HOTFTMO raises max funded to $400K — our review updatedNEWFundedNext now pays 90% profit split on all funded accountsDEALThe5ers free evaluation — limited spots this weekUPDATEE8 Markets drawdown rules updated — see our revised reviewHOTFTMO raises max funded to $400K — our review updatedNEWFundedNext now pays 90% profit split on all funded accountsDEALThe5ers free evaluation — limited spots this weekUPDATEE8 Markets drawdown rules updated — see our revised review

How to Pass the Topstep Challenge (2026)

The rules as they actually apply, the drawdown maths on a $100K account, the mistakes that end most attempts at Topstep, and a risk plan built around this firm's specific limits — not generic advice.

Start the Topstep challenge → Read the full review

Topstep challenge at a glance

Evaluation
One-Step Combine (futures)
Drawdown model
Daily loss limit + EOD trailing (EOD Trailing + Daily Loss Limit)
Minimum days
2 trading days minimum
Time limit
No fixed limit on Combine
Fee ($100K)
from $49/mo
Fee refunded
No

What Topstep actually asks you to do

Topstep runs a One-Step Combine (futures). We have not yet pinned the exact profit target and loss limits into our data for this firm — they are on the firm's own pricing page, and the shape of the challenge (drawdown model, minimum days, time limit) below is what actually decides whether your strategy fits, so read that first.

How the drawdown works here — and how people misread it

Topstep uses an end-of-day trailing drawdown: the floor rises with your closed balance at the end of each session, never intraday. Open profit does not raise the floor, so a trade that runs up and comes back to breakeven costs you nothing. Once a day closes in profit, though, that profit is locked into the floor — you cannot "spend" yesterday's gains on today's risk. Plan each day as if yesterday's profit were already withdrawn.

Model it against your actual stop sizes with the Drawdown Calculator before you start; two minutes there saves a reset fee.

The rules that end Topstep evaluations

  • News trading: allowed. You can hold through and trade releases here. The risk is your own — spreads widen and stops slip, and a slipped stop through the daily cap still counts.
  • Weekend holding: not allowed. Everything must be flat before the Friday close. If your strategy relies on multi-day holds, this firm is not the fit, and no amount of discipline changes that.
  • EAs / automation: not allowed. Manual only. Even a trade-management script can be flagged, so ask before you attach anything to the platform.
  • Copy trading between your own accounts is not permitted. Running the same trades on two Topstep accounts via a copier is a termination, not a warning.
  • Minimum 2 trading days minimum trading days. Hitting the target in two sessions does not pass you — you still have to log the days. Plan small, low-risk trades to fill them rather than sitting out and then forcing it.
  • Time limit: No fixed limit on Combine. The clock is the pressure. The usual failure is a slow first half, then doubled size to catch up. Decide on day one what "not passing this attempt" looks like and accept it rather than tripling risk in week four.

A plan that fits Topstep's rules

  1. Fix risk per trade at 1% and do not touch it. Two losers and the day is done, whatever the platform lets you do.
  2. Set a daily stop below the firm's. Your own line should sit well inside the firm's. The gap is slippage and the "one more trade" moment.
  3. Spread the target across as many sessions as the time limit allows. The target divided by twenty is a small daily number; the mistake is trying to make it a large one.
  4. Screenshot the rules page with the date visible. Terms change. "It said something different when I bought" is worth a lot more with evidence.

Platform

Topstep runs on TopstepX (exclusive platform). Practise on the same platform before the evaluation starts — a mis-click on an unfamiliar ticket is the dumbest possible way to hit a daily cap, and it happens every week.

After you pass

Passing gets you a funded account, not a payout. The split is 100% first $25K then split. Withdrawals were processing in Standard cycle when we last checked. The challenge fee is not refunded, so the first payout is where you start recovering it. There is an activation fee of $149 one-time when you pass — budget for it. Read the funded-account rules before your first funded trade: at many firms they are stricter than the evaluation rules, and that is where the second wave of terminations happens.

Quick answers

Does Topstep allow weekend holding?

No — all positions must be closed before the weekend at Topstep.

Can I trade news at Topstep?

Yes, news trading is allowed at Topstep. Spreads and slippage during releases are your risk.

How many trading days does the Topstep challenge require?

A minimum of 2 trading days minimum. Hitting the target faster does not shorten it.

Is there a time limit on the Topstep evaluation?

Yes: No fixed limit on Combine.

Is the Topstep challenge fee refundable?

No — the fee is not refunded.

Related

Rules change. This page is generated from our review data, last verified June 2026. Spot something outdated? Report it on the review page.