What to Expect When Staking SOL

Here's the complete journey your SOL will take:

1. Delegation Phase (Immediate)

• Create a stake account and delegate to a validator
• Transaction is processed immediately on-chain
• Your SOL is locked in the stake account

2. Activation/Warmup Period (1-2 epochs)

• Stake becomes "activating" at the next epoch boundary
• Full activation typically takes 1-2 epochs (2-4 days)
• You won't earn rewards during this warmup period

3. Active Staking (Ongoing)

• Once active, you earn rewards every epoch
• Rewards include inflation rewards and MEV rewards
• APR varies based on validator performance and network conditions
• Your stake auto-compounds (rewards are automatically staked)

4. Deactivation/Cooldown (1-2 epochs)

• When you undelegate, stake enters "deactivating" state
• Cooldown period similar to activation (1-2 epochs)
• You continue earning rewards during deactivation
• Cannot withdraw until fully deactivated

5. Withdrawal (Immediate after cooldown)

• Once deactivated, SOL can be withdrawn immediately
• Can withdraw to any wallet address
• Partial withdrawals possible using split operations

Key Timing Information

• Epoch Duration: ~2-3 days on Solana mainnet
• Activation Time: 1-2 epochs after delegation
• Deactivation Time: 1-2 epochs after undelegation
• Reward Distribution: Every epoch (automatic)