Staking and validator rewards
Consensus staking places assets at risk to support validation. Its rewards are different from interest paid by a borrower.
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THE INTERACTIVE FIELD GUIDE
Trace the reward. Count the risks.
Separate protocol rewards, operator fees, penalties, custody loss and withdrawal access from the token’s changing price.
Enable JavaScript to use this simulation. Read its assumptions and related explanations below.
READ THE MODEL
Assumptions & scope
- Simple gross rewards use starting stake × APR × days / 365; rates are illustrative.
- Operator fees apply to gross rewards; penalties apply to starting principal; custody recovery applies afterward.
- No compounding or live protocol penalty schedule is modeled.
- A queued withdrawal can prevent immediate access even when a token-unit claim remains.
Ethereum.org contributors · Ethereum staking ↗Checked 13 Nov 2026Ethereum.org contributors · Proof-of-stake rewards and penalties ↗Checked 13 Nov 2026
Understand the moving parts
All labs ↗Validators and their duties
A validator participates in consensus under a specific protocol. The operator, signing key, withdrawal authority and beneficial owner may be different parties.
Liquid staking tokens
A transferable token represents a staking position through additional accounting and redemption rules. Transferability does not make the underlying stake instantly withdrawable.
Custody and control
Custody asks who can authorize transfers and what claim you have if that party fails. A visible account balance does not answer either question by itself.