Staking Rewards Calculator

How the staking rewards calculator works

Staking is the practice of locking up proof-of-stake tokens to help secure a blockchain network. In return, the protocol pays you new tokens as a reward — typically expressed as an annual percentage yield (APY). If you stake 10 ETH at 4% APY for one year, you end up with approximately 10.4 ETH. Stake longer, and compounding kicks in: each period’s rewards start earning their own rewards.

The calculator does three things at once. First, it computes how many tokens you’ll earn from the stated APY across your staking period, applying the compounding cadence you choose (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or no compounding for simple-interest protocols). Second, it interpolates token price linearly between your current price and your end-price assumption, showing how price movement affects your real fiat return. Third, it decomposes your total ROI into two pieces — staking yield and price effect — so you can see which part of your return came from staking vs which came from the market.

The compounding math uses a per-period rate derived from the stated APY: r_period = (1 + APY)^(1/n) − 1, where n is the compounding frequency. This is the standard formula every staking protocol publishes and matches reference calculators like ethereum.org and stakingrewards.com. Choosing “None — simple interest” treats the input as APR instead of APY: rewards accrue linearly without re-staking, which models a few specific protocols that pay out claims separately rather than auto-compounding.

APY vs APR — what’s the difference

This is the single biggest source of confusion in crypto staking. The two numbers measure the same thing but assume different compounding behavior, and protocols sometimes advertise whichever one looks higher.

APR (Annual Percentage Rate)

The raw annual rate before compounding. A 10% APR over one year on 100 tokens means you earn 10 tokens — period, no extra. If the rewards are auto-compounded, the actual annual yield is higher than 10%. If they’re not, 10 tokens is exactly what you get.

APY (Annual Percentage Yield)

The effective annual rate after compounding. APY answers the question: “if I leave rewards in to keep earning more rewards, what’s my real annual return?” A 10% APR compounded daily produces an APY of roughly 10.52%. The more frequent the compounding, the larger the gap between APR and APY.

Why this matters for staking

Most modern PoS protocols (Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, Cosmos) auto-compound rewards continuously — every block, every epoch, every few seconds. Their published yield is usually APY, which already accounts for this compounding. If a protocol publishes APR instead, you can use this calculator to convert: enter the APR as your APY input, set compounding to your protocol’s true cadence (daily for most), and the result shows what you’d actually earn — which is your effective APY.

How to interpret the results

The calculator returns six main numbers. Each one isolates a different aspect of your staking outcome.

Final portfolio value

What your entire position would be worth at the end of the staking period, valued at your end-price assumption. This is the headline number — but it only makes sense alongside your initial stake value, since the absolute size depends on how much you started with.

Initial stake value

Tokens staked multiplied by current token price. Your starting position in fiat terms. Useful as a reference point because total ROI is calculated against this number.

Total tokens earned

The new tokens generated by staking rewards, in token units. For 10 ETH staked at 4% APY for 2 years with monthly compounding, you’d earn roughly 0.83 ETH. This number is independent of token price — it’s the pure staking outcome.

Total ROI

Return on investment across the entire period, as a percentage. Combines staking yield and price change into one number. A flat token price gives you ROI equal to the cumulative APY effect. A 2x price gives you ROI roughly equal to staking yield plus 100%. A 50% price drop gives you ROI of staking yield minus 50% — often a net loss even with strong staking yields.

Staking rewards (fiat)

The dollar value of just the tokens you earned through staking, valued at your end-price. Isolates the pure staking contribution to your return. In a flat market this equals your total return. In a bull market it’s smaller than total return (price gains add on top). In a bear market it can still be positive in token terms but the fiat value drops with the broader price decline.

Price change effect

The fiat impact of the token price moving between start and end, applied to your initial stake only (not your earned rewards, which are already valued at end-price in the rewards-fiat metric above). This decomposition matters: it shows you whether your gains came from staking or from price appreciation, which is critical when judging whether the staking decision was actually a good one independent of market timing.

Assumptions and limitations

Real staking is messier than the calculator’s clean model. Understanding these limitations helps you use the results correctly.

• Constant APY assumption. Real staking yields fluctuate constantly. Ethereum’s APY moves with validator participation rates and network activity (currently 3–4%, historically 4–6%). Solana yields drift with inflation schedule and validator count. The calculator assumes the APY you enter holds steady for the entire period — in practice, plan for your actual APY to be 20–40% lower or higher than today’s quoted rate over multi-year horizons.
• Linear price path. Crypto prices don’t move in straight lines — they spike, dump, and chop sideways. The calculator interpolates linearly between your current and end prices. For real volatility modeling, run the same parameters with three end-price scenarios (bull, sideways, bear) and look at the range of outcomes.
• No validator commission or fees. Most stakers use validators, exchanges, or liquid staking services that take 5–25% of rewards as a commission. This calculator shows pre-commission yields. To model a real outcome, multiply the APY input by (1 − commission rate) before entering it — e.g. for Lido’s 10% take, enter 3.15% instead of 3.5% on ETH.
• No slashing. Proof-of-stake protocols can penalize validators that misbehave or go offline, costing a portion of staked tokens. For solo stakers this risk is small but real; for delegators using reputable services it’s near-zero. The calculator assumes zero slashing.
• No taxes. Staking rewards are taxed as income in most countries at the time received, and again as capital gains when sold. The calculator shows pre-tax results.
• No lockup or unbonding periods. Many protocols require a waiting period to unstake (Cosmos: 21 days; Polkadot: 28 days; Solana: 2–3 days; Ethereum has variable unbonding queues). During this time tokens are illiquid and don’t earn rewards. The calculator assumes instant liquidity at the end of the period.
• No protocol risk. Bugs, governance changes, validator exits, or chain forks can affect rewards or principal. The calculator assumes the protocol runs exactly as published.

Staking Rewards Calculator FAQ

What APY should I use for Ethereum?

As of mid-2026, ETH solo staking yields hover around 3–4% APY. Liquid staking via Lido, Rocket Pool, or similar typically yields slightly less after their commission (roughly 2.8–3.6%). Centralized exchange staking is usually lowest after exchange take (often 2–3%). For long-term projections, 3.5% is a reasonable middle-of-the-road assumption — but check current rates on stakingrewards.com or the protocol’s own dashboard before staking real funds.

What APY should I use for other chains?

Approximate ranges (mid-2026): Solana 6–8%, Cardano 3–4%, Cosmos 10–15%, Polkadot 10–13%, Avalanche 5–8%, Polygon 4–6%. Higher APYs almost always reflect higher inflation rather than higher real returns — if a protocol pays 15% APY but its total supply is inflating at 12% per year, your real yield is closer to 3%. Look up real yield (APY minus inflation) before getting excited about a high headline number.

Why is my actual ROI lower than the calculator shows?

Most likely a combination of: (1) validator or exchange commission you didn’t subtract from APY before entering, (2) yields that drifted lower during your staking period, (3) gas fees on actions like claiming or restaking, (4) taxes on rewards as income, (5) downward token price movement during the period. Real-world staking outcomes are often 30–60% lower than calculator projections for these reasons combined.

Should I use APY or APR?

Whichever number the protocol publishes is the one to enter. Most major chains publish APY (already includes auto-compounding). A few smaller chains and older DeFi protocols publish APR — for those, choose “None — simple interest” in the compounding dropdown, or enter the APR with the protocol’s actual compound frequency to see your effective APY.

Is staking risk-free income?

No. Staking is closer to “yield-bearing exposure to a volatile asset” than “risk-free income.” You’re still fully exposed to token price moves — a 50% crypto crash will far outweigh several years of staking rewards. Stake only the tokens you’d hold anyway, and treat staking yield as a small bonus on top of your long-term price thesis, not as the primary reason to own the token.

Does the calculator support liquid staking tokens (stETH, rETH, etc.)?

Yes — set the token symbol to “stETH” or whatever the liquid staking token is, enter the LST’s APY (typically the underlying staking APY minus the platform’s commission), and run the math. Note that LSTs introduce additional risks: smart contract bugs, depeg events from the underlying asset, and counterparty risk. The calculator doesn’t model these — it just runs the published-yield math.