Topstep Payout Rules: How and When You Actually Get Paid

Topstep payout rules come down to three numbers on the standard path: five winning days of at least $150, a withdrawal of up to half your balance, and a cap of $2,000 per request on a 50K Express Funded Account. Miss any one of them and the request button stays grey. Everything else in the policy is detail around those three.

Rules as of September 30, 2026, from Topstep's payout policy help page. Topstep changed its payouts twice in 2026, so check that page before you plan a withdrawal. MyTradingBuddy is not affiliated with Topstep.

Topstep payout rules at a glance

There are three places you can get paid from, and each has its own rules:

On the new dashboard, Topstep also pays 100% of your first $10,000 in lifetime profits (from January 12, 2026) before the 90/10 split starts. The caps in the table are the standard ones. If a daily loss limit was added when the Combine was purchased, Topstep's page lists higher caps, and it marks that offer limited-time. Adding the limit later, at activation, does not unlock them.

How the standard path works on an Express Funded Account

This is the default, and it rewards steady small days over one big one.

• Winning days: 5 days with at least $150 in net P&L. They do not have to be consecutive. A +$140 day is green but does not count.
• How much: up to 50% of your account balance, capped by size. On a 50K XFA with a $3,000 balance you can take $1,500. With $5,000 you still take $2,000, the cap.
• Profit since the last payout: at least $0.01 of net profit since your previous payout. Your first payout is exempt.
• After a payout: the five-day count restarts, and the day you request does not count toward the next cycle.

The MLL is the part people miss. A 50K Express Funded Account starts at a $0 balance, and the Maximum Loss Limit starts at −$2,000. Topstep's Maximum Loss Limit page says it locks at $0 once the balance reaches $2,000. The first payout sets it to $0 even if the balance has not reached $2,000 yet. After that, the cushion is only what you left in the account. Take $2,000 out of a $2,400 balance and $400 is all the room you have.

The consistency path: fewer days, a Topstep consistency rule instead

The consistency path swaps the five winning days for a consistency test:

1. At least 3 trading days with at least one trade on each.
2. Your largest single day must be at or below 40% of your total net profit.

The caps are higher ($3,000, $4,000 and $6,000). The 40% test is strict: a $900 best day needs $2,250 of total net profit behind it. If you tend to make your month in one session, the standard path is kinder. The math behind a consistency cap is the same everywhere, and we walk through it in prop firm consistency rule explained.

Live Funded Account payouts

Once Topstep moves you to a Live Funded Account, the ceiling comes off:

• 5 winning days of $150+ net per payout cycle.
• Request up to 50% of your balance, with no dollar cap and a $125 minimum.
• After 30 non-consecutive days of $150+ net in the live account, daily payouts unlock: once a day, as much of your unlocked balance as you want (still $125 minimum).
• A request for 100% of the balance closes the Live Funded Account. Leave something in it.

When the money arrives and what it costs

Requests can be made from Sunday 5 PM CT to Friday 5 PM CT, excluding holidays. The minimum is $125. Speed depends on the method:

The $30 fee is worth a thought on small requests. It is 6% of a $500 payout.

Why Topstep payout requests get denied

Most rejections are misses of the Topstep payout rules, not disputes. The usual causes:

1. A $140 day counted as a winning day in your head. The line is $150 net, after commissions and fees.
2. Asking the day after a payout. The request day does not count, and the five-day count restarted.
3. No net profit since the last payout. Even one cent short blocks it.
4. Breaking the consistency path's 40% rule because one session carried the cycle.
5. Trading over your size limit under the Topstep scaling plan. A position left over the limit for more than 10 seconds can put the account under review, which holds everything.

If a request does come back rejected, read the stated reason first, then fix only that. Our guide to a prop firm payout denied covers how to answer a rejection without making it worse.

A payout-ready checklist

Before you press request:

• Count winning days from the dashboard, not memory. Five at $150+ since the last payout, or three trading days for the consistency path.
• Check your best day against total net profit if you are on the consistency path. Best day times 2.5 must be at or below the total.
• Work out what stays in the account. The MLL sits at $0 after the first payout, and also once a 50K balance has reached $2,000, so the balance you leave is your whole cushion.
• Pick the payout method before you need it. Prop-to-Brokerage and Aeropay avoid the $30 fee.
• Screenshot the dashboard at the moment you request. It settles most disagreements quickly.

The traders we see get paid regularly treat the payout rules as part of the trading plan: they size for $150 to $400 days and stop there. MyTradingBuddy Ai checks your setup against that plan before you enter, including your size cap for the session. You still decide. See MyTradingBuddy plans.

Topstep payout FAQ

How many winning days do I need? Five days of $150+ net on the standard path and on a Live Funded Account. The consistency path uses three trading days instead.

How much can I take out of a 50K XFA? Up to 50% of the balance, capped at $2,000 on the standard path or $3,000 on the consistency path.

How long does a Topstep payout take? Same day to 10 business days, depending on the method. Prop-to-Brokerage and Aeropay are fastest.

Is there a fee? No Topstep fee for Prop-to-Brokerage, Aeropay or Wise. ACH and wire cost $30.

For the rest of Topstep's rules before you ever reach a payout, start with how to pass Topstep.

Nothing here is financial advice. The firm's live rulebook wins if it disagrees with this page.