Topstep rules

Loss limits, consistency targets and contract caps for the Trading Combine, Express Funded and Live accounts.

Status: Active
Billing: Monthly subscription
Hold overnight: No
Flat by: 3:10 p.m. CT

Rules checked on September 26, 2026 · Topstep's Trading Combine parameters · By helloweekends Editors

Topstep rules change with each stage of the program. You pay a monthly subscription for a Trading Combine, an evaluation traded on a simulated account. Pass it and you trade an Express Funded Account (XFA), also simulated; Topstep's Risk Team calls some traders up to a Live Funded Account. The Combine and the XFA use an end-of-day trailing maximum loss limit, every stage limits position size, and all accounts must be flat by 3:10 p.m. CT.

Rules on every Topstep account

Flat by 3:10 p.m. CT. Close all positions by 3:10 p.m. CT each weekday. Holding overnight or over the weekend is not allowed. Session times are on the futures market hours page.
Maximum loss limit (MLL). The MLL is the lowest your balance may go. Topstep calculates it from your highest end-of-day balance but enforces it in real time, so a dip during the day counts. It stops trailing once it reaches your starting balance. The mechanics are explained on the trailing drawdown page.
Daily loss limit (DLL). Optional in the Combine and the XFA: you add it at purchase and it is then fixed. It is mandatory in the Live Funded Account. Hitting it is a soft breach: trading pauses for the session, and it is not a rule violation.
News. You do not have to be flat for economic releases in general. In the 10-minute CPI window Topstep restricts new opening trades in equity index minis and some metals and caps micros.
One platform. TopstepX is the only trading platform. Quantower can connect with TopstepX credentials on Combine and XFA accounts only.
Choices are final. You cannot change your Combine path after purchase, and the XFA payout path you pick at activation cannot be changed.

Trading Combine paths and prices

The Combine comes in two paths. The Standard path costs less each month but charges $149 when you activate each XFA. The No Activation Fee path costs more each month and charges nothing at activation. Adding a DLL at purchase lowers the No Activation Fee price by $10, $20 or $30 a month; that price is shown in brackets.

MLL = maximum loss limit, end-of-day trailing. Source: Topstep help center (pricing, consistency and MLL articles) and topstep.com, checked September 26, 2026.
Path	Size	Price	XFA activation fee	Profit target	MLL
Standard	$50,000	$49/mo	$149	$3,000	$2,000
Standard	$100,000	$99/mo	$149	$6,000	$3,000
Standard	$150,000	$199/mo	$149	$9,000	$4,500
No Activation Fee	$50,000	$95/mo ($85 with DLL)	None	$3,000	$2,000
No Activation Fee	$100,000	$149/mo ($129 with DLL)	None	$6,000	$3,000
No Activation Fee	$150,000	$229/mo ($199 with DLL)	None	$9,000	$4,500

A reset costs the same as the monthly price for your path and size, and each rebill adds a Reset Credit. Level 1 market data is included; Level 2 costs $38 a month.

Rules by account

Weekend holding is not allowed on any account, and the CPI-window news restriction applies to all of them. Source: Topstep help center, checked September 26, 2026.
Account	Daily loss limit	Consistency	Minimum days	Max. contracts	Other rules
Trading Combine $50K	Optional, $1,000, fixed if added at purchase	Best day at or below 55% of profit (50% on the parameters page)	2	5 minis / 50 micros	MLL $2,000; no time limit
Trading Combine $100K	Optional, $2,000, fixed if added at purchase	Best day at or below 55% of profit (50% on the parameters page)	2	10 minis / 100 micros	MLL $3,000; no time limit
Trading Combine $150K	Optional, $3,000, fixed if added at purchase	Best day at or below 55% of profit (50% on the parameters page)	2	15 minis / 150 micros	MLL $4,500; no time limit
XFA, Standard path	Optional, carried over if added at purchase	None	5 winning days of $150+ per payout	Scaling Plan by balance	Up to 5 active XFAs; MLL set to $0 after the first payout
XFA, Consistency path	Optional, carried over if added at purchase	Largest day at or below 40% of net profit per payout window	3 trading days per payout	Scaling Plan by balance	Path chosen at activation, cannot be changed
Live Funded Account	Mandatory: $2,000 / $3,000 / $4,500 by size	Not confirmed	5 winning days of $150+ per payout	Dynamic Live Risk Expansion	Risk Team call-up only; balance must stay above $0

The Combine consistency target: 50% or 55%?

Topstep's own pages disagree. The Consistency at Topstep article, updated around September 2026, sets a hard limit: your best day must be at or below 55% of total profit, with no buffer. It says the old rule was 50% with an unpublished buffer on top. The Trading Combine Parameters page, dated June 24, 2026, and the No Activation Fee page still show 50%. Topstep has not published a date for the change, so we treat 55% as the newer figure. The general idea is covered under prop firm consistency rule.

The two XFA paths

When you activate an XFA you pick Standard or Consistency, and the choice is permanent. Standard has no consistency rule but needs five winning days of $150 or more before each payout. Consistency needs only three trading days, but no single day may exceed 40% of net profit in the payout window. You can hold up to five active XFAs, with up to $750K in buying power through a trade copier. We could not confirm the XFA Scaling Plan tiers on an official page.

Topstep Labs drops

Outside the core price table, Topstep sells limited, first-come drops: a $25K Static Trading Combine ($75 one-time, a static $1,000 MLL, 90-day expiry), a $250K Freedom Trading Combine ($499 one-time, $15,000 target, $10,000 end-of-day trailing MLL, $25,000 payout cap) and fixed-payout Challenges ($39, $49 or $149 one-time for $1.5K, $3K or $6K), which pay a fixed amount with no 90/10 split.

Worked example: a 50K Trading Combine

You start at $50,000 with a $2,000 MLL, so the floor sits at $48,000. The target is $3,000, so you pass at $53,000, provided you also meet the consistency rule and trade at least two days. The MLL follows your highest end-of-day balance up. Once that high reaches $52,000, the floor reaches $50,000, your starting balance, and stays there. Under the 55% target, no single day may bring more than $1,650 of the $3,000. Under the 50% figure on the parameters page, the limit is $1,500.

What breaks a Topstep account

Touching the MLL at any moment. It is a rule violation and is enforced in real time, even though it only moves with end-of-day highs.
Using a prohibited strategy, such as trading your full maximum position size into a scheduled major news event.
On a Live Funded Account, letting the balance fall to $0; it must stay above $0.
Hitting the DLL does not break the account. It is a soft breach: trading stops for the rest of the session.

Recent rule changes

January 12, 2026: traders who join from this date split profits 90/10 from the first dollar. Earlier traders keep 100% of their first $10,000 in lifetime profits, then 90/10.
February 11, 2026 (announced): the XFA Consistency path was added as an alternative to the single Standard path.
Date not published: the Combine consistency target moved from 50% plus an unpublished buffer to a 55% hard limit with no buffer.

Every dated change is in the rule change log. Split, caps and payout methods are on the Topstep payout rules page.

Know the riskA Topstep Trading Combine is a paid subscription with simulated trading. Most people who buy an evaluation do not pass it, and firms change their rules, pause payouts and close. Read Topstep's current rules before you buy. Not investment advice.

Questions

Does Topstep have a daily loss limit?

Only if you add one. In the Trading Combine and the XFA the DLL is optional and, once added at purchase, fixed at $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 by size. It is mandatory in the Live Funded Account. Hitting it pauses trading for the session; it is not a rule violation.

What is the Topstep consistency rule?

In the Trading Combine your best day must be at or below 55% of total profit, per Topstep's consistency article; the parameters page still says 50%. The XFA Consistency path caps your largest day at 40% of net profit per payout window. The XFA Standard path has no consistency rule.

Can you hold trades overnight at Topstep?

No. All positions must be closed by 3:10 p.m. CT each weekday, and weekend holding is not allowed.

How many days does it take to pass the Topstep Trading Combine?

At least two trading days in practice. The Combine has no time limit.

Can you trade the news at Topstep?

Mostly yes. Topstep restricts new opening trades in equity index minis and some metals during the 10-minute CPI window, and trading your full maximum position size into a scheduled major news event is prohibited.

Sources

All checked on September 26, 2026.