Topstep Evaluation Rules: Why a Big Day Can't Fail Your Combine

Of the trading rules, only the loss limit can end a Combine. Under the Topstep evaluation rules, a big day moves the finish line instead. Topstep’s Trading Combine parameters page, dated September 24, 2026, sums up the Combine as “a simulated account with one rule and two objectives.”

The Trading Combine Is One Rule and Two Objectives

The rule is the Maximum Loss Limit (MLL). The two objectives are the Profit Target and the Consistency Target.

Topstep’s parameters page lists three sizes: 50K, 100K and 150K. Their contract limits are 5, 10 and 15, and micro contracts count at a 10:1 ratio, so a 5-contract limit equals 50 micros.

Both objectives scale with size: Topstep’s consistency page, dated September 17, 2026, sets Profit Targets of $3,000, $6,000 and $9,000.

The Maximum Loss Limit Is the Only Trading Rule That Fails You

Topstep states the rule plainly: “Do not let your account balance hit or go below the Maximum Loss Limit (MLL),” per the parameters page. No other trading rule there ends the account.

Lune and Backtrex both put the 50K MLL at $2,000. Both say it trails, which means it rises as the balance makes new highs. They disagree on timing: Lune says it moves at the end of the day, while Backtrex says it moves intraday.

Example with round numbers: a 50K account peaks at $51,500 during a session and closes at $51,000. If the limit trails at the close, it moves to $49,000. If it trails intraday, it moves to $49,500, so the account starts the next morning with $500 less room.

Both guides also list a $1,000 Daily Loss Limit on the 50K account, which Topstep’s “one rule” page does not mention. Per Backtrex, hitting it auto-liquidates your positions and ends your day; it is separate from the MLL and resets at 5:00 PM Central Time (CT).

A Best Day Over 55% Raises Your Target; It Does Not Fail You

The parameters page says “your best single day should stay below 55%” of the Profit Target, or the Consistency Target goes up. The consistency page turns that into dollars: less than $1,650, $3,300 and $4,950 for the three sizes.

Here is what a breach does. Example: a 50K trader’s best day is $1,800. The new target = $1,800 ÷ 0.55 = $3,273, which is $273 more than the original $3,000.

Three details on the consistency page shape that math:

1. A later losing day does not reset the best day.
2. The best day locks at 3:10 PM CT.
3. Further gains later in the same session raise the best day, and so the target, further.

The two Topstep pages word the cutoff differently. The parameters page says “below 55%”, and the consistency page says at or below. Keeping the best day under $1,650 on a 50K account satisfies both.

Backtrex describes a 50% cap that fails the account. Topstep’s own pages describe 55% and a higher target, not a failure, so follow Topstep.

The cap also sets a minimum on time. One day can’t be under 55% of a total that it makes up alone. Topstep’s consistency page says the Combine takes two or more days to pass. Lune says no minimum trading days apply, which fits only if you read it as “no fixed day count”.

The Standard Plan Costs Less Unless You Pass Within 2.5 Months

Only the guides cover fees. Lune’s evaluation guide and Topstep review agree on $49 to $209 a month. The prices below come from Lune’s payout guide, as of October 2026; the $149 activation fee is the evaluation guide’s single flat figure.

Account	Standard, monthly	Activation fee	No-activation-fee plan, monthly
50K	$49	$149	$109
100K	$99	$149	$159
150K	$149	$149	$209

Gap = $109 − $49 = $60 a month at every size; break-even = $149 ÷ $60 = 2.48 months.

Topstep’s parameters page has you pay the Activation Fee after you pass, so a failed Combine costs only the monthly fee: $49 on the 50K Standard plan, against $109. The no-activation-fee plan costs less only if you pass inside 2.48 months.

On the 50K, passing in two months costs $247 on Standard against $218; at three months, $296 against $327.

Only CME Group Instruments Are Allowed, per Backtrex

Backtrex states that only CME Group instruments are allowed at Topstep. That rule comes from the guide, not from the Topstep pages cited here. For costs beyond the fee, see the trading cost no quote shows.

The Consistency Path Uses 40%, Not the Combine’s 55%

Lune’s payout guide says you pick a Standard or Consistency path at activation. It adds that the path rules adjust targets or delay payouts rather than failing the account.

Backtrex says the Consistency Path needs three winning days with a 40% consistency ratio, which it does not define. It caps the first 50K payout at $6,000 on that path, against $5,000 on the Standard Path. Since Lune places the choice at activation and Backtrex’s caps apply to payouts, the 40% belongs to the funded stage, not the Combine.

One reset comes from Topstep itself. Per the consistency page, “Trades made on the same day as your Payout request do not count toward your next Consistency Objective.”

Rule by Rule: Which Numbers Topstep Confirms

The Topstep column comes from the parameters page (dated September 24, 2026) and the consistency page (dated September 17, 2026). The guide column comes from Lune’s evaluation guide, Lune’s payout guide, Lune’s review and Backtrex.

Rule	Topstep help center	Lune / Backtrex	Status
Structure	“One rule and two objectives”	—	Confirmed by Topstep
Account sizes	50K, 100K, 150K; 5, 10, 15 contracts; micros 10:1	$50,000, $100,000, $150,000 (Lune)	Confirmed by Topstep
Profit Target	$3,000, $6,000, $9,000	$3,000, $6,000, $9,000 (Lune, Backtrex)	Confirmed by Topstep; guides agree
Maximum Loss Limit	Balance must not hit or go below it	$2,000 on 50K; end of day (Lune) vs intraday (Backtrex)	Rule confirmed; guides conflict on trailing
Daily Loss Limit	Not on the “one rule” page	$1,000 on 50K (both)	Third-party only
Combine best day	Below 55% (parameters); at or below (consistency); target rises	50% cap that fails the account (Backtrex)	Confirmed by Topstep; Backtrex conflicts
Minimum days	Two or more	None (Lune)	Confirmed by Topstep: two or more
Monthly fees	—	$49 to $209; $49/$99/$149 + $149 activation, or $109/$159/$209 (Lune, October 2026)	Third-party only
Instruments	—	CME Group only (Backtrex); CME products (Lune)	Third-party only
Path choice	—	Standard or Consistency, chosen at activation (Lune)	Third-party only
Funded consistency	Payout-day trades skip the next count	Consistency Path: 3 winning days, 40%; first 50K payout cap $6,000 vs $5,000 Standard (Backtrex)	Different stage

Before paying a fee, re-check the rows marked third-party only on Topstep’s site.

Bottom Line: Pace the Best Day, Re-Check the Guide Numbers

The Combine is a loss-limit test with a target and a pacing rule. It suits a trader who spreads gains over several days.

The flaw: one strong day moves the finish line, and more gains that session move it again. The fix, per Topstep’s consistency page: stop each day below the best-day figure, less than $1,650 on a 50K; if the target has already risen, earn the rest on a separate day.

The strengths: of the trading rules, only the loss limit fails the account, a big day raises the target instead of ending the run, and Topstep prints targets and best-day limits in dollars.

If your gains come in one or two big days, compare instant funding futures prop firms’ fees, payout caps and rules.

Next: Topstep’s Rules After You Pass

The Express Funded Account (XFA) has its own limits. They are covered in Topstep funded account rules: XFA loss limits, 30-day inactivity, payout caps and live unlocks.

Questions Traders Ask About the Topstep Combine

Does One Big Day Fail the Combine?

No. Per Topstep’s consistency page, it raises the target. On a 50K account, an $1,800 best day lifts the target from $3,000 to $3,273.

Is There a Daily Loss Limit?

Topstep’s parameters page names only the MLL. Lune and Backtrex list $1,000 on the 50K account, so confirm on Topstep’s site.

Does the 40% Figure Apply During the Combine?

No. Backtrex gives 40% for the Consistency Path, which Lune says is chosen at activation, after the Combine. The Combine uses Topstep’s 55% best-day target.

This page explains Topstep’s published rules. It is not financial or trading advice.

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