Topstep is a futures firm, so "lot size" means something different here than on a forex account: you are sizing in contracts, and the risk on each contract is set by the tick value of the product you trade, not by a pip. This calculator handles that with one substitution — enter your stop in ticks and the tick value as the pip value — and it returns the number of contracts that keeps a single loss inside your plan for the Trading Combine.
How to use this calculator for Topstep
The fields map to futures like this:
- Account balance — your Combine size: $50,000, $100,000 or $150,000.
- Risk percentage — the share of the account you accept losing on one trade. For Topstep, 0.5–1% of the account size is a sensible ceiling, for reasons explained below.
- Stop loss — your stop distance in ticks, not points. On ES, 1 point = 4 ticks.
- Pip value — use the tick value of the contract: $12.50 for ES, $5.00 for NQ, $1.25 for MES, $0.50 for MNQ, $10.00 for CL.
The result is the number of contracts (round down — you cannot trade 2.7 contracts).
Topstep Trading Combine rules that decide your size
These are the published Combine parameters as of 2026. Topstep adjusts them occasionally, so confirm on their site before you start.
| Account | Profit target | Maximum Loss Limit (trailing) | Daily Loss Limit (optional add-on) | Max contracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50K | $3,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 | 5 |
| $100K | $6,000 | $3,000 | $2,000 | 10 |
| $150K | $9,000 | $4,500 | $3,000 | 15 |
The rule that governs sizing is the Maximum Loss Limit. It trails your end-of-day high-water balance: on a $50K Combine you start with $2,000 of room, and as your closing balance rises the floor rises with it until it locks at the starting balance. It is enforced in real time against unrealized P&L, so an open position that is $2,000 underwater fails the Combine even if it would have recovered. The Daily Loss Limit is an add-on you pick at checkout — hitting it flattens you for the session but is not a rule violation.
There is also a consistency target: your best single day should be no more than 50% of the profit target. Exceeding it does not fail you; it raises the target. In sizing terms it means a $3,000 target on the $50K account is best reached with days of $500–$1,500, not one $2,500 day.
Contract sizing with Topstep numbers
Contracts = (Account balance × Risk %) ÷ (Stop in ticks × Tick value)Example 1 — MES on the $50K Combine: 1% risk ($500), 40-tick stop (10 points), MES tick value $1.25.
- Loss per contract: 40 × $1.25 = $50
- Contracts: $500 ÷ $50 = 10 MES (capped at 5 by the account's contract limit if you were trading ES; MES has its own micro limit — check your account's rule set)
Example 2 — ES on the $100K Combine: 0.5% risk ($500), 24-tick stop (6 points), ES tick value $12.50.
- Loss per contract: 24 × $12.50 = $300
- Contracts: $500 ÷ $300 = 1.67 → 1 ES contract
Example 3 — NQ on the $150K Combine: 1% risk ($1,500), 60-tick stop (15 points), NQ tick value $5.00.
- Loss per contract: 60 × $5 = $300
- Contracts: $1,500 ÷ $300 = 5 NQ
Why 1% is the practical ceiling on a Combine
The $50K account gives you $2,000 of trailing room. At 1% risk ($500 per trade), four full stop-outs from a fresh account end the Combine. At 0.5% you get eight. Because the limit trails your high-water mark, a good day followed by a bad one is the most common way traders fail: the floor moved up with the good day and the bad day ran straight into it.
| Risk per trade | Full losses to breach $2,000 MLL ($50K) | Full losses to breach $3,000 MLL ($100K) |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0% | 4 | 3 |
| 0.5% | 8 | 6 |
| 0.25% | 16 | 12 |
Note that on the $100K account the MLL is $3,000 — only 3% of the balance — so 1% per trade is more aggressive there than on the $50K account, not less.
Micros first
Most traders who pass a Combine build the first few hundred dollars with micro contracts (MES, MNQ, MCL) and only step up once the trailing floor has locked in. A micro carries one-tenth of the risk of the full contract for the same stop, which turns a 4-loss buffer into a 40-loss buffer. The calculator makes the trade-off explicit: run it once with the ES tick value and once with the MES tick value and compare the contract counts.
Journal your Combine in Fips
Futures traders live and die by the trailing drawdown, and the only way to see it coming is to track closed and open P&L against the floor every day. Fips's free trading journal logs each trade with its R-multiple and running daily P&L, so you know how far the floor has moved before you place the next order. The backtesting tools let you check a setup's worst losing streak on historical data before paying for a Combine, and the account analysis view shows whether your best days are creeping past the 50% consistency line.
Frequently asked questions
How many contracts can I trade on a $50K Topstep Combine?
The account's contract cap is 5 (full-size). Whether you should trade 5 is a risk question: at a 40-tick stop on ES, 5 contracts risk $2,500 — more than the entire $2,000 Maximum Loss Limit. Size from the formula, not from the cap.
Does the Topstep Maximum Loss Limit count open trades?
Yes. It is enforced in real time on unrealized P&L. A position that drifts to the floor fails the Combine even if it would have come back.
What is the difference between the Maximum Loss Limit and the Daily Loss Limit?
The Maximum Loss Limit is the trailing floor that ends the Combine when hit. The Daily Loss Limit is an optional add-on that flattens your positions and blocks new trades for the rest of the session — a circuit breaker, not a failure.
Should I use points or ticks in the stop loss field?
Ticks, paired with the tick value. If you prefer points, enter the stop in points and use the point value instead ($50 for ES, $20 for NQ, $5 for MES, $2 for MNQ). Either pairing gives the same answer as long as you are consistent.
Fips is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Topstep. The rule figures on this page are the firm's published terms as of 2026 and can change without notice; verify them on the firm's own website before trading.