Firm overview
Company details & eligibility
- Listed office
- United States
- Established
- 2010 roots; Topstep Trader launched in 2012
- Provider
- Combine and XFA are simulated; Live Funded Accounts are a later stage
- US traders
- Yes, age 18+ and subject to eligibility checks
Current challenges
Fees and rules for each account, kept together.
No Activation Fee
- Profit target
- $3,000
- Daily loss
- None
- Max loss
- $2,000 EOD trailing
No Activation Fee + DLL
- Profit target
- $3,000
- Daily loss
- $1,000
- Max loss
- $2,000 EOD trailing
Standard
- Profit target
- $3,000
- Daily loss
- None
- Max loss
- $2,000 EOD trailing
Standard + DLL
- Profit target
- $3,000
- Daily loss
- $1,000
- Max loss
- $2,000 EOD trailing
Prices checked 2026-09-28. Conditional discounts are shown separately from the listed fee. Optional extras are excluded unless explicitly listed.
Company information & important conditions
Summarized from official documentation. These facts are separate from our editorial assessment.
Company and program
Topstep’s official timeline begins with Patak Trading Partners in 2010, followed by Topstep Trader in 2012. The business developed in Chicago. The current prop program uses TopstepX; its charting tools do not imply that an independent TradingView account is a supported trading platform.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Simulated versus live funding
The Trading Combine and Express Funded Account are simulated. An XFA can pay real rewards, but it is not a live brokerage balance. Movement to a Live Funded Account is a separate process; passing the Combine does not itself mean you are trading live capital.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
What the account size means
50K, 100K and 150K describe buying power. Actual loss allowances are $2,000, $3,000 and $4,500. XFA balances begin at $0; Combine profits do not transfer into the funded stage.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Pricing paths and activation
Standard costs $49 / $99 / $199 per month and has a $149 XFA activation fee. No Activation Fee costs $95 / $149 / $229 per month before optional DLL discounts, with no activation charge. The pricing path cannot be changed after purchase.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Billing and cancellation
The Combine rebills every 30 days until it is passed or canceled. A loss-limit breach does not cancel billing. Each successful rebill includes a reset credit. The passed account’s subscription cancels automatically; other active subscriptions continue. XFAs have no monthly subscription.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Responsible Trading Advantage
Adding a fixed Daily Loss Limit at purchase means a $1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 session stop by size. The limit carries into the XFA and cannot be changed later. On No Activation Fee plans, this reduces the monthly fee to $85 / $129 / $199. A manually added personal limit after purchase is not the same configuration.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Payment methods and taxes
Cards, Apple Pay and Google Wallet are supported; PayPal is not. Use a payment card in your own name. Advertised prices are base costs; sales tax, VAT or GST can be added according to billing location.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Eligibility
Minimum age is 18. Eligibility depends on citizenship and permanent residency, with sanctions and partner restrictions. Some countries can access XFAs and payouts but not Live Funded Accounts. Check the current official eligibility list before purchase.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Evaluation consistency
The current Combine consistency target is 55%. If the best day is too large, the total profit required to pass increases: best-day profit divided by 0.55. Losses do not reset that best day. The Combine can be completed in as few as two trading days.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Choose a payout path after passing
XFA Standard requires five winning days of at least $150 net profit. XFA Consistency requires three trading days and a best day no greater than 40% of net profit. This funded-stage choice is separate from Standard versus No Activation Fee purchase pricing.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Payout share and caps
New traders keep 90% of qualifying payouts. The minimum request is $125. Normally a request is limited to 50% of the balance and the size-specific cap: Standard $2,000 / $3,000 / $5,000; Consistency $3,000 / $4,000 / $6,000. Eligible new Combines bought with a DLL receive double caps under the advertised offer.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Payout cycle and remaining risk
After an XFA payout, the loss floor is permanently $0 and qualifying days restart. Standard also requires positive net profit since the previous payout, except for the first. Consistency calculations restart each cycle; the request day does not count toward the next cycle.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Payout methods and timing
US traders can use Aeropay or ACH; eligible prop-to-brokerage transfers are also listed. Wise is listed for China, Canada and the UK, and international wire/SWIFT is available. ACH and wire carry a $30 Topstep fee. Instant Aeropay depends on approval and bank support; internal approval can take 1–3 business days.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Data and transaction costs
Level 1 market data is included. Level 2 DOM is an optional $38/month upgrade billed on the 28th without proration. Live Funded Accounts have professional data costs. Trading commissions and exchange fees are separate from the evaluation subscription.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Supported markets and session close
Topstep offers exchange-traded futures rather than spot forex or CFDs. Supported products include equity indices, rates, metals, energy, agriculture, currency futures and micro crypto futures. Some instruments close earlier than the general 3:10 p.m. CT cutoff.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Multiple accounts and inactivity
Up to five active XFAs are generally allowed, with exceptions for specific programs. The account size and funded payout-path choice are locked. An XFA with more than 30 days of inactivity may be closed.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Price verification
All 12 listed configuration prices were checked against Topstep’s product page and their public checkout summaries before sign-up. No account was created and no purchase was made. The address-dependent tax amount and final payment total have not been verified.
Official source · Checked 2026-09-28
Our in-depth review is being prepared
The information above comes from official sources. Our editorial score will appear after the in-depth review is completed.
Sources & editorial standards
Read our research commitments, editorial principles and rating guide. Meet the contributors in our author directory.
topstep pricing and payment questions · Checked 2026-09-28
trading combine parameters · Checked 2026-09-28
topstep payout policy · Checked 2026-09-28
am i eligible to trade with topstep · Checked 2026-09-28
what is the maximum loss limit · Checked 2026-09-28
express funded account parameters · Checked 2026-09-28
daily loss limit in the trading combine and express funded account · Checked 2026-09-28
Official product pricing · Checked 2026-09-28
Company history · Checked 2026-09-28
what are the commissions and fees in the trading combine and express funded account · Checked 2026-09-28
when and what products can i trade · Checked 2026-09-28
trading combine subscriptions · Checked 2026-09-28
consistency at topstep · Checked 2026-09-28
prohibited trading strategies at topstep · Checked 2026-09-28
Documentary research and first-hand testing are different. We identify the basis for our assessments and distinguish documented terms from hands-on experience.
