Topstep rules, in plain English

What you pay, what you must hit, how you can fail, and when you get paid. Summarised in our own words from Topstep's official pages. Anything we haven't verified says "check official site".

Last verified 2026-09-26 · Official source · Rules change often: confirm before you buy.

1. What it costs

• Activation fee (paid after you pass, to get the funded account): $149.
• If you fail: $49 reset.
• True cost if you pass first try (50K): $198 for the first month. Add retries in the calculator.
• Our coupon code: coming soon.

2. How you can fail: drawdown

Topstep: EOD trailing (Maximum Loss Limit).

"Max drawdown" is how far your account can fall before the evaluation ends. "EOD" (end of day) means the limit is checked against your balance at the close, so swings during the day don't count against the limit until the day ends. "Trailing" means the limit moves up as your account reaches new highs, so profits you give back still count.

3. Getting paid

• XFA: 90/10
• standard path 5 winning days of $150+, up to 50% of balance max $5,000 per payout (Consistency XFA: max $6,000)

In short: you keep up to 90% of profits, subject to the conditions above.

4. Not verified yet

We only list rules we've confirmed on the official site. These are still open:

• Daily loss limit: check official site
• News trading: check official site
• Holding overnight: check official site
• Platforms: check official site

Plan notes

Standard path. No Activation Fee path: 50K $95/mo, $0 activation, reset $95. Affiliate program reportedly sunset (Aug 2026) - links are unpaid. Rules: topstep.com/express-funded-account-rules; help articles on MLL/consistency.

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