How Much Does Topstep Payout? Rates, Caps & Methods

Topstep pays traders 90% of profits on a 90/10 split, with a $125 minimum payout request. In the Express Funded Account (XFA), each request is capped at 50% of the account balance up to $2,000–$5,000 (Standard) or $3,000–$6,000 (Consistency) depending on account size. The Live Funded Account (LFA) has no dollar cap per request, and traders who accumulate 30 winning days in the LFA unlock daily payout access of any amount above $125. For a broader look at how payout structures work across the industry, see the Prop Firm Payouts overview.

Profit Split and Minimum Payout

According to Topstep’s published payout policy, the profit split is 90/10 across all funded accounts: traders keep 90% of profits and Topstep retains 10%. The minimum payout request is $125. Payouts can be requested via the Topstep Dashboard during CME market hours — Sunday 5 PM CT through Friday 5 PM CT, excluding holidays.

There is one notable exception to the 90/10 split. Traders who joined the new Topstep dashboard before January 12, 2026 receive 100% of their first $10,000 in lifetime profits; the 90/10 split applies only after that threshold is crossed. Payouts made through the Legacy dashboard do not count toward this $10,000 figure.

To illustrate: a trader in this cohort who requests $4,000 in profits keeps the full $4,000. Once cumulative lifetime profits exceed $10,000, subsequent payouts revert to the standard 90/10 rate. Traders who joined after January 12, 2026 receive 90% from their first payout onward. The 90/10 split applies to both the XFA and LFA account types.

XFA Standard Path: How Much You Can Request

On the XFA Standard path, traders must satisfy two requirements before requesting a payout, according to Topstep’s payout policy. First, they need 5 winning days with $150+ net P&L — days do not need to be consecutive, and a day locks in at 4:00 PM CT. Second, they must show positive net profit since the last payout (at least $0.01). The first payout is exempt from the profit requirement. After each payout, the 5-day count restarts and the Maximum Loss Limit (MLL) resets to $0 permanently.

The per-request dollar cap is 50% of the account balance up to the following limits:

A practical consequence: a trader with a $50K account who has grown their balance to $8,000 can only request up to $2,000 per cycle, not $4,000 (50% of $8,000). The cap is the binding constraint, not the 50% rule alone. Payout caps apply to XFA accounts only.

XFA Consistency Path: How Much You Can Request

The XFA Consistency path has different qualifying criteria. According to Topstep’s payout policy, traders must complete at least 3 trading days with at least 1 trade per day and keep their largest single day at or below 40% of total net profit. Days lock in at 4:00 PM CT. After each payout, the consistency calculation resets and the 3-day count restarts.

The per-request dollar cap on the Consistency path is higher than Standard:

The 40% consistency rule can catch traders off guard. For example, if a trader earns $1,000 total across 3 days but $500 came on a single day, that day represents 50% of total profit — above the 40% ceiling — and the payout request would not be eligible. Spreading profits more evenly across days keeps the largest-day percentage within the target. For more detail on how this rule works, see the Topstep Consistency Rule page.

Optional DLL Add-On: Doubled Payout Caps

Topstep offers a limited-time add-on that doubles XFA payout caps for traders who voluntarily add a Daily Loss Limit (DLL) at Trading Combine checkout, according to Topstep’s payout policy. The increased caps apply once the trader passes and activates an Express Funded Account.

There is a critical condition: the DLL must be added at Trading Combine checkout. Adding it at XFA activation or reactivation does not unlock the higher cap. Traders who added a DLL before this offering was released also do not automatically qualify. Topstep states this is a limited-time offering and advises checking their social channels for expiry details.

Live Funded Account Payouts: No Cap, Daily Option

The Live Funded Account has no dollar cap per payout request, according to Topstep’s payout policy. To request a payout, LFA traders must accumulate 5 winning days of $150+ net P&L per payout cycle (non-consecutive). They can then request up to 50% of their account balance with no upper dollar limit. After each request, the winning day count restarts and 5 new winning days are required before the next payout.

After earning $150+ net P&L on 30 non-consecutive days in the LFA, traders unlock daily payouts: they can request as much of their unlocked balance as they want, once per day, with a $125 minimum. Winning days from the XFA do not count toward this 30-day total — the clock starts fresh in the LFA.

One important warning: requesting a full 100% payout closes the LFA because the balance reaches the Maximum Loss Limit. After each payout, the MLL resets to $0 permanently. If a payout reduces the balance to a lower tier, the maximum contract size decreases per the Scaling Plan. The LFA capital structure is illustrated in the diagram below.

Payout Methods, Fees, and Processing Times

Topstep offers five payout methods, each with different availability, speed, and fees, according to Topstep’s payout policy. Internal approval can take 1–3 business days regardless of method.

*Topstep charges no fee for Aeropay or Wise, but the trader’s bank or those services may charge their own fees. Topstep provides a concrete example: a $500 ACH request results in $500 minus $50 (10% split) minus $30 (ACH fee) = $420 received. Payouts can only be sent to a bank account in the trader’s own name — third-party accounts are not permitted. Processing times are estimates and exclude weekends and holidays.

Payout Timing and Approval Rules

Payout requests are available during CME market hours: Sunday 5 PM CT through Friday 5 PM CT, excluding holidays, according to Topstep’s payout policy. The trading day runs from 5:00 PM CT to 3:10 PM CT the following day. A request submitted after 5:00 PM CT belongs to the next trading day — that day becomes the payout request day and is excluded from the new winning-day cycle. This applies to all account types.

For example, a request submitted at 5:59 PM CT on Monday belongs to the Tuesday trading session. Tuesday is the payout request day and does not count toward the next cycle. The new cycle begins on Wednesday.

According to Topstep’s instant payouts page, Topstep approves 99.26% of all payout requests. For US traders using Aeropay with real-time payment (RTP) support, auto-approved payouts are delivered in under 9 seconds on average. If a bank does not support real-time transactions, the payout defaults to ACH delivery, which may take 1–3 business days. Past payout speed does not guarantee future results.

Path Selection and Account Rules

Once a trader selects a payout path — Standard or Consistency — at XFA activation, that path cannot be changed, according to Topstep’s instant payouts page. This makes the initial choice consequential: Standard requires 5 winning days but has lower caps, while Consistency requires 3 days and the 40% rule but offers higher caps at every account size.

Several post-payout account effects are worth understanding. After any payout, the Maximum Loss Limit resets to $0 permanently. If it was already at $0, it stays there. The remaining balance becomes the effective loss floor. If a payout reduces the XFA balance to a lower tier, the maximum contract size decreases per the Scaling Plan. Topstep notes that traders should consider reaching a balance where the MLL is already at $0 before taking their first payout, to give the account a healthier base. MLL levels by account size are: $50K — $2,000; $100K — $3,000; $150K — $4,500.

For a full account of Topstep’s structure, see the Topstep Review and the guide on how to request a payout on Topstep.