Polygon Staking: How It Works, Rewards and Risks

Last updated: October 12, 2026.

Polygon staking is how POL holders delegate their tokens to a validator that secures the Polygon PoS chain, earning a share of network rewards. You do it from an Ethereum wallet on the official Polygon Staking dashboard, through Polygon’s liquid staking token sPOL, or with one click on an exchange.

Below: how it works after the MATIC to POL upgrade, the three ways to stake, real reward data, unbonding, risks and steps. New to the idea? Start with our explainer on what staking in crypto means.

What Is Polygon Staking?

Polygon PoS is a proof-of-stake network. Instead of miners, a set of validators stake POL to produce blocks and submit “checkpoints” of the chain to Ethereum. Polygon’s staking manager documentation says the system allows a maximum of 105 active validators at a time, and the official validator dashboard showed 104 active validators, about 3.49 billion POL staked and more than 27,000 delegators when we checked on October 12, 2026.

Most people do not run a validator. Polygon’s delegation guide says becoming a validator requires staking at least 10,000 POL and going through an admissions process. Everyone else can be a delegator: you assign your POL to a validator you choose, the validator does the technical work, and you share in its rewards minus its commission.

MATIC vs POL: Which Token Do You Stake?

You stake POL. On September 4, 2024, Polygon upgraded MATIC to POL at a 1:1 ratio, and POL became the gas and staking token of Polygon PoS. MATIC that was already staked was converted to POL automatically.

If you still hold old MATIC on Ethereum, Polygon recommends migrating it to POL through the Polygon Portal. The delegation docs say you can still delegate MATIC, but rewards are paid in POL. Coinbase still lists it as “MATIC (POL)” on its staking page. On market sites like CoinGecko, look for “POL (ex-MATIC)” or “Polygon Ecosystem Token.”

How Polygon Staking Works

A few details make Polygon different from staking on other networks:

• Staking happens on Ethereum, not on Polygon. Polygon’s staking contracts live on Ethereum mainnet. The docs say your POL must be in an Ethereum wallet, and you pay gas in ETH. Tokens sitting on the Polygon PoS chain cannot be delegated until you move them to Ethereum.
• Rewards are paid at each checkpoint. When a validator submits a checkpoint to Ethereum, rewards are split among validators and delegators based on their share of total stake.
• You get validator shares. According to the delegation contract docs, delegating mints validator-specific share tokens that track your stake and rewards.
• You can claim or restake. Rewards can be withdrawn to your wallet or restaked to compound. The docs say you need at least 2 POL in rewards to withdraw or restake.
• You can move stake. Switching validators is a single transaction with no unbonding wait.

3 Ways to Stake POL

1. Native delegation (your wallet, your validator)

Connect a wallet such as MetaMask (hardware wallets are supported through MetaMask) to staking.polygon.technology, pick a validator and delegate. You keep control of your keys, choose your validator, and pay that validator’s commission. Polygon says there is no minimum stake, though you can start with 1 POL. The trade-offs are Ethereum gas fees and an unbonding wait when you leave.

2. sPOL, Polygon’s liquid staking token

On April 14, 2026, Polygon Labs launched sPOL, its native liquid staking token. You deposit POL and receive sPOL, an ERC-20 token whose exchange rate against POL rises as rewards build up. Per the sPOL docs, the pool delegates to a curated mix of validators picked by Polygon Labs, and rewards include standard staking rewards plus a share of priority fees. You can exit by selling sPOL on a supporting exchange or DeFi pool, or by redeeming it through the interface with the same withdrawal delay as regular staking.

The docs list the official Ethereum mainnet contract as 0x3B790d651e950497c7723D47B24E6f61534f7969. Always double-check it before interacting, since fake tokens copy popular names. For how liquid staking tokens work in general, see our liquid staking guide.

Note: Lido’s older stMATIC product is no longer an option. Lido stopped accepting new Polygon stake on December 16, 2024, and stMATIC holders now have to withdraw through explorer tools.

3. Exchange staking

Exchanges handle everything for you, but they hold your coins and take a cut. Coinbase Help lists MATIC (POL) staking with no minimum balance, rewards every 5 days and an estimated unstaking wait of about 8 days, with an optional instant unstake for a fee. Kraken’s POL staking page offers flexible and bonded options with a 3-day bonded period and weekly payouts. Availability depends on where you live in the US or Canada, so check your account’s Earn or Staking tab.

Method	Who holds your POL	Exit	Main cost
Native delegation	You (self-custody)	Unbonding period	Validator commission + ETH gas
sPOL	You hold sPOL; pool holds POL	Sell sPOL now, or redeem with delay	Smart contract risk, gas
Exchange	The exchange	Platform unstaking wait (or fee)	Exchange commission

Polygon Staking Rewards: What to Expect

Rewards come mainly from new POL issued by the protocol, plus transaction fees. Under PIP-26, validator reward emissions stepped down from 2% to 1.5% and then to 1% of supply a year starting in July 2025. Because that pool is shared, your rate falls when more POL is staked and rises when less is.

Some recent data points (rates change constantly, so check live figures before you stake):

• The third-party tracker POLTRACK showed a 30-day POL staking APR of about 4.24% before validator commission, using data through October 11, 2026.
• Kraken’s POL page showed 3.56% APY for bonded staking and 1.76% APY for flexible staking on October 12, 2026.
• The official validator dashboard showed an average validator commission of 6.93%.

Commission is taken from rewards, not from your principal. At a 10% commission, a 4% gross rate becomes roughly 3.6% before gas fees. Also remember that rewards are paid in POL. If the POL price falls, your dollar value can drop even while your token count grows.

Unbonding: How Long to Get Your POL Back

When you unbond from a validator, your rewards are sent to your wallet right away, but your staked POL stays locked for an unbonding period. Polygon’s developer docs put this at 80 checkpoints, with checkpoints delayed at times by Ethereum congestion. A Polygon support article last updated in April 2025 says 82 checkpoints, about 3–4 days. In practice, plan on waiting a few days. You stop earning rewards once you unbond, and after the wait you must click Claim Stake to get your POL back.

Exchanges add processing time, which is why Coinbase estimates about 8 days. With sPOL, you can skip the wait by selling the token at market price, which may sit slightly below redemption value.

How to Stake POL on the Official Dashboard

1. Get POL on Ethereum. Buy POL on an exchange and withdraw it to your own crypto wallet on the Ethereum network, or migrate old MATIC to POL.
2. Keep ETH for gas. Delegating takes two transactions (approve, then delegate). Polygon’s FAQ suggests keeping roughly 0.05–0.1 ETH to be safe.
3. Open the dashboard. Go to staking.polygon.technology and connect your wallet on Ethereum mainnet. Type the address yourself; fake staking sites copy it.
4. Pick a validator. Compare commission, uptime and health on the validator list. A validator with 100% commission keeps all rewards, so avoid those.
5. Delegate. Choose POL, enter the amount, approve and confirm. After about 12 block confirmations, your stake shows under My Account.
6. Manage rewards. Use Withdraw Rewards or Restake Reward when you have at least 2 POL in rewards and the gas cost makes sense.

Risks of Polygon Staking

• Price risk. A 4% yield will not offset a 30% price drop.
• Validator risk. If your validator misses checkpoints or goes offline, you earn less, and validators can raise commission. Check validator health regularly or move your stake.
• Penalties. Like most proof-of-stake networks, Polygon’s design includes penalties for validator misconduct. Read the current docs and choose reputable, well-run validators.
• Lockup risk. You cannot sell natively staked POL during the multi-day unbonding window.
• Smart contract and platform risk. sPOL depends on smart contracts, and exchanges can freeze accounts or change terms.
• Gas costs. Because staking runs on Ethereum, gas can eat up rewards on small amounts. Exchange staking may make more sense if you hold only a little POL.

Taxes in the US and Canada

In the US, the IRS treats staking rewards as income when you gain control of them. In Canada, the CRA generally treats rewards as income or business income depending on your situation. Our crypto staking taxes guide covers both countries in more detail.

This article is for education only and is not financial, investment or tax advice. Staking involves risk, including loss of value. Do your own research before staking.

FAQ

Can I still stake MATIC?

Polygon recommends migrating MATIC to POL first. The docs say MATIC can still be delegated on the dashboard, but rewards are paid in POL.

What is the minimum amount for Polygon staking?

Polygon says there is no minimum to delegate, and you can start with 1 POL. Running your own validator requires at least 10,000 POL plus admission.

Is Polygon staking safe?

The protocol has run since 2020, but no staking is risk-free. The main risks are price drops, validator performance, smart contract bugs and phishing.

How does Polygon staking compare with Ethereum staking?

Both reward you for securing a proof-of-stake chain. Ethereum’s exit queues can take longer, while Polygon unbonding usually takes a few days. Read our guide on how to stake Ethereum to compare.

Sources

• Polygon Docs: Delegate tokens
• Polygon Docs: sPOL
• Polygon Docs: Staking manager
• Polygon: MATIC to POL migration is live
• Polygon: Launching sPOL
• PIP-26: Transition from MATIC to POL validator rewards
• Polygon Validator Dashboard
• Coinbase Help: Earn rewards with staking
• Kraken: POL staking
• Lido Help: Sunsetting Lido on Polygon
• POLTRACK: POL staking APR