Topstep Trading Combine
Pine Script Strategies for the Topstep Combine — Drawdown Rules and How to Pass
Two rules end most Topstep Combines: the daily loss limit, and the trailing drawdown behind it. The strategies that make it through consistently are the ones that take the same measured, fixed-risk shot every session — no revenge trades, no averaging in. Here's exactly how Topstep's rule set works and what a script needs to respect it.
Topstep Trading Combine rules at a glance
| Account | Profit Target | Max Drawdown (EOD Trailing) | Daily Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50k | $3,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 |
| 100k | $6,000 | $3,000 | $2,000 |
| 150k | $9,000 | $4,500 | $3,000 |
Drawdown type
EOD trailing
Floor only moves up at the close of each trading day, based on end-of-day balance — not intraday highs.
Daily loss limit
$1,000 (50k) · $2,000 (100k) · $3,000 (150k).
Consistency rule
No % consistency rule on the Combine (evaluation) — instead a participation requirement of 5 winning days of at least $200 each. Separate from the eval: the funded Express Funded Account (XFA) payout rules offer two paths — Standard (5 winning days ≥ $150, non-consecutive) or Consistency (3 winning days ≥ $150 and largest single day ≤ 40% of total net profit).
Min trading days
10 days minimum
Payout split
90/10 from the first dollar for accounts created after Jan 12, 2026 (previously 100% of the first $10k lifetime profit, then 90/10 — legacy traders keep that structure).
XFA payout caps (50% of balance per request): 50k → $2,000 Standard / $3,000 Consistency path · 100k → $3,000 / $4,000 · 150k → $5,000 / $6,000. Live Funded Account payouts are uncapped.
Automation policy
Full automation permitted on the Combine (evaluation). Funded-account automation policy has changed multiple times; semi-automation (script alerts, manual confirmation) is the stated safer default rather than an outright ban.
The trailing drawdown is the rule that catches people off guard, because it locks the moment you clear the profit target — but until then it follows your highest closed equity, not your current balance. Build up to $1,800 on a 50k account, give back $1,400, and you're sitting on $400 of cushion against a $2,000 trail. One ordinary losing trade ends the Combine right there. The fix is never letting a large open gain evaporate before the session closes — which is what a fixed-exit script does by default.
Recent rule changes: Topstep moved to a 90/10 profit split from the first dollar in January 2026 and split Express Funded Account payouts into Standard and Consistency paths — dated details live in the Topstep rule changes tracker.
Does Topstep have a consistency rule?
This is one of the most common questions traders have going in, and the short answer is no — not a percentage-based one. Unlike Apex's cap on how much any single day can contribute to the total, Topstep places no ceiling on one session's size relative to the rest.
What Topstep does require is the 5 winning days rule: at least 5 sessions need to close with $200 or more in net profit before the Combine can be marked complete. It's a participation requirement, not a size cap — one enormous session doesn't finish the Combine on its own. You need to show up and win across at least 5 separate days.
For a script running 2-3 signals a session with a fixed target, this is the easiest rule on the sheet to satisfy — $200+ days accumulate naturally without needing a single outsized trade. It mostly penalizes discretionary traders who over-trade trying to force a big day.
Topstep's EOD trailing drawdown — how it actually works
Topstep's trailing drawdown moves at end of day only — the floor is set from your closed equity at the session's close, never from an intraday high. This single design choice is the main reason Topstep gets called the most algo-friendly major futures prop firm.
| Scenario | Intraday peak | Day's closing P&L | Floor moves by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intraday trailing (Apex-style) | +$800 | +$300 | $800 (the intraday peak) |
| Topstep EOD trailing | +$800 | +$300 | $300 (the closed amount only) |
On an intraday-trailing firm, that session just permanently raised the floor by $800 for a trade that only netted $300. On Topstep, the floor rises by $300 — the actual amount kept. Across a 10-day Combine that gap compounds, and strategies with high per-trade variance (breakout entries that spike and reverse before recovering) do meaningfully better here than they would under an intraday model.
Contract sizing for the Topstep Combine
Sizing is where even solid strategies get into trouble on Topstep. A practical framework by tier:
| Account | Contract | Recommended size | Stop size | Max loss per trade | Daily limit buffer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50k | MES | 2–3 contracts | 10 points | $50–$75 | 13–20 losing trades to the limit |
| 50k | MNQ | 2–3 contracts | 30 ticks | $30–$45 | 22–33 losing trades to the limit |
| 100k | ES | 1 contract | 8 points | $400 | 5 losing trades to the limit |
| 100k | NQ | 1 contract | 20 ticks | $400 | 5 losing trades to the limit |
| 150k | ES | 1–2 contracts | 8 points | $400–$800 | 4–7 losing trades to the limit |
The target isn't maximum contract count — it's making the daily loss limit practically unreachable under the strategy's normal behavior. Start light and scale up only after 3-4 winning sessions in a row.
Optimal session timing for Topstep MES and MNQ strategies
Topstep doesn't restrict trading hours, but MES and MNQ signals aren't equally clean at every hour. A few windows that tend to work best for Combine strategies:
- 9:30–11:30 AM ET (primary): the highest-volume window, with the cleanest trend moves on MES — most 1R setups resolve inside it.
- 1:30–3:00 PM ET (secondary): afternoon continuation on trending days, where MNQ often follows through harder than MES.
- Avoid 11:30 AM–1:00 PM ET: midday chop tends to generate false signals and scratch trades that burn a trading day without moving the needle.
- Avoid 3:30–4:00 PM ET: market-on-close imbalances create erratic price action that systematic entries handle poorly.
How Pine Script automation handles every Topstep rule
Most Combine failures trace back to human behavior — fear, revenge, sizing up after a loss. A script removes all three variables. What every strategy in the store includes:
- Fixed dollar stop. Risk per trade is hard-coded, so the daily-loss math is fully predictable — usually more losing trades than the strategy would ever fire in one session.
- Bar-close entry confirmation. No repainting, no chasing a wick. The backtest and the live execution match.
- One entry per signal. No martingale, no averaging in, no second bite at the same setup.
- Daily kill switch. A configurable threshold (default 80% of the daily limit) stops new entries for the session; existing open positions are still allowed to hit their own stops.
- Optional RTH session filter. Keeps the strategy out of overnight sessions, where spreads widen and signals get noisier.
- TradersPost webhook alerts. Fires straight to TradersPost for hands-off execution into TopstepX or a Tradovate-connected account.
Which plan fits a Topstep trader?
The 50k Combine pairs with the Starter plan ($19/mo) — MES or MNQ, risk sized for the $2,000 trail. The 100k and 150k Combines pair with the Pro plan ($29/mo) on ES or NQ, with per-trade risk sized so a normal stop-out doesn't push the account into breach range. If you have your own specific rules, the Custom plan ($250 one-time) builds it to spec.