at checkout on a new Trading Combine doubles XFA per-request payout caps. source
2026-06Topstep Labs launched limited 'drops', starting with a $25K Static Drawdown Trading Combine (June) and a $50K Static Drawdown Combine (October 2026). source
2026-04/05Third-party trackers report loss-limit documentation briefly switched to static daily limits (about April 21) and back to EOD trailing (about May 10); not confirmed on Topstep's own pages. source
2026-01-12New traders get a flat 90/10 split; those who joined the new dashboard before this date keep 100% of their first $10,000. source

Sources

Checked October 16, 2026. We link the firm's own pages wherever we can. If something changed, tell us.

  1. topstep.com/topstep-prop — plan cards: prices, targets, MLL, DLL, contracts, reset and activation fees, payout caps
  2. help.topstep.com/en/articles/14289835-topstep-pricing-and-payment-questions — Standard vs No Activation Fee prices, resets, activation fee, Back2Funded fees, payment methods
  3. help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284197-trading-combine-parameters — max position size, 55% consistency, pass in two days
  4. help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284204-what-is-the-maximum-loss-limit — MLL amounts, EOD trailing mechanics, lock levels
  5. help.topstep.com/en/articles/10490293-daily-loss-limit-in-the-trading-combine-and-express-funded-account — optional DLL amounts and behavior
  6. help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284215-express-funded-account-parameters — XFA rules, Standard/Consistency paths, 90/10, 5 XFA limit
  7. help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284233-topstep-payout-policy — payout eligibility, caps, minimum, methods, fees, 2026 dates
  8. help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284208-consistency-at-topstep — 55% Combine and 40% XFA consistency
  9. help.topstep.com/en/articles/10657969-live-funded-account-parameters — LFA call-up, reserve structure, DLL
  10. help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284099-topstep-program-overview — program stages and path to live
  11. help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284116-am-i-eligible-to-trade-with-topstep — restricted countries, eligibility
  12. help.topstep.com/en/articles/10305426-prohibited-trading-strategies-at-topstep — news restriction, prohibited strategies
  13. help.topstep.com/en/articles/10296582-prohibited-conduct — coordinated trading, hedging, unfair technology
  14. help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284206-when-and-what-products-can-i-trade — trading hours, 3:10 PM CT close, products
  15. help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284199-new-to-topstep-start-here — TopstepX is the only available platform
  16. help.topstep.com/en/articles/14434175-topstepx — TopstepX trade copier rules
  17. help.topstep.com/en/articles/11187768-topstepx-api-access — API automation rules, cost, VPS prohibition
  18. help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284179-quantower-connection-instructions — Quantower via TopstepX for Combine/XFA
  19. help.topstep.com/en/articles/15520357-topstep-labs — Labs static drawdown drops and dates
  20. topstep.com/blog/static-vs-trailing-drawdown — Oct 2, 2026 statement that Combines/funded accounts use EOD trailing; static only via Labs
  21. topstep.com/terms-of-use/ — legal entity, Delaware, mailing address, VPN/VPS prohibition
  22. topstep.com/about-us/ — 2010 founding of Patak Trading Partners, entity structure
  23. topstep.com/affiliate-terms-and-conditions — affiliate program terms
  24. trustpilot.com/review/topstep.com — Trustpilot score and count
  25. propfirmmap.com/blog/prop-firm-news-april-16-22-2026-the5ers-topstep-thinkcapital — secondary: April 21, 2026 static-limit report
  26. propfirmmap.com/blog/prop-firm-news-may-10-17-2026-trading-pit-topstep-discount-codes — secondary: May 2026 reversion to EOD trailing report

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