Topstep Combine vs XFA vs Live: what changes at each stage
One drawdown model, three rulebooks. What a Topstep account gains and loses at every stage, with the two XFA rules that most systematic traders discover after passing.
Three stages, three rulebooks
Topstep runs one drawdown model throughout but changes almost everything else between the Trading Combine, the Express Funded Account and the Live Funded Account. The table follows one account through all three.
| Rule | Trading Combine | Express Funded (XFA) | Live Funded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drawdown | EOD trailing Max Loss Limit ($2,000 / $3,000 / $4,500) | EOD trailing MLL; locks at $0 once profit equals the MLL | EOD, locks at $0 |
| Daily loss limit | none universal (optional on some configurations) | none universal | a DLL that adjusts with balance |
| Consistency | 50% target-day rule to pass | none on the Standard payout path; 40% on the optional Consistency path | none |
| Contract cap | 5 / 10 / 15 minis | Scaling Plan by balance: a 50K opens at 2 lots, 3 above $1,500, 5 from $2,000 | Dynamic Live Risk Expansion |
| Starting balance | account size | $0 (profit is the balance) | live capital |
| Payout | — | 5 winning days of $150+ (Standard) or 3 trading days with no day above 40% (Consistency); 90/10 | daily after 30 winning days of $150+; 90/10 |
| Automation | allowed, no HFT | allowed, no HFT | allowed, no HFT |
| Reset | available | — | — |
The switches that catch systematic accounts
The XFA starts at a $0 balance. That single fact drives the two rules people miss: the contract cap does not carry over (a 50K Combine allows 5 minis, the XFA opens at 2 lots and scales by balance), and the Max Loss Limit locks at zero once profit equals the MLL, not at the original balance. A strategy sized for 5 minis has to run at 2 until it has built $2,000 of balance, released between sessions.
The Live account then adds the rule the Combine never had, a daily loss limit that moves with balance, and replaces the Scaling Plan with Dynamic Live Risk Expansion. Only 0.71% of accounts reached Live in 2025, so most systematic accounts live on the XFA, where the choice that matters is the payout path: Standard (five winning days of $150+) or Consistency (three trading days, no day above 40%). Details on payout paths; the scaling numbers on the scaling page; the full card at Topstep rules.
FAQ
Does the Topstep contract cap carry over to the funded account?
No. The Combine cap (5 / 10 / 15 minis) applies only to the Combine; the Express Funded Account starts at a $0 balance and its Scaling Plan opens at 2 lots on a 50K, releasing size by balance between sessions.
Does Topstep have a daily loss limit?
Not universally on the Combine or the XFA. The Live Funded Account runs a daily loss limit that adjusts with balance.
Where does the Topstep Max Loss Limit lock?
On the XFA it locks at $0 once profit equals the MLL amount, because the account starts at a $0 balance.
Source: the firm’s help center and program pages, cross-checked with the Topstep rules card, September 2026. Rules change quarterly; the help center is binding.