Topstep FAQ & Complete Guide

The answers below use the dated Topstep rule record. Limits belong to the named program and account stage; they are not universal firm rules.

Research record dated October 1, 2026. Limits can change; use the linked rules for your exact account.

Some entries come from excerpts of the firm's help-center pages because the full pages could not be fetched.

Topstep: key facts

What evaluation models does Topstep offer?

Trading Combine — $50K, $100K, $150K — fee monthly subscription (amount not confirmed); Express Funded Account (Standard / Consistency) — matches Combine size — split 90% — fee no monthly subscription

What daily loss limits apply at Topstep?

Optional on Express Funded Accounts; Live Funded Account has a Daily Loss Limit

What maximum loss limits apply at Topstep?

Max Loss Limit $2,000 ($50K), $3,000 ($100K), $4,500 ($150K)

What trading-day or trade-count requirements apply at Topstep?

Combine: can pass in as few as 2 days; XFA Consistency path: 3 days

What trading platforms does Topstep support?

TopstepX

Does Topstep allow automated trading / EAs?

Custom bots allowed via TopstepX/ProjectX API, but HFT is prohibited and orders must originate from your personal device; VPS, VPN or remote servers may not place orders.

Can I automate Topstep with TradingView via PickMyTrade?

PickMyTrade connection: ProjectX/TopstepX. Topstep bans placing orders from VPS/VPN/remote servers and HFT; cloud-hosted webhook execution may conflict with the personal-device requirement. Not reachable via MT4/MT5.

I accidentally hedged for a few seconds at Topstep and got flagged. Can I still get a payout?
Usually yes, if it was your first warning. Topstep says opposing positions across accounts are prohibited even when the overlap is brief or unintentional, but a first violation is treated as a warning with a short window to un-hedge, and warnings alone do not affect payouts. Repeats get harsher: after you sign the hedging acknowledgement, later hedges are liquidated immediately, excessive attempts bring a temporary violation, and an account closed for hedging is not eligible for payouts. Topstep's definition covers the same or correlated instruments across accounts, such as MES/ES and MNQ/NQ, in the Trading Combine, Express Funded and Live accounts.
Did Topstep change the consistency rule to 55%?
Yes. In the Topstep Trading Combine your best day must stay at or below 55% of your Profit Target, and Topstep says there is no buffer: 55% is a hard line. If one day goes over, your Profit Target rises to your best day divided by 0.55, and the extra profit has to come on a later trading day, because more profit the same day raises your best day too. The Express Funded Account Consistency path is separate: your largest day must be 40% or less of total net profit before you can request a payout.
Is Topstep's max loss trailing or end-of-day, and is there a daily loss limit?
Topstep's Maximum Loss Limit trails your end-of-day balance upward, never moves down, and locks once it reaches your starting balance, but it is monitored in real time on realized and unrealized P&L, so an intraday dip through it liquidates the account. It is $2,000, $3,000 or $4,500 for 50K, 100K and 150K accounts. In the Trading Combine and Express Funded Account the Daily Loss Limit is optional ($1,000, $2,000 or $3,000), and hitting it is a forced break for the session, not a rule violation. In the Live Funded Account the Daily Loss Limit is automatic.
When can I request a payout from a Topstep Express Funded Account, and how much can I take?
On the Standard path you need 5 winning days of $150 or more net P&L (not necessarily consecutive) plus profit since your last payout. On the Consistency path you need 3 trading days with your largest day at or below 40% of net profit. Each request can be up to 50% of the balance, capped by account size, for example $2,000 Standard or $3,000 Consistency on a 50K, per Topstep's payout policy. The minimum is $125 and the split is 90/10. Topstep recommends waiting until your Maximum Loss Limit reaches $0 before taking payouts. Live Funded payouts have no dollar cap.
How do I get moved to a Topstep Live Funded Account? Do I need a set number of payouts?
There is no fixed number. Topstep says its Risk Team reviews each trader case by case, looking at consistency, risk management, position sizing, products traded, use of stops, payout history and overall behavior, and its FAQ answers the 5-payout question with a plain No. Your Live starting balance is 20% of your cumulative Express Funded Account balance, capped at your account size, with a $10,000 minimum; the other 80% is held in Reserve. Topstep can also move a Live trader back to a single Shoulder Tap Express Funded Account without warning.
Can I use the ProjectX API to trade a Topstep Express Funded Account, or only a Live Funded Account?
Express Funded, yes; Live Funded, no. Topstep's TopstepX API Access page says custom bots are allowed through the TopstepX/ProjectX API, subject to platform rules and its ban on high-frequency trading, but Live Funded accounts cannot trade through the API. API Access is billed separately at $29 a month, or $14.50 with Topstep's 50% code. Orders must still originate from your own device, not a VPS. Topstep treats a rule violation the same whether it comes from manual trading or automation, and third-party tools on the API are used at your own risk.
Can I trade my Topstep account from a VPS or with a VPN?
No. Topstep's API page says all trading activity must originate from your personal device and that VPS, VPNs and remote servers are prohibited by its Terms of Use; running automation on a VPS can lead to suspension or removal. Its Prohibited Conduct page also bans VPNs, proxies, TOR and other identity-masking services. A private server is allowed only for work that never touches order flow, such as storing historical data, backtesting, logging or a read-only dashboard. In Topstep's words, your server can watch and record, but it cannot trade.
Can I trade CPI or FOMC at Topstep?
FOMC and most releases, yes; CPI has a blackout window. Topstep does not require you to flatten for economic releases, but around CPI it blocks new opening trades in ES, RTY, YM, NQ, NKD, GC, SI, HG and PL minis from 5 minutes before to 5 minutes after the release. Micros are capped during that window, for example 3 contracts on a 50K account, and pending orders will not fill. Separately, Topstep prohibits purposely trading your full maximum position size into a major scheduled news event, and it does not adjust accounts for slippage losses.
Can I copy trade between my own Topstep accounts?
Yes, on Trading Combine and Express Funded accounts. TopstepX has a built-in Trade Copier that mirrors a Lead account to Follower accounts, and the Lead must have the lowest maximum position size in the group. Live Funded accounts cannot use the Trade Copier. Followers are unlinked when you request a payout, and if the Lead hits its Daily Loss Limit or is liquidated, the followers are flattened with it. Topstep's hedging page adds that you stay responsible for any opposite positions created by copy trading software or third-party tools.
How do I get out of Topstep's Responsible Trading Program?
Reach Live and make $10,000 there. Topstep says there is no set timeline: you must be called up to a Live Funded Account and grow that account's balance by $10,000 in profit earned in Live, not in a Trading Combine or Express Funded Account. While you are in the program, new Trading Combines and Express Funded Accounts get a Daily Loss Limit ($1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 by size), passed Combines go to the 40% Consistency path, and you can still request payouts of up to $6,000 every 3 trading days if you meet the consistency requirements.

Sources

This page aggregates publicly available information about Topstep and is not financial, legal, or tax advice. Prop firm rules, plans, fees, and payout policies change frequently — always verify the current terms on Topstep's official website before purchasing an evaluation or activating a funded account. PickMyTrade is an automation bridge, not a prop firm. Funded accounts at prop firms are typically simulated (not real-money) unless otherwise stated by the firm. Trading carries risk of loss. Consult a licensed financial advisor before trading. Last updated: June 2026.

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