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Futures · USD 100,000

Topstep rules 2026: drawdown, payout, news

The published drawdown, daily loss, consistency, payout cadence, and news rule for Topstep. A dash was not on the page we checked.

Topstep USD 100,000 Trading Combine, then XFA Standard

Key rules at a glance

Drawdown How far the account can fall before it fails. A static floor stays put. A trailing floor follows profit.
MLL $3,000
Daily loss The loss that ends the day. Soft means you can keep trading. Hard means the account stops.
—
Consistency A cap on how much profit can come from one day, or a daily profit cap that deletes the extra.
n/a on Standard
Payout How often you can request a withdrawal, plus any wait, cap, or profit you must leave in.
90/10 · $3,000 cap
News Whether a news release can block the order or take back most of the profit.
—

Country availability

  • South Africa: Not on checked list · Not on the ineligible list or the XFA-only list.

Eligibility · checked 9 November 2026. Full country list was not on the page we checked.

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XFA Standard

Express Funded Account, Standard payout

Preflight Rule-Risk Score

n/a until every input is checked. 2 of 6 scored · 4 unknown. Method

  1. Drawdown mechanics n/a

    n/a. XFA starts at balance 0 with a maximum loss limit of −$3,000. The first payout sets it to 0. The checked pages do not name this limit as static, end-of-day trailing, or intraday trailing.

  2. Starting loss cushion 20 / 20

    Starting room is $3,000 against USD 100,000 of buying power, which is 3%. Scored 20. The nominal size is buying power, not cash in the account.

  3. Daily limit n/a

    n/a. An optional daily loss limit and a temporary violation pause are confirmed. The exact width was not opened, so this is not scored as none.

  4. News execution n/a

    n/a. No exact official news policy was opened.

  5. Profit distribution n/a

    n/a for XFA Standard. Absence was not explicit. The separate Consistency path uses 40% and three trading days and is not scored on this row.

  6. Payout gates 10 / 10

    Five winning days of at least $150, 50% of the balance requestable, $3,000 cap, 90/10, $125 minimum. Scored 10 for the qualifying days, the cap, and the retained 50%. The optional doubled cap is not the baseline.

Trading Combine

Evaluation

Preflight Rule-Risk Score

n/a until every input is checked. 3 of 6 scored · 2 unknown · 1 not applicable. Method

  1. Drawdown mechanics 12 / 25

    $3,000 end-of-day trailing, locking at the starting balance. Scored 12.

  2. Starting loss cushion 20 / 20

    $3,000 of $100,000 is 3%. Scored 20.

  3. Daily limit n/a

    n/a. The exact optional daily loss limit was not opened.

  4. News execution n/a

    n/a. News policy was not opened.

  5. Profit distribution 5 / 15

    Best day 55% during the Combine. Exceeding it increases the profit target. Scored 5, the 50%-or-looser bucket. This is not the XFA payout consistency rule. No extra buffer above 55% was published.

  6. Payout gates Not applicable

    Not applicable. The Combine is the evaluation. Payout rules are on XFA Standard.

Notes, changes, open questions

Loss floor

Trading Combine, worked example. End-of-day trailing drawdown is $3,000 and locks at the starting balance. Nominal USD 100,000 is not $100,000 of loss room.

Express Funded Account, Standard path. The XFA starts at balance 0 with a maximum loss limit of −$3,000. The nominal USD 100,000 is buying power. The first payout sets that maximum loss limit to 0.

After that first payout, profit left in the account is what stands between the account and a maximum loss limit of 0. That is a reading of the published limit, not a separate rule.

Daily reset

The exact optional daily loss limit is n/a. The payout FAQ confirms an optional daily loss limit and a temporary pause when it is violated, not a permanent close.

This is not scored as 'none' and not scored as a width. The programme article that states the number was not opened.

News

News policy: n/a. No exact official news page was opened for this check.

Rules

Path
USD 100,000 Trading Combine, then XFA Standard. The XFA Consistency path is a different payout contract and is not scored.
Combine target
$6,000. Best day 55%. If the best day is larger, the profit target increases. No extra buffer above 55% was published.
Combine drawdown
$3,000 end-of-day trailing, locking at the starting balance.
XFA drawdown
Starts at balance 0, maximum loss limit −$3,000. First payout sets the limit to 0. Mechanic type (static, end-of-day, intraday): n/a.
XFA Standard payout
Five winning days of at least $150. Positive net profit since the prior payout, except the first. 50% of the balance requestable. $3,000 cap. 90/10 split. $125 minimum.
Not the baseline
An optional daily-loss-limit promotion bought with the initial Combine can double the cap. Traders from before 12 January 2026 can have a legacy 100% on the first $10,000.

Watch-outs

  • The 55% Combine test is not the XFA payout test. XFA Standard does not publish an explicit 'no consistency' line. The separate Consistency path uses 40% and three trading days. Do not mix them.
  • The first XFA payout moves the maximum loss limit to 0 and leaves it there. Withdrawing down to the limit is a different risk from the $3,000 Combine trail.
  • Wise, on the checked payout policy, is not a South Africa option. The international rail described for new payouts is wire / SWIFT. That is a trader payout fact, not an affiliate-payout fact.
  • There is no published extra buffer above the 55% Combine rule. A best day that breaks the line raises the target you still have to hit.

Changes

Check note Legacy payout term, not a new tightening. Traders from before 12 January 2026 can have a legacy term of 100% on the first $10,000. That is an older cohort's rule. It is not a before-and-after verified for someone buying today. The optional daily-loss-limit promotion that can double the cap is not the baseline.

Still open

  • The exact default or optional daily loss limit.
  • Whether the XFA maximum loss limit is static, end-of-day trailing, or intraday trailing.
  • News policy.
  • Whether XFA Standard has an explicit consistency rule. Absence was not verified. The 40% Consistency path is not this row.

Related

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Sources

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