Crypto Staking Calculator
Turn an advertised APR into real tokens and dollars, after commission, compounding and price moves.
https://calculators.nirajiitr.com/finance/crypto-staking-calculator
How it works
Staking rewards are quoted as APR, the simple yearly rate. When rewards are restaked they earn rewards of their own, which lifts the effective yield, or APY. Commission comes off first: a validator or exchange keeps its cut of every reward before any compounding happens. The token count is only half the story, because the rewards arrive in the token itself. Their dollar value moves with the price, and a 10% price move outweighs a year of 3–5% staking yield.
net APR = APR × (1 − commission)
end tokens = tokens × (1 + net APR / n)^(n × years)- APR
- Annual percentage rate, with no compounding
- APY
- Annual percentage yield, with rewards restaked
- n
- Restakes per year: 365 daily, 52 weekly, 12 monthly
- commission
- The validator's or platform's share of rewards
Worked example
32 ETH staked at $3,200 with a 3.5% APR and a 10% commission, restaked daily for a year.
- 1Net APR: 3.5% × (1 − 0.10) = 3.15%
- 2APY with daily restaking: (1 + 0.0315/365)^365 − 1 = 3.20%
- 3Tokens after a year: 32 × 1.0320 = 33.024 ETH
- 4Rewards: 1.024 ETH, worth $3,277 at an unchanged price
The stake grows from $102,400 to about $105,677 if the price holds. A 10% price drop would leave it near $95,100 despite the rewards.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between staking APR and APY?
APR is the plain yearly rate. APY includes compounding, which is what you earn if rewards are restaked and start earning too. The gap is small at typical staking rates: 3.15% APR restaked daily is 3.20% APY. It grows at higher rates, where 20% APR compounded daily is about 22.1% APY.
Are staking rewards taxed?
In the US, the IRS treats staking rewards as ordinary income when you gain control of them, valued at the market price that day. When you later sell or swap those tokens, the change in value since then is a capital gain or loss. Other countries differ. Keep a record of each reward's date and value, since exchanges do not always report it.
Why does my actual yield differ from the advertised rate?
On proof-of-stake networks the rate floats. It falls as more tokens are staked network-wide and rises with transaction fees and MEV. Commission, validator downtime, and time spent in activation and unbonding queues all eat into it. Exchanges often quote a rate that already has their fee removed, so check before subtracting commission twice.
What are the risks of staking?
The biggest is price: rewards are paid in the token, so a falling price can wipe out years of yield. Beyond that, slashing penalises validators that misbehave or double-sign. Lockup and unbonding periods can stop you selling during a crash. And custodial platforms can pause withdrawals or fail, as several lenders did in 2022.