How to Pass the Topstep Combine, 2026
The fewest days in which you can pass the Combine, set by the 50% consistency rule. What ends most runs is not speed, it is breaking a limit.
Here is what it actually takes: the targets, the trailing drawdown, the consistency rule, a realistic plan, and the firm with a much shorter road to real capital.
Want a faster route to a payout than a monthly Combine? Here is Phidias Express to Live. First, how to pass Topstep.
Our verdict (William G.)
Passing the Combine is less about speed and more about survival: hit the target in at least two clean days, keep your best day under 50%, and never trade into the trailing Max Loss Limit. It is a legitimate, well-run evaluation. The honest catch is what comes after: a monthly bill and a long road to real money. If you want the shortest route to a real payout, Phidias Express to Live is built for exactly that.
How do you pass the Topstep Combine?
To pass the Topstep Combine, you hit your account’s profit target without ever breaching your Max Loss Limit, while keeping your best day under 50% of your profit target. Because of that consistency rule you need at least 2 trading days, but there is no hard minimum-day count beyond it. Clear the target cleanly and you pass, then pay the activation fee to get funded.
Topstep Combine targets by account
| Account | Profit target | Max Loss Limit | Min days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50K | $3,000 | $2,000 | 2 |
| 100K | $6,000 | $3,000 | 2 |
| 150K | $9,000 | $4,500 | 2 |
Can you pass Topstep in 2 days?
Yes. By Topstep’s own rules, you can pass the Combine in as few as 2 trading days. There is no five-day minimum to pass. The two-day floor comes only from the 50% consistency rule: your best day cannot be more than half your profit target, so a one-day pass is impossible, but two clean days can do it.
Where the number 5 does appear is later, at the payout stage: the Express Funded Account’s Standard path asks for 5 winning days of $150 or more before you withdraw. That is a payout rule, not a Combine pass rule, and the two are often confused.
30-second quiz
Combine grind or a faster payout: which suits you?
The two rules that end most runs
Most failed Combines do not miss the target. They break a limit. The first is the Max Loss Limit, an end-of-day trailing floor that liquidates you if your Net P&L touches it intraday. Understand how it trails before you size up; the full mechanic is in the Topstep drawdown guide.
The second is the consistency target: keep your best day under 50% of your profit target, or the run looks like a gamble. See the Topstep consistency rule for how it is measured.
A realistic plan to pass
1. Risk small. Aim for roughly 10% of your Max Loss Limit per day of risk, so no single day can end the account.
2. Spread the profit. Target at least two solid days rather than one hero session, to satisfy the 50% consistency target.
3. Respect the floor. Track how the trailing Max Loss Limit moves at the close, and never trade into it intraday.
4. Protect the target. Once you are near the target, shrink size and lock it in without giving it back.
After you pass, you pay the activation fee and move to an Express Funded Account, which is simulated but pays real cash. See the Express Funded Account guide for what changes at that stage.
The faster road: Phidias Express to Live
The Topstep Combine is a monthly-subscription evaluation, and even after you pass, real money is a long way off. Phidias Express to Live compresses the whole path.
On Express to Live, signup, evaluation, funding, and your first payout can complete in under 24 hours, and that first payout converts the account to a real LIVE account with Dorman Trading. One-time fee, no monthly meter.
A real receipt, not a promise
One Phidias trader, Varun M., ran five 150K Express to Live accounts and took $22,500 in payouts to his Phidias Wallet plus $10,000 in live funded capital with Dorman Trading, his fastest account going from purchase to payout in 6 hours and 18 minutes. A specific, verified result, not a typical or guaranteed outcome.
Be fair to Topstep: the Combine is a legitimate, well-run evaluation, and its end-of-day drawdown is forgiving. If you want the shortest possible route to a real payout, though, Express to Live is built for exactly that.
How to pass Topstep: frequently asked questions
How many days does it take to pass the Topstep Combine?
You can pass in as few as 2 trading days. There is no five-day minimum; the two-day floor comes only from the 50% consistency rule, which stops you passing on a single day. The “5 winning days of $150” you may have seen is a payout requirement on the Express account, not a Combine pass requirement.
Can you pass Topstep in 2 days?
Yes. Topstep’s own rules allow a pass in as few as 2 trading days. You cannot pass in one, because the 50% consistency rule requires your best day to be under half your profit target, which forces at least two days.
What is the profit target for the Topstep 50K?
The 50K Combine target is $3,000, with a $2,000 Max Loss Limit. The 100K target is $6,000 and the 150K is $9,000.
What is the fastest way to a real payout?
Phidias Express to Live has no monthly subscription and no long evaluation, and its full signup-to-payout cycle can run in under 24 hours, converting to a real LIVE account on the first payout.
Sources and official references
• Topstep Trading Combine Parameters (official help center): profit targets, the Max Loss Limit, and the consistency rule.
• Topstep Trading Combine pricing: profit targets, 50% consistency, and Max Loss Limit per account.
• Topstep: What is the Maximum Loss Limit?: the trailing floor that ends most runs.
• Dorman Trading: the NFA-registered broker behind Phidias LIVE accounts.
• Phidias accounts: Express to Live, signup to payout in one cycle.
The bottom line
Passing the Topstep Combine is less about speed and more about survival: hit the target in at least two clean days, keep your best day under 50%, and never trade into the trailing Max Loss Limit. Do that and the pass takes care of itself.
If the monthly meter and the long road to real money are the parts you want to skip, Phidias Express to Live gets you to a real payout in a single cycle instead.
Related Topstep guides
Topstep Review: the full firm breakdown, every stage and rule.
Topstep Drawdown Explained: the trailing Max Loss Limit that ends most runs.
Topstep Cost: what the Combine actually costs, month by month.
About the author
William G. is a futures prop-trading analyst at Phidias. He tests prop firms hands-on, reads the fine print in every help center and rulebook, and translates payout, drawdown and funding mechanics into plain English for traders deciding where to put their capital.
Last reviewed 2026.
Risk disclosure: Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Individual results such as the trader payout cited are specific, verified outcomes and are not typical or guaranteed. Topstep Combine targets, limits, and rules reflect publicly available information as of July 2026 and are subject to change. Verify current terms on topstep.com before committing capital.
