🍃Flow SRB

Learn how Flow staking rewards are calculated. FLOWSRB formula covers epoch payout, total staked FLOW, and weekly epoch-based reward distribution.

FLOWSRB is a benchmark representing the mean, annualized staking rate across all active Flow validators.

FLOWSRB is calculated and published by Staking Rewards via the Flow Profile and Data API.

TL;DR: Flow staking rewards come from epoch-based payouts distributed approximately weekly (52 epochs per year). The reward rate equals the epoch payout divided by total staked FLOW, annualized. Validator-level rates are adjusted by a protocol-level reward cut.

FLOWSRB = (ep / st) * ey

Formula key

Metric name

Description

Epoch Payout

Total FLOW tokens distributed as staking rewards per epoch, read from the FlowIDTableStaking contract's getEpochTokenPayout()

Staked Tokens

Sum of all FLOW staked by all participants in the network, read from FlowIDTableStaking.getTotalStaked()

Epochs per Year

Number of epochs per year (52, as Flow epochs are approximately weekly)

FLOWSRB is non-compounded: it excludes returns from reinvestment of rewards.
FLOWSRB includes both claimed and unclaimed rewards.
Flow uses an epoch-based reward distribution model. Rewards are distributed at the end of each epoch (~7 days).

Slashing

FLOWSRB does not factor in the possibility of slashing occurrences.
Flow does not currently implement slashing. Validators who fail to meet uptime requirements may have their rewards reduced but are not slashed.

FLOW Validators Staking Reward Rate: FLOWSRB(v)

Staking Rewards calculates the FLOWSRB for each validator based on the protocol-level commission rate (reward cut).

FLOWSRB(v) = FLOWSRB * (1 - rc)

Formula key

Metric name

Description

Reward Cut

The protocol-level reward cut percentage that node operators receive from delegator rewards, read from FlowIDTableStaking.getRewardCutPercentage(). Currently set at 8%.

Note: Flow uses a protocol-level commission (reward cut) that applies uniformly to all validators. Individual validators cannot set custom commission rates. Access nodes (role 5) do not earn staking rewards.

Observation Period:

The FLOWSRB is determined based on the latest epoch data at the point of evaluation.
This data is then annualized for a comprehensive year-long projection.

Calculation

The calculation happens every 2 hours and is immediately published via Data API.

Limitations

FLOWSRB excludes rewards accrued from on-chain transaction fees.
FLOWSRB employs a 365-day convention for annualizing current epoch times. This convention remains consistent and does not accommodate adjustments for leap years.
Access nodes (role 5) are included in the validator count but do not earn staking rewards.

FLOW Real Reward Rate: FLOWSRB^R

The real reward rate calculates the FLOWSRB adjusted for inflation in the network.

FLOWSRB^R = (1 + FLOWSRB) / (1 + ir) - 1

Formula key

Metric name

Description

Inflation Rate

The annualized inflation rate, calculated as (ep * ey) / ts, where ep is the epoch payout, ey is epochs per year, and ts is the total supply from the FlowToken contract.

Inflation Rate Behavior

Flow's inflation is determined by the epoch token payout set by the protocol. The epoch payout is a governance-controlled parameter that determines how many new FLOW tokens are minted each epoch as staking rewards.
The current inflation rate is approximately 4.9% annually based on the epoch payout relative to total supply.