Stake SOL natively to a validator

Native staking lets you earn SOL rewards by delegating directly to a validator on Solana. Your SOL stays in a stake account under your control. It's never converted into another token or routed through a smart contract, and rewards are paid in SOL to that account. This differs from liquid staking with Phantom Staked SOL (PSOL), where your SOL is pooled and you receive a token in return.

Before you start

Native staking is generally safe. A few things to know first:

• Validator performance. If your validator goes offline or behaves poorly, you could miss out on rewards. In rare cases, a malicious validator could cause your rewards to be slashed.
• Lock-up period. Staked SOL is locked for at least one epoch (2 to 3 days). You can't use or sell it during this time.
• Smart contract risk. If you stake through a third-party interface rather than Phantom directly, a small risk of contract bugs exists.

To reduce risk: choose a reputable validator with strong uptime, stake only through trusted interfaces, and stay informed about Solana network updates.

Choose a validator

When you stake natively, you choose a validator to delegate to. Validators process transactions and help secure Solana. Your choice affects your rewards and the network's decentralization.

Use these tools to compare validators:

• validators.app: View metrics such as APY, commission, vote performance, and skip rate.
• topvalidators.app: Ranks validators by performance, trust signals, and user activity.

As you compare, weigh commission rate, uptime, consistent vote performance, and whether the validator supports decentralization. Avoid staking only with the largest validators. Spreading stake across the network helps keep Solana decentralized.

Stake SOL

1. Select SOL in your portfolio.
2. Select More → Stake SOL.
3. Select Native Staking.
4. Select a validator.
5. Enter the amount of SOL you want to stake.
6. Select Stake.

Your SOL moves into a stake account and begins activating. Once it's available, find it on the Solana token page under Your Stake. Rewards begin once the account becomes active, after 2 to 3 days.

Track your rewards

1. Select SOL in your portfolio.
2. Under Your Stake, select Other.
3. Select a stake account.
4. Under Last Reward, review the most recent reward for that account.

To view your full reward history by epoch, use solanabeach.io:

1. Go to solanabeach.io in your browser.
2. Enter your Solana address. To find it in Phantom, see Find your wallet address in Phantom.
3. Select Stake Accounts.
4. Select a stake account.
5. Select Stake Rewards to view rewards by epoch. To download your reward history, select Download CSV.

Unstake SOL

You can unstake anytime. Solana runs on epochs, which typically last 2 to 3 days. After you unstake, you can withdraw your SOL once the account becomes inactive.

1. Select SOL in your portfolio.
2. Under Your Stake, select Other.
3. Select the stake account you want to unstake from.
4. Select Unstake.

Withdraw SOL after unstaking

Unstaking doesn't return SOL to your wallet automatically. Once the account becomes inactive, withdraw it manually.

1. Select SOL in your portfolio.
2. Under Your Stake, select Other.
3. Select the inactive stake account you want to withdraw from.
4. Select Withdraw Stake.

Your SOL returns to your wallet within a few seconds, and the stake account closes automatically.

Stake account lifecycle

Your stake account moves through four states:

You can track the current epoch progress at solanabeach.io or explorer.solana.com.

Common issues

Stake isn't showing up

New stake accounts can take a few seconds to appear in your wallet. Refresh the token page and check the Your Stake section again.

Stake is still activating or deactivating

Solana uses epochs to manage stake timing. Changes take effect at the start of an epoch, which typically lasts 2 to 3 days. Activating stake becomes active at the start of the next epoch. Deactivating stake becomes inactive at the start of the next epoch. You can check epoch progress at solanabeach.io or explorer.solana.com.

I unstaked but my SOL isn't in my wallet

Unstaking doesn't return SOL to your wallet automatically. Once the account becomes inactive, withdraw it manually. Follow the steps in Withdraw SOL after unstaking.

FAQ

Can I add more SOL to my existing stake?

No. Once a stake account is created, you can't add more SOL to it. You have two options:

Create a new stake account

1. Select SOL in your portfolio.
2. Under Your Stake, select Other.
3. Select the + button in the upper right.
4. Select Native Staking.
5. Select the same validator, enter an amount, then select Stake.

Unstake and restake with a higher amount

1. Unstake your current stake account.
2. Wait for the stake to become inactive.
3. Withdraw SOL back to your wallet.
4. Stake again with the new total amount.