Re: Delegating / Staking

FAQ regarding delegating or staking, claiming rewards, etc.
Written by Keplr Agent
Updated 1 year ago
  • Which validator should I delegate to?
    The best validator is subjective and ultimately up to you; however, here are some factors to consider:

    • The higher the self bonded ratio, higher the validator’s skin-in-the-game. This usually means that the validator has all the reasons to keep a fair attitude and the infrastructure secure.

    • Consider commission. Commission is something that depends on the validators, but usually it is 0-20%. This represents the payment that the validator asks for its service. Some validators are very active in the community and develop additional tools that support the network: this brings added value but also increases the operational cost of the team behind the validator. A suggestion would be to consider validators that are actively involved in the growth of the network which is a strong sign that they are using the commission to feed back into the network.
    Note: fees can change over time so we strongly suggest following your validators on their Telegram or Twitter channels to stay up to date on possible changes.

    • Learn about the validators. You can find more information about them on the Keplr dashboard ([stake] section, click on the [manage] button next to the validator name) or via an explorer like BigDipper, Mintscan, Hubble, Aneka, Secret Nodes and many others.

    ⚠️ It is important to remember that if the validator to which you have delegated your tokens is slashed, your tokens will also be slashed.
  • What are the risks associated with delegating?
    There is a possibility of your validator suffering a slash. This happens because of:

    1. Downtime, or going offline = 0.01% of the stake will slashed.
    2. Double Signing = 5% of the stake will slashed.

    We strongly recommend to inform yourself about the reputation of the validator to which you are going to delegate your tokens and to keep it monitored through official channels on Telegram and Twitter.
  • What does it mean when a validator is jailed?
    Validators are jailed for too much downtime or double signing blocks; this will freeze this validator until the validator takes manual action to resolve the issue(s). This is to further incentivize validator uptime and to protect funds from getting further slashed. 
  • What can I do if I've delegated to a jailed validator?
    Ultimately, it's up to validator to get themselves unjailed, but in the meantime you can try to redelegate to another validator. We recommend you select [low] fees and then manually raise the gas of the transaction in Keplr Wallet. This might take a couple tries and you'll need to keep increasing the gas until it goes through.  
  • How much staking rewards / APY can I expect by delegating?
    It depends on many variables, but can be approximately calculated using a reward calculator like the one offered by Staking Rewards: Cosmos Hub, Kava, Secret Network, Starname, Akash Network, Cyber Euler, IRIS Hub, e-Money, Persistence.

    Keep in mind, the staking rate can change as the amount of the asset staked increases or decreases.
  • How does Keplr wallet return staking data?
    Keplr uses the standard SDK API to return staking data. You can learn more about that here: Cosmos Network SDK
  • How often do rewards get paid out?
    Rewards are paid on a per-block basis. They accrue to your pending staking reward which you can claim using the 'Claim Staking Reward' transaction.
  • How often should I claim my rewards?
    There is no correct answer because this depends on too many factors, including how many tokens are in stake, transaction fees in that particular network, etc.
  • Do claimed rewards go through an unbonding period?
    No, the rewards will be sent directly into your available balance.
  • I forgot to claim my rewards before undelegating/re-delegating and now they're gone.
    Staking rewards are automatically claimed when you unbond or redelegate and added to your available balance.
  • I delegate to multiply validators. Can I claim my rewards at once?
    Yes, by pressing [Claim Rewards] on the DashBoard or in the [Stake] section of a particular network it is possible to claim all rewards at once.
  • How many times can I redelegate? What are some restrictions to redelegations?
    You can technically redelegate as many times as you'd like, but its only the first time you re-delegate from a validator to another that there will be no unbonding period. Please note that all the re-delegations after this first one must occur after the length of the unbonding period. 

    For example, on Cosmos Hub:
    Redelegate Validator A -> Validator B = instant
    Redelegate Validator B -> Validator C = must wait 21 days
    Redelegate Validator C -> Validator D = must wait 21 days...
    Unlike this, you can undelegate your tokens at any time but before they become available again, they will have to go through the 21-day unbonding period. 
  • I can't redelegate to another validator.
    There could be several reasons for this, but the main ones are:

    • There are not enough tokens in your available balance to cover the transaction fees
    • You have selected fees that are too low to make the transaction successful in that network
    • Your tokens are in an unbonding period; you have added new tokens to your starting validator less than 21 days ago
    • You have already re-delegated your tokens less than the unbonding period duration.
  • What is the unbonding period and how long does it take?
    Unbonding is an on-chain parameterized period of time upon which all the delegators must wait for their tokens to return fully available.

    It starts when you remove from the [staking] status your tokens and until the unbonding period has passed, the tokens are locked.

    The unbonding period lasts 21 days on Cosmos Hub, ensuring a variety of security measures in the specific network. This number might vary from chain to chain (Osmosis=14, Sentinel=28,...)

    Within the unbonding period, you will not be able to do any type of operation with your tokens and you will not receive staking rewards.

    You do not need to unbond your token to change the validator: instead, choose the [re-delegation] option available in the [Staking] section of Keplr Dashboard.
  • Why I am I forced to pay higher gas fees to claim and stake my rewards?
    Fees are set by the validators. Perhaps with more network traffic, the fees are higher. 

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