Topstep rules, verified (2026) — every tier, evaluation and funded

01 Topstep

www.topstep.com

Targeted corrections checked October 5, 2026. Other fields retain their dated research; confirm your exact version and phase.

50KStandard pricing path: $49/month Combine subscription (rebills every 30 days from signup until passed or canceled) + $149 one-time Activation Fee charged once when the Combine is passed and the Express Funded Account (XFA) is issued. No-Activation-Fee path: $95/month base, or $85/month with the optional Daily Loss Limit add-on (a $10/month 'Responsible Trading Discount'); $0 activation fee on this path.

Evaluation phase

Profit target: $3,000
Max drawdown: $2,000
Drawdown type: End-of-Day Trailing Max Loss Limit (MLL). It trails upward with each new end-of-day closing balance high but never trails down, and it locks permanently (stops trailing) once it reaches the account's starting balance (breakeven). It is monitored in real time intraday — both realized and unrealized P&L count toward it, and the account is liquidated immediately if net P&L touches the current floor at any moment — even though the floor value itself only steps once per day at the close (~3:10 PM CT). This is NOT a static drawdown and NOT a pure intraday-trailing drawdown; it is officially described as trailing the end-of-day balance, not intraday peaks.
Daily loss limit: Optional add-on, selectable at checkout or configured afterward (not mandatory in the Combine). Amount: $1,000 for the 50K tier. Resets each session at 5:00 PM CT. Hitting it flattens open positions and cancels pending orders for the rest of that session (no new trades until the next 5:00 PM CT open) but is explicitly NOT a rule violation and does not fail the evaluation.
Consistency rule: Best single trading day's profit must be ≤55% of total accumulated profit toward the Profit Target (Best Day ÷ Total Profit ≤ 55%). The best-day value locks at 3:10 PM CT each day; a later losing day does not reduce a previously locked best day. Breaching 55% does not fail the account outright — instead the required Profit Target is raised to (Best Day ÷ 0.55).
Min trading days: Can pass in as few as two trading days when the Profit Target is met and no single day exceeds 55% of total profit. A one-day pass is not possible under the consistency requirement.
Max contracts: 5 full-size contracts (50 micro contracts). Micro contracts count against the limit at a 10:1 ratio versus minis/full-size.
Other rules: Day-trading only: all positions must be flat by 3:10 PM CT every weekday (no overnight or weekend holds); trading resumes at 5:00 PM CT. The Combine is a rebilling monthly subscription until passed or canceled.

Funded phase

Account kind: Express Funded Account (XFA) — a simulated funded account, not live capital. A further, separate real-money stage (Live Funded Account / LFA) exists beyond the XFA; see universal_rules for how traders reach it.
Activation or monthly fee: $149 one-time Activation Fee (Standard pricing path) charged once when the Combine is passed and the XFA is issued; $0 if the trader originally selected the No-Activation-Fee Combine pricing path. No separate recurring monthly fee was found for the XFA stage itself.
Drawdown: $2,000 Max Loss Limit — same dollar figure as the Combine.
Drawdown type: End-of-day trailing Max Loss Limit, monitored intraday. After the first payout the MLL is set to $0 in the XFA profit-balance accounting. The remaining account balance is the available loss room; a payout does not mean the remaining cushion is automatically zero. Enter the actual current loss room shown on your dashboard. Source: Topstep payout policy, checked September 8, 2026.
Daily loss limit: Optional, same $1,000 amount and same 5:00 PM CT reset / non-violation flatten-and-pause behavior as the Combine.
Consistency rule: Payout path is chosen once at XFA activation and is fixed for that cycle (cannot switch mid-cycle). Standard path: no percentage cap — requires 5 non-consecutive winning days of $150+ net profit each, plus positive net profit since the last payout. Consistency path: requires a minimum of 3 trading days with at least 1 trade on each, and the largest single day's net profit must be ≤40% of total net profit (a strict, non-rounded cutoff — 40.1% fails).
Payout schedule: Payout requests may be submitted any time markets are open: Sunday 5:00 PM CT through Friday 5:00 PM CT (excluding holidays). No stated cap on request frequency once each cycle's requirements are re-met. Minimum payout amount: $125.
Profit split: 90/10 (trader keeps 90%, Topstep keeps 10%). Legacy exception: traders onboarded to the new dashboard before 2026-01-12 keep 100% of their first $10,000 in lifetime profit before the 90/10 split applies to profit thereafter.
Scaling or contract limits: Same max-contract limit as the Combine for this tier (5 full-size / 50 micro), tied to a balance-based Scaling Plan whose exact contract-per-balance-band breakdown Topstep presents only as a visual chart (not extracted as text here — unknown exact intermediate steps). Maximum 5 active XFAs open simultaneously.
Other rules: Per-tier payout caps for the 50K account: Standard path — up to 50% of account balance, capped at $2,000; Consistency path — up to 50% of balance, capped at $3,000. After each payout, the winning-day counter (Standard) or the 3-day/consistency calculation (Consistency) restarts from zero. Same 3:10 PM CT day-trading close rule as the Combine applies. Back2Funded: an XFA closed before its first payout can be reactivated up to 2 times within 30 calendar days of closure for a $599 reactivation fee (50K tier). CONFIRMED 2026-09-16: if the optional Daily Loss Limit add-on was selected at Trading Combine checkout (not added later at XFA), per-payout caps double for this 50K account: Standard $2,000→$4,000, Consistency $3,000→$6,000. Source: help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284233-topstep-payout-policy.

100KStandard pricing path: $99/month + $149 one-time Activation Fee on passing. No-Activation-Fee path: $149/month base, or $129/month with the Daily Loss Limit add-on ($20/month discount); $0 activation fee.

Evaluation phase

Profit target: $6,000
Max drawdown: $3,000
Drawdown type: Same End-of-Day Trailing Max Loss Limit mechanic described for the 50K tier (trails up with EOD highs, never down, locks permanently at breakeven; monitored intraday in real time on realized+unrealized P&L).
Daily loss limit: Optional add-on. Amount: $2,000 for the 100K tier. Same 5:00 PM CT reset and non-violation flatten/pause behavior as described for the 50K tier.
Consistency rule: Identical rule to the 50K tier: best single day ≤55% of total profit toward the Profit Target, locked at 3:10 PM CT daily; breach raises the target rather than failing the account.
Min trading days: Same as 50K tier: no separately stated formal minimum; practical floor of ~2 days from the consistency math itself.
Max contracts: 10 full-size contracts (100 micro contracts, 10:1 ratio).
Other rules: Same day-trading (3:10 PM CT flat) and monthly-rebilling-subscription structure as the 50K tier.

Funded phase

Account kind: Express Funded Account (XFA) — simulated funded account, same structure as the 50K tier.
Activation or monthly fee: $149 one-time Activation Fee (Standard path) or $0 (No-Activation-Fee path). No separate recurring XFA monthly fee identified.
Drawdown: $3,000 Max Loss Limit.
Drawdown type: End-of-day trailing Max Loss Limit, monitored intraday. After the first payout the MLL is set to $0 in the XFA profit-balance accounting. The remaining account balance is the available loss room; a payout does not mean the remaining cushion is automatically zero. Enter the actual current loss room shown on your dashboard. Source: Topstep payout policy, checked September 8, 2026.
Daily loss limit: Optional, $2,000 for this tier, same reset/behavior rules.
Consistency rule: Same two-path structure as 50K tier: Standard = 5 winning days of $150+; Consistency = 3 trading days, largest single day ≤40% of total net profit.
Payout schedule: Same schedule as 50K tier: Sunday 5:00 PM CT – Friday 5:00 PM CT, no stated frequency cap, $125 minimum payout.
Profit split: 90/10, same legacy 100%-of-first-$10,000 exception for pre-2026-01-12 dashboard accounts.
Scaling or contract limits: 10 full-size / 100 micro contract limit, same balance-based Scaling Plan caveat as 50K. Max 5 active XFAs simultaneously.
Other rules: Per-tier payout caps for the 100K account: Standard path capped at $3,000; Consistency path capped at $4,000 (both up to 50% of balance). Same payout-cycle reset and 3:10 PM CT rules as 50K. Back2Funded reactivation fee: $699 for this tier. CONFIRMED 2026-09-16: if the optional Daily Loss Limit add-on was selected at Trading Combine checkout (not added later at XFA), per-payout caps double for this 100K account: Standard $3,000→$6,000, Consistency $4,000→$8,000. Source: help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284233-topstep-payout-policy.

150KStandard pricing path: $199/month + $149 one-time Activation Fee on passing. No-Activation-Fee path: $229/month base, or $199/month with the Daily Loss Limit add-on ($30/month discount); $0 activation fee.

Evaluation phase

Profit target: $9,000
Max drawdown: $4,500
Drawdown type: Same End-of-Day Trailing Max Loss Limit mechanic as the other tiers.
Daily loss limit: Optional add-on. Amount: $3,000 for the 150K tier. Same 5:00 PM CT reset and non-violation flatten/pause behavior.
Consistency rule: Identical rule to other tiers: best single day ≤55% of total profit, locked at 3:10 PM CT daily.
Min trading days: Same as other tiers: no separately stated formal minimum; practical ~2-day floor from the consistency math.
Max contracts: 15 full-size contracts (150 micro contracts, 10:1 ratio).
Other rules: Same day-trading (3:10 PM CT flat) and monthly-rebilling-subscription structure as other tiers.

Funded phase

Account kind: Express Funded Account (XFA) — simulated funded account, same structure as other tiers.
Activation or monthly fee: $149 one-time Activation Fee (Standard path) or $0 (No-Activation-Fee path).
Drawdown: $4,500 Max Loss Limit.
Drawdown type: End-of-day trailing Max Loss Limit, monitored intraday. After the first payout the MLL is set to $0 in the XFA profit-balance accounting. The remaining account balance is the available loss room; a payout does not mean the remaining cushion is automatically zero. Enter the actual current loss room shown on your dashboard. Source: Topstep payout policy, checked September 8, 2026.
Daily loss limit: Optional, $3,000 for this tier, same reset/behavior rules.
Consistency rule: Same two-path structure: Standard = 5 winning days of $150+; Consistency = 3 trading days, largest single day ≤40% of total net profit.
Payout schedule: Same schedule as other tiers: Sunday 5:00 PM CT – Friday 5:00 PM CT, no stated frequency cap, $125 minimum payout.
Profit split: 90/10, same legacy 100%-of-first-$10,000 exception for pre-2026-01-12 dashboard accounts.
Scaling or contract limits: 15 full-size / 150 micro contract limit, same balance-based Scaling Plan caveat. Max 5 active XFAs simultaneously.
Other rules: Per-tier payout caps for the 150K account: Standard path capped at $5,000; Consistency path capped at $6,000 (both up to 50% of balance). Same payout-cycle reset and 3:10 PM CT rules as other tiers. Back2Funded reactivation fee: $829 for this tier. CONFIRMED 2026-09-16: if the optional Daily Loss Limit add-on was selected at Trading Combine checkout (not added later at XFA), per-payout caps double for this 150K account: Standard $5,000→$10,000, Consistency $6,000→$12,000. Source: help.topstep.com/en/articles/8284233-topstep-payout-policy.

Platforms: TopstepX (Topstep's own proprietary platform) is the primary/current platform. Per third-party reporting corroborated across multiple review sites (medium confidence on exact cutover dates), new Trading Combine purchases became TopstepX-only starting 2026-07-07, and account resets became TopstepX-only starting 2026-08-01; legacy NinjaTrader, Tradovate and the earlier ProjectX platform have been phased out as of this research date (2026-09-05). Verify current platform support directly on topstep.com before relying on multi-platform availability.

Universal conduct rules: Day-trading structure at every stage: no overnight or weekend holding anywhere in the program — all positions must be closed by 3:10 PM CT each trading day; trading resumes at 5:00 PM CT. News trading is explicitly permitted (no blackout windows around economic releases), but deliberately trading at full Maximum Position Size directly into a scheduled major news event is classified as a prohibited strategy. Prohibited conduct (per Topstep's official 'Prohibited Trading Strategies' article): using software/AI/ultra-high-speed systems or mass data entry to gain an unfair advantage; executing trades inconsistent with real futures market behavior or that create financial/other risk for Topstep; placing orders outside the current best bid/offer; 'account stacking' (repeatedly hitting the Max Loss Limit on one account then switching to another and repeating); intentionally draining a Live Funded Account to trigger failure; and systematic/exploitative scalping of simulator fills (hundreds or thousands of sub-second trades designed to exploit unrealistic fills, gapped-market fills, or tight-bracket fills) — occasional lucky fills are not penalized, but intentional, systematic patterns are. Trade copiers are allowed only for a trader's own execution convenience across their own accounts; mirrored/hedging/risk-stacking behavior across accounts and copying other traders' signals are both prohibited. Automated/algorithmic trading is allowed at the Combine and XFA stages, but automated trading via the ProjectX API is prohibited on Live Funded Accounts, and trade copiers cannot be used on Live Funded Accounts at all. Max simultaneous accounts: unlimited active Trading Combines; up to 5 active Express Funded Accounts; 1 Live Funded Account at a time. Progression beyond the XFA: Topstep does not automatically convert an XFA to real capital — its Risk Team evaluates demonstrated consistent profitability in the simulated XFA over time and may 'call up' a trader to a real-money Live Funded Account (LFA), which can scale to a starting balance up to $150,000 of Topstep's own capital, has no payout caps, and uses a reserve-release structure (roughly 20% of starting capital tradable immediately, 80% held in reserve and released in 25% increments as profit thresholds matching the original Combine profit targets are hit since the last release). The LFA's own Daily Loss Limit is mandatory (not optional) at $2,000/$3,000/$4,500 for 50K/100K/150K, tightens automatically as balance falls (to $2,000 DLL / 5-contract max at ≤$10K balance, $1,000 DLL / 3-contract max at ≤$5K balance), and the account can be liquidated at end of day if balance drops below $1,000. Exact LFA graduation criteria (specific profitability thresholds/timeframes the Risk Team applies) are not published as a fixed numeric rule on topstep.com and are described only qualitatively — flagged as unknown/discretionary rather than a hard rule.

News and overnight: Overnight/weekend holding: prohibited at every stage (Combine, XFA, LFA) — day-trading only, flat by 3:10 PM CT, resume 5:00 PM CT. News trading: permitted with no formal blackout window, but trading at full Maximum Position Size directly into a scheduled major news release is a named prohibited strategy that can trigger a behavioral review rather than an automatic rule violation.

Corrections and uncertainty

Combine consistency target changed from ≤50% to ≤55% of profit target for the best single day (independently re-verified on two official pages, not just relayed).
Official source Official source

New rule discovered: XFA per-payout caps double if the Daily Loss Limit add-on was selected at Trading Combine checkout.
Official source

Corrected the two-day consistency explanation to 55% and Back2Funded eligibility window to 30 calendar days. Existing eligibility restrictions still apply.
Official source Official source Official source Official source

Sources (24)

Now make these rules survivable.

The Prop Coach loads Topstep's numbers and checks whether your payout is actually withdrawable — then the desk keeps you inside the limits every day for $8 a month for your first 6 months (then $20/mo).

Open the Prop Coach See the exact process

FREE · SENT TO YOUR INBOX

Your plan to pass the Topstep eval

Topstep's verified rules turned into a disciplined daily plan: the pace, the quit level, the sizing, and the consistency ceiling. Computed from the numbers on this page, sent to your inbox.

Build my personal plan →

Choose your exact account, calculate your dollar limits, then print or email the receipt.

Topstep,rule by rule.

01 Topstep

Evaluation phase

Funded phase

Evaluation phase

Funded phase

Evaluation phase

Funded phase

Now make these rules survivable.

Topstep,
rule by rule.