A Topstep Express Funded Account can request a payout after 5 winning days of $150 or more (Standard path) or 3 trading days with no day above 40% of net profit (Consistency path). A request is 50% of the balance at most, from $125 up to a $2,000–$12,000 cap on the 50K–150K accounts, and you keep 90%. Live Funded Accounts have no cap and allow one request a day after 30 winning days.
Topstep payout rules at a glance
| Account | To request a payout | Most per request | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Express Funded Account (XFA), Standard path | 5 winning days of $150+ net P&L, and net profit above $0 since the last payout (the first payout is exempt) | 50% of the balance, up to the cap | 90/10 |
| XFA, Consistency path | 3 trading days with at least 1 trade each, and the largest day at most 40% of net profit | 50% of the balance, up to the cap | 90/10 |
| Live Funded Account (LFA) | 5 winning days of $150+ per cycle; after 30 winning days, once a day | 50% of the balance, no cap; after 30 winning days, any part of the unlocked balance | 90/10 |
| Pro Account (no Live access in your country) | The XFA Standard path's rules | 50% of the balance, up to the Standard cap | Not stated; "Payout rules are the same as a standard Express Funded Account" |
The minimum payout is $125. You request from the Topstep Dashboard during CME market hours, "Sunday 5 PM CT – Friday 5 PM CT (excluding holidays)."
Sources, checked 2026-10-17: Topstep Payout Policy, Express Funded Account™ Parameters, Live Funded Account Parameters, What is a Pro Account?
Check your payout
Every trading day since activation
Net P&L per day, after commissions; a minus sign for a losing day. Balance now: $1,440.
Leave the request empty for the most allowed. ACH: US banks only, 1-3 business days, $30 fee.
Not yet
One rule blocks it; once it clears, this balance allows $720.
- 5 winning days of $150+: not met. 4 days so far
- Net profit above $0 since your last payout: met. first payout: exempt
- 50% of the balance, up to $2,000: met. 50% of $1,440 is $720.
Starts on our invented first payout on a 50K XFA, Standard path. The rules are Topstep's, read on 2026-10-17. Each day you enter is a closed trading day with at least one trade; the day you last requested doesn't count, so leave it out. It assumes the 90/10 split (traders who joined the new dashboard before January 12, 2026 get 100% of their first $10,000), sees closes only, not intraday dips, and knows nothing of Topstep's review. Your Topstep dashboard is the source of truth.
It opens on an invented first payout on a 50K XFA, Standard path: six days of +$420, +$150, −$260, +$610, +$140 and +$380, a $1,440 balance and 4 winning days. The +$140 day is under $150, so one winning day is missing. Add a seventh day of +$300 and the request opens: up to $870, which arrives as $753 by ACH once the 10% ($87) and the $30 fee come off. Switch to XFA Consistency and the first six days fail on the share instead: $610 is 42.36% of $1,440, so they need $85 more net profit.
When can you request a Topstep payout?
When your account's day rule is met. Each path counts different days.
- Standard path: "5 winning days of $150+ Net P&L. Days don't need to be consecutive." You also need "Positive net profit since your last Payout. You must have earned at least $0.01 since your last Payout. Your first Payout is exempt." Net P&L is after commissions, which Topstep takes "with each filled trade."
- Consistency path: "3 trading days with at least 1 trade per day," and your largest day at or below 40% of the window's net profit. A $2,000 best day needs $5,000 of net profit. How the share is measured, and what a losing day does to it, is on our consistency rule page.
- Live Funded Account: "5 winning days of $150+ Net P&L per Payout cycle (not consecutive)." After $150 or more on 30 days in the LFA, payouts open "once per day." Winning days from the XFA don't count toward the 30.
The day you request doesn't count toward the next cycle, on any account type. A trading day runs from 5:00 PM CT to 3:10 PM CT, so in Topstep's example a request at 5:59 PM CT on Monday belongs to Tuesday, and the new cycle starts Wednesday.
The Standard path's profit rule, in Topstep's own table (it names no account size):
| Payout | Balance | Eligible? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $6,000, from $0 | Yes: the first payout has no profit requirement |
| 2 | $4,000, up from $3,000 after a $3,000 payout | Yes |
| 3 | $4,500, up from $2,200 after a $1,800 payout | Yes |
| 4 | $1,800, down from $2,500 after a $2,000 payout | No: not profitable since the last payout |
The fourth fails with $1,800 still in the account: the balance must sit above where the last payout left it.
Sources, checked 2026-10-17: Topstep Payout Policy, Topstep Program Overview, Consistency at Topstep, Topstep Pricing and Payment Questions
How much can you withdraw from Topstep?
On an XFA, 50% of the balance per request, from $125 up to your cap:
| XFA | Standard cap | Consistency cap | Standard, DLL added at Combine checkout | Consistency, DLL added at Combine checkout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $2,000 | $3,000 | $4,000 | $6,000 |
| $100,000 | $3,000 | $4,000 | $6,000 | $8,000 |
| $150,000 | $5,000 | $6,000 | $10,000 | $12,000 |
The doubled caps are a "Limited Time Offering" for new Trading Combine purchases with a Daily Loss Limit (DLL) added at checkout, since 3:30 PM CT on Tuesday, June 2nd. A DLL added at XFA activation doesn't unlock them, and Topstep gives no end date.
With invented balances on a 50K Standard XFA: $3,000 allows $1,500. At $5,000, half is $2,500 and the $2,000 cap binds; with the doubled $4,000 cap, the full $2,500 can go. Under $250 nothing can, because half of it is less than $125.
The Live Funded Account has no cap: "Request up to 50% of your account balance with no dollar cap." After 30 winning days you can "request as much of your unlocked balance as you want, once per day (min $125)." But "Requesting a full 100% Payout closes your LFA since the balance reaches the Maximum Loss Limit."
Sources, checked 2026-10-17: Topstep Payout Policy, Live Funded Account Parameters
What reaches you: the split, the fee and the method
Topstep keeps 10%: "90/10 profit split — you keep 90%." Besides the Labs Challenges below, which pay a fixed sum, there's one exception: traders who joined the new Topstep dashboard before January 12, 2026 "receive 100% of your first $10,000 in lifetime profits," then 90/10, and payouts from the Legacy dashboard don't count toward that $10,000.
Topstep says "Internal approval can take 1-3 business days" and lists each method's own time; it doesn't say whether the two add up:
| Method | Who can use it | Processing time | Topstep fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prop-to-Brokerage Payouts | US only, into a Topstep Brokerage account | Same day, if requested by 12 PM CT | None |
| Aeropay | US banks only | Instant after approval | None |
| Wise | China, Canada, UK | 1-3 business days | None |
| ACH | US banks only | 1-3 business days | $30 |
| Wire/SWIFT | International | 5-10 business days | $30 |
Topstep's own example: a $500 ACH request is "$500 minus $50 (10% split) minus $30 (processing fee) = $420 received." Aeropay and Wise carry no Topstep fee, though "your bank or those services may charge their own fees." Aeropay's instant payments are "subject to your bank's support of real-time transactions. If your bank doesn't support it, funds may take 1-3 business days." An unclaimed Wise payout is cancelled after 7 calendar days, and Wise "remains unavailable everywhere else."
The paperwork comes with the request: a W-9 for US persons, a W-8BEN for everyone else. No third-party accounts: "Payouts can only be sent to a bank account in your own name." US citizens with $600 or more in payouts in a year get a 1099-NEC, and it shows the gross amount, before the $30 fee.
Sources, checked 2026-10-17: Topstep Payout Policy, Funded Trader Tax Questions
What happens to your account after a payout?
On an XFA, the Maximum Loss Limit (MLL) goes to $0 for good. "After your first Payout: Your MLL is set to $0 regardless of where it was before. The remaining balance becomes your effective loss floor." Before that, a 50K XFA's limit starts at −$2,000 and trails the end-of-day balance until it locks at $0 once the balance reaches $2,000 ($3,000 on 100K, $4,500 on 150K).
Run the check's invented seven days to the end. After day 7 the balance is $1,740 and the limit trails at −$260, so the account has $2,000 of room. Take the $870 and the balance is $870 with the limit at $0. Topstep's advice is in its FAQ: "We recommend reaching a balance where your MLL is at $0 first."
In our invented example, a first payout of $870 from a $1,740 balance cuts a 50K XFA's room above the loss limit from $2,000 to $870.What else changes after a payout:
- The cycle restarts. The day count goes back to zero, and on the Consistency path the 40% calculation resets; profit left in the balance doesn't count toward the next window.
- Contracts can drop. "If a Payout reduces your balance to a lower tier, your maximum contract size decreases accordingly."
- Back2Funded is gone. "Once a Payout is taken from an XFA, it is no longer eligible for Back2Funded."
- Trading. "The funds are transferred immediately," so you can trade again, though copy trading stays off until you re-enable it. On Live, "trading should be paused until the Payout has been fully processed."
Each XFA "follows its own Payout Policy independently."
Sources, checked 2026-10-17: What is the Maximum Loss Limit?, Topstep Payout Policy, Back2Funded
What blocks a Topstep payout?
Any of these holds a request back or gets it refused.
- The day rule or the amount. Too few winning or trading days, a share over 40%, no net profit since the last payout on the Standard path, or half the balance under $125.
- A Daily Loss Limit hit. It puts the account in a "Temporary Violation" until the next session starts; personal lock-outs in Risk Settings work the same way.
- The review. Before approving, Topstep checks the payout policy, Prohibited Conduct, the Terms of Use, Professional Behavior and Prohibited Trading Strategies. Prohibited Conduct can bring "Delay or denial of a Payout request."
- A closure for a violation. "Pending Payout requests are not processed when an account is closed for a violation." Accounts closed for hedging "are not eligible for payouts," and a move to the Focused Trader Program's Corrective Path denies "Any pending payouts." A hedging warning alone doesn't.
- Where you live. Citizens or residents of OFAC-sanctioned or partner-restricted countries can't receive payouts. In countries eligible for an XFA but not Live, traders can "take up to $200,000 in total payouts."
Sources, checked 2026-10-17: Topstep Payout Policy, Prohibited Conduct, I've been banned: what are my options?, Understanding Hedging, What is the Focused Trader Program?, Am I eligible to trade with Topstep?
How do Live Funded Account payouts work?
Five winning days of $150 or more per cycle, then up to 50% of the balance with no cap, paid from the unlocked part. Live comes by call-up from Topstep's Risk Team, and then "all Express Funded Accounts (XFA) close." Of what transfers, 20% is tradable at first (at least $10,000). The 80% Reserve unlocks in 25% steps each time you make $3,000, $6,000 or $9,000 on a 50K, 100K or 150K LFA, reviewed every Monday morning.
"Payout eligibility is not tied to capital expansion," but payouts "can only be taken from your unlocked balance, not from your Live Funded Account Reserve." With an invented $12,000 unlocked, a request can be $6,000. After 30 winning days it can be anything up to $12,000, once a day, and taking all of it closes the account. If the balance drops below $1,000, the LFA "may be immediately liquidated" and the rest is sent "as a final Payout"; Topstep adds, "Unlocked reserve is forfeited."
Live has costs an XFA doesn't: professional market data at $133 per exchange a month (Topstep covers one exchange) and your own platform license. Commissions come off the balance on both.
Sources, checked 2026-10-17: Live Funded Account Parameters, Topstep Payout Policy, What are the costs in the Live Funded Account?
Topstep Labs payouts
Labs "drops" set their own caps, and "Every drop is limited; when it's gone, it's gone." Listed on 2026-10-17:
| Labs drop | Funded payout |
|---|---|
| $25K Static Drawdown Trading Combine (#001) | XFA cap $4,000; Standard or Consistency path |
| $250K Freedom Funded Trading Combine (#002) | XFA cap $25,000 per payout; Standard path |
| $50K Static Drawdown Trading Combine (#006) | XFA cap $8,000 on either path; "No hard cap on the number of Payouts" |
| $3K, $1.5K, $6K, $1.5K Powered Up, $3K Undead and $3K Slasher Challenges | The named amount ($3,000, $1,500, $6,000, $1,500, $3,000 or $3,000), paid once with no 90/10 split; the account then closes |
The Challenges alone don't lead to Live. Source, checked 2026-10-17: Topstep Labs
Where do Topstep's own pages disagree?
- Which balance Live's 50% comes from. The payout policy says "50% of your account balance"; the LFA page says payouts come only from the unlocked balance. The check takes 50% of the unlocked balance.
- The $500 ACH example. The payout policy takes the split and the fee: $420. The tax page's example takes only the fee: "You receive $470." The tax page doesn't mention the split, and Topstep doesn't say which figure a 90/10 request gets; the check uses the payout policy's $420.
- Under 40%, or at or below it? The Responsible Trading Program page says a best day "must stay under 40% of total profits"; the payout policy says "Stay at or below the 40% consistency target." The check passes exactly 40%, as the payout policy and the consistency page do.
- Is a Live account under $1,000 liquidated? The LFA page says it "may be immediately liquidated" in one place and "will be liquidated immediately" in its FAQ.
- When a day ends. The payout policy says "A day locks in at 4:00 PM CT" for winning days; the same page says "The trading day runs from 5:00 PM CT to 3:10 PM CT the following day."
Not published
- Whether the doubled DLL caps apply to Pro Accounts.
- When the doubled-cap offer ends. Topstep says to "Keep an eye on our social channels."
- Whether a Live payout that leaves the balance under $1,000 triggers the liquidation rule.
- Whether Aeropay's instant payments reach Live payouts; Topstep names them "for XFA Payouts."
- Whether Live payouts also need net profit since the last payout. The policy lists that rule under the Standard path only, while its FAQ says "You just need to be profitable ($.01 or more) since your last Payout before you can request the next one." The check applies it to the Standard path.
Compare Apex's payout rules (a safety net and six payouts per account) and FTMO's (a 14-day clock); both are on the prop firm rules hub.
Sources and their last edits
Each page was read on 2026-10-17. Dates are the help center's own last-edit stamps (UTC).
- Topstep Payout Policy, edited 2026-10-13.
- Express Funded Account™ Parameters, 2026-08-05; What is the Maximum Loss Limit?, 2026-09-18; Back2Funded, 2026-09-29.
- Live Funded Account Parameters, 2026-10-01; What are the costs in the Live Funded Account?, 2026-06-16; What is a Pro Account?, 2026-09-11.
- Topstep Program Overview, 2026-09-10; Consistency at Topstep, 2026-09-17; Topstep Pricing and Payment Questions, 2026-10-15.
- Funded Trader Tax Questions, 2026-05-29; Am I eligible to trade with Topstep?, 2026-09-04.
- Prohibited Conduct, 2026-09-30; Understanding Hedging, 2026-07-27; I've been banned: what are my options?, 2026-10-16; What is the Focused Trader Program?, 2026-08-10; What is the Responsible Trading Program?, 2026-10-15.
- Topstep Labs, 2026-10-15.
Disclosure
The check and the worked examples use invented numbers and Topstep's published rules. Neither is a forecast, and neither says whether a Topstep account is worth buying. Topstep's dashboard decides whether you get paid, not this page. If a number here no longer matches Topstep's pages, email support@pulltrade.app and we'll correct it in public.
Frequently asked questions
What are Topstep's payout rules?
On an Express Funded Account, the Standard path needs 5 winning days of $150 or more and net profit since the last payout (the first payout is exempt); the Consistency path needs 3 trading days with no day above 40% of net profit. A request is up to 50% of the balance, from $125 to the cap, and you keep 90%. Live needs 5 winning days per cycle and has no cap.
How much can you withdraw from Topstep?
Up to 50% of the balance per request, at least $125 and at most the cap: $2,000, $3,000 or $5,000 on a 50K, 100K or 150K Standard XFA and $3,000, $4,000 or $6,000 on the Consistency path, doubled for a limited time on new Trading Combine purchases with a Daily Loss Limit added at checkout. Live requests can be up to 50% of the balance with no cap.
How often can you take a payout from Topstep?
As often as the day rule allows: every 5 winning days on the Standard path, every 3 trading days on the Consistency path if no day tops 40% of net profit, and every 5 winning days on Live until 30 winning days unlock one payout a day. The day you request doesn't count toward the next cycle.
What is Topstep's profit split?
90/10: you keep 90% of each payout from an Express Funded Account or a Live Funded Account. Traders who joined Topstep's new dashboard before January 12, 2026 get 100% of their first $10,000 in lifetime profits, then 90/10. Topstep Labs Challenges pay a fixed amount with no split.
How long do Topstep payouts take?
Topstep says its internal approval can take 1-3 business days and lists each method's own time: Aeropay instant after approval (on XFA payouts), Wise and ACH 1-3 business days, a wire 5-10, and a Prop-to-Brokerage Payout the same day if requested by 12 PM CT. ACH and wire cost $30, so a $500 ACH request arrives as $420.
What happens to the Maximum Loss Limit after a Topstep payout?
On an Express Funded Account it's set to $0 for good after the first payout, wherever it was, so the balance left is all the room the account has. In an invented example on a 50K XFA, a first payout of $870 from a $1,740 balance cuts that room from $2,000 to $870. Topstep recommends reaching a balance where the limit has locked at $0 first.
How do Live Funded Account payouts work?
Each cycle needs 5 winning days of $150 or more, and a request can be up to 50% of the balance with no cap, paid from the unlocked balance, not the Reserve. After 30 winning days in the account you can request any part of the unlocked balance once a day, but taking all of it closes the account.
