Topstep’s rules change when you pass the Trading Combine, choose an Express Funded payout path, or move to Pro or Live. A $150 winning day counts toward Standard XFA payouts, for example; XFA Consistency instead requires three trading days and a 40% consistency calculation.
This guide covers the standard $50K, $100K and $150K accounts using Topstep’s current Help Center rules, checked on October 13, 2026. Separate Labs offers and restrictions assigned by the Risk team can change the parameters shown here.
Which rules apply to your Topstep account?
| Account | What you must meet |
|---|---|
| Trading Combine | Simulated evaluation. Reach the profit target, keep the best day at or below 55% of total profit, and stay above the Maximum Loss Limit. |
| XFA Standard | Simulated funded account. Follow the loss limit and Scaling Plan; earn five days of at least $150 net profit for a payout cycle. |
| XFA Consistency | Simulated funded account. Follow the same loss and scaling rules; trade on at least three days and keep the largest winning day at or below 40% of the cycle’s net profit. |
| Pro | Selected traders in jurisdictions without Live access may receive a simulated Pro Account. It has its own mandatory daily limit and Standard-style payout rules. |
| Live Funded | Real capital. Mandatory daily loss controls, a separate capital and reserve system, and Live payout milestones. |
Topstep publishes separate parameters for the Combine, XFA, Pro and Live accounts. The account stage and payout path on your dashboard determine which set to use.
Maximum Loss Limit: EOD movement, intraday enforcement
In the Combine and XFA, the Maximum Loss Limit (MLL) rises with the highest end-of-day balance and never moves back down. The platform monitors that floor throughout the session, including unrealized P&L. Touching it triggers liquidation. A fill that later leaves the balance above the line does not reverse the breach. See Topstep’s MLL explanation.
| Standard size | Combine profit target | Starting MLL distance |
|---|---|---|
| $50K | $3,000 | $2,000 |
| $100K | $6,000 | $3,000 |
| $150K | $9,000 | $4,500 |
The Combine starts at its nominal balance, so a new $50K account has a $48,000 MLL. Its floor eventually locks at $50,000. An intraday profit high does not raise that floor, but an open loss can still touch the current floor.
Example: the next session on a $50K Combine
Start with a $50,000 balance and $48,000 floor. Close the first session at $50,500, and the floor rises to $48,500. During the following session, account equity must stay above $48,500. If that session instead ends with a $500 loss at $50,000 without touching the floor, the floor remains $48,500.
Example: a $50K XFA starts at zero
A new $50K XFA shows a $0 balance and a −$2,000 MLL. Close a session at $500 and its floor rises to −$1,500. Once the end-of-day balance reaches $2,000, the floor locks at $0.
The first payout also sets the XFA floor to $0, even if it had not reached zero through trading. For example, a $1,000 balance with a $500 payout deducted leaves $500 of room above the $0 floor. The example assumes the account has met its payout requirements and has no other gains or losses.
Daily Loss Limit and personal risk settings
A Daily Loss Limit (DLL) is optional when purchasing a standard Combine or activating or reactivating an XFA. The purchase-set limits are $1,000 on $50K, $2,000 on $100K and $3,000 on $150K. A DLL selected when buying the Combine carries into its XFA and cannot later be changed or removed. Live and Pro have mandatory DLLs, covered below.
When session net P&L reaches the DLL, positions are flattened, pending orders are canceled and trading is blocked until the next session. Topstep describes this as a temporary restriction; the account remains eligible for funding. The MLL still applies throughout. These are separate thresholds, so reaching the MLL closes or disqualifies the account even when it also has a DLL. Official DLL rules.
You can also set a Personal Daily Loss Limit in TopstepX. Its action can be Do Nothing, Liquidate, or Liquidate and Block. A manual setting can normally be adjusted, subject to the selected lockout and day-lock controls. Check both the amount and the action: a threshold set to Do Nothing will not stop your trading.
Combine consistency: how 55% changes the target
The Combine requires the largest winning day to be no more than 55% of total profit. Topstep does not round the percentage or add a buffer. At the original targets, its recommended best-day amounts are below $1,650, $3,300 and $4,950 for the $50K, $100K and $150K accounts. Exceeding those recommendations raises the total profit needed to pass. The account can continue trading. Official consistency calculation.
A $1,800 best day on a $50K Combine
The adjusted target is $1,800 ÷ 0.55 = $3,272.727…; at cent precision, you need at least $3,272.73 total profit. If total profit is already $3,200, another $72.73 would meet that calculation, provided the best day remains $1,800.
A losing day reduces total profit without erasing the best day. Earning more on the same session that set the best day increases that day’s numerator too. Topstep locks the day at 3:10 PM CT; earn the remaining profit on a later trading day without creating a larger best day. For example, a new $2,200 best day would require $4,000 total profit.
XFA payouts: Standard and Consistency
You choose the payout path when activating the XFA, and Topstep does not allow you to switch it afterward. Payout eligibility depends on the chosen path, available balance and payout rules.
Standard: five days of $150 net profit
Each payout cycle needs five non-consecutive days with at least $150 net profit. After the first payout, you also need at least $0.01 net profit since the previous payout. The first payout is exempt from that latter requirement.
Consistency: three trading days and 40%
Trade on at least three days with at least one trade on each. Your largest single-day net profit must be no more than 40% of total net profit in the payout window. This path has no $150 minimum for each of those three days.
For example, net results of $400, $350 and $250 produce $1,000 total profit. The largest day is exactly 40%, so the consistency calculation is met. If those results were $450, $350 and $200, the largest day would be 45%; keeping that $450 best day would require at least $1,125 total net profit.
The calculation resets after a payout request. A balance left from the previous cycle does not enter the next cycle’s net-profit denominator. The new window begins on the trading day after the request. Both the consistency policy and payout policy describe this reset.
Caps, payout timing and the profit split
Both XFA paths allow a request of up to 50% of the account balance, subject to the dollar cap below. The minimum request is $125.
| Size | Standard base cap | Consistency base cap |
|---|---|---|
| $50K | $2,000 | $3,000 |
| $100K | $3,000 | $4,000 |
| $150K | $5,000 | $6,000 |
The current limited-time offer doubles these dollar caps when you add a DLL at checkout on a qualifying new Combine purchase. The 50%-of-balance limit remains. Adding the DLL only at XFA activation or reactivation does not qualify. Check the offer and payout conditions for your purchase.
The current split is 90% to the trader and 10% to Topstep. Traders who joined the new Topstep dashboard before January 12, 2026 retain 100% of their first $10,000 in lifetime profits, then move to 90/10. Legacy-dashboard payouts do not count toward that first $10,000.
Payout days lock at 4 PM CT. The trading day of a payout request does not count toward the next cycle. Because the session begins at 5 PM CT, a request at 5:59 PM on Monday belongs to Tuesday’s session; Wednesday is the first day of the new cycle. A DLL or personal lockout must clear before you can request a payout. Each XFA qualifies separately.
Position limits and the XFA Scaling Plan
| Size | Standard Combine maximum | New XFA maximum |
|---|---|---|
| $50K | 5 minis | 2 minis |
| $100K | 10 minis | 3 minis |
| $150K | 15 minis | 3 minis |
These are the standard account limits. Temporary product restrictions can be lower. Combine and XFA sizing normally uses ten micros per mini, so a two-mini XFA limit can allow twenty standard micros or an equivalent mix. Micro Silver counts as two standard micros; Micro Bitcoin and Micro Ether use mini-equivalent lot limits. The 10:1 functionality is unavailable in Live. Sources: Combine limits and Scaling Plan.
How XFA size grows with balance
- $50K: 2 lots below $1,500; 3 lots in the published $1,500–$2,000 band; 5 lots above $2,000.
- $100K: 3 lots below $1,500, then 4, 5 and 10 lots as the published balance bands progress through $1,500, $2,000 and above $3,000.
- $150K: 3 lots below $1,500, then 4, 5, 10 and 15 lots as the bands progress through $1,500, $2,000, $3,000 and above $4,500.
A higher limit becomes available in the next session, never halfway through the session that earns it. TopstepX Risk Settings shows the contracts available for that next session. A payout that takes the balance into a lower tier also reduces the permitted size.
Topstep’s Scaling Plan FAQ says an accidental excess corrected in under ten seconds is ignored; ten seconds or longer may prompt review. Monitor total open exposure and correct an excess immediately. Do not assume the platform will reject every oversized order before it reaches the account.
What changes in a Live Funded Account?
The Risk team decides when to move a trader to Live. All XFAs close during the move, and only one Live Funded Account can be active. The Live size is the rounded-up average of eligible XFA sizes. Normally those are active XFAs with at least one payout; if none has paid out, Topstep averages all active eligible XFAs.
Topstep caps the balance transferred from those XFAs at the resulting $50K, $100K or $150K Live size. It makes 20% available initially, with a stated $10,000 minimum, and holds the rest in reserve. Four reserve releases become available as the trader earns the account’s $3,000, $6,000 or $9,000 profit target again after each expansion. Risk reviews expansion on Mondays and may delay or deny it for excessive risk. See the Live parameters.
A Live tradable balance below $1,000 can trigger immediate liquidation and closure at the end of the day, with the remaining balance sent as a final payout. Do not apply the XFA’s negative starting floor to Live.
Starting Live DLLs are $2,000, $3,000 and $4,500, with standard position limits of 5, 10 and 15 contracts. At a tradable balance of $10,000 or below, the published safeguard limits become $2,000 DLL and 5 contracts; at $5,000 or below, $1,000 and 3 contracts. Topstep’s Live parameters list Friday updates for these safeguards, but its risk-policy example describes a reduction before the next session. Check the active limits in your account before trading.
Live payout cycles initially need five non-consecutive days of at least $150 net profit, with requests limited to 50% of the balance but no dollar cap. After thirty qualifying days earned in Live, daily requests can use up to 100% of the unlocked balance. XFA days do not count, reserve funds remain unavailable until released, and withdrawing the full balance closes the account. Pause Live trading while a request processes until the amount is deducted. Live payout rules.
Pro is a separate simulated account
For selected traders whose jurisdiction prevents Live access, Topstep may offer Pro. The Risk team initiates the move and closes the XFAs. Pro permits one active account, mirrors the XFA’s MLL, uses the Scaling Plan and has mandatory DLLs of $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 by size.
Pro payouts follow the Standard XFA requirements: five days of at least $150, positive net profit after the first payout, and up to 50% of balance subject to $2,000, $3,000 or $5,000 caps. Pro has no Live balance-expansion feature, and Back2Funded does not apply. These are the Pro-specific terms; country eligibility alone does not guarantee an invitation.
Trading hours and the clocks used for your results
Be flat by 3:10 PM CT each weekday; trading resumes at 5 PM CT. Friday’s close lasts until Sunday at 5 PM CT. Topstep does not permit carrying positions from one session to the next. Risk managers begin flattening at 3:08 PM, so do not open a new position into the cutoff. You remain responsible for exiting on time. Permitted products and hours.
The trade date begins at 5 PM CT on the preceding calendar day. Combine consistency locks at 3:10 PM; payout-day results lock at 4 PM. Use the account’s trading date when counting days, especially around an evening payout request.
Products with an earlier close must be exited before that close: the listed CBOT grain session ends at 1:20 PM CT, and Live Cattle and Lean Hogs at 1:05 PM CT. Topstep requires positions closed fifteen minutes before an early holiday close. Live accounts on TopstepX can also use a blended holiday trade date, so their DLL lockout may extend into the next calendar day. Check the holiday schedule and account-specific trade-date rules.
Copy trading, platforms and automation
Topstep permits unlimited Combines and normally up to five active XFAs under one trader profile. A passed Combine waits for an available XFA slot if five are already active. Shoulder Tap and Risk-team programs can impose smaller limits. An XFA with more than thirty days of inactivity may be closed. XFA account limits.
The native TopstepX Trade Copier supports Combine and XFA accounts. Choose the Lead with the lowest maximum position size, then add Followers under Settings → Copy Trading. Each account retains its own limits.
- A Lead DLL trigger or auto-liquidation flattens its Followers. They remain linked, but no trades copy while the Lead is locked; you can unlink them to trade independently.
- A Lead MLL breach requires you to unlink the Followers before trading them separately.
- Scaling-tier differences can disconnect Followers at the start of a new session. Check the group before trading.
- Submitting a payout request unlinks Followers. Re-enable copying manually after the deduction is complete and the balance updates.
The native copier is unavailable in Live. Topstep’s ProjectX API also excludes Live accounts. Automation on supported accounts remains subject to the same trading rules, and the trader is responsible for coding errors and order behavior.
TopstepX is the main platform. Quantower can connect through TopstepX credentials for the Combine and XFA, without an API subscription. API access for custom tools is a separate subscription. Check the account-stage support before paying for a third-party tool.
News trading and temporary product restrictions
Topstep prohibits deliberately taking the full maximum position size directly into a scheduled major news release. Separate risk adjustments can restrict particular products even below the account’s normal contract cap.
Topstep's current Tier 1 restrictions block new opening transactions in the listed SIM equity-index and metals minis from five minutes before to five minutes after CPI, the FOMC rate decision and press conference, NFP and PPI. Micro limits depend on the product, account size and XFA scaling. Existing positions may be managed, and reducing or closing brackets remain permitted. Other products and Labs accounts can have separate limits. Check the current Risk Adjustments page and platform notice before entering.
The same risk-adjustments page lists temporary energy and metals limits, including products with zero permitted contracts. The XFA Scaling Plan still applies independently, so an account can have a lower limit than the product ceiling. The general strategy policy also applies outside Tier 1 news windows.
Hedging and prohibited trading behavior
Trading the same direction in your own accounts can be copied. Opposing positions across accounts in the same or correlated instruments, such as ES and MES, can trigger Topstep’s cross-account hedging policy. Coordinating with another trader to pool risk or offset positions is also prohibited. Close existing positions and cancel working orders before reversing direction across copied accounts.
The published hedging process starts with a warning and a short opportunity to remove the hedge, followed by escalating liquidation and lockout measures for repeat activity. Warnings alone do not affect payouts. Accounts closed for hedging cannot receive payouts, and confirmed hedging decisions are not appealable. Attempts are tracked at trader level, including later accounts.
Other prohibited strategies include repeatedly sacrificing accounts through MLL breaches, intentionally depleting Live capital, exploiting price-feed or platform errors, using technology for an unfair advantage, and trades that conflict with the Terms of Use or real-market behavior.
Topstep also prohibits systematic exploitation of simulated fills, including rapid-fire algorithms targeting queue advantages or unrealistic stop execution. Its examples mention tight brackets and auto-breakeven when used to exploit SIM behavior. The policy describes intentional, systematic abuse; it does not establish a blanket ban on ordinary bracket orders.
Country eligibility, KYC and VPNs
Check both citizenship and permanent residence before buying. Topstep currently lists 34 ineligible entries and 25 countries with XFA access but no Live access. Germany is in the latter group, which has a stated $200,000 total payout ceiling. An ineligible citizen with eligible permanent residence may request a Trust-team review. The official country policy and our complete country lookup cover that exception and the current lists.
Identity verification comes before the second purchase
After your first purchase, Topstep sends an email and displays a dashboard notice. You can still log in and trade while verification is pending, but further purchases, including new accounts and resets, are blocked until it is complete. Prepare a valid original physical ID and a camera for the ID photos and selfie. Follow the identity-verification instructions. If the dashboard says the account is fully locked and directs you to Trader Support, contact support.
The conduct policy prohibits VPNs, proxies, TOR and other location- or identity-masking services. Its response to a 403 Forbidden error is to disable the VPN or proxy and retry. For verification problems, Topstep also advises avoiding VPNs and VPS connections and checking device location settings.
Under the API rules, trading orders must originate from your personal device. A remote server cannot place, change, cancel or relay orders. Private servers may support research, storage and read-only monitoring without transmitting orders.
What happens when a rule is breached?
An MLL breach makes a Combine ineligible for funding until it is reset; an XFA is liquidated and closed. A DLL trigger pauses trading for the session. Falling short of consistency keeps you from passing or requesting a payout until the calculation is met. These outcomes differ from a conduct review.
Topstep reviews prohibited conduct case by case, considering severity and history. Possible actions include a warning, removal of the affected trading day, a reset, permanent closure, or a delayed or denied payout. The Trust team contacts the trader if an appeal is available.
Combine resets and reset credits
A Combine reset restores the original balance, MLL, consistency and day count. Each monthly rebill adds one credit; applying a matching credit or buying a reset sets the next rebill for thirty days after that credit application or reset purchase. Credits are tied to account size and type. Credits issued from December 11, 2025 expire after one year. They reset an active Combine subscription and cannot purchase a new account.
Lost XFAs use a separate Back2Funded process where eligible. A Combine reset does not reactivate an XFA, Pro or Live account.
Risk-team restrictions can override the standard choices
The Responsible Trading Program (RTP) generally assigns a DLL to new accounts and the Consistency path to new XFAs. Existing accounts and Combines purchased before placement have exceptions; a reset or reactivation can bring an account under RTP rules. Read the placement notice before choosing an account or assuming Standard remains available.
The Focused Trader Program (FTP) has separate Corrective and Slowdown paths. Corrective closes current accounts, denies pending payouts and limits the trader to one active $50K account at a time, with a six-month time requirement. Slowdown permits current accounts to continue but blocks new purchases, resets and Back2Funded reactivations. Once all those existing accounts close or expire, the trader moves to the one-active-$50K-account structure. Slowdown has no fixed time requirement. Release from either path requires Risk-team review.
For the purchase decision, the Topstep review covers costs, payout methods and the scope of the account testing. For a country or residency exception, use the eligibility guide before placing an order.