Topstep uses a 90/10 profit split from dollar one for accounts created after January 12, 2026. Express Funded Account payouts require 5 winning days (Standard path) or 3 trading days plus a 40% consistency target (Consistency path). Per-payout caps depend on your account size and path — and as of April 28, 2026, new accounts have updated lower caps on the 50K and 100K account sizes. After every payout, your Maximum Loss Limit resets to $0. Payment methods include Wise, ACH, and Wire, with processing in 1–3 business days. Minimum payout is $125.
Topstep changed its profit split on January 12, 2026. The split you get depends on when your account was created.
Accounts created after January 12, 2026: The profit split is 90/10 from dollar one. You keep 90% of every approved payout. Topstep retains 10%. There is no introductory period, no ramp, and no tier that changes this. Every payout, from your first to your hundredth, uses the same 90/10 split.
Accounts created before January 12, 2026: You keep 100% of the first $10,000 in lifetime profits across all accounts under your name. Once your cumulative payouts exceed $10,000, the standard 90/10 split applies. This is tracked per trader, not per account, so spreading withdrawals across multiple accounts does not reset the threshold.
You request a $500 payout via ACH (new account, 90/10 split). Topstep retains 10% ($50) and charges a $30 processing fee. You receive $420. Via Wise, there is no processing fee from Topstep, so you receive $450 minus any Wise transaction fee (typically under $1 for USD to USD).
The Standard path is the simpler of the two Express Funded Account payout structures. The requirements before you can request your first payout:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Winning days | 5 days with Net PnL ≥ $150 (non-consecutive) |
| Payout cap | 50% of account balance or max per-payout cap (whichever is lower) |
| Profit split | 90/10 (you keep 90%) |
| Minimum payout | $125 |
| Activation fee | $149 (Standard Path only) |
After your first payout, you must be profitable from your most recent post-payout starting balance before requesting the next one. If your balance drops below your post-payout starting balance, you cannot request another withdrawal until you trade back above it.
The Consistency path has a lower minimum trading day requirement but adds a consistency target that the Standard path does not have.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Trading days | Minimum 3 days |
| Consistency target | 40% — your largest winning day cannot exceed 40% of total net profit in the payout window |
| Payout cap | 50% of account balance or max per-payout cap (whichever is lower) |
| Profit split | 90/10 (you keep 90%) |
| Minimum payout | $125 |
The Consistency path allows a higher per-payout cap on some account sizes and can technically be reached in fewer days if your trading is clean. The trade-off is the 40% consistency rule, which is stricter than the 50% consistency rule used in the Trading Combine evaluation. If you tend to have one large winning day followed by several small ones, the Standard path may be easier to clear.
Starting today, new Trading Combines on the No Activation Fee path for 50K and 100K accounts have updated payout caps. Existing accounts and resets from before this date keep their original caps. The 150K account caps are unchanged.
| Account Size | Standard Cap (per payout) | Consistency Cap (per payout) |
|---|---|---|
| 50K (new after Apr 28) | $2,000 | $3,000 |
| 100K (new after Apr 28) | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| 150K (unchanged) | $5,000 | $6,000 |
| Pre-Apr 28 accounts | $5,000 | $6,000 |
The cap applies per payout request, not per month. You can make multiple payout requests as long as you re-qualify with the required winning days or consistency target between each one. The 50% of balance limit still applies independently — you cannot withdraw more than half your balance in a single request regardless of the cap.
This is the single most important payout mechanic that trips up Topstep traders. After every payout, your Maximum Loss Limit resets to $0. Your account has zero buffer the moment funds are withdrawn.
Here is what that means in practice. Say your account balance is $6,000 with a $2,000 trailing drawdown floor. You request a $2,000 payout. Your balance drops to $4,000 and your MLL resets to $0. If your first trade after the payout is a $100 loser, your new balance is $3,900 — and your MLL is now at –$100. You are one bad trade away from losing the account.
Most experienced Topstep traders recommend withdrawing only what you can afford to lose from your trading buffer. A common approach is to take smaller, more frequent payouts rather than one large withdrawal, so the MLL reset never leaves the account critically thin.
| Method | Fee | Delivery | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wise | No fee from Topstep | 1–3 business days | Small Wise transaction fee may apply. Best for international traders. |
| ACH | $30 | 3–5 business days | US bank accounts only. |
| Wire | $30 | 3–10 business days | International availability. Bank may charge additional receiving fees. |
Payout requests can only be submitted during CME market hours: Sunday 5:00 PM CT through Friday 5:00 PM CT, excluding holidays. Topstep takes 1–3 business days to approve. The day you request the payout does not count toward winning days for your next payout cycle. Most providers do not process payments on weekends or public holidays.
The Live Funded Account is the third stage at Topstep, and reaching it is rare. In 2025, only 0.71% of Express Funded Account traders were called up to Live. The Live Funded Account has its own payout structure, separate from the Express Funded Account.
| Milestone | Payout access |
|---|---|
| 5 Benchmark Trading Days ($150+ PnL) | Payouts up to 50% of balance |
| 30 Benchmark Trading Days | Daily payouts up to 100% of balance |
Benchmark Trading Days earned in the Express Funded Account do not carry over to Live. You start the count from zero. The Live Funded Account also includes the Topstep Live Performance Bonus, which allows consistently profitable traders to earn over $250,000 in cash bonuses on top of regular payouts. Bonuses are earned one level at a time, one per calendar month, based on profit targets.
If you lose your Express Funded Account before your first payout, Topstep offers a reactivation option called Back2Funded. You have 7 calendar days to reactivate by paying a fee.
| Account Size | Reactivation Fee |
|---|---|
| 50K | $599 |
| 100K | $699 |
| 150K | $829 |
Each account can be reactivated up to 2 times. Once you have taken a payout from an account, Back2Funded no longer applies to that account. The reactivation restores the account to its pre-loss state with the same rules and payout caps.
If you run multiple Topstep funded accounts with a trade copier, the payout rules apply independently to each account. Each account has its own winning day count, its own MLL, and its own payout cap. Five 50K accounts each require 5 winning days independently before any of them can request a payout.
The practical advantage of a copier is that one good trading session can push all accounts toward payout eligibility simultaneously. The risk is that one bad session can damage all accounts at once, especially after payouts when the MLL is reset to $0 across all accounts.