# How to stake PRL Staking PRL gives you two things: a share of the fees the protocol generates, and voting power in Parallel governance. There are two ways to stake, single-sided as sPRL1 or through the PRL/wETH Balancer pool as sPRL2. This guide explains both options, the epoch and ParaBoost mechanics behind them, the steps in the app, how rewards are paid, and how unstaking works. ## The two staking options | | sPRL1 | sPRL2 | | --- | ----- | ----- | | What you stake | PRL only | The 80/20 PRL/wETH Balancer pool token (BPT) | | Exposure | PRL price only | PRL and wETH, with the impermanent loss of a liquidity position | | ParaBoost weight | 1x on the dollar value staked | 2.5x on the dollar value staked | | Voting power | 1 PRL = 1 vote | Boosted, through the 2.5x ParaBoost weight | | Under the hood | PRL held in the sPRL1 contract | BPT held in the sPRL2 v2 vault | | Unstaking | 28-day cooldown on Ethereum and Base, or early exit with a penalty | 28-day cooldown, or early exit with a penalty | | Best for | Holders who want governance rights without liquidity risk | Holders who want the maximum weight and are willing to provide PRL liquidity | Both sPRL1 and sPRL2 are transferable ERC-20 tokens. Transferring them resets the ParaBoost attached to them, so keep them in the wallet that staked. ### Where you can stake sPRL1 and sPRL2 take new stakes on Ethereum and Base. The [PRL contract addresses](/developers-hub/contract-addresses/parallel-v3/prl) page lists the live contracts per chain. If your PRL sits on another chain, [bridge it](/resources/user-guides/bridge) first. sPRL1 on Polygon PoS and Sonic is being sunset (PIP-68): the app shows a notice there and no longer lets you stake, but you can still unstake and withdraw, with a one-day cooldown and no penalty. If you still hold sPRL2 from the first vault on Ethereum, now paused, the app's **Stake Legacy** page moves it to sPRL2 v2 without penalty: an approval, then one migration transaction. See [Legacy sPRL2 and PAR rewards](#legacy-sprl2-and-par-rewards). ## Epochs and ParaBoost An **epoch** is one calendar month in the PRL tokenomics, so it runs 28 to 31 days depending on the month. It sets two things: the window over which ParaBoost is computed, and the schedule on which fees are shared with stakers. The unstaking cooldown is not an epoch; it is a separate, fixed 28 days on Ethereum and Base. See the [epoch concept](/governance/parallel-governance-token-prl/tokenomics/epoch-concept). **ParaBoost** is the score that decides how much of the fee distribution you receive and how much voting power you hold. It is based on the dollar value of your sPRL1 and sPRL2, with sPRL2 counted 2.5 times, and it accumulates while you stay staked. At the end of each epoch a keeper (Cooper Labs) computes every staker's ParaBoost off-chain and publishes a Merkle root to the reward distributor contract, which is what you claim against. The current version is deliberately simple, and tokenomics v2.1 (PIP-68) kept the same rules. Read [ParaBoost](/governance/parallel-governance-token-prl/tokenomics/paraboost) for the design. Two actions reset ParaBoost: transferring your sPRL, and unstaking. The MCP server and the app warn you before either (`PARABOOST_LOST` on an unstake, `PARABOOST_LOCK` on a stake); see [how transactions work](/agents/mcp/transactions). ## Before you start * PRL in your wallet on Ethereum or Base. PRL trades on DEXs and bridges from Polygon PoS, Sonic, Arbitrum and Optimism. * Enough ETH on that chain for gas. * For sPRL2: ETH or wETH as well, for the 20% side of the 80/20 PRL/wETH Balancer pool, unless you already hold the pool token (see below). * A wallet that supports the chain. The app connects through WalletConnect or Coinbase Wallet, so any wallet that supports WalletConnect works. ## Stake as sPRL1 1. Open [app.parallel.best/stake](https://app.parallel.best/stake). 2. Connect your wallet and switch it to the chain you want to stake on. 3. Choose the **Single Pool** tab (100% PRL, which mints sPRL1) and the **Stake** action. 4. Enter the amount of PRL. 5. Sign the permit when the app asks for one (**Sign Permit**): a signature, not a transaction. From a smart-contract wallet such as a Safe, the app asks you to approve PRL instead (**Approve PRL**). 6. Click **Stake PRL** and confirm the transaction. Your sPRL1 balance appears in the same wallet. It starts accruing ParaBoost from the current epoch. ## Stake as sPRL2 sPRL2 is minted against the Balancer pool token of the 80/20 PRL/wETH pool. There are two ways to get there. **Deposit the pool token yourself** 1. Join the 80/20 PRL/wETH pool on Balancer with PRL and wETH (or a single asset, if the pool allows it). You receive the pool token (BPT). 2. Open [app.parallel.best/stake](https://app.parallel.best/stake) and choose the **Multiple Assets Pool** tab (80% PRL and 20% ETH, which mints sPRL2) and the **Stake BPT** action. 3. Enter the amount of BPT, approve it the first time (**Approve BPT**), then click **Stake BPT** and confirm. **Let the app build the position** The sPRL2 v2 vault accepts either the BPT, or PRL with ETH or wETH (the MCP `stake` tool takes BPT, or PRL and wETH). In the app, the **Stake** action of the Multiple Assets Pool tab takes the second path: in one transaction, the vault adds PRL and ETH (or wETH) to the pool in its 80/20 proportion, keeps the resulting BPT and mints your sPRL2, and returns what the pool did not take. In both cases the vault holds the BPT itself; it is not staked anywhere else. Your reward is the 2.5x ParaBoost weight. ## Rewards * **What you earn:** a share of the protocol's fees, paid in USDp and split between stakers according to their ParaBoost at the end of each epoch. The [fee distribution](/governance/parallel-governance-token-prl/tokenomics/fee-distribution) page describes the mechanism, and why an epoch can distribute nothing. * **When:** once per epoch, after the keeper publishes the Merkle root. Rewards from the epoch you stake in are claimable after that epoch ends. * **Where:** on Base, regardless of the chain you staked on. Rewards from the epochs published before the move to Base are paid in PAR and claimed on Polygon PoS. * **Claim window:** set on-chain for each epoch when it is published. PIP-68 sets 6 epochs, about six months, as the target, and every epoch published so far can be claimed for 365 days. Unclaimed rewards return to the DAO Treasury when an epoch's window ends, so claiming within six months is safe. To claim in the app, open the **Stake** page, find **Available Rewards** and click **Claim Rewards**: the panel lists your epochs, and **Claim rewards** claims the USDp on Base in one transaction. That card shows Base only; PAR from the earlier epochs is claimed on the Stake Legacy page (see [below](#legacy-sprl2-and-par-rewards)). The [`claim_rewards`](/agents/mcp/tools) MCP tool, on the other hand, covers both chains in one call: it builds the claim on Base, plus one on Polygon PoS while legacy rewards remain. ## Legacy sPRL2 and PAR rewards Positions and rewards from before Tokenomics v2.1 have their own page in the app, **Stake Legacy** ([app.parallel.best/stake-legacy](https://app.parallel.best/stake-legacy)). When your wallet still holds sPRL2 from the first vault or has PAR left to claim, the Stake page shows a banner, "Looking for your legacy sPRL2 or old rewards?", with a **Go to Stake Legacy** button. * **Migrate sPRL2 from the first vault.** The migration runs on Ethereum and moves your whole balance to sPRL2 v2, without penalty, in two transactions: approve the migrator to spend your sPRL2 (**Approve sPRL2**), then **Migrate sPRL2**, a single call to the `sPRL2Migrator`. If an unstake of that sPRL2 is pending, the page asks you to cancel it first (**Cancel Unstake**), so that it migrates too. * **Claim PAR rewards.** The page's **Available Rewards** card shows the PAR left from the epochs published on Polygon PoS before the move to Base. **Claim Rewards** opens the list of epochs, and **Claim rewards** claims them on Polygon PoS. ## Unstaking Unstaking is a two-step process for both sPRL1 and sPRL2: 1. **Start the cooldown.** On the Stake page, click **Unstake**, enter the amount and confirm. This opens a fixed 28-day cooldown on Ethereum and Base, or a one-day cooldown on the sunset Polygon and Sonic deployments. During the cooldown the tokens stay locked and your ParaBoost is reset. 2. **Withdraw.** Once the cooldown has matured, come back to the Stake page and withdraw. You receive PRL (sPRL1) or BPT (sPRL2). **Early exit.** On Ethereum and Base, you can skip the remaining cooldown by paying a penalty taken from the amount you unstake. The penalty starts at 50% and decreases linearly as the cooldown progresses. On Ethereum's sPRL1 vault it is burned; on the other vaults it goes to the Protocol & DAO Treasury multisig. The app shows the exact penalty before you confirm, and the MCP server flags it as `EARLY_UNSTAKE_PENALTY`. :::warning On Ethereum and Base, an early exit right after you start the cooldown costs up to half of your stake. Unless you need the tokens now, let the cooldown run its 28 days. ::: ## Voting power and delegation sPRL1 and sPRL2 carry the voting power in Parallel governance, weighted by your ParaBoost of the previous epoch. sPRL1 counts one vote per PRL; sPRL2 is weighted 2.5 times on its dollar value. Votes happen on Snapshot; proposals need 100,000 sPRL (ParaBoost) to be published, and quorums range from 100,000 sPRL for integration requests to 300,000 sPRL for protocol improvements. See the [proposal framework](/governance/proposal-framework). You can delegate your voting power without moving your tokens: on the Stake page, the **Your Votes** block shows your votes, your delegated votes and who you are delegating to; click **Set Delegate** and enter an address (your own to keep the votes yourself). Delegation only affects Snapshot votes; you keep your sPRL, your ParaBoost and your rewards. :::tip Stake before a vote's snapshot is taken. PRL that is not staked at the snapshot block does not count. ::: ## FAQ **Which should I choose, sPRL1 or sPRL2?** sPRL1 if you want governance rights and fee rewards without exposure to wETH or impermanent loss. sPRL2 if you want the 2.5x ParaBoost weight and are comfortable holding an 80/20 PRL/wETH liquidity position. Both can be unstaked after a 28-day cooldown on Ethereum and Base. **How long is an epoch, and is the unstaking cooldown the same thing?** An epoch is one calendar month, so 28 to 31 days depending on the month. Epochs set the ParaBoost calculation window and the fee distribution schedule. The unstaking cooldown is separate and fixed at 28 days on Ethereum and Base. **What happens to my ParaBoost if I transfer my sPRL?** It resets to zero for the transferred tokens, and so does the voting power attached to them. Keep sPRL1 and sPRL2 in the wallet that staked, and use delegation if you want someone else to vote with your weight. **Can I unstake without waiting the 28 days?** On Ethereum and Base, yes, by paying an early-exit penalty that starts at 50% of the amount and decreases linearly over the cooldown. On Ethereum's sPRL1 vault the penalty is burned; on the other vaults it goes to the Protocol & DAO Treasury multisig. The app shows the exact amount before you confirm. On the sunset Polygon and Sonic deployments and the paused sPRL2 v1 vault, the cooldown is one day, without penalty. **Do I lose rewards I have not claimed yet?** Only once the epoch's claim window ends: its unclaimed rewards then return to the DAO Treasury. Each window is set on-chain when the epoch is published; PIP-68 sets 6 epochs, about six months, as the target, and every epoch published so far can be claimed for 365 days. Claiming at least every six months is safe. ## Next steps * [How to bridge USDp and PRL](/resources/user-guides/bridge): bring PRL to a staking chain. * [Staking mechanisms](/governance/parallel-governance-token-prl/tokenomics/staking-mechanisms): the full description of sPRL1 and sPRL2. * [sPRL and voting power](/governance/sprl): how staking translates into governance weight. * [Governance process](/governance/governance-process): how to use your votes once you hold sPRL.