Top up a validator
A top-up adds ETH to an existing validator. A validator’s rewards are proportional to its effective balance: a whole number of ETH, capped at the validator's maximum, that follows its actual balance. Top up when:
- The balance dropped after downtime penalties. Once the effective balance falls a step, every reward is smaller until you add ETH back. A validator whose effective balance reaches 16 ETH is exited automatically.
- You want a compounding (
0x02) validator to earn more. It can hold up to 2048 ETH, so a top-up grows its rewards without running another validator.
Like a first deposit, it goes to the deposit contract: use only the official Staking Launchpad.
Like a first deposit, it goes to the deposit contract: use only the official EthStaker console.
How much to add
- A regular (
0x01) validator counts at most 32 ETH. The automatic withdrawal sweep sends anything above 32 ETH to its withdrawal address, usually within a few days. Top up only if the balance fell below 32 ETH. - A compounding (
0x02) validator counts at most 2048 ETH. The automatic withdrawal sweep sends anything above 2048 ETH to its withdrawal address, usually within a few days. Top up only if the balance is below 2048 ETH.
Add ETH
To add ETH to an existing validator (at least 1 ETH), open Validator actions on the launchpad (https://launchpad.ethereum.org/en/validator-actions), connect your wallet, pick the validator, and choose Add funds.
To add ETH to an existing validator (at least 1 ETH), open the Top-Up page of the console (https://hoodi.console.ethstaker.org/topup), connect your wallet, pick the validator, and enter the amount.