Topstep's Maximum Loss Limit (MLL) is a $2,000 drawdown that trails your end-of-day equity high and then freezes once it reaches your starting balance. This calculator shows the exact dollar buffer left before you breach.
Trails, then freezes at your starting balance (Topstep-style).
Merlin tracks this from your imported trades. Every close updates your distance to breach.
How the Topstep drawdown moves
- →The floor only moves at each daily close, never intraday. An intraday spike you give back before the close does not lower your buffer.
- →Once your end-of-day high reaches your starting balance plus the MLL, the floor locks at your starting balance and stops climbing.
- →After the freeze, your original $50,000 start is your hard floor. Protect it like a daily-loss line.
Start at $50,000 with a $2,000 MLL. Close the day at $51,200 and your floor rises to $49,200 at the next session open. Push your end-of-day high to $52,000 and the floor would reach $50,000, but Topstep freezes it there, so it never climbs past your $50,000 start. From then on, equity touching $50,000 is a breach.
Figures reflect a common Topstep account at the time of writing. Firms revise rules often, so verify against the Topstep site before relying on them.
Merlin's gauges derive from closed trades. Your firm watches live equity including open positions.
MerlinTrade is independent trading-journal software and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Topstep. All trademarks belong to their owners.
FAQ
How is the Topstep trailing drawdown calculated?+
Take your highest end-of-day equity, subtract the $2,000 Maximum Loss Limit, and that is your floor, unless the floor has reached your starting balance, in which case it freezes there. Your distance to breach is current equity minus that floor.
Does the Topstep drawdown move while a trade is open?+
No. Topstep's MLL is end-of-day trailing, so the floor only steps up at each session close. Unrealised intraday highs do not move it.
When does the Topstep trailing drawdown freeze?+
Once the trailing floor reaches your starting balance (after about $2,000 of end-of-day profit on the 50K), it locks at the start and no longer trails your gains.
Track your Topstep rules from your trades.
Import your trades and Merlin computes your distance to every limit from your closed trades, and the Pre-Trade Check flags the trade that breaks your rules before you take it.
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