Topstep's Dynamic Live Risk Expansion adjusts your Daily Loss Limit (DLL) and Maximum Position Size (contract limits) as your Live Funded Account® (LFA) profits grow. Earn your way to more buying power — one tier at a time.
Starting Daily Loss Limit and Maximum Position Size
Account Size | Starting Daily Loss Limit | Maximum Position Size |
50K | $2,000 | 5 |
100K | $3,000 | 10 |
150K | $4,500 | 15 |
How Tiers Work
Your net profit determines your Tier. Spend 10 Active Trading Days at each Tier to unlock the next level.
Your Daily Loss Limit increases at end of day after 10 Active Trading Days in the new Tier.
If your net profit falls below your Tier at end of day, your Daily Loss Limit scales down that same day.
If you drop out of a Tier before 10 days, the counter resets when you re-enter it.
You must move one Tier at a time. No skipping.
Active Trading Day: Any day you place at least 1 trade — even a single micro contract. No minimum P/L required.
👉 Important: Only profits made in the Live Funded Account count. Your Express Funded Account® transfer balance and Payouts don't affect your Tier.
Expansion Table ($150K Live Funded Account)
Maximum Position Size | Profit | Daily Loss Limit |
Up to 100 lots | 1M | Up to $100,000 |
Up to 70 lots | 550K | Up to $50,000 |
Up to 50 lots | 200K | Up to $20,000 |
Up to 30 lots | 100K | Up to $10,000 |
— | 50K | Up to $6,000 |
— | 20K | Up to $5,500 |
— | 15K | Up to $5,000 |
Amounts vary for $50K and $100K accounts. Hold each Tier for 10 Active Trading Days to advance.
Expanded Contract Sizing
Traders who demonstrate consistent performance and account stability may request permission to trade more contracts than standard limits.
This is not automatic. All requests must be reviewed and approved by the Risk Team.
Eligibility:
Tier 4 or higher in the Dynamic Risk Expansion system
Minimum $100,000 balance in your Live Funded Account
Path to Reduction
If your account experiences significant losses from your starting balance, the Risk Team will monitor your performance and may initiate a Shoulder Tap.
Payouts do not count as drawdown. Drawdown is based solely on losses from your Live Funded Account starting balance.
Warning: Reckless or undisciplined trading in a Live Funded Account may result in forfeiture of live capital.
What is a Shoulder Tap?
The term comes from the trading pits — where risk managers would literally tap a struggling Trader on the shoulder during a drawdown to check in and help them refocus.
For more details, see Live Account Call-Up/Call-Down Process.
Risk Adjustments Outside the Path to Expansion
The Risk Team may adjust your Daily Loss Limit and Maximum Position Size based on net equity — even if you haven't moved through the expansion tiers. These adjustments are not automatic and are made at Risk's discretion.
Adjustments may be considered when a Live Funded Account reaches:
$10,000 net equity in a 50K account
$15,000 net equity in a 100K account
$20,000 net equity in a 150K account
Daily Loss Limit Safeguard
If your tradable balance drops to $10,000 or below, your Daily Loss Limit will be set to $2,000 — regardless of account size. It returns to the standard amount once your end-of-day balance rises above $10,000. See standard Daily Loss Limits below.
Account | Daily Loss Limit (DLL) |
$50K | $2,000 |
$100K | $3,000 |
$150K | $4,500 |
Regardless of account size:
Tradable balance at or below $10,000 → DLL drops to $2,000, Max Position Size = 5
Tradable balance at or below $5,000 → DLL drops to $1,000, Max Position Size = 3
Example: If you have a 100K Live Funded Account and your end-of-day balance goes below $10,000, your Daily Loss Limit will be changed from $3,000 to $2,000 before the start of the next trading session. The DLL will return to $3,000 once your end-of-day balance rises above $10,000.
This safeguard is designed to limit downside risk during lower-balance periods while allowing traders to continue operating under the same risk framework across all Live account tiers.