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Topstep

Its futures rulesPayout score
Show the maths

How this score is worked out

Conditions on a payout
20 / 25

10 published rules can delay, reduce or void a payout.

Profit split
17 / 20

90% to the trader.

Time to the first payout
10 / 20

5 winning days are required before the first payout.

Who pays to move the money
6 / 15

The trader pays — $30 for ACH and Wire/SWIFT; no Topstep fee for Prop-to-Brokerage, Aeropay or Wise (the bank or service may still charge its own fee).

Review signal
20 / 20

3.6 from 14,815 reviews.

Total
73 / 100

This score is about getting paid, not about trading rules. It is never averaged into the Freedom Score: a firm can have the most generous rules on the board and still be the hardest place to get money out of.

  1. How much do I keep?of the profit you make90%
    Source
    “90/10 profit split — you keep 90%”
    Topstep payout policy
  2. How long until I am paid?Internal approval 1-3 business days, then: Prop-to-Brokerage same day (if…5 winning days
    Source
    “5 winning days of $150+ Net P&L. Days don't need to be consecutive. A day locks in at 4:00 PM CT. The trading day your Payout is requested doesn't count toward your next 5.”
    Topstep payout policy
  3. What does it cost to get it?$30 for ACH and Wire/SWIFT; no Topstep fee for Prop-to-Brokerage, Aeropay or Wise (the…You pay
    Source
    “Please note: No Topstep fee for Aeropay or Wise, but your bank or those services may charge their own fees. Processing times are estimates and exclude weekends and holidays. Internal approval can take 1-3 business days. Example (ACH, $500 request): $500 minus $50 (10% split) minus $30 (processing fee) = $420 received”
    Topstep payout policy
  4. What could stop the money?must be profitable since the…, 40% consistency target (xfa consistency…, and 8 more10 rules
    Source
    “Positive net profit since your last Payout. You must have earned at least $0.01 since your last Payout. Your first Payout is exempt.”
    Topstep payout policy

Best thing about it. Keeps 90% of profit

Worst thing about it. The trader pays to receive it — $30 for ACH and Wire/SWIFT; no Topstep fee for Prop-to-Brokerage, Aeropay or Wise (the bank or service may still charge its own fee)

Work out what you would actually receive

Be aware

Of the 10 payout conditions Topstep publishes, these can cost you money or your account.

  • Left to the firm's discretionA funded account is simulated

    The Express Funded Account (XFA) is simulated — real money is paid on simulated results, and traders are labelled 'Research Analyst' (RA) in payout references. The Live Funded Account (LFA) trades real capital in real markets, but only by discretionary call-up from the Risk Team; when the call-up comes all XFAs close, and the trader cannot decline. LFA starting balance is 20% of the cumulative XFA balance (min $10,000), with the other 80% held in Reserve and unlocked in 25% increments at profit targets.

    You are paid on results in a simulator, not on trades placed in the market.

    Source
    “Real capital. Real markets. The Live Funded Account® (LFA) is the big leagues — Topstep's money behind you, no Payout caps, and unlimited growth potential. When the call-up comes, all Express Funded Accounts (XFA) close.”
    Live funded account parameters

The evidence

everything above, with the wording it came from

Caps on a single payout

XFA only: max 50% of account balance per request, capped at $2,000 ($50K) / $3,000 ($100K) / $5,000 ($150K) on the Standard path and $3,000 / $4,000 / $6,000 on the Consistency path. Caps double if a Daily Loss Limit was added at Trading Combine checkout (up to $10,000 Standard / $12,000 Consistency on $150K). Live Funded Account payouts are uncapped but limited to 50% of balance per request until 30 winning days unlock daily full-balance requests.

Source
“Payout caps apply to XFA accounts only. Live Funded Account Payouts are not capped. Another reason Live is the goal — no ceiling, no clock, no limit on the upside.”
Topstep payout policy

The rest of the terms

FrequencyOn demand, once each 5-winning-day cycle is completed; requests can be submitted during CME market hours. In the Live Funded Account, once 30 winning days are banked, payouts become daily (once per day).
Processing timeInternal approval 1-3 business days, then: Prop-to-Brokerage same day (if requested by 12 PM CT), Aeropay instant after approval, Wise/ACH 1-3 business days, Wire/SWIFT 5-10 business days. Marketing claims an average instant payout time of 9 seconds for US Aeropay RTP requests only.
Minimum$125
MethodsProp-to-Brokerage (US only), Aeropay (US banks only), Wise (China, Canada, UK only), ACH (US banks only), Wire/SWIFT (international)
BufferNone
Live or simulatedThe Express Funded Account (XFA) is simulated — real money is paid on simulated results, and traders are labelled 'Research Analyst' (RA) in payout references. The Live Funded Account (LFA) trades real capital in real markets, but only by discretionary call-up from the Risk Team; when the call-up comes all XFAs close, and the trader cannot decline. LFA starting balance is 20% of the cumulative XFA balance (min $10,000), with the other 80% held in Reserve and unlocked in 25% increments at profit targets.
VerificationTax forms are required as part of the payout request; payouts only to a bank account in the trader's own name. No separate ID/document verification is described on the payout policy page.
Fee refundNot published

Every condition · 10

  1. 1Must be profitable since the last payout. Every payout after the first requires at least $0.01 of net profit since the previous payout; if the balance has fallen below the post-payout starting balance, no payout is possible until it recovers. source

  2. 240% consistency target (XFA Consistency path). On the Consistency path, the largest single day cannot exceed 40% of total net profit; the calculation resets after each payout and applies only to profits earned afterwards. Payout eligibility must be met again from scratch. source

  3. 3Winning-day counter resets after every payout. Taking a payout restarts the 5-day (or 3-day) count, and the trading day on which the payout is requested is excluded from the new cycle. A request submitted after 5:00 PM CT belongs to the next trading day and burns that day. source

  4. 4Payouts can shrink your contract size. Withdrawing down into a lower balance tier reduces the maximum contract size allowed under the Scaling Plan. source

  5. 5Daily Loss Limit violation temporarily blocks payouts. Hitting the DLL puts the account in a Temporary Violation; payouts can only be requested once it lifts at the start of the next trading session. Personal Lock-outs set in Risk Settings behave the same way. source

  6. 6SIM exploitation can void profit claims. Topstep reserves the right to reject profit claims where the simulator is exploited — scalping algorithms, hundreds of rapid trades for queue position, reckless trades in gapped markets, tight brackets/auto-breakeven to capture favourable SIM fills. source

  7. 7Prohibited strategies are hard stops. Account stacking, intentionally depleting an LFA, unfair technology/AI/ultra-high-speed systems, trading outside the best bid or offer, and trading maximum position size into scheduled major news are all banned outright. source

  8. 8A 100% payout closes the Live Funded Account. Withdrawing the entire balance drops the account to the Maximum Loss Limit and closes it; Reserve funds cannot be withdrawn until unlocked. source

  9. 9Copy trading is disabled during a payout. The copy-trading connection is switched off while the payout processes and must be manually re-enabled afterwards. source

  10. 10Live traders must pause trading while a payout processes. Unlike XFA, LFA traders are told to stop trading until the payout has been fully processed and deducted. source