Topstep Express Funded Account rules
A Topstep XFA starts at a $0 balance with the Maximum Loss Limit below it ($2,000 on a 50K), trailing your closes until it locks at $0. Standard payouts need five winning days of $150+, Consistency payouts three days with no day over 40% of profit. Each request is up to 50% of the balance, capped by size, at 90/10.
Standard path
| Size | Max loss | Days for a payout | Best-day rule on payouts | Minimum payout | Max per request | Payouts per account | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50K | $2,000 | 5 days of $150+ | none | $125 | 50% of balance, up to $2,000 | no limit stated | 90% |
| 100K | $3,000 | 5 days of $150+ | none | $125 | 50% of balance, up to $3,000 | no limit stated | 90% |
| 150K | $4,500 | 5 days of $150+ | none | $125 | 50% of balance, up to $5,000 | no limit stated | 90% |
A winning day needs $150 or more of net P&L, and days lock in at 4:00 PM CT. They don't have to be in a row. After your first payout you also need to be up at least a cent since the last one.
Consistency path
| Size | Max loss | Days for a payout | Best-day rule on payouts | Minimum payout | Max per request | Payouts per account | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50K | $2,000 | 3 trading days | 40% | $125 | 50% of balance, up to $3,000 | no limit stated | 90% |
| 100K | $3,000 | 3 trading days | 40% | $125 | 50% of balance, up to $4,000 | no limit stated | 90% |
| 150K | $4,500 | 3 trading days | 40% | $125 | 50% of balance, up to $6,000 | no limit stated | 90% |
Three trading days with at least one trade each, and your largest day can't be more than 40% of your total net profit. It isn't rounded. After a payout the calculation starts again from $0 on the next trading day. Higher caps, stricter days: good for steady traders, painful for one-big-day traders. Test your days in the consistency calculator.
You choose the path at activation and can't switch later.
The balance starts at $0
The XFA shows your profit, not the account size. On a 50K the balance starts at $0 and the Maximum Loss Limit at -$2,000. It trails your end-of-day balance upward and locks at $0 once the balance reaches $2,000. Touch it and the XFA is closed for good.
The other way it locks: your first payout. After that, the Maximum Loss Limit sits at $0 no matter where you were. That's the rule to plan around.
Example, 50K Standard. You build $2,400 over five winning days. You can ask for up to 50% of the balance, so $1,200. After the payout the balance is $1,200 and the floor is $0: one bad week of $1,200 ends the account. Ask for $600 instead and you keep $1,800 of room.
Contracts and daily loss limit
The XFA has a Scaling Plan that sets your maximum contracts by balance. It never rises mid-session, and a payout that drops your balance to a lower tier lowers your size too. Topstep publishes the tiers as an image on its help center, so check yours there.
The daily loss limit is optional. If you added it when you bought the Combine it carries over; you can also add it when you activate. Hitting it puts the account in a temporary violation for the rest of the day.
The rest of the fine print
- Split: you keep 90%. Minimum request $125.
- Up to five active XFAs at a time.
- Inactivity: more than 30 days without trading and the XFA may be closed. It can't be paused.
- Live Funded Account: Topstep moves traders to live at its discretion. XFA winning days don't count toward live payout rules.
Practice it
FundedSim simulates the Topstep Combine you pass to get here. The XFA math above is the part to rehearse on paper: decide your first payout size before you see the button. How it compares: payout rules by firm, Apex vs Topstep and the Combine guide.
Questions people actually ask
What happens to the Maximum Loss Limit after a Topstep payout?
It moves to $0 for good. From then on, any loss that takes your balance to $0 closes the XFA, so a big first payout leaves very little room.
Can I switch between Standard and Consistency payouts?
No. You choose the path when you activate the XFA and Topstep says the choice can't be changed later.
How many Topstep XFAs can I have?
Up to five active at a time.
Is there a limit on the number of XFA payouts?
Topstep's payout policy doesn't state one. Moving to a Live Funded Account is at Topstep's discretion; live payouts aren't capped.
Blow it here, not on a paid eval
Run the same rules on your own trades in the simulator. Free, no card, and a blown account costs you nothing but pride.
Start practicing