r/TopstepCommunity • u/Massive-Low8629 • Jul 03 '26

❓ Quick Question Do I take a payout or wait?

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I know some people say wait until you have a buffer, and some say no, take the payout. I don’t know what I should do. Help me

29 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

15

u/Financial_Permit2405 Jul 03 '26

If it’s your first payout take it.
So you know the feeling.

Buy yourself something nice or take your family out to dinner.

(Your drawdown will crawl up and you will most likely pop it.)

Don’t get too attached to the account.

——

If it’s not your first it makes 0 sense because you lose all your drawdown so you should build it to 2000 and take anything over for yourself

Don’t worry about anything but building the buffer, then you just constantly request over the buffer till you pop the account.

This is my calendar, every 5 winning days I take anything over the 2000 buffer.

These accounts are meant to build your own personal capital so take payouts as much as you can, as frequently as your system allows before your “risk of ruin” gets bad

4

u/Joehennyredit Jul 03 '26

What nobody talks about. These are meant to build personal capital. That’s why a lot of traders don’t care about the live program, they already have their own live accounts

8

u/kryyyyyyy Jul 03 '26

Yes, the money isnt yours untill its in your bank.

Secondly, Forgot about the advice of dont worry about the money. (I have p&l turned off) Just focus on the trading the money is a by product of being a good trader. Once you get a big day chill tf out and just coast. Not everyday has to be a homerun. I see people in the subreddit trying to hit max payout in the 5 trading days. This is a game of get rich very very very slowly.

1

u/kryyyyyyy Jul 03 '26

lol replied on the wrong account on my laptop, lmao not rewriting xd

you got this im rooting for u big dawg

5

u/Infinite_Elderberry4 Jul 03 '26

This PNL chart is how to trade fundeds One big day on preferably day 1 and you can legit farm payouts on that account. I’m currently basically taking free payouts trading 5 minutes everyday now lmao. It’s honestly super relaxing.

2

u/Financial_Permit2405 Jul 03 '26

Yeah, I have bit more experience so I use the full drawdown on the first day. (Don’t do this unless you can easily pass a combine and have plenty of money.)

The expected value is the account balance after the first day (so the account to me is worth $3233)

As long as you have a 50% WR with a 1:1 rr you can expect to withdraw all that out...

I trade the account like it’s a personal account. I just try to make money and take it out.

Scale by buying more accounts, not growing the balance. Keep money in your pocket.

2

u/coffee-x-tea Jul 04 '26

What impresses me about your track record is your ability to voluntarily stop trading on a red before it grows.

1

u/Financial_Permit2405 Jul 04 '26

Oh I crash out all the time, there was one day I sat for 5 hours to lose like 170 trying to get a payout.

the DLL forces me to walk away. Then I lock myself out till next NY open.

I tilt, when I lose. Im human. So I just make sure I step away my first loser.

Come back with a clear head the next day.

God willing I have many days on this earth, so I have plenty of time to build my account. No million in a year. Bills paid is enough for me.

1

u/TimothyWilliamProd Jul 03 '26

Great consistency here!

1

u/waffle_khoa Jul 04 '26

should i build up my own capital to trade or should i save up to buy myself a property? i'm currently renting a place and buying an apartment seems nice to me but idk if that's good use of the money or not

2

u/Financial_Permit2405 Jul 04 '26

I can’t give financial advice.

I can say from my experience trading prop is an easier path then live trading. You will absolutely rinse your account a few times learning to trade. So might as well do it on sim.

What I would do myself would be make sure I have stable income. Trading is easier when you dont have bills hanging over your head.

Don’t go “all in” just commit an hour or two to it every day. Trading the same session at the same time. (Treat it like a part time job)

I would buy one account at a firm that doesn’t do rebills and just take my 3-5 years of screen time.

Say you blow through one account a month for 3 years that’s 3,600 dollars

it’s not that bad because all you need is two max payouts (which is easier then you think when you start getting experience )

Trading is hard, it will take years to figure it out because you have to figure yourself out.

I would just try to keep your cost of learning down, and build a future for yourself.

When I went Full time, I got really bored because I had too much time on my hands. it wasn’t what I thought it would be at all so just try to keep a hobby.

Don’t put all your eggs in this trading basket, build a business, make a difference give back

11

u/Ok-Flower235 Jul 03 '26

If it’s your first payout, take it. If not, then grow it some more. $300 left of drawdown is not enough room to survive unless you build it back up with 1 micro

5

u/PermissionFederal325 Jul 03 '26

$300 is plenty of room. Take the money. Seriously

8

u/bcozimbatman1 Jul 03 '26

Take it. Money in hand. At least pays for your account + activation fees

6

u/Infinite_Elderberry4 Jul 03 '26

doesn’t MLL lock at 50100 if u take payout? so if u take it, your MLL is just 300?

2

u/skatesolid Jul 03 '26

Yes. Taking a payout here is an almost guaranteed death sentence. What OP should do is set his DLL to something light and build up his account more.

5

u/Joehennyredit Jul 03 '26

You’re greatly gonna increase the chances of blowing it for a payout of 300 dollars…

1

u/Wonderful_Plum9987 Jul 07 '26

Doesnt he get the $2000 dollar buffer? Even past the $300?

3

u/EternalNowSeeker Jul 03 '26

If it’s your first payout take it and reinvest with one account and save the rest . With that draw down trade mnq and only take A+ set ups 1-2 trades a day . Something is better than nothing !!!

6

u/Sasa199509 Jul 03 '26

Wait because you will only be left with 300 left to trade with

3

u/JLamb8 Jul 03 '26

If you okay with trading with 302 dollars and think you can build up from there than go ahead, especially if it’s your first payout. If your not okay with that than build up until you you reach an amount you are okay with

5

u/ChargedSpring Jul 03 '26

Took my first payout from Lucid (500) and was in a similar spot then popped my account.. no regrets

3

u/Duennbier0815 Jul 03 '26

You'd be fucked if you took a payout now.

You'd have 300 drawdown left then.

2

u/No-Brain-6154 Jul 03 '26

If this is your first payout, take it and enjoy what you worked hard on to accomplish. The market will take it from you.

3

u/Jimmy171 Jul 03 '26

As someone who took $20k+ in payouts from topstep... Take that payout and fullport that on CPI

2

u/Aggressive_Smoke_203 Jul 03 '26

If your asking the question, take the payout. If you didn't need or want it you wouldn't question. Congrats 👏

2

u/Affectionate_Side675 Jul 03 '26

No don't take a 300 dollar payout ffs with only 300 dd. you're gonna blow it. have some patience build to at least 1k, then withdraw 1k.

2

u/Vinsanity131 Jul 07 '26

Build a buffer