Topstep XFA rules start from a $0 balance: an Express Funded Account's 50K, 100K or 150K is buying power. Its one rule is the Maximum Loss Limit, $2,000, $3,000 or $4,500 under your highest close, which locks at $0. The Scaling Plan sets your contracts by balance, from 2 to 15 lots. You can hold up to 5 XFAs, with no profit target and no monthly fee, and Live comes only by call-up.
Topstep XFA rules at a glance
| Rule | What Topstep publishes |
|---|---|
| Starting balance | $0; the 50K, 100K or 150K is buying power |
| Maximum Loss Limit | Starts at −$2,000 / −$3,000 / −$4,500, trails your closes, locks at $0 |
| Scaling Plan | 2 to 15 lots by size and balance; 1 lot = 1 mini or 10 micros |
| Daily Loss Limit | Optional: $1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 |
| Profit target | None |
| Size and payout path | The size of the Combine you passed; Standard or Consistency, chosen at activation; neither can be changed |
| Accounts | Up to 5 active XFAs, any mix of sizes and paths, except on the Focused Trader Plan (1 active $50K account) |
| Fees | $149 activation per XFA on the Standard Combine path, $0 on the No Activation Fee path; no monthly fee |
| Hours | Flat by 3:10 PM CT every weekday |
| Inactivity | No trades for more than 30 days and the XFA may be closed |
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Express Funded Account™ Parameters, What is the Focused Trader Program?, Topstep Program Overview, Express Funded Account™ Activation, Topstep Pricing and Payment Questions
Check your XFA
An XFA starts at $0; a minus sign for a balance below it.
Next session: 2 lots (20 micros)
The limit sits at −$250, $1,450 under your balance. 3 lots from a session that starts at $1,500, $300 away.
- 2 lots next session. 2 minis, 20 micros or any mix: the "Below $1,500" row on Topstep's 50K chart.
- Maximum Loss Limit −$250. Your highest close, $1,750, minus $2,000. It rises with closes, never falls, and stops at $0.
- $1,450 of room. Open and closed losses together; touching the limit intraday liquidates the account.
- No Daily Loss Limit. It's optional in the XFA; without one, only the Maximum Loss Limit stops a bad day.
- Locks at $0 at a $2,000 close. $800 above this balance.
Starts on our invented 50K XFA, Standard or Consistency path alike: a highest close of $1,750 and a last close of $1,200, before any payout. The rules are Topstep's, read on 2026-10-18. Lots are mini equivalents; Topstep weights Micro Silver, Micro Bitcoin and Micro Ether differently and caps some products lower in volatile markets. The check sees closes only, not intraday dips. Your TopstepX Risk Settings page is the source of truth.
It opens on an invented 50K XFA before its first payout: its highest close was $1,750 and its last close $1,200. The limit trailed up to −$250, so the account has $1,450 of room. Next session it can hold 2 lots, or 20 micros; a session that starts from $1,500 to $2,000 gets 3. Tick the Daily Loss Limit and a −$1,000 day stops trading at $200, above the limit. Tick a payout taken and the limit goes to $0, so the room is the $1,200 balance.
Why does a Topstep XFA start at $0?
Topstep counts the XFA from zero: "Your balance starts at $0 and grows from your trading profits." The account size "is your buying power, not a cash balance," and "Your Trading Combine balance does not carry over to your XFA." A fresh 50K XFA therefore shows $0.
Its Maximum Loss Limit starts below zero, at −$2,000, −$3,000 or −$4,500, and locks at $0 once a close reaches $2,000, $3,000 or $4,500; how it trails and what counts against it are on Topstep trailing drawdown. Your first payout sets it to $0 "regardless of where it was before," as Topstep payout rules works through.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: What is the Maximum Loss Limit?, Express Funded Account™ Activation
How many contracts can you trade in a Topstep XFA?
The Scaling Plan sets it from your balance, in mini equivalents: "1 Mini = 10 Micro contracts". Topstep publishes the table as an image, read here on 2026-10-18:
| XFA | Balance and lots, as Topstep's chart labels them |
|---|---|
| 50K | Below $1,500: 2 · $1,500 - $2,000: 3 · Above $2,000: 5 |
| 100K | Below $1,500: 3 · $1,500 - $2,000: 4 · $2,000 - $3,000: 5 · Above $3,000: 10 |
| 150K | Below $1,500: 3 · $1,500 - $2,000: 4 · $2,000 - $3,000: 5 · $3,000 - $4,500: 10 · Above $4,500: 15 |
The balance that counts is the one a session starts with: "Your max contracts do not increase mid-session." TopstepX's Risk Settings page shows "the contracts available for your next session." A payout that drops the balance into a lower row lowers the limit too. Go over it by mistake and "Errors corrected in under 10 seconds are ignored"; 10 seconds or more and the account may be reviewed.
Some products sit under their own, lower caps. On 2026-10-18 crude oil, heating oil, RBOB gasoline and gold were capped at 3, 6 or 9 minis on a 50K, 100K or 150K XFA, with a separate ladder by balance under that (a 50K XFA below $1,500 gets 1 mini or 12 micros), and silver, copper and platinum minis at 0. Micro Silver counts as 2 micros.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: What is the Scaling Plan?, Topstep Payout Policy, Risk Adjustments: High Risk/High Volatility
Is the Daily Loss Limit required in a Topstep XFA?
No: "The Daily Loss Limit (DLL) is optional in the Trading Combine® and Express Funded Account® (XFA)." You can add it at Combine checkout or when you activate or reactivate an XFA: $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 on a 50K, 100K or 150K, fixed once set. Hitting it ends trading until the next session at 5 PM CT, and "Triggering it is not a rule violation"; how the day is measured is on Topstep trailing drawdown. For now, only one added at Combine checkout doubles the payout caps (Topstep payout rules).
5 PM CT is 6 PM ET: 22:00 UTC while Chicago is on daylight time, 23:00 UTC in winter, and 11 PM in London for most of the year. 3:10 PM CT is 4:10 PM ET, 20:10 or 21:10 UTC, and 9:10 PM in London. UK clocks change on October 25, 2026 and US clocks on November 1, so for that week London times are an hour earlier.
Once the room above the Maximum Loss Limit is no bigger than the Daily Loss Limit, the Maximum Loss Limit comes first; Topstep trailing drawdown sets the two side by side.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Daily Loss Limit in the Trading Combine and Express Funded Account, What is the Maximum Loss Limit?, Topstep Payout Policy
Standard or Consistency: which XFA path?
You pick at activation, and "that choice cannot be changed." The paths differ in what earns a payout, which Topstep payout rules covers, and the Consistency path's 40% line is worked through on Topstep's consistency rule. Topstep's Responsible Trading Program is an exception to picking freely: an XFA from a Combine bought during the program is Consistency only and comes with a Daily Loss Limit.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Express Funded Account™ Parameters, What is the Responsible Trading Program?
What else can close or limit a Topstep XFA?
- The 3:10 PM CT close. "All positions must be closed by 3:10 PM CT every weekday," and Risk Managers begin flattening at 3:08 PM CT. There's no swing trading.
- Going quiet. "XFAs with no trading activity for more than 30 days may be closed. XFAs can't be put on hold."
- Hedging and stacking. Long in one account and short the same or a correlated contract in another, such as MES against ES, is prohibited across Combines, XFAs and Live. So is account stacking: repeatedly hitting the limit in one account, then switching to the next.
- News. "Purposefully trading your full Maximum Position Size directly into a scheduled major news event" is prohibited, and Tier 1 releases such as CPI, FOMC and NFP block new positions in equity-index and metals minis for 5 minutes either side. The windows are on Topstep news trading.
- Automation and copying. Automated strategies are allowed "with conditions." The TopstepX API, $29 a month ($14.50 with Topstep's code), is built for the simulated accounts and isn't available on Live, and a VPS, VPN or remote server is prohibited. A trade copier can run your XFAs together, "up to $750K buying power."
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: When and What Products Can I Trade?, Express Funded Account™ Parameters, Understanding Hedging, Prohibited Trading Strategies at Topstep, Risk Adjustments: High Risk/High Volatility, TopstepX™ API Access, TopstepX™
What if you lose a Topstep XFA?
It closes. If it hadn't paid out and you're in good standing, Back2Funded can reactivate it "up to 2 times" within 30 calendar days, at the same size and payout path, for $599, $699 or $829 on a 50K, 100K or 150K, plus sales tax and with no refund. The balance and stats go back to $0, the limit to its starting value, and you trade again from the next session. Once an XFA has paid out, Back2Funded no longer applies, and traders on the Focused Trader Plan can't use it.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Back2Funded, What is the Maximum Loss Limit?
XFA vs Live Funded Account
| Express Funded Account | Live Funded Account | |
|---|---|---|
| Money | Simulated: "Topstep pays you real money based on your simulated trading results" | "Topstep's prop firm capital" |
| How you get it | Pass a Trading Combine, then activate | A call-up from the Risk Team |
| How many | Up to 5 | 1; every XFA closes |
| Loss rule | Maximum Loss Limit, locks at $0 | Daily Loss Limit always on ($2,000 / $3,000 / $4,500); a balance below $1,000 can be liquidated |
| Contracts | Scaling Plan, by balance | 5 / 10 / 15 to start, then Dynamic Live Risk Expansion |
| Payouts | Capped per request | No cap |
| Trade copier and API | Yes | No |
| Data and platform | Level 1 data included | $133 a month per exchange beyond the one Topstep covers, and your own platform license |
Those Live starting limits drop with a small tradable balance: at $10,000 or below, 5 lots and a $2,000 Daily Loss Limit; at $5,000 or below, 3 lots and $1,000. A 100K or 150K Live account that starts at the $10,000 minimum therefore starts at 5 lots, not 10 or 15. The expansion tiers count Live profit only: "Your Express Funded Account® transfer balance and Payouts don't affect your Tier."
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Live Funded Account Parameters, Dynamic Live Risk Expansion, What are the costs in the Live Funded Account?, TopstepX™
How do you move from an XFA to Live?
You don't apply. "Moving to the Live Funded Account® (LFA) isn't automatic — it's earned," and the Risk Team reviews "your full trading profile," from consistency and position sizing to payout history. Asked "Do I need 5 payouts to move to Live?", Topstep answers "No." Once called, you can't stay: "your options are to move to Live or close your Express Funded Account." Setting up Live takes 7 to 10 business days.
The Live size is the average size of your active XFAs that have paid out at least once (all of them, if you haven't taken a payout), rounded up to $50K, $100K or $150K; in Topstep's example, four 50K XFAs and one 150K average 70K and become a $100K account. Their balances are added up and capped at that size, and "any excess" is forfeited. Of what transfers, 20% is tradable at first, at least $10,000, and 80% sits in Reserve, released in 25% steps each time you make $3,000, $6,000 or $9,000 on a 50K, 100K or 150K account.
| Example | Live size | XFA balances combined | Transfers | Tradable / Reserve |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topstep's: four 50K XFAs holding $25,000 each | $50K | $100,000 | $50,000; $50,000 forfeited | $10,000 / $40,000 |
| Invented: a 50K and a 150K XFA, both paid out, holding $15,000 and $40,000 | $100K | $55,000 | $55,000 | $11,000 / $44,000 |
Some countries can't reach Live at all. Hong Kong, Germany, Iceland, Kuwait and Monaco are among those Topstep lists as eligible for XFAs but not Live, with "up to $200,000 in total payouts." Select traders there may get a Pro Account instead: simulated, starting at up to $10,000, $20,000 or $30,000, under the XFA's loss limit and Scaling Plan. Live can also end in a "Shoulder Tap": a call-down, with no warning, to 1 Shoulder Tap XFA that holds your remaining Live capital under standard XFA rules.
Sources, checked 2026-10-18: Live Funded Account Call Up and Call Down Process, Live Funded Account Parameters, Am I eligible to trade with Topstep?, What is a Pro Account?
Where do Topstep's own pages disagree?
- Back2Funded on a Shoulder Tap XFA. Back2Funded's eligibility list needs an XFA "earned through Topstep's Trading Combine®" and closed "before taking a Payout." Its FAQ says "Back2Funded is available for any Shoulder Tap account," an XFA Topstep creates after a call-down from Live, and the call-up page says the same.
- When a breached XFA closes. The XFA page: "Your account is liquidated and closed at the end of the day." The loss-limit page: "your account is liquidated immediately" and "permanently closed." The account is gone either way.
- Scaling rows that share an edge. The chart puts $2,000 in two rows on the 100K and 150K XFAs, and $3,000 in two on the 150K. The volatility page's ladder for restricted products has rows for a "$2,000 balance" and a "$4,500 balance", where the chart's 15 lots begin "Above $4,500". The check takes the smaller row.
- What an ES round turn costs. $3.78 on the TopstepX fees page, which covers the XFA and Live; $3.80 on the Live costs page.
- A Live balance under $1,000. The Live page says it "may be immediately liquidated" in one place and "will be liquidated immediately" in its FAQ.
Not published
- When a call-up comes. Topstep lists what it reviews, but no balance, payout count or number of days.
- What transfers when your XFAs together hold less than $10,000. Topstep says it "supplements from that same capped amount".
- The discount for adding a Daily Loss Limit at XFA activation. The pricing page names it, but its table gives amounts only for No Activation Fee Combines and Back2Funded.
- Whether "more than 30 days" of inactivity means calendar days or trading days.
Compare Lucid Trading's live account and Apex Trader Funding's rules; the other firms we cover are on the prop firm rules hub.
Sources and their last edits
Each page was read on 2026-10-18. Dates are the help center's own last-edit stamps (UTC).
- Express Funded Account™ Parameters, 2026-08-05; Express Funded Account™ Activation, 2026-09-24; What is the Scaling Plan?, 2026-07-16.
- What is the Maximum Loss Limit?, 2026-09-18; Daily Loss Limit in the Trading Combine and Express Funded Account, 2026-06-30; Back2Funded, 2026-09-29; Topstep Payout Policy, 2026-10-13.
- Topstep Pricing and Payment Questions, 2026-10-15; Topstep Program Overview, 2026-09-10; What is the Focused Trader Program?, 2026-08-10; When and What Products Can I Trade?, 2026-07-13.
- Risk Adjustments: High Risk/High Volatility, 2026-10-16; Prohibited Trading Strategies at Topstep, 2026-06-10; Understanding Hedging, 2026-07-27.
- TopstepX™, 2026-09-25; TopstepX™ API Access, 2026-09-17; TopstepX™ Commissions and Fees, 2026-09-30.
- What is the Responsible Trading Program?, 2026-10-15; Live Funded Account Parameters, 2026-10-01; Live Funded Account Call Up and Call Down Process, 2026-09-29.
- Dynamic Live Risk Expansion, 2026-09-24; What are the costs in the Live Funded Account?, 2026-06-16; What is a Pro Account?, 2026-09-11; Am I eligible to trade with Topstep?, 2026-09-04.
Disclosure
The check and the worked examples use invented balances under Topstep's published rules. Neither is a forecast, and neither says whether a Topstep account is worth buying. Your TopstepX Risk Settings page and dashboard decide what you can trade, 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 the rules of a Topstep XFA?
Its one rule: never let the balance touch the Maximum Loss Limit, which starts $2,000, $3,000 or $4,500 under the $0 start and locks at $0. The objectives are to follow the Scaling Plan, stay inside a Daily Loss Limit if you added one, and meet your payout path's day rule. There's no profit target and no monthly fee, and positions close by 3:10 PM CT.
Why does my Topstep XFA show a $0 balance?
Because it starts at $0: the 50K, 100K or 150K is buying power, not cash, and Trading Combine profits don't carry over. The balance grows from what you make in the XFA, and the Maximum Loss Limit starts below zero, at −$2,000 on a 50K XFA.
How many contracts can I trade in a Topstep XFA?
It depends on the balance, under the Scaling Plan: on a 50K XFA, 2 lots below $1,500, 3 from $1,500 to $2,000 and 5 above $2,000; 100K and 150K XFAs climb to 10 and 15 lots. One lot is 1 mini or 10 micros, and a higher limit starts at the next session.
Can you change a Topstep XFA's size or payout path?
No. The size matches the Trading Combine you passed and is locked before and after activation, and the Standard or Consistency path you pick at activation can't be changed either.
How many XFAs can you have at Topstep?
Up to 5 active at a time, in any mix of sizes and paths, unless Topstep has put you on its Focused Trader Plan (1 active $50K account). A trade copier can run them together up to $750K of buying power. A Shoulder Tap XFA after a call-down from Live is limited to 1, and every XFA closes when you're called up to Live.
How do you get from a Topstep XFA to a Live Funded Account?
Topstep's Risk Team calls you up after reviewing your trading; it publishes no balance or day count, and it says 5 payouts aren't required. Your XFAs close, the balances of those that count transfer up to the Live account's size, and 20% of that is tradable at first, at least $10,000; the other 80% is held in Reserve.
What is the difference between a Topstep XFA and a Live Funded Account?
The XFA is simulated, allows up to 5 accounts, caps each payout and sizes contracts with the Scaling Plan. Live is Topstep's capital: 1 account, no payout cap, a Daily Loss Limit that's always on, contract limits from Dynamic Live Risk Expansion, and costs the XFA doesn't have, such as $133 a month for each extra exchange's data and your own platform license.
What happens if you lose a Topstep XFA?
A balance that touches the Maximum Loss Limit closes it. If it hadn't paid out yet and you're not on Topstep's Focused Trader Plan, Back2Funded can reactivate it up to 2 times within 30 calendar days for $599, $699 or $829, back at $0 with the same size and payout path.
