Prop Firm Reviews
A sourced look at Topstep's published futures Combine rules, funded-account drawdown structure, profit split, fees, and what's publicly documented about recent platform and payout complaints. Not a recommendation to use Topstep.
Topstep is a U.S.-based futures prop trading firm founded in 2012, making it one of the longest continuously operating firms in a space where many competitors have shut down within a couple of years. It funds futures accounts only (no forex or stock evaluations). As of this writing it appears to still be actively accepting new Trading Combine evaluations. This page summarizes what's publicly documented about its rules, fees, and recent trader complaints. It is not a recommendation to use Topstep.
| Account Size | Profit Target | Trailing Max Loss Limit | Monthly Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50K | $3,000 | $2,000 | $49/mo |
| $100K | $6,000 | $3,000 | $99/mo |
| $150K | $9,000 | $4,500 | $199/mo |
During the Combine, a consistency rule applies: no single trading day can account for more than 50% of total profit at the time the target is hit (for example, on the $50K account, no single day can exceed $1,500 in profit if the $3,000 target has just been reached). A one-time activation fee (reported at $149 on the Standard Path) applies once a Combine is passed and an Express Funded Account is opened; a No-Activation-Fee path is also offered with different terms. Confirm current fees and any promotional pricing directly on Topstep's own site before paying, since evaluation pricing changes.
Sources: proptradingvibes.com/blog/topstep-trading-combine-rules, tradecovex.com/guides/topstep-combine-rules-2026, cross-referenced August 2026. A direct fetch of topstep.com/futures-trading-combine returned no readable rules content through this run's automated fetch (JavaScript-rendered), so figures are drawn from multiple independent, recently updated third-party breakdowns rather than Topstep's raw HTML. Confirm exact current terms on topstep.com before paying for a Combine.
Once funded, Topstep accounts have no daily loss limit — the only hard stop is the trailing maximum drawdown, which means a trader could technically lose several thousand dollars in a single session (up to the remaining distance to the drawdown floor) and still keep the account open, as long as the floor isn't breached. The trailing drawdown itself is intraday: the floor follows the account's highest unrealized equity tick by tick as positions move, not just at the end of the day, which is stricter than an end-of-day trailing calculation. Once the floor rises to the account's starting balance plus a small buffer, the trailing stops and the drawdown becomes effectively static from that point forward.
Since January 2026, the profit split on funded accounts moved to 90% trader / 10% Topstep for all new accounts. A separate structural change took effect for Live Funded Accounts opened on or after February 10, 2026: new funded accounts start with only 20% of the funded balance available to trade, with the remaining 80% held in a "Reserve" that unlocks in 25% increments as the account hits specific net-profit thresholds.
Sources: fortraders.com/blog/topstep-funded-account-rules, cross-referenced August 2026.
Topstep is still operating and continuing to fund and pay accounts as of this run's research, with over a decade of operating history in a vertical where the typical firm shuts down inside two years. Payout integrity itself is not the primary complaint pattern found in this run's sourcing — platform reliability and the pace of rule changes are. Specifically documented in independent coverage:
None of this is confirmed first-hand by Trading Habits; it summarizes publicly reported, multiple-source coverage so readers can look into it further before paying for a Combine.
Sources: track360.io/blog/topstep-review-2026-operator-trader-perspective, fundedfuturesfamily.com/top-step-paypout-cap, cross-referenced August 2026.