Topstep Refund Policy: Full Terms and What to Expect

Let me save you 20 minutes of reading Topstep's Terms of Use: almost nothing is refundable. The Trading Combine subscription, activation fee, reset purchases, and market data fees are all classified as final once processed. There's exactly one exception—a 14-day satisfaction guarantee for first-time purchasers—and it comes with conditions most traders don't realize exist until they're trying to get their money back. I've gone through the full terms, the Help Center documentation, and community experiences to give you the complete picture of what's actually refundable, what isn't, and how to avoid the billing surprises that catch traders off guard.

Why Topstep matters: Topstep is the firm that started the futures prop trading industry. Founded by CME floor trader Michael Patak, they've been around longer than any competitor. I've evaluated their accounts, tracked their payout history, and compared them against every major alternative in the space.

That said, longevity doesn't mean perfection. Topstep has strengths (proven track record, fast payouts, strong platform support) and weaknesses (trailing drawdown, subscription model costs, no affiliate program for reviewers) that I've documented honestly. For a complete breakdown of their account types, pricing, and what to expect at each stage, read my full Topstep accounts overview. For the absolute latest, check Topstep's website or their Help Center.

The 14-Day Satisfaction Guarantee: The Only Refund Window

Topstep's sole refund offering is a 14-day satisfaction guarantee, and it's far more limited than the name suggests. Here's exactly what qualifies:

It must be your first-ever Topstep purchase. Returning customers who've previously bought a Trading Combine are ineligible regardless of how long ago that purchase was. The refund covers a maximum of one monthly renewal payment for your Trading Combine. If you bought multiple accounts simultaneously, only one gets refunded. You must not have already passed the evaluation. The moment you pass the Trading Combine, all fees are considered "used in full"—even if you passed on day 2 of a 30-day billing cycle. And Topstep asks that you provide feedback explaining why the program wasn't a fit.

The refund goes back to your original payment method. You can't redirect it to a different card, bank account, or payment platform.

What this means practically: if you're a first-time trader who signs up, trades for a week, realizes futures prop trading isn't for you, and requests a refund within 14 days—you're covered. If you're a returning trader, you signed up during a promotion, or you've already passed—you're not.

Everything That's Non-Refundable

The list of non-refundable charges is longer than most traders expect.

Trading Combine subscription payments are non-refundable once processed, with the single exception of the 14-day guarantee above. This includes situations where you break a rule and your account becomes ineligible. Your subscription continues rebilling even if your account is blown—it doesn't automatically cancel when you hit the Maximum Loss Limit. You're still charged monthly until you either reset or manually cancel.

Reset purchases are completely non-refundable, including if you accidentally reset the wrong account or reset the same account twice. Topstep explicitly states they don't issue refunds for reset errors. Double-check the account number before confirming any reset.

Activation fees ($149 for the Express Funded Account) are non-refundable once processed. This includes cases where you accidentally activated the wrong account. There's no grace period, no "undo" button. Once the fee processes, it's final.

Depth of Market data costs $34.25/month, activates immediately upon purchase, rebills on the last day of every month, and is non-refundable. You can cancel the subscription at any time from your dashboard, but you won't get money back for the current period.

Partial subscription periods are not eligible for pro-rata refunds. If you cancel mid-cycle, you retain access until the billing period ends, but you don't get a refund for unused days.

The Forgotten-Subscription Trap

This is where most billing complaints originate, and it's worth understanding in detail.

Your Trading Combine is an auto-renewing monthly subscription that rebills every 30 days. It does not automatically cancel when you break a rule. If you hit the Maximum Loss Limit and your account becomes ineligible, the subscription keeps running. You'll continue to be charged monthly until you either reset the account (which also pushes your rebill date forward 30 days) or manually cancel the subscription.

The key policy: if you accidentally leave your subscription active and have no trading activity, you must contact support within 72 hours of the charge. Outside that 72-hour window, the charge is non-refundable "in all circumstances except where prohibited by law." That's a direct quote from their Help Center, and it's strictly enforced.

This catches traders who pass their evaluation but forget to verify their subscription was canceled. Topstep says the subscription automatically ends when you pass, but your Trade Report needs to show you've passed before your next rebill date. If there's a timing gap—you passed on day 28 but the rebill processes on day 30 before the system updates—you could get charged for another month.

My advice: Set a calendar reminder for 2 days before your rebill date. Check your Dashboard → My Profile → Billing to verify your subscription status. Don't assume anything was automatically canceled.

The First Payout Fee Rebate

There's one partial cost recovery mechanism that Topstep doesn't advertise prominently but is genuinely useful.

When a newly funded trader requests their first profit payout, Topstep automatically refunds an amount equivalent to the most recent monthly subscription fee. This isn't technically a refund—it's a rebate applied against your payout. But it effectively means your last month of Trading Combine subscription was free if you successfully get funded and withdraw profits.

This rebate applies once per trader, only on the first payout, and only covers the most recent subscription payment. It doesn't cover activation fees, resets, or older subscription months.

The Reset-at-Rebill Feature

Each time your monthly subscription rebills, Topstep adds one free reset credit to your Reset Bank. This reset matches the size and type of your current Trading Combine and expires one year from the date it's issued.

This is not a refund mechanism—it's a retention feature. But it's worth understanding because it means staying subscribed after a blown account isn't necessarily wasted money. Your next rebill gives you a fresh reset without paying the separate reset fee ($49 for 50K, $99 for 100K, $149 for 150K).

Important: canceled subscriptions are not eligible for the Reset-at-Rebill. If you cancel your subscription, you lose access to this free reset on your next billing cycle. This creates a genuine decision point—cancel and save the monthly fee, or stay subscribed and get a free reset worth $49-$149.

How to Cancel Without Getting Charged Again

The cancellation process is straightforward but has a few nuances worth knowing.

Go to Dashboard → My Profile → Billing. Find the active subscription you want to cancel (check the subscription ID on your Accounts page if you're unsure which is which). Click the three vertical dots on the right side. Select "Cancel Subscription" and choose your reason.

You have two options: Cancel Subscription ends auto-renewal at the end of your current billing cycle. You keep access until the period expires, can still reset the account, and won't be charged again. Cancel & Close Immediately stops everything now—the account disappears from your dashboard, the subscription ends, and there's no going back.

Both options are permanent and cannot be undone. Once canceled, you can't reactivate that specific Trading Combine. You'd need to purchase a new one entirely.

Platform Outages and Refund Disputes

The December 2025 TopstepX platform outages created significant controversy around Topstep's refund policies. Multiple traders reported that platform instability, failed stop-loss orders, and system desynchronization caused account losses that weren't their fault. Topstep acknowledged the outages and removed some negative trades within a specific remediation window, but many traders felt the response was inadequate.

Topstep's Terms of Use explicitly state that the company is "not responsible for trading or other investment activities" and that fees represent "commitments to service access rather than deposits against future trading losses." There's no provision in the current terms for refunds due to platform downtime or technical failures, though support may provide "credits or corrective adjustments if an error in billing or technical fault is confirmed."

If you experience platform issues that cause financial loss, document everything immediately: screenshots, timestamps, account balances before and after. Contact support within 72 hours. If resolution through support isn't satisfactory, the formal dispute path is through your payment provider.

Chargebacks: The Nuclear Option

Some traders resort to filing chargebacks through their bank or credit card company when Topstep denies refund requests. This is risky. Topstep's Terms of Use explicitly address this: if you file an "unjustifiable complaint" or dispute a paid fee, Topstep reserves the right to "stop providing to you any Services and refuse any future provision of any Services."

In plain language: filing a chargeback may get your money back from the bank, but it will likely result in permanent ban from Topstep. If you ever plan to use Topstep again—or any firm that shares data with them—think carefully before going this route.

How Topstep's Refund Policy Compares

Topstep's refund terms are standard for the prop firm industry, but not the most trader-friendly.

Firms like Alpha Futures offer automatic evaluation resets on each monthly rebill with no separate reset fee. Tradeify's Select accounts have zero activation fees, eliminating one non-refundable charge entirely. My Funded Futures (MFFU) has been praised for flexible customer service on billing disputes.

But Topstep's Reset-at-Rebill and first-payout fee rebate do provide partial cost recovery mechanisms that many competitors lack. The total package isn't as restrictive as it initially appears—it's just structured differently.

The Bottom Line

Topstep's refund policy is designed around one principle: once you access the service, you've consumed the product. The Trading Combine provides immediate access to live market data and a simulated trading environment—both of which cost Topstep money to provide. From their perspective, the monthly fee covers that access, not just the potential outcome.

Before purchasing, understand that you're committing to at least one month of subscription fees with essentially no refund path (unless you're a first-timer within 14 days who hasn't passed). Budget accordingly, manage your subscriptions actively, and set calendar reminders for rebill dates. The traders who get surprised by Topstep's billing aren't the ones who read the fine print first.

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