Overview
The Scaling Plan is an Express Funded Account® (XFA) objective. It sets your Maximum Position Size — the max contracts you can hold at one time — based on your current account balance.
☝️ The Scaling Plan does not apply to the Live Funded Account®. It’s been replaced in the Live Funded Account by Dynamic Live Risk Expansion.
How It Works
Your XFA starts at a $0 balance
As your balance grows, so does your buying power — shown below
You're never required to trade your maximum contracts
→ Key rule: Your max contracts do not increase mid-session. Hit the threshold to release more buying power? Wait for the next session.
⚠️ Why is the Scaling Plan important?
The Scaling Plan acts as a guide on how to responsibly leverage a growing account. Over-leveraging causes the most damage to long-term success
Micros and Minis
10:1 ratio:
1 Mini = 10 Micro contracts
Limits are based on mini-contract equivalents
Example — $50K XFA, 2-lot Scaling Plan:
2 Minis, OR
20 Micros, OR
Any combo equal to 2 Minis
⚠️ Please note: The Micro to Mini ratio functionality is available for the Trading Combine and Express Funded Account. It is not currently available for the Live Funded Account.
Special Product Weightings
Some products are weighted differently and do not follow the standard 10:1 ratio:
Product | Rule |
Micro Silver (SIL) | 5:1 ratio vs. Silver (SI); counts as 2 of any other micro |
Micro Bitcoin (MBT) | Capped at mini-equivalent lot sizes, not standard micro scaling |
Micro Ether (MET) | Capped at mini-equivalent lot sizes, not standard micro scaling |
Scaling Plan FAQs
What if I accidentally exceed my limit but fix it right away?
Errors corrected in under 10 seconds are ignored. Leave too many contracts on for 10+ seconds and your account may be reviewed. Know your net exposure. Correct it fast.
How do I avoid exceeding the Scaling Plan?
Set up your workspace to show open positions and orders
Enable Order Confirmation — requires you to reconfirm before an order submits
On TopstepX™, use Contract Limits to set a per-product max
Where do I see my current contract limits?
Your dashboard. It shows the contracts available for your next session.