Topstep Rules Explained: Drawdown, Consistency and Payouts

Topstep's rules look simple on the sales page: hit the profit target and don't lose too much. The detail lives in its help center, and that detail decides whether an attempt passes. This guide walks through each rule in the Trading Combine and the Express Funded Account (XFA), using Topstep's own help-center articles as checked on November 3, 2026. For prices, platforms and our overall verdict, see our Topstep review.

Rules at a glance

Rule	Trading Combine (evaluation)	Express Funded Account
Maximum Loss Limit	$2,000 / $3,000 / $4,500, trails end-of-day balance, locks at starting balance	Starts at -$2,000 / -$3,000 / -$4,500 from a $0 balance, locks at $0
Daily loss limit	Optional: $1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000	Optional, carries over if chosen at checkout
Consistency	Best day under 55% of profit target	Consistency payout path only: best day 40% or less
Minimum days	None stated; Topstep says 2 days at the earliest	5 winning days (Standard) or 3 trading days (Consistency) per payout
Max position	5 / 10 / 15 minis (50 / 100 / 150 micros)	Scaling Plan based on balance
Trading day	5:00 p.m. CT to 3:10 p.m. CT	Same
Profit split	n/a	90/10

Figures are for the 50K, 100K and 150K accounts in that order.

Maximum Loss Limit: how the drawdown works

The Maximum Loss Limit (MLL) is the lowest your balance may go. Topstep recalculates it at the end of each trading day, but it monitors it in real time. Both realized and unrealized P&L count. If your net P&L touches the line at any moment, the account is liquidated straight away. Topstep says it does not adjust the MLL and makes no exceptions.

Worked example: 50K Combine

• You start at $50,000. The MLL is $48,000.
• Day 1 closes at $50,800. The MLL rises to $48,800.
• Day 2 closes at $50,300. The MLL stays at $48,800. It never moves down.
• Day 3 a trade runs $1,600 against you before you exit. Your balance briefly sits at $48,700, below $48,800. That is a breach, even if price would have come back.
• If instead you had closed day 3 at $52,000, the MLL would have reached $50,000 and locked there for the rest of the Combine.

Liquidation uses market orders. Topstep notes that slippage can leave the final balance above the line, but the breach still stands. A breached Combine is liquidated for the day and needs a reset before it can be funded.

In the Express Funded Account

The XFA balance starts at $0, and the 50K, 100K or 150K label describes buying power. On a 50K XFA the MLL starts at -$2,000 and trails up. Once the balance reaches $2,000, the MLL locks at $0. After your first payout, the MLL is set to $0 no matter where it was, so whatever is left in the account becomes your entire cushion. A breached XFA is closed for good. Back2Funded can reactivate it, up to two times at the same size and payout path.

To see how much room a trailing limit leaves you on a given day, try our trailing drawdown calculator. For the difference between this end-of-day style and intraday trailing, read EOD vs intraday trailing drawdown.

Daily loss limit

The daily loss limit (DLL) is optional in the Combine and XFA. If you pick it at checkout it is fixed at $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 and carries into your XFA. It cannot be changed later. When net P&L hits it, Topstep flattens your positions, cancels working orders and stops trading until the next session opens at 5:00 p.m. CT. This is a forced break, not a rule violation, and the account stays eligible.

You can also set a Personal Daily Loss Limit in TopstepX risk settings. You can adjust or remove it unless you chose "Liquidate and Block" or locked your settings for the day. Our daily loss calculator helps you size trades so one bad day doesn't stop you out.

Consistency target

In the Combine, your best single day must stay below 55% of the profit target. That means under $1,650 on 50K, $3,300 on 100K and $4,950 on 150K. Breaking it does not fail the account. It raises the target instead: best day divided by 0.55 is the new total you need.

• A $1,800 best day on 50K raises the required profit to about $3,273.
• If the next day earns $2,200, that becomes the best day and the target becomes $4,000.

The best day locks at 3:10 p.m. CT. Losses later on do not shrink it, and more profit on the same session only makes it bigger. The extra profit has to come from a separate day. Our consistency rule explainer covers the general idea across firms.

In the XFA, consistency only applies if you choose the Consistency payout path: your largest winning day must be 40% or less of total net profit since your last payout.

Minimum trading days

Topstep does not set a fixed minimum in the Combine. Its help center says you can pass in as few as two days but not in one, which follows from the 55% consistency target. Funded payouts have their own day counts, covered below.

Contract limits and scaling

Combine limits are 5, 10 and 15 minis, or 50, 100 and 150 micros, counted at 10:1. You never have to trade the maximum.

The XFA uses a Scaling Plan that caps contracts by your current balance. Topstep publishes the tiers as a chart image, so check the exact steps on the scaling article or your TopstepX Risk Settings page. Added contracts start the next session, never mid-session. Topstep ignores errors fixed in under 10 seconds; holding too many contracts for 10 seconds or more can trigger a review. During extreme volatility it may tighten limits on affected products.

News, overnight and weekend rules

The trading day runs from 5:00 p.m. CT to 3:10 p.m. CT. Positions must be flat by 3:10 p.m. CT, and Topstep starts automatically flattening at 3:08 p.m. CT, so overnight and weekend holds are not possible. If you pass on a Friday, the XFA can trade from 5:00 p.m. CT Sunday.

News trading is not banned outright, but Topstep's prohibited strategies list includes deliberately trading your full maximum position size into a scheduled major news event. Its MLL article also suggests avoiding trades around high-impact releases. Our economic calendar guide lists the big ones.

Prohibited practices

Topstep calls these "hard stops":

• Account stacking: taking oversized risk in one account until it fails, then repeating in another.
• Deliberately depleting a Live Funded Account.
• Using software, AI, ultra-high-speed systems or mass data entry for an unfair edge.
• Trading outside the best bid or offer, or in ways that don't reflect real market behavior.
• Full-size positions into scheduled major news.
• Exploiting simulator fills, for example hundreds of rapid trades for queue position, tight brackets to catch unrealistic fills, or trading gapped markets for stray fills.
• Hedging across accounts and coordinated trading with other people.
• Holding more than one Topstep profile.

Topstep says simulator abuse can get you removed and payouts rejected. Automated strategies and trade copiers are allowed, but Topstep won't help set them up or cover malfunctions. An XFA with no activity for more than 30 days may be closed.

Payouts step by step

The split is 90/10 and the minimum payout is $125. At activation you choose one of two XFA payout paths, and the choice is permanent.

Path	Requirement	Max per request (50K / 100K / 150K)
Standard	5 winning days of $150+ net P&L, not consecutive, plus profit since last payout	50% of balance, up to $2,000 / $3,000 / $5,000
Consistency	3 trading days with a trade, largest day 40% or less of net profit	50% of balance, up to $3,000 / $4,000 / $6,000

1. Meet the requirements for your path. Winning days lock at 4:00 p.m. CT.
2. Open the Payouts page in the Topstep dashboard during CME hours (Sunday 5 p.m. to Friday 5 p.m. CT).
3. Choose a method and submit. Tax forms (W-9 or W-8BEN) are collected here.
4. Topstep reviews the request against its payout policy and conduct rules. Internal approval can take one to three business days.

Prop-to-Brokerage and Aeropay (US) carry no Topstep fee, ACH and international wire cost $30, and Wise is available for China, Canada and the UK. After each payout the day count and consistency calculation restart, and the request day itself does not count toward the next cycle. Live Funded Accounts need five $150 winning days per cycle, have no dollar cap, and unlock daily payouts after 30 winning days in the live account. Compare these terms with other firms on our fastest-paying prop firms list.

Common ways traders fail

• Watching closed P&L only. The MLL counts open losses in real time, so a trade that dips through the line fails the account even if it would have recovered.
• One giant day. A big day above 55% of target doesn't fail you, but it raises the bar and keeps the subscription billing.
• Forgetting the 3:10 p.m. CT cutoff. Positions are flattened from 3:08 p.m. CT whether or not your plan says so.
• Running out of cushion after payouts. Once the MLL sits at $0, every withdrawal shrinks your room for losses.
• Over-sizing on a new XFA. The Scaling Plan starts small, and positions above it for 10 seconds or more can be reviewed.
• Full size into news. It is a listed prohibited strategy, not just a risky one.

To see how Topstep's rules stack up against other firms, use our prop firm comparison or read Topstep vs Tradeify and Topstep vs My Funded Futures. New to evaluations? Start with how prop firm evaluations work.

Frequently asked questions

Does Topstep's drawdown count open losses?

Yes. The Maximum Loss Limit is set from end-of-day balances but monitored in real time, and unrealized losses count.

When does the Topstep drawdown stop trailing?

In the Combine it locks once it reaches the starting balance. In the XFA it locks at $0 once the balance reaches the MLL amount, and it is set to $0 after your first payout.

What happens if I break the 55% consistency target?

Nothing fails. Your profit target rises to your best day divided by 0.55, and you keep trading on later days.

Is the daily loss limit a rule violation?

No. It flattens your positions and pauses trading until 5:00 p.m. CT, but the account stays eligible.

Can I hold positions overnight at Topstep?

No. Positions must be closed by 3:10 p.m. CT, and Topstep begins flattening them at 3:08 p.m. CT.

Can I trade news at Topstep?

Trading around news isn't banned, but deliberately trading your full maximum position size into a scheduled major release is a prohibited strategy.