Flexible Staking allows you to earn rewards on eligible assets held in your portfolio. Unlike Boosted Staking, there is no lock-up period; you can trade, sell, spend with your Uphold card or withdraw your funds at any time.
How to earn rewards
To earn rewards on your portfolio, you must manage your Flexible Staking enrollment status.
- Open Flexible Staking through one of the following three methods:
- Tap the Flexible Staking banner on your portfolio dashboard.
- Tap the Staking icon at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the More (...) icon, then select Staking.
- Locate the Flexible Staking toggle to set your preference:
- To opt in: Switch the toggle to on. This automatically enables rewards for all eligible assets in your portfolio.
- To opt out: Switch the toggle to off. This instantly stops the reward accrual for your entire flexible staking eligible portfolio.
| Can I choose which assets to stake? | No. You cannot choose which eligible assets to stake. To exclude a specific asset, you would need to turn the feature off for the whole account. |
|---|---|
| Is there a minimum amount to start? | No. Unlike Boosted Staking, there is no minimum balance required to start earning Flexible rewards. |
| Why is the rate different from Boosted? | Flexible Staking offers instant liquidity (no lock-up), which typically results in a lower reward rate than Boosted Staking. |
How to opt-out
You can stop earning rewards at any time.
- Go to the Staking section.
- Toggle Flexible Staking to Off.
This will stop reward accrual for your entire portfolio instantly.
Moving from Boosted to Flexible Staking
If you want to move assets from Boosted Staking to Flexible Staking, the process is automatic once your assets are unstaked.
- Unstake your asset.
- Your asset will go through a cool-down period (the length depends on the specific asset).
- Once the unbonding period finishes, your asset returns to your portfolio.
- If you already have Flexible Staking toggled on, your asset will automatically start earning flexible rewards the moment it arrives. You don't need to do anything else.
| Do I need to enable staking again after unstaking? | No. If the Flexible Staking setting is already on, any assets returning to your portfolio from a Boosted state will start earning automatically. |
|---|---|
| Why am I not earning rewards during the cool-down? | This is a network requirement. Assets do not earn rewards while they are being unstaked (unbonding). |
| How do I know if I'm earning? | Tap the Staking icon. If the Flexible Staking shows "Enabled," every eligible asset in your portfolio, including recently unstaked ones, is earning rewards. |
Can I use both Flexible and Boosted Staking?
Yes. You can earn rewards on the same asset using both programs at the same time. This allows you to earn a higher rate on your long-term holdings while keeping some of your crypto ready to trade.
| Boosted Staking | Flexible Staking |
|---|---|
| This is for the specific amount you choose to "stake" and lock away. These funds are moved to a separate staking balance to earn a higher reward rate. | This covers the remaining balance of that asset in your Uphold portfolio. As long as the Flexible Staking setting is toggled on, these funds earn rewards while remaining fully available for you to trade or spend. |
If you have 10 SOL:
- You can put 7 SOL into Boosted Staking to maximize your rewards.
- You keep 3 SOL in your portfolio. Because Flexible Staking is enabled, those 3 SOL will also earn rewards automatically, but you can sell them whenever you want.
When are rewards paid out?
Rewards are calculated daily based on the balance of eligible assets held in your account. These daily earnings are then aggregated and delivered to your account every Thursday for the previous week’s activity.
How it works:
- Each day, we verify your eligible balance to determine that day's reward portion.
- Total rewards accrued from Monday to Sunday are paid out the following Thursday.
What happens if I sell my crypto?
You don't need to turn off Flexible Staking to sell your crypto.
- If you sell mid-week: You will still receive rewards for the days you held the asset. Rewards are calculated daily, so you only earn for the time the crypto was in your portfolio.
- If you buy more: Your rewards will automatically increase starting from the next daily snapshot.
Are rewards taxable?
Yes. In most jurisdictions, staking rewards are considered taxable income at the time they are received.
- You can download your full Transaction History from the Account Center to help with your tax reporting.
- In the US, Uphold provides tax documents, like the 1099-MISC, if you meet the minimum earning thresholds.
Is Flexible Staking available in my region?
If flexible staking is available in your region, you’ll see the feature in your app. It isn’t available in the following regions:
- United Kingdom;
- European Economic Area;
- Switzerland;
- Australia;
- Cyprus;
- Singapore;
- South Africa;
- US: California, Louisiana, Washington State and American Samoa; and
- Any jurisdictions where Uphold services are restricted.