Topstep Rules Explained (2026): Daily Loss, Drawdown, News & Payouts

Overview: Trading Combine and Express Funded Account

The Trading Combine is Topstep's futures evaluation. On the 50K it costs $49 a month (100K $99, 150K $199), the profit target is $3,000 (100K $6,000, 150K $9,000) and the Maximum Loss Limit is $2,000 (100K $3,000, 150K $4,500). You can trade up to 5 minis or 50 micros on the 50K (10/100 and 15/150 on the larger sizes). There is no time limit and no minimum number of days; Topstep says you can pass in as few as two. A reset costs the same as the monthly fee.

Passing closes the Combine and lets you activate an Express Funded Account (XFA) for a one-time $149 fee with no further subscription. The XFA balance starts at $0 with the buying power of your Combine size, keeps the same Maximum Loss Limit, and pays 90/10. You choose a Standard or Consistency payout path at activation and cannot change it. Up to 5 XFAs can be active at once.

The trading day runs 5:00pm CT to 3:10pm CT the next day. Every position must be closed by 3:10pm CT or the product's close, whichever is first; Topstep's risk team starts flattening before that.

Rules that end the account

One number matters: the Maximum Loss Limit (MLL). It is monitored in real time on realized and unrealized P&L, but it only moves at the end of the day.

Daily loss

Optional. If you add it at checkout the amount is fixed for life: $1,000 on 50K, $2,000 on 100K, $3,000 on 150K. Hitting it flattens open positions, cancels working orders and blocks new trades until 5pm CT; it is a forced break, not a breach, and the account stays eligible for funding. Topstep also lets you set a personal daily limit in Risk Settings. On the Live Funded Account the daily limit is automatic.

Max loss

$2,000 on the 50K Combine and XFA. The MLL is your highest end-of-day balance minus $2,000, set once a day and never lowered. On a 50K Combine it starts at $48,000; close a day at $51,200 and the MLL is $49,200. Once the MLL reaches the starting balance it locks there. On an XFA (balance starts at $0) the MLL starts at -$2,000 and locks at $0 once your balance reaches $2,000; after the first payout it is set to $0 whatever it was before. Combine breach: liquidated for the day and ineligible to pass until you reset. XFA breach: permanently closed (Back2Funded may allow up to 2 reactivations).

Open risk

No stated open-risk cap beyond the contract limits: 5 minis or 50 micros open at once on 50K, converting at 10 micros to 1 mini. On the XFA the limit follows a Scaling Plan tied to balance.

News

No news window is set in Topstep's Combine or XFA parameters, and the firm does not require you to flatten for releases. Trading full maximum size into a scheduled major event is treated as a prohibited strategy and reviewed before payouts (third-party verified). Check Topstep's risk-adjustment notices for order controls around specific prints.

Weekend/overnight

Flat by 3:10pm CT every day. Nothing is held overnight, through holidays or over weekends on the Combine or XFA. Trades placed after 5pm CT count toward the next day.

Consistency

Combine: your best single day must be below 55% of the Profit Target ($1,650 on a $3,000 target). Going over does not fail you; it raises the target to best day divided by 0.55. XFA Consistency path: largest winning day divided by total net profit must be 40% or less to request a payout; it resets after each payout.

Other

An XFA with no trading for more than 30 days may be closed. Hedging across accounts is prohibited. Automated strategies are allowed with conditions. Account size cannot be changed after purchase; a refund is possible within 28 days with no trading.

Rules that block payouts

Topstep's XFA does not stop you trading when you miss these; it just will not pay until they are met.

Standard path: 5 Winning Days of $150 or more, and you must maintain your balance between payouts. Each request can take up to 50% of the balance, capped at $5,000 per payout on the 50K (Topstep's program page lists per-size caps of $2,000 and $4,000 for the 50K, the higher figure with the Responsible Trading Advantage).
Consistency path: at least 3 trading days with a trade each, and best day at 40% or less of total net profit. Cap $6,000 per payout; the program page lists $3,000 and $6,000 for the 50K.
90/10 split on every XFA payout. Topstep keeps 10%.
After the first payout the MLL moves to $0. Whatever balance is left is your whole cushion, so a large first withdrawal leaves a small account.
A Minimum Payout Balance applies to later requests. The rules page says so without printing the amount; check the payout policy in your dashboard.
Closing an XFA pays up to 50% of the balance, capped at $5,000; the rest is forfeited.

Easy to miss

The MLL moves at end of day but is enforced every tick. A trade $2,100 underwater at 10am on a fresh 50K Combine breaches even if it would have recovered by the close.
Your best day counts against the Profit Target, not your total profit, on the Combine. A $1,800 day on a $3,000 target raises the target to about $3,273 before you can pass.
Micros convert at 10:1 for the contract limit. 3 minis plus 25 micros is 5.5 minis and over the 50K limit.
The optional daily loss limit is fixed forever once chosen. You cannot raise or remove it later.
3:10pm CT is the end of the day, not a suggestion. Orders start canceling at 3:10 and risk managers can flatten you from a couple of minutes earlier (third-party verified).
Profits do not carry from the Combine to the XFA. You restart at $0 balance with a -$2,000 MLL.

How to track it

Every day after the close, write down your end-of-day balance and compute the new MLL: highest EOD balance minus $2,000 on 50K, capped at the starting balance (or $0 on an XFA). That is the only floor until tomorrow's close. During the session, watch the gap between current equity, including open positions, and that floor; size each contract so your stop cannot cross it.

If you bought the daily loss limit, keep its fixed amount ($1,000 on 50K) beside the MLL and treat it as your working limit; it is almost always the nearer line. Log every day's net P&L so you can see your best day against 55% of the target on the Combine and against 40% of total profit on a Consistency XFA, and count $150 winning days toward the Standard path's five.

Set a hard alarm well before 3:10pm CT. The drawdown calculator handles end-of-day trailing floors that lock at zero, and the consistency rule calculator shows how much the target rises when a big day lands.

In Proof

Proof tracks every Topstep rule for you

The Topstep preset updates the end-of-day trailing MLL at the close, locks it at your start balance or $0 after a payout, counts $150 winning days toward the five, checks your best day against 55% of the target or 40% of profit, and reminds you to be flat before 3:10pm CT.

See how Proof does it

Frequently asked questions

What is the Topstep Maximum Loss Limit on a 50K?

$2,000 on both the Trading Combine and the Express Funded Account. It trails your highest end-of-day balance, never moves down, locks at the starting balance (or $0 on an XFA), and is enforced in real time including open positions. After the first payout it is set to $0.

Does Topstep have a daily loss limit?

Only if you add it at checkout: $1,000 on 50K, $2,000 on 100K, $3,000 on 150K, fixed for life. Hitting it flattens you and blocks trading until 5pm CT but is not a breach. You can also set your own personal daily limit in Risk Settings.

What is the Topstep consistency rule?

On the Combine your best day must be below 55% of the Profit Target ($1,650 on 50K); going over raises the target rather than failing you. On a Consistency-path XFA your best day must be 40% or less of total net profit to request a payout.

How do Topstep Express Funded Account payouts work?

Standard path: 5 winning days of $150+, then up to 50% of the balance per request, capped at $5,000. Consistency path: 3 trading days and best day at 40% or less, capped at $6,000. Split is 90/10, and the MLL drops to $0 after the first payout.

Can I hold positions overnight on Topstep?

No. All positions must be closed by 3:10pm CT or the product's market close, whichever comes first, on both the Combine and the Express Funded Account. There is no weekend or holiday holding.

Sources checked October 2026: Topstep: Trading Combine program page (targets, MLL, prices, contracts, 55% consistency) · Topstep help center: Trading Combine Parameters · Topstep help center: What is the Maximum Loss Limit? · Topstep help center: Daily Loss Limit in the Trading Combine and Express Funded Account · Topstep: Express Funded Account Rules · Topstep help center: Express Funded Account Parameters · Prop Trading Vibes: Topstep Trading Combine rules, updated October 9, 2026 (news stance, 3:08pm flattening)