Topstep
📍 US
CEO: Michael Patak
Trading Platforms
Payment Methods
Payout Methods
Topstep is one of the original futures prop firms, founded by CEO Michael Patak — first as Patak Trading Partners in 2010, rebranded to TopstepTrader in 2012, then simplified to Topstep in 2020. Based in Chicago, the firm is credited with popularizing the one-step "Trading Combine" evaluation model that much of the industry has since copied. Topstep runs a 90/10 profit split on its own proprietary platform, TopstepX, with three account sizes: $50,000, $100,000, and $150,000.
New Here? Read This First
- Every size comes in two payout flavors: Standard or Consistency. Standard needs 5 winning days of $150+ and has no consistency math to track. Consistency needs only 3 trading days but requires your best single day to stay at or under 40% of total profit — faster to your first payout, but with a rule to manage.
- The Combine itself has its own separate 55% consistency rule that applies during the evaluation on every size — unrelated to the 40% rule above, which only kicks in once you're funded on the Consistency path.
- The Combine is a monthly subscription, not a one-time fee. You keep paying until you pass or cancel — factor that into how long you expect the evaluation to take.
- Adding a Daily Loss Limit at Combine purchase doubles your payout cap once funded — the single biggest lever for increasing how much you can withdraw per request, and it can only be added at checkout, not later.
- You can hold up to 5 active Express Funded Accounts (XFAs) at once, so one account size doesn't block you from running others simultaneously.
Which Payout Path Should You Pick?
| If you want... | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Simplicity, with no consistency ratio to track once funded | Standard | 5 winning days of $150+, positive profit since your last payout. No math, just consistent winning sessions. |
| Your first payout faster, and don't mind tracking a ratio | Consistency | Only 3 trading days needed (vs. 5), plus a slightly higher payout cap at every size — as long as your best day stays at or under 40% of total profit. |
Both paths share the same Combine evaluation, the same 55% consistency rule during that evaluation, and the same Maximum Loss Limit reset to $0 after every payout.
Max Withdrawal Per Request
| Account & Path | Standard Cap | With Daily Loss Limit Added |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $2,000 (Standard) / $3,000 (Consistency) | $4,000 (Standard) / $6,000 (Consistency) |
| $100,000 | $3,000 (Standard) / $4,000 (Consistency) | $6,000 (Standard) / $8,000 (Consistency) |
| $150,000 | $5,000 (Standard) / $6,000 (Consistency) | $10,000 (Standard) / $12,000 (Consistency) |
How Each Path Gets You Paid (Example: $100K account)
| Path | Trading Combine | Express Funded Account |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Make $6,000 profit, best day under 55% of total profit, no minimum trading days beyond what the 55% rule effectively requires. | 5 winning days of $150+, positive profit since your last payout. Payout capped at $3,000/request ($6,000 with a Daily Loss Limit). MLL resets to $0 after every payout. |
| Consistency | Same Combine, same $6,000 target, same 55% rule. | 3 trading days minimum, best single day at or under 40% of total net profit. Payout capped at $4,000/request ($8,000 with a Daily Loss Limit). MLL and consistency both reset after every payout. |
The eventual goal on either path is the Live Funded Account (LFA) — no payout cap, no ceiling — which Topstep moves consistent traders into after sustained XFA performance.
Maximum Loss Limit & Contract Limits
| Account Size | Maximum Loss Limit | Contract Limit |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $2,000 | 5 mini / 50 micro |
| $100,000 | $3,000 | 10 mini / 100 micro |
| $150,000 | $4,500 | 15 mini / 150 micro |
The MLL is a hard breach on every size — hit it, even intraday on unrealized P&L, and the account ends immediately, no exceptions.
Minimum Trading Days
| Stage | Standard | Consistency |
|---|---|---|
| Trading Combine | No fixed minimum — can pass in as few as 2 days if no single day exceeds 55% of total profit | Same Combine, same 2-day possibility |
| Express Funded Account (per payout) | 5 winning days of $150+ | 3 trading days, 40% consistency |
Explore Every Plan & Size
| Size | Path | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | Standard | $50K Standard |
| $50,000 | Consistency | $50K Consistency |
| $100,000 | Standard | $100K Standard |
| $100,000 | Consistency | $100K Consistency |
| $150,000 | Standard | $150K Standard |
| $150,000 | Consistency | $150K Consistency |
Tradable Products
Topstep runs exclusively on CME Group products via TopstepX — equity index futures (ES, MES, NQ, MNQ, RTY, M2K), FX futures (6A, 6B, 6C, 6E, 6J, 6S, E7, M6E, M6A, 6M, 6N, M6B), CBOT grains (ZC, ZW, ZS, ZM, ZL), CBOT financials (ZT, ZF, ZN, TN, ZB, UB), CME agriculture (HE, LE), NYMEX energy (CL, QM, NG, QG, MCL, RB, HO, PL, MNG), and COMEX metals (GC, SI, HG, MGC, SIL, MHG). No Forex, and no swing trading — every position closes daily.
