How Staking APY Is Actually Calculated — And Why Most Numbers You See Are Wrong

This article explains how staking annual percentage yield (APY) is calculated, what inputs determine the number, and why the figures you see on dashboards are often misleading. If you're comparing staking options or trying to figure out what you'll actually earn, this is where to start.

Staking means locking cryptocurrency in a proof-of-stake network to help validate transactions. In return, the protocol distributes newly created tokens (and sometimes transaction fees) to participants. These distributions are your staking rewards — they're compensation for putting capital at risk and keeping the network secure, not free money appearing from nowhere.

• ›Rewards come from two sources: new token issuance (inflation) and transaction fees collected by the network
• ›The protocol sets the total reward pool according to its rules — you don't negotiate a rate
• ›Your share of that pool depends on how much you've staked relative to the total amount staked across the entire network
• ›More total stake across the network means each individual staker's share shrinks
• ›Some networks also penalize bad behavior by slashing — destroying part of a validator's stake — which means staking carries real downside risk

What this means practically: Your reward rate isn't fixed like a bank deposit. It shifts constantly based on network participation and activity.

This is where most explanations go wrong. They use APR (annual percentage rate) and APY (annual percentage yield) interchangeably. They are not the same thing, and the difference is not trivial.

APR is the simple annual rate — if you earn 0.01% per day, your APR is roughly 3.65%. It assumes you never reinvest your rewards. APY accounts for compounding: the effect of earning rewards on top of previously earned rewards that you've restaked. The formula is: APY = (1 + r/n)^n − 1, where r is the annual rate and n is the number of compounding periods per year.

• ›At 5% APR compounded daily (n = 365), APY works out to approximately 5.13%
• ›At 5% APR compounded every epoch (roughly every 6.4 minutes on Ethereum, so n ≈ 82,125), the APY is approximately 5.13% — daily vs. per-epoch compounding barely differs at these rates
• ›At higher rates the gap widens: 50% APR compounded daily gives roughly 64.8% APY
• ›Many dashboards display APY but the underlying protocol only pays APR — you'd have to manually restake to actually achieve the quoted APY
• ›If your staking provider doesn't auto-compound (and most Layer 1 native staking does not), you're earning APR, not APY

What this means practically: Always ask whether a quoted figure assumes compounding and whether that compounding actually happens automatically. If it doesn't, the real yield is the APR, which is lower.

A staking APY isn't pulled from thin air. It's a function of specific, measurable protocol parameters. Understanding these inputs lets you reason about why rates change instead of just watching numbers fluctuate.

• ›Total tokens staked on the network: The denominator. As more people stake, the same reward pool is split among more participants, pushing individual rates down
• ›Protocol issuance schedule: Each network has rules for how many new tokens are created per epoch or block. Ethereum, for example, adjusts issuance based on total ETH staked according to a square-root function
• ›Transaction fee volume: Busier networks generate more fees. On some networks, a portion of fees goes to stakers, adding a variable component on top of base issuance
• ›Validator uptime and performance: Missed attestations or blocks mean missed rewards. A validator running at 95% uptime earns roughly 95% of the maximum possible reward
• ›Commission charged by your validator or staking provider: If a validator charges 10% commission, they keep 10% of your gross rewards before you see anything

What this means practically: Two people staking the same token through different providers can earn meaningfully different returns based on commission, uptime, and whether compounding is automatic.

If you want to check a quoted APY rather than trust a dashboard, here's the process.

1. Find the protocol's base issuance rate — check the network's documentation or a block explorer. For Ethereum, approximately 2.8% to 3.5% APR is typical as of mid-2024 depending on total ETH staked, but this changes. The reason you start here: this is the only number set by protocol rules rather than market conditions.

2. Check total network stake — available on any staking dashboard or block explorer. Divide the total annual issuance by the total staked amount to get the gross APR per token staked. This step matters because total stake is the main variable that moves your rate.

3. Subtract validator commission — if your provider charges 10%, multiply your gross APR by 0.90. Ordering this step before compounding matters because commission is taken from gross rewards, not from your compounded total.

4. Determine your compounding frequency — is the provider auto-restaking your rewards? If yes, how often? If not, your compounding frequency is however often you manually restake. This step determines whether you use APR or the full APY formula.

5. Apply the APY formula — plug your net APR (after commission) and compounding frequency into APY = (1 + r/n)^n − 1. If there's no compounding, skip this step — your yield is the APR from step 3.

What this means practically: This five-step process takes about ten minutes with a block explorer and a calculator. Doing it once will permanently change how you read staking dashboards.

Staking providers have an incentive to show you the biggest number they can justify. Several common practices inflate the figure you see without technically lying.

• ›Assuming perfect compounding: Quoting APY when auto-compounding isn't offered, or when gas fees to restake would eat into your returns significantly
• ›Ignoring commission in the headline number: Showing the gross protocol rate, then mentioning their 10-15% cut in fine print
• ›Snapshot timing: Displaying the APY from a particularly profitable recent period rather than a trailing average
• ›Including token incentive programs: Some DeFi staking pools add bonus governance tokens on top of base yield, quoting a combined APY that only lasts while the incentive program runs — often weeks or months, not years
• ›Omitting inflation: A 5% staking APY on a token with 5% annual inflation means your real purchasing power gain is approximately zero

What this means practically: Treat every quoted APY as a marketing number until you've verified the inputs yourself.

The number that matters for your portfolio isn't the APY — it's the real yield, which accounts for inflation, fees, and the token's price change relative to what you'd otherwise hold.

• ›If a network inflates its token supply by 4% annually and staking APY is 6%, your real yield in token terms is roughly 2%
• ›If you're paying gas fees to claim and restake rewards, subtract those costs — on Ethereum mainnet this can meaningfully reduce returns on smaller positions
• ›If the token's USD price drops 30% while you earn 5% APY, your dollar-denominated return is deeply negative
• ›Liquid staking tokens (like stETH or mSOL) can solve the compounding and liquidity problem but introduce smart contract risk and may trade at a slight discount to the underlying asset

What this means practically: Staking yield is meaningful only after you subtract inflation and costs. A high APY on a high-inflation token can be worth less than a low APY on a low-inflation one.

• ›APY includes compounding; APR does not — and most native staking doesn't auto-compound, so you're often earning APR regardless of what the dashboard says
• ›Your reward rate is primarily determined by total network stake, protocol issuance rules, validator performance, and commission
• ›Quoted APYs routinely omit commission, assume ideal compounding, or include temporary incentive programs — verify the inputs yourself
• ›Real yield is APY minus inflation minus costs; that's the only number that reflects what you actually gain