Topstep FAQ 2026: 60+ Questions Answered (Verified)

This guide answers more than 60 Topstep questions, grouped by topic: pricing, account types, drawdown, consistency, payouts, platforms and eligibility. Each answer links to the cluster article that covers it in depth, and the April 1, 2026 acquisition of The Futures Desk is folded in wherever it changes an answer. If you only need the shape of the firm first, the opening answer below carries it.

How much does Topstep cost?

What is Topstep?

Topstep is a Chicago-based proprietary futures trading firm founded by Michael Patak. The funding model runs as a 1-step Trading Combine (monthly subscription), advancing through a one-time activation fee to a sim-funded Express Funded Account (XFA), and finally to a real-money Live Funded Account backed by an FCM partnership with Plus500US. Topstep also operates a separate retail brokerage product, Topstep Brokerage, for traders trading their own capital. Profit split on current sign-ups is 90/10 from $1. The firm publishes detailed rules through a public Help Center and is one of the oldest futures prop firms in the U.S. industry, alongside Apex.

How much does Topstep cost?

The Trading Combine runs as a monthly subscription: $49 on $50K, $99 on $100K, $199 on $150K on the Standard Path (a No-Activation-Fee Path runs $95/$149/$229 with $0 activation). A one-time $149 activation fee applies on the Standard Path on advance to the Express Funded Account. The XFA and Live Funded stages have no separate monthly subscription. Reset pricing is published: $49 / $99 / $199 by size on the Standard Path and $95 / $149 / $229 on the No-Activation-Fee Path, limited to 2 resets per account per day. Each monthly rebill also adds one Reset Credit to your Reset Bank, and redeeming a credit costs nothing. Combined first-pass cost on a $50K Combine is therefore $49 (subscription) plus $149 (activation), $198 total to advance, assuming the Combine passes within the first month.

Is Topstep a one-time fee or monthly subscription?

Topstep is a monthly subscription on the Trading Combine, $49, $99, or $199 per month (Standard Path), plus a one-time $149 activation fee on advance to the XFA. This differs from one-time-fee firms like YRM Prop, Lucid Trading, or Tradeify, where the entry price is paid once. The subscription continues until you cancel, advance, or breach. After advancing to the XFA, the monthly subscription stops; the XFA runs on rules and qualifying days only without recurring fees.

What is the Topstep activation fee?

$149 one-time activation fee, paid after passing the Combine to advance to the Express Funded Account. The fee applies once per advancing account regardless of size, same $149 on $50K, $100K, or $150K (Standard Path; the No-Activation-Fee Path replaces it with higher monthly pricing). Activation is separate from the monthly Combine subscription and is non-refundable once the XFA is active. The activation fee is the gating cost between sim evaluation (Combine) and sim funded (XFA), and is the same flat fee that has applied across Topstep's recent product history.

Does Topstep offer resets?

Yes, via the Reset Credit Bank. Each monthly rebill adds one Reset Credit to your Reset Bank, and redeeming one is free: it behaves exactly like a purchased reset, including the 30-day push of your rebill date. Credits are tied to a specific account size and type, they stay on your profile even if you cancel the subscription, and credits added from 11 December 2025 onward expire one year after they are granted. Buying a reset outright costs $49 / $99 / $199 on the Standard Path or $95 / $149 / $229 on the No-Activation-Fee Path. This differs from Apex's per-reset fee model and from YRM Prop's flat-priced resets ($90 to $265 by account size per the firm's homepage, checked August 4, 2026), where YRM's own help center is contradictory on whether resets are available at all.

What is the Topstep discount code?

Topstep does not have a PTV affiliate program, so there is no PTV-specific discount code or affiliate link. Topstep does run periodic public promotions on its homepage and X channel, those promo codes apply to anyone, no affiliate route required. The cleanest current path is direct signup at topstep.com and watching the public promo cadence.

Are there hidden fees on Topstep?

No additional hidden fees beyond the published monthly subscription, activation fee, the published reset price if you buy one, and the payout rails (ACH and Wire/SWIFT carry a $30 fee from Topstep; Prop-to-Brokerage, Aeropay, and Wise are free). Level 1 market data is included with the membership; Level 2 depth of market is a paid upgrade at $38 a month, billed on the 28th and not pro-rated. In the Live Funded Account the trader also carries professional market data at $133 per exchange per month, round-turn commissions and the platform licence. The cost stack to model is monthly subscription, activation, any reset you buy, payout-rail fees, and tax. The first four are published openly. Listed prices are pre-tax: depending on where you live, VAT, GST or sales tax is calculated and shown at checkout before you complete the purchase.

How does Topstep pricing compare to competitors?

Topstep's $49 monthly entry on $50K is competitive within the futures prop space, but the monthly subscription model accumulates if the Combine drags out, three months on the $50K runs to $147 in subscription before activation, which approaches the entry cost of one-time-fee competitors. The trade-off is Topstep's long track record, FCM-backed Live tier, and brand-recognition value. For traders who pass quickly, the monthly model is cheaper; for traders who take 4+ months, one-time-fee competitors get cheaper.

Which Topstep account types and sizes are available?

What account sizes does Topstep offer?

Three account sizes: $50K, $100K, $150K. Same three sizes across the Trading Combine and Express Funded Account. The Live Funded Account allocates real capital up to $150K starting balance. Each size has its own profit target, max loss limit, daily loss limit, and contract cap. The $50K is the most popular entry point and is what I have traded since 2023.

What is the Trading Combine?

The Trading Combine is Topstep's 1-step evaluation. Pay a monthly subscription, hit the profit target ($3,000 / $6,000 / $9,000 on $50K/$100K/$150K), respect the Maximum Loss Limit, which trails your end-of-day balance but is checked in real time, and you advance. There is no second phase like at firms with 2-step evaluations. Once passed, you pay the $149 activation fee and start trading the XFA. Topstep publishes no minimum trading-day count for the Combine, but it rules out a one-day pass outright; two days is the floor.

What is the Express Funded Account?

The Express Funded Account is Topstep's sim-funded stage between Combine and Live Funded. After passing the Combine and paying the $149 activation, traders enter the XFA with sim capital and build qualifying days toward payouts. Since February 5, 2026, the XFA runs as a dual-path: a Standard Path (5 winning days of $150 or more) and a Consistency Path (3 trading days at or below a 40% consistency target; the old cumulative-profit minimums were removed April 28, 2026). Both use the same end-of-day trailing Maximum Loss Limit, which starts at -$2,000 / -$3,000 / -$4,500 by size and locks at $0 once your balance covers that distance.

What is the Live Funded Account?

The Live Funded Account is Topstep's real-money tier. After demonstrating consistency on the XFA, top performers, about 0.71% of XFA traders in the 2025 cohort, move to a real FCM-backed account with up to $150K starting allocation through Plus500US. Two different numbers decide what you get, and they come from two different places. The account size is the average of the account sizes of your active, eligible XFAs with at least one payout, rounded up to the next tier, so four 50K XFAs plus one 150K XFA average 70K and produce a $100K Live Funded Account. The starting balance comes from the balances instead: 20% of your combined XFA balances is tradable immediately, 80% sits in Reserve, the minimum start is $10,000, and the starting balance is capped at the account size with anything above it forfeited. The reserve then unlocks in 25% increments at profit milestones equal to the size's Combine profit target. Thirty winning days at $150+ in the Live Funded Account unlock daily payouts rather than the reserve; XFA winning days do not count toward that total.

Is Topstep a 1-step or 2-step evaluation?

Topstep is a 1-step evaluation, the Trading Combine is the only evaluation stage. Once passed, you advance to the sim-funded XFA, then to the real-money Live Funded Account. Some legacy third-party content describes Topstep as 'instant funding' or '2-step', this is incorrect, Topstep has always been 1-step Combine to XFA to Live, with no instant-funding tier.

What is the difference between the Combine and the XFA?

The Trading Combine is the evaluation stage, paid monthly, no payouts available, governed by an end-of-day trailing Maximum Loss Limit and a profit target. The XFA is the sim-funded stage that follows, no monthly fee, payouts available after meeting path requirements, governed by the same end-of-day trailing limit, which in the XFA starts below zero. Both are simulated environments. The Live Funded Account that follows the XFA is the real-money tier. The activation fee gates the transition from Combine to XFA; payout requests gate the transition between cycles within the XFA.

How do I advance from XFA to Live Funded?

The XFA-to-Live transition is gated by Topstep's selection criteria, only about 0.71% of XFA traders advance to Live Funded in any given cohort. There is no mechanical trigger behind it. The Risk Team reviews every trader case by case and weighs consistency, risk management, position sizing, products traded, use of stops and risk tools, previous call-ups, payout history and overall account behavior. No fixed number of winning days or payouts earns the call-up, and Topstep answers the most common version of that question directly: five payouts do not move you to Live. The transition is forced once selected, the trader cannot decline and remain on XFA, and the call-up closes every Express Funded Account you hold. Live Funded then starts with 20% of your combined XFA balances tradable and 80% in Reserve, on a $10,000 minimum start, and the reserve unlocks in 25% increments at Combine-profit-target milestones.

Can I have multiple Topstep accounts?

Yes. Topstep sets the numbers explicitly: unlimited Trading Combines, up to 5 active Express Funded Accounts at a time, and exactly one Live Funded Account, at which point every XFA closes. The edges of that are worth knowing. Pass a Combine while you already sit at five XFAs and the new one goes on hold until a slot frees up. An XFA with no trading activity for more than 30 days may be closed, and XFAs cannot be put on hold. While a Live Funded Account is active, a passed Combine cannot be activated into an XFA at all, an option that returns only if the Live account is lost. Shoulder Tap holders are capped at one XFA. Many traders still pass several Combines in parallel to run multiple XFAs.

Where the accounts are independent and where they are not is the part that costs people money. Account-level rules are counted per account: the Maximum Loss Limit, the Daily Loss Limit, the Scaling Plan, the subscription and the activation fee. Behavior is counted at trader level. Hedging attempts are tracked across every account you hold, so a warning acknowledged on one account makes the next attempt on a freshly bought account a post-acknowledgment violation. Multiple accounts hitting the Maximum Loss Limit on the same day is a documented trigger for the Responsible Trading Program. The Focused Trader Program Corrective Path closes all of your accounts at once. Cross-account hedging is prohibited, but running independent strategies on separate accounts is allowed, and the Live Funded allocation can consolidate across multiple XFA accounts at the firm's discretion.

Is running several Topstep accounts at once account stacking?

No, and the line between the two is worth drawing precisely, because one side of it is explicitly allowed. Topstep states there is no limit to the number of Trading Combines you can have, and running several in parallel across different sizes is a normal way to spread pass odds. Account stacking is a behavior pattern, not a headcount: repeatedly trading aggressively, hitting the Maximum Loss Limit in one account, switching to the next and repeating that until one attempt happens to produce a large win. It appears on both the Prohibited Trading Strategies list and the Prohibited Conduct list. The practical warning sign sits earlier than the label: multiple accounts hitting the Maximum Loss Limit on the same day is a documented trigger for the Responsible Trading Program, so the pattern gets flagged long before anyone calls it stacking.

What countries does Topstep restrict?

Topstep publishes two enumerated lists in its Help Center. The first names 34 entries that are not eligible at all, among them Afghanistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Turkey, Morocco, Pakistan, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The second names 25 countries limited to the Express Funded Account, among them Germany: traders there can pass a Combine, earn Express Funded Accounts and take up to $200,000 in total payouts, but get no Live Funded Account. Check the current lists before purchasing, since sanctions updates can move countries mid-cycle.

How do Topstep drawdown and risk rules work?

What is the Topstep maximum loss limit?

Combine max loss limits are $2,000 / $3,000 / $4,500 on $50K / $100K / $150K respectively. Both the Combine and the XFA use the same trail: the limit rises with your end-of-day balance and never moves down. Both are checked the same way too, in real time on realized and unrealized P&L, so touching the limit at any moment, even mid-trade, liquidates the account. What differs is the starting point. The Combine starts at the full account size with the limit $2,000 below it on a 50K; the XFA starts at a $0 balance with the limit at -$2,000, locking at $0 once the balance reaches $2,000. Live Funded uses its own progression-based risk framework.

What is the daily loss limit at Topstep?

$1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 on $50K / $100K / $150K Combine accounts, and it is optional: you choose it at checkout, either when you buy the Combine or when you activate or reactivate an Express Funded Account, it cannot be changed or removed later, and a Combine-checkout DLL follows the account into the Express Funded Account for the rest of that account's life. In the Live Funded Account a Daily Loss Limit is automatic and mandatory, at $2,000 / $3,000 / $4,500 by size. The DLL resets at 5 PM CT (CME daily roll). Hitting the DLL auto-liquidates the day's open positions and locks the account for the rest of the trading day, but it is not a rule violation, the account stays open and can resume on the next session. The DLL is one of Topstep's strongest risk-discipline features and one of the reasons the firm's rule set is considered tight even relative to peers.

How does the Combine drawdown trail?

The Combine MLL trails your end-of-day balance. Each new closing high pulls the limit up by the same amount, and it never moves back down. Intraday highs do not move it at all: run up $800 mid-session and give it back before the close and the floor is exactly where it was. Monitoring is a separate matter. Topstep checks the limit in real time on realized and unrealized P&L, so touching it at any moment during the session, even on an open trade, liquidates the account immediately.

How does the XFA drawdown trail?

The XFA MLL uses the same end-of-day trail as the Combine, but it starts below zero. On a 50K it starts at -$2,000. End Day 1 up $500 and it moves to -$1,500; end Day 2 down $200 and it stays at -$1,500, because the trail never retraces. Once your balance reaches $2,000 the limit locks at $0 for the life of the account, and after your first payout it is set to $0 regardless of where it stood. The XFA is not more forgiving intraday: the same real-time monitoring on unrealized P&L applies.

What is the Topstep consistency rule?

50% best-day target: your single best day of profit should stay at or below 50% of your Profit Target. Going over is not a fail and nothing gets blocked, the Profit Target rises instead, to best day divided by 0.50. A $1,800 best day therefore turns a $3,000 target into $3,600 and you keep trading toward it. The target belongs to the Trading Combine only. In the Express Funded Account the Standard Path has no consistency requirement at all, and the Consistency Path uses a different test: largest winning day divided by total net profit, at or below 40%, reset after each payout.

What is the Topstep maximum contract size?

Five minis (50 micros) on $50K, ten minis (100 micros) on $100K, fifteen minis (150 micros) on $150K. Those are the Trading Combine caps. The Express Funded Account replaces them with the Scaling Plan, which sets maximum position size from the current balance, so a fresh XFA starts at 2 or 3 lots and works up. Orders above the limit are rejected at entry rather than logged as a violation, though an overage left on for 10 or more seconds can put the account under review. You can mix instruments as long as the aggregate stays at or below the limit (3 ES + 2 NQ on a $50K Combine is fine; 6 ES is not).

Does hitting the daily loss limit break the account?

No. Hitting the DLL auto-liquidates the day's open positions and locks the account for the remainder of the trading day, but it is not a rule violation. The account stays open and resumes on the next trading day with the trailing MLL still intact (the day's losses count toward the trailing floor, but the lockout itself is non-violating). The MLL, by contrast, is a hard rule violation, touching it ends the account.

Can I hold a Topstep position overnight or over the weekend?

No, and there is no weekend or overnight exposure to size for, because the situation does not exist at Topstep. Topstep is a day trading program: all positions must be closed by 3:10 PM CT every weekday and trading resumes at 5:00 PM CT, which is also where the next trading day begins. Friday close is 3:10 PM CT and the market stays shut until Sunday 5:00 PM CT. Swing trading is not permitted at any stage, Combine, XFA or Live Funded. From 3:10 PM CT open positions and pending orders begin cancelling automatically, and risk managers start flattening from 3:08 PM CT, but the responsibility to be flat in time stays with the trader. Products with an earlier daily close have to be exited before that close, and on shortened holiday sessions every account type must be flat 15 minutes before the early close or the position is auto-liquidated.

Which Topstep rules end the account, and which only pause it?

Among the day-to-day trading rules, only one ends an account outright, and that is the Maximum Loss Limit. Conduct violations are a separate track and can also end an account, up to permanent closure. Breaching the Maximum Loss Limit liquidates a Trading Combine for the rest of that day and leaves it ineligible for funding until you reset, though practice trading stays possible. In an Express Funded Account the same breach closes the account permanently, with Back2Funded as a conditional route back.

Everything else pauses. Hitting the Daily Loss Limit flattens open positions, cancels pending orders and locks trading until 5:00 PM CT the next session, and Topstep classes it as a Temporary Violation rather than a rule violation, with the account still eligible for funding. One consequence is easy to miss: while that violation stands you cannot request a payout, and the request only becomes possible once it lifts at the start of the next session. The same applies to personal lock-outs you set yourself in Risk Settings. Exceeding the contract limit is a review trigger rather than an instant penalty: errors corrected in under ten seconds are ignored, ten seconds or more may put the account under review.

Sanctions are a range, not a table. For prohibited conduct Topstep lists a warning, deletion of the impacted trading day, an account reset, a delay or denial of a payout request, and permanent account closure, and picks between them case by case based on the severity of the infraction and your prior history. There is no published mapping from a given violation to a given penalty, so anyone quoting one is guessing. A Trust Team reviews suspected Terms of Use violations, fraud and account manipulation, and an appeals route exists, though the Trust Team contacts you rather than the other way round and decides whether an appeal is available at all.

What is Risk Lock-In in the Live Funded Account?

A profit floor the Risk Team can set after an exceptional day, and it exists only in the Live Funded Account. Once it is set, a Net P&L that drops below it liquidates the account, cancels all orders and locks it for the rest of the day, with trading back at 5:00 PM CT the next trading day. The multiple people quote applies to the drawdown you are allowed from the profit you are currently sitting on, not to the floor itself: typically 1x, 1.5x or 2x your starting Daily Loss Limit intraday, and 3x overnight. Topstep's own example is a $50K Live Funded Account with a $15,000 balance and a $2,000 Daily Loss Limit that is $10,000 up on the day. The lock-in is set at $7,000, which leaves $3,000 of room, 1.5x the Daily Loss Limit. The exact multiple depends on Net P&L, starting Daily Loss Limit, account balance and recent trading behavior, and the Risk Team can move the level up as profits grow. Notification is immediate by email or phone, and traders are required to stay reachable while actively trading.

What are the Responsible Trading Program and the Focused Trader Program?

Two escalation levels the Risk Team places you in. Neither is something you opt into. The Responsible Trading Program (RTP) is the first. Documented triggers include multiple accounts hitting the Maximum Loss Limit on the same day, max-sizing the majority of your trades, letting losers run bigger than winners, trading without stops, and tilt, FOMO or revenge trading. While you are in it, every new Trading Combine and XFA automatically carries a Daily Loss Limit of $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 by size, you may still run up to five XFAs, and payouts of up to the Consistency cap for your account size stay available every 3 trading days as long as consistency requirements are met ($3,000 on a 50K, $4,000 on a 100K, $6,000 on a 150K), and never more than 50% of the balance. Trading Combines and XFAs opened during the program run on the Consistency path, so the Consistency caps are the ones that apply to them; a Standard Combine bought before the placement keeps its Standard status and can still be activated as either a Standard or a Consistency XFA. Warnings usually come first, but Topstep reserves the right to place a trader directly depending on severity, and the notice arrives by email.

What happens after you pass a Combine in RTP depends on when you bought it. A Standard Combine started before the placement stays a Standard Combine and can be activated as either a Standard or a Consistency XFA. Reset it and the new Combine follows RTP rules, which means the Consistency path with a Daily Loss Limit. New XFAs created during RTP are Consistency only, while an existing Standard XFA is untouched. There is no fixed duration: you leave RTP only after reaching a Live Funded Account and making $10,000 of profit inside that account, and the profit has to come from the Live account itself, not from a Combine or an XFA.

The Focused Trader Program (FTP) is the harder stage above it and runs on two paths. The Corrective Path is for Terms of Use violations after repeated warnings, with hedging accounts against each other to gain funding, excessive recycling of Trading Combines or XFAs, and losing multiple Live Funded Accounts named as examples. It closes every current account, leaves one active $50K account at a time, runs six months, issues no refunds, removes pending XFAs and banked resets, and denies any pending payouts. The Slowdown Path is for traders who follow the Terms of Use but show excessive resets and Combine purchases, activating and losing many XFAs in a short window, or overtrading. There the existing accounts keep running, but new Combines, resets and Back2Funded reactivations cannot be bought.

What counts as exploiting the Topstep simulator?

Topstep publishes seven Prohibited Trading Strategies: account stacking, intentionally depleting a Live Funded Account, trades that conflict with the Terms of Use, unfair technology (software, AI, ultra-high-speed systems or mass data entry), trading outside real market behavior, placing orders outside the current best bid or offer, and trading your full Maximum Position Size directly into a scheduled major news event.

A separate SIM list sits alongside it with five named examples: running scalping algorithms designed to exploit unrealistic SIM fills, making hundreds of rapid trades to take advantage of preferential queue position, initiating reckless trades in gapped markets to profit from stray fills, repeatedly exploiting the relative lack of slippage in SIM to achieve stop-loss executions that would be improbable live, and using tight brackets or auto-breakeven to take advantage of favorable SIM fills. That last one deserves a careful read, because TopstepX offers both features and they are perfectly normal risk tools.

Topstep draws the line itself, and the wording matters more than the list. The behaviors it targets are, in its own words, intentional and systematic, usually hundreds or thousands of trades per day with average durations measured in seconds rather than minutes, and it says plainly that a few lucky fills will not get a payout rejected. A bracket order or an auto-breakeven stop on a normal discretionary trade is not what this rule is about. Systematically farming SIM fill quality with them is.

Does Topstep allow VPN?

No. The Help Center's prohibited conduct article is explicit: 'VPNs, proxy services, TOR, geo-location obfuscation, and other identity-masking services are not permitted at Topstep.' If you hit an Error 403 Forbidden message, Topstep's own instruction is to disable the VPN or proxy and try again. The ban is not limited to the browser: all trading activity must originate from your personal device, so VPS and remote servers are prohibited under the Terms of Use, and running automation on a VPS can lead to suspension or removal from the program. VPNs also have to be off during identity verification, because location discrepancies can block the check.

Consistency and qualifying days

What is a winning day at Topstep?

A winning day requires net profit of $150 or more for the trading day. Some legacy content claims $200, that is wrong. The current threshold is $150 net, verified on the Topstep Help Center as of August 2026. Winning days build toward XFA progression (5 winning days on the Standard Path; the Consistency Path counts 3 days at a 40% consistency target) and daily Live Funded payouts (30 days at $150+ in the Live account).

What is a qualifying day at Topstep?

A qualifying day on the XFA is a trading day where net profit closes at $150 or more, with at least one executed trade during the session. Days do not need to be consecutive. On the XFA Standard Path you need 5 winning days; the Consistency Path counts 3 trading days at or below a 40% consistency target. The old cumulative-profit minimums were removed with the April 28, 2026 payout rework. In the Live Funded Account, 30 winning days at $150+ unlock daily payouts; the reserve opens separately through profit thresholds. Sub-$150 profit days do not count, regardless of session activity.

What is the difference between the Standard Path and the Consistency Path?

Both paths launched February 5, 2026 as dual-path options on the XFA. Standard Path: 5 winning days of $150 or more (non-consecutive) to qualify for payouts. Consistency Path: 3 trading days staying at or below a 40% consistency target, fewer days but tighter distribution discipline. The old cumulative-profit minimums ($5K/$6K) were removed on April 28, 2026. Both paths use the same XFA pricing and the same trailing EOD MLL. Path choice depends on whether speed (Consistency) or flexibility (Standard) matters more for the trading style.

How does the consistency rule work in practice?

In the Combine, your best winning day should stay at or below 50% of the Profit Target, so $1,500 on a $3,000 target, whatever the cycle total ends up being. Going over does not end the attempt: the Profit Target moves to best day divided by 0.50, which is why one outlier $3,000 day cannot finish the evaluation alone. It raises the bar to $6,000 instead. In the XFA the Combine target does not apply. Only the Consistency Path has a test, the 40% one, and it resets after each payout.

Do qualifying days need to be consecutive?

No. Qualifying days do not need to be consecutive. A trader can accumulate 5 winning days across a month with non-trading days, losing days, and breakeven days interspersed, only the winning days count toward the 5-day Standard Path or 3-day Consistency Path threshold. Days where you trade but close at a loss or below $150 net do not count, but they also do not penalize the count.

Is there a minimum trading days requirement on the Combine?

Topstep publishes no fixed minimum trading-day count for the Combine, and there is no time limit either: the subscription rebills until you pass, breach or cancel. It does answer the one-day question, and the answer is no. The consistency target is why: a single-day pass would need a profit-target-sized win, and a day above 50% of the Profit Target raises the target rather than completing it. Topstep's consistency article states the floor plainly, you can pass in as few as 2 days. So the practical minimum is 2 trading days.

Can I trade every day to count qualifying days?

You can trade every market session, but only days closing at $150+ net profit count as qualifying. Trading every day without consistently clearing the $150 threshold does not accelerate XFA progression. The realistic strategy on the XFA is to size positions and select setups that clear $150 with reasonable consistency, rather than scalping for any positive number.

What happens to the qualifying-day count after a payout?

The qualifying-day count resets to zero after each payout request, and the trading day on which you submitted the request does not count toward the new cycle. Path requirements stay the same (5 winning days Standard, or 3 trading days at the 40% target on Consistency), and the path itself cannot be changed: the choice you make when you activate the XFA is locked for that account. The Maximum Loss Limit is not preserved either. It is set to $0 after every payout regardless of where it stood, which makes whatever balance you leave in the account your entire remaining buffer.

What are the cut-off times that decide which day a Topstep trade counts toward?

The trading day runs from 5:00 PM CT to 3:10 PM CT the following calendar day, so a trade placed at 6:30 PM CT on Tuesday counts toward Wednesday. Three separate clocks then decide what gets counted. A winning day locks in at 4:00 PM CT. Your best day in the Trading Combine, the one the 50% consistency target measures, locks at 3:10 PM CT. The trading day on which you request a payout never counts toward the next cycle, and because the trading day starts at 5:00 PM CT, a request sent at 5:59 PM CT on Monday belongs to the Tuesday session, which makes Tuesday the excluded day and starts the new cycle on Wednesday. On shortened holiday sessions every account type has to be flat 15 minutes before the early close or positions are auto-liquidated, and payouts are not available during holiday hours. In the Live Funded Account those days can also run as a blended trade date under the CME protocol, which folds several calendar days into one session and applies a single Daily Loss Limit across the whole of it. The Trading Combine and the Express Funded Account do not follow the blended protocol.

Payouts and withdrawals

How do payouts work at Topstep?

On the XFA, after meeting the path requirements (Standard: 5 winning days of $150+; Consistency: 3 trading days at or below a 40% consistency target), traders can request a payout. In the Live Funded Account it is 5 winning days of $150+ per cycle, with requests of up to 50% of the balance and no dollar cap; after 30 winning Live days payouts become daily. Since April 28, 2026 each XFA request is capped at 50% of account balance up to $2,000/$3,000 on $50K, $3,000/$4,000 on $100K, $5,000/$6,000 on $150K (Standard/Consistency), with no first-payout profit floor and a $125 minimum. Payment methods: Prop-to-Brokerage (same day), Aeropay (instant), Wise (1-3 business days), ACH, Wire/SWIFT.

What is the Topstep maximum payout?

Since April 28, 2026 the maximum per request is 50% of account balance, capped at $2,000/$3,000 on $50K, $3,000/$4,000 on $100K, and $5,000/$6,000 on $150K (Standard/Consistency path). The caps apply per request on the XFA only; Live Funded payouts carry no dollar cap, though each request is still limited to 50% of the balance until 30 winning days in the Live Funded Account unlock daily requests. Larger balances are paid via multiple sequential requests, and subsequent requests require net-positive P&L since the last payout. Documented in the Topstep Help Center as of August 2026.

Is there a first-payout cap on the $50K Combine?

Not anymore. Since April 28, 2026 there is no separate first-payout cap; every XFA payout request on the $50K follows the same rule: 50% of account balance up to $2,000 (Standard) or $3,000 (Consistency). There is no minimum-profit floor on the first payout and the minimum payout is $125. The old $5,000 first-payout cap belonged to the pre-April-2026 cap system.

What is the Topstep profit split?

Current sign-ups: 90% trader / 10% Topstep, flat from $1. Traders who joined the new Topstep dashboard before January 12, 2026 are grandfathered onto the older structure: 100% of their first $10,000 in lifetime profits, counted per trader rather than per account, then 90/10 thereafter. If you are not sure which side you are on, your dashboard shows which split your account is on. The "50/50 first $5K then 90/10" claim is wrong and reflects a much older Topstep structure that no longer applies. Confirmed via Topstep Help Center as of August 2026. The 90/10 split is competitive against newer firms and meaningfully better than the 80/20 splits common in older subscription-style prop products.

How fast are Topstep payouts?

US traders get the fastest rails: Prop-to-Brokerage clears same day if requested by 12 PM CT, and Aeropay is instant after approval, both free. Wise runs 1-3 business days for international traders, free from Topstep. ACH takes 1-3 business days and Wire/SWIFT 5-10 business days, each with a $30 fee. End to end, internal approval can add 1 to 3 business days before the rail time above.

What payout methods does Topstep support?

Prop-to-Brokerage (US, same day, free), Aeropay (US, instant, free), Wise (international, 1-3 business days, free), ACH (US, $30 fee), and Wire/SWIFT (international, $30 fee) as of August 2026. PayPal is sometimes mentioned in older third-party content but is not currently listed in the Topstep Help Center, drop that assumption. Wise remains the recommended path for international traders given FX costs. Domestic U.S. traders typically pick Prop-to-Brokerage or Aeropay for speed and zero fees.

How many payouts per month can I take?

There is no fixed monthly cap, payout cadence is gated by qualifying-day accumulation and the path-specific minimums, not by a calendar. On the XFA Standard Path, the minimum cycle is 5 winning days of $150+, which can theoretically complete in a single trading week. Each cycle resets after a payout request. The per-request caps (50% of balance up to size/path limits) shape large-cycle payouts into multiple sequential requests; an active trader might submit several requests per month across multiple XFA accounts.

Is KYC required for Topstep payouts?

Yes. KYC is required before the first payout. The KYC process verifies identity through a government-issued ID (passport, driver's license, or national ID), address verification, and sometimes a selfie or video check. After approval, no further KYC is needed for subsequent payouts on the same account. KYC must be performed without a VPN active, VPN connections cause timezone and location mismatches that block KYC verification.

Can I withdraw to crypto from Topstep?

Direct crypto withdrawal is not currently a primary listed method on Topstep. The five documented methods are Prop-to-Brokerage, Aeropay, Wise, ACH, and Wire/SWIFT. Some traders route Wise USD payouts through their own broker or stablecoin off-ramp to convert to crypto, but Topstep does not offer a native USDC or stablecoin rail as of August 2026. Confirm the live methods in the Topstep Help Center before assuming a crypto path.

What happens if my payout is denied?

Payout denials at Topstep typically trace to a rule violation, exceeding the contract cap, failing the 40% consistency target on the Consistency path, prohibited conduct such as cross-account hedging, or failing KYC. The Help Center publishes the specific denial reasons in the trader dashboard. The remedy is fixing the underlying violation and requesting again on the next eligible cycle. Topstep does not have a published track record of arbitrary denials.

Can I cancel a payout request?

Topstep publishes no cancellation path and no hard cancellation deadline. The Help Center states that the funds are transferred as soon as you request a Payout, and once the request is routed to the payment rail (Prop-to-Brokerage, Aeropay, Wise, ACH, Wire) a reversal becomes complicated, so treat a submitted request as final. Submit only when fully ready: KYC complete, copy-trading settings checked, no pending reviews.

How do the payout caps interact with cycle size?

Since April 28, 2026 every request follows the 50%-of-balance rule with a size/path cap ($2,000 Standard / $3,000 Consistency on the $50K). A trader who builds $7,000 of cycle profit can request up to the cap; the remainder stays in the account as buffer for later requests, which only require net-positive P&L since the last payout. The strategic move is to withdraw on a steady cadence while keeping cushion above the locked floor.

Platforms and tools

What platforms does Topstep support?

TopstepX is Topstep's only trading platform as of August 2, 2026; Quantower can connect with TopstepX credentials for the Trading Combine and Express Funded Account, though not for the Live Funded Account. NinjaTrader and Tradovate appear nowhere in Topstep's current documentation, so treat any legacy-support claim as unverified. ProjectX has not been retired: it powers TopstepX API Access at $29 a month, half price with the code topstep. Some older third-party content lists Sierra Chart, ATAS, or Jigsaw as supported, none of those are currently confirmed in the Topstep Help Center, so treat as unverified. The TFD acquisition (April 1, 2026) is bringing additional tech into TopstepX.

What is TopstepX?

TopstepX is Topstep's proprietary trading platform. Its charts carry TradingView's drawing tools, and it includes depth-of-market, hotkeys, 50+ futures contracts (indices including ES/NQ/RTY, currencies, energy, metals, agriculture, fixed income), personal daily-loss-limit and profit-target settings (user-set discipline), trade limits (daily/weekly), an account lockout feature, an interactive 'Training Camp' education module, and a built-in trade copier. TopstepX has been my preferred Topstep platform since it launched, it is where the TFD acquisition tech is now being integrated.

Does Topstep support Tradovate?

Not according to Topstep's current documentation. Tradovate does not appear anywhere in the Help Center as of August 2, 2026. TopstepX is the only platform Topstep names, with Quantower able to connect using TopstepX credentials on the Combine and XFA. If you hold an older account that still connects elsewhere, ask Topstep support directly rather than relying on third-party platform lists.

Does Topstep support NinjaTrader?

Not according to Topstep's current documentation. NinjaTrader appears nowhere in the Help Center as of August 2, 2026, and the only platform Topstep names is TopstepX, with Quantower able to connect using TopstepX credentials. Treat any claim of continuing NinjaTrader support as unverified until Topstep publishes it.

Does Topstep still support ProjectX?

Yes, though not as a platform you trade on directly. ProjectX powers TopstepX API Access, which costs $29 a month with 50% off using the code topstep, and it is also the connection Quantower uses. I miss ProjectX, it was a clean, fast platform during my early Topstep years, and the TFD-acquired tech is what fills that gap inside TopstepX now. Industry reporting from November 2025 said ProjectX would stop serving third-party firms from February 28, 2026 and work exclusively with Topstep. The current platform stack is TopstepX, with Quantower connecting via TopstepX credentials.

Does Topstep support Sierra Chart, ATAS, Jigsaw, or Quantower?

Not currently confirmed in the Topstep Help Center as of August 2026. The Help Center references only TopstepX, Topstep's only official platform, and Quantower can connect using TopstepX credentials. Treat any list naming Sierra Chart, ATAS or Jigsaw as unverified until Topstep publishes an updated platform list. The TFD acquisition may expand the stack, check Topstep trading platforms for the live status.

What instruments can I trade on Topstep?

All standard CME futures: equity indices (ES, NQ, RTY, YM and their micros MES, MNQ, M2K, MYM), energy (CL, NG and micros), metals (GC, SI and micros), agriculturals, currencies, and rates. Instrument availability follows CME hours inside Topstep's own day-trading window: the trading day runs 5:00 PM CT to 3:10 PM CT and nothing is carried past it, so there is no overnight session to plan around. Several products close earlier still and have to be exited before their own close, among them the CBOT grains (Corn, Wheat, Soybeans, Soybean Meal, Soybean Oil) and the CME livestock contracts (Live Cattle, Lean Hogs). The TopstepX Help Center documents 60+ supported futures contracts. The Help Center does not publish a separate prohibited-instrument list as of April 2026.

Does Topstep have a mobile app?

TopstepX has a mobile-aware web UI optimized for browser use, and Topstep names no other platform, so the cleanest mobile experience runs through TopstepX in the mobile browser. Serious order entry and chart analysis still belong on desktop for most strategies.

Does Topstep allow copy trading?

Yes on Trading Combines and Express Funded Accounts, via TopstepX. The Trade Copier is not available on the Live Funded Account. The setting lives at TopstepX → Settings → Copy Trading, and Topstep recommends verifying the configuration at the start of each session. When a payout request is submitted, TopstepX automatically unlinks the Follower accounts. Topstep's Payout Policy describes the connection as disabled during processing; reconnect it manually after the deduction is complete and the balance updates. Cross-account hedging is prohibited.

Trust and legitimacy

Is Topstep legit?

Yes. Topstep is a long-established Chicago futures prop firm, one of the oldest in the industry, alongside Apex. The firm is FCM-backed via Plus500US for the Live Funded tier, runs a separate retail brokerage product (Topstep Brokerage), and reports $1.4B+ paid out to traders on its own pricing page, checked August 2, 2026. I have personally pulled multiple payouts on the $50K Combine since 2023. The Trustpilot rating sits at 3.6 across 14,532 reviews as of August 2, 2026, lower than newer specialty firms, but a function of volume and operating surface area, not red-flag complaints.

Is Topstep a scam?

No. Topstep operates publicly out of Chicago, has paid me across multiple cycles on the $50K Combine since 2023, and runs a transparent rule set published in detail through its Help Center. It is one of the earliest futures prop firms (one of the first to launch) and was the acquirer in the April 1, 2026 acquisition of The Futures Desk, acquirers in that role do not match the scam-firm profile. None of the standard scam patterns (post-funding rule changes, payout stalls, vanishing support) are present.

How long has Topstep been around?

Topstep was one of the oldest futures prop firms still running, one of the oldest futures prop firms in the modern industry alongside Apex. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. CEO Michael Patak has led the firm since founding. The long operating history is one of the strongest trust signals across the prop space, where many competitors are 3 years old or younger.

Who is the CEO of Topstep?

Michael Patak is Topstep's founder and CEO. Patak co-led the April 1, 2026 acquisition of The Futures Desk alongside TFD founder Josh Schwartzberg. He is a public figure on Topstep's marketing channels, appearing in announcement videos and X content, and remains active in product direction.

What is the Topstep Trustpilot rating?

3.6 out of 5 across 14,532 reviews as of August 2, 2026, the lowest Trustpilot score among PTV-mature prop firms (Lucid 4.5-4.6, FundedNext 4.5, Tradeify 4.6, YRM Prop 3.8). The rating reflects many years of operating volume and the corresponding complaint surface area more than any structural issue, newer firms with smaller volumes naturally show cleaner Trustpilot snapshots.

What is new at Topstep in 2026?

Four big changes in 2026 (the fourth: the April 28 payout-cap rework to 50% of balance with size-based limits and no first-payout profit floor). First, January 12: profit-split structure changed from grandfathered 100%-on-first-$10K to flat 90/10 from $1 for new sign-ups. Second, February 5: XFA dual-path launched (Standard Path, 5 winning days; Consistency Path, 3 days at a 40% target). Third, April 1: Topstep acquired The Futures Desk, with Michael Patak announcing TFD tech integration into TopstepX under the 'Welcome to the next era' tagline.

Is Topstep regulated?

Topstep itself runs a sim-funded prop model that does not require direct regulation under U.S. securities frameworks. The Live Funded Account, however, is real-money execution backed by an FCM (Plus500US partnership). Topstep Brokerage is separately registered as a retail broker. The combination, registered FCM partnership for real money, transparent prop rules for sim, is the clean institutional setup. Direct CFTC oversight applies only to the FCM-backed real-money side, not the sim-prop product itself.

How much has Topstep paid traders historically?

Topstep's own pricing page reported $1.4B+ paid out to traders when checked on August 2, 2026, with the FAQ on the same page wording it as more than $1 billion. The Help Center does not break out a running total. Cumulative payouts at this scale are one of the strongest legitimacy signals in the prop space, only a handful of firms across the industry have processed at that volume over a multi-year operating window.

Does Topstep publish trader success rates?

Yes. The 2025 cohort metrics from topstep.com publish: 16.8% Combine pass rate, 51.8% advance from any-Combine to Funded Level, 33.3% of Funded Level traders received payouts, and 0.71% of XFA traders reach Live Funded. These are public, transparent numbers, most prop firms do not publish equivalent transparency. The 16.8% Combine pass rate is consistent with the prop industry's typical 10-20% pass-rate range; the 0.71% Live Funded selection is materially tight, reflecting Topstep's institutional risk standards on real capital.

Comparisons

How does Topstep compare to Apex Trader Funding?

Topstep and Apex are the two earliest U.S. futures prop firms, both long-established and both popular with retail futures traders. Topstep uses a 1-step Combine on a monthly subscription model; Apex offers different evaluation structures with different fee mechanics. Topstep's Trading Combine profit targets sit at 6% across all sizes; Apex's targets and rule frameworks differ. Both have paid out substantial trader earnings over their lifetimes. Topstep was one of my first futures props alongside Apex when I started funded trading.

How does Topstep compare to Tradeify?

Topstep is the long-standing incumbent; Tradeify is a newer trader-friendly firm with a 4.6 Trustpilot. Topstep runs a monthly subscription on the Combine; Tradeify runs one-time-fee evaluations. Topstep's profit split is 90/10 from $1 (current sign-ups); Tradeify's structure differs by plan. Tradeify's news rules and drawdown options also differ meaningfully. Choose by which fee model and rule set match your trading rhythm.

How does Topstep compare to YRM Prop?

Topstep is the long-standing incumbent with a 1-step monthly Combine and FCM-backed Live tier; YRM Prop is a newer U.S. firm whose ladder runs Starter Challenge to Prime to Live, with one-time fees and Trailing EOD across all products. Instant Prime closed to new purchases on July 13, 2026; existing accounts remain supported. Topstep prohibits VPN entirely. TopstepX is its official platform, with Quantower able to connect using TopstepX credentials. For new YRM purchases from August 26, the current platform owner directs traders to NinjaTrader/Tradovate or TradeSea; TradingView depends on an eligible compatible route. Former DXFeed platforms are legacy-account history, not current purchase options. Topstep has no PTV affiliate; YRM has the VIBES affiliate code.

How does Topstep compare to Lucid Trading?

Topstep is the long-standing incumbent; Lucid Trading is one of the highest-rated newer firms (Trustpilot 4.5-4.6) and PTV's #1 traffic firm. The Trustpilot delta, 3.6 vs 4.5-4.6, partly reflects Topstep's volume and complaint surface area, partly reflects Lucid's tighter quality focus. Lucid runs different evaluation mechanics, drawdown types, and platform support.

How does Topstep compare to MyFunded Futures?

Topstep runs a 1-step monthly Combine to XFA to Live ladder; MyFunded Futures runs different evaluation structures with plan-dependent drawdown types. Topstep caps payouts per request at 50% of balance up to size-based limits; MyFunded Futures caps differ by plan. Topstep is platforms-restricted to TopstepX (Topsteps only official platform; Quantower can connect via TopstepX credentials); MyFunded Futures supports a different platform stack.

How does Topstep compare to TakeProfitTrader?

Topstep uses an end-of-day trailing limit in both the Combine and the XFA, with breaches checked in real time on unrealized P&L; TakeProfitTrader has historically used different drawdown frameworks. Topstep's monthly subscription model differs from TakeProfitTrader's typical one-time-fee model. Profit splits and reset policies vary by firm and plan.

What is the best Topstep alternative?

It depends on what you want to optimize. For Trustpilot reputation: Lucid Trading or Tradeify. For platform variety beyond Topstep's single platform: YRM Prop (eight help-center-listed platforms as of Aug 4, 2026, led by NinjaTrader and Tradovate, plus TradingView connectivity through a compatible platform for eligible accounts) or Apex. For one-time-fee pricing: YRM, Lucid, or Tradeify. For the longest operating history alongside Topstep: Apex. The right alternative depends on which constraint binds hardest, drawdown type, platform, fee model, or news/copy rules.

Should I pick Topstep or a newer firm?

The decision boils down to three trade-offs. First, fee model: Topstep's monthly subscription rewards traders who pass quickly and penalizes drawn-out Combines, while one-time-fee firms offer fixed cost regardless of duration. Second, drawdown type: Topstep's end-of-day trailing MLL with real-time breach checks punishes wider stops, while many newer firms offer Trailing EOD or static drawdown alternatives. Third, brand and FCM-backing: Topstep's long operating history and Plus500US partnership are unmatched among newer competitors. If institutional credibility outweighs cost, Topstep wins. If cost predictability and looser drawdown matter more, newer firms often win. The right answer is rarely universal, it depends on the trader's edge, position-sizing style, and time-to-pass distribution.

Does the TFD acquisition change Topstep's competitive position?

Yes, and the timing matters. The April 1, 2026 acquisition of The Futures Desk feeds TFD's trading-desk technology directly into TopstepX, closing the platform-tech gap that newer firms have been exploiting (cleaner UIs, deeper analytics, faster modern stacks). For traders who left Topstep over TopstepX feature gaps, the next 6-12 months are worth watching. For traders comparing Topstep against newer firms today, TopstepX still trails in some specific feature areas (advanced order-flow tools, footprint charts), but the trajectory is now actively closing those gaps rather than widening.

The bottom line

Topstep is the long-standing incumbent of U.S. futures prop trading, Chicago-based, FCM-backed via Plus500US for the Live Funded tier, and one of the oldest firms in the modern industry alongside Apex. The current setup runs a 1-step Trading Combine on a monthly subscription ($49 / $99 / $199 Standard Path) with a $149 activation fee on advance, an Express Funded Account with a dual-path payout structure since February 5, 2026, and a real-money Live Funded Account that selects roughly 0.71% of XFA traders for real capital allocation up to $150K. Profit split is 90/10 from $1; traders who joined the new Topstep dashboard before January 12, 2026 run on the older grandfathered structure, 100% of their first $10,000 in lifetime profits. Winning days require $150 net profit. Since April 28, 2026 payout requests are capped at 50% of account balance up to size-based limits ($2,000 to $6,000 by size and path), with no first-payout profit floor and a $125 minimum. TopstepX is Topstep's only platform, with Quantower able to connect using TopstepX credentials on the Combine and XFA. ProjectX still powers TopstepX API Access. VPN is fully prohibited. The April 1, 2026 acquisition of The Futures Desk is now flowing TFD's tech into TopstepX under Michael Patak and Josh Schwartzberg's joint leadership.

For my own track record: I have traded Topstep on the $50K Combine since 2023 and pulled multiple payouts across 6 Combines over the past 12 months. TopstepX has been my preferred Topstep platform throughout. ProjectX is a loss I still feel, and the TFD-driven evolution of TopstepX is the kind of upgrade that earns the trade-off. Topstep is not the cheapest entry, the highest Trustpilot rating, or the most permissive on VPN, but it remains one of the deepest-rooted, best-documented, and most institutionally credible futures prop firms in the U.S. industry. For traders who want the incumbent with the longest track record and the FCM-backed real-money tier, Topstep delivers exactly that.