How to unstake crypto: complete guide to withdrawing staked assets

Unstaking crypto (sometimes called "undelegating" or "deactivating") is the process of removing your tokens from a blockchain's proof-of-stake protocol so they become liquid again.

While the end result is always the same, getting your tokens back into a transferable state, the path there depends on which asset you hold, which platform you used to stake your crypto, and whether you chose a bonded or flexible staking product.

Before you click the unstake button, there are four key elements worth checking.

• Unbonding period. Most proof-of-stake blockchains enforce a cooldown after you request an unstake. During this window, your tokens are locked: you cannot trade them, transfer them, or earn rewards on them. Ethereum validator exits take roughly 1 to 5 days under normal conditions, according to Coinbase, though congestion can extend that. Polkadot's unbonding period was 28 days for years, though as of May 2026 the protocol reduced it to approximately 24–48 hours under its tokenomics overhaul. Cosmos (ATOM) still enforces a fixed 21-day unbonding period. Cardano has no cooldown at all; ADA unstaking takes effect immediately.

• Platform product type. If you staked through a centralized exchange, check whether you're in a bonded or flexible product. Bonded products follow the blockchain's native unbonding schedule. Flexible products let you exit without a wait, but typically pay lower reward rates because the platform keeps a portion of your balance unstaked to provide liquidity.

• Opportunity cost. No rewards accrue during unbonding. If you unstake 10 SOL earning 6% APR and the cooldown lasts three days, you forgo roughly three days of rewards, a small cost in isolation but worth factoring in if you're unstaking a large position or doing it frequently.

• Tax events. In many jurisdictions, unstaking may trigger a taxable event, and the rewards you earned during staking are often treated as income at the time they were received. More on this in the tax section below. For a broader overview of how staking rewards interact with tax obligations, see the crypto tax guide.

Kraken supports both bonded and flexible crypto staking across more than 20 assets. The unstaking process is the same regardless of which asset you hold. There are no transaction fees for staking or unstaking on Kraken.

On Kraken Pro (web):

1. Sign in to your Kraken Pro account and navigate to the Earn section from the left-hand menu.

2. Locate the asset you want to unstake. Click the three-dot menu to the right of the asset's row.

3. Select Unstake from the dropdown.

4. Enter the amount you want to unstake and click Unstake.

5. Review the details and click Confirm.

6. A new entry will appear under the Pending section of your Earn page. For bonded products, this entry shows the estimated date your assets will become available and the remaining time in the unbonding period.

On the Kraken Pro mobile app:

1. Tap the Portfolio icon at the bottom of the screen, then tap your Earn (Total Rewards) wallet.

2. Select the asset you want to unstake.

3. Tap the Unstake / Deallocate button at the bottom of the screen.

4. Enter the amount, tap Review, then swipe to confirm.

For flexible staking and Auto Earn products, your assets return to your trading balance immediately.

For bonded products, the unbonding period depends on the asset. ETH bonded unstaking, for example, can take a few days depending on the Ethereum network's exit queue.

The general unstaking workflow is similar across major exchanges, though the terminology and navigation differ.

Coinbase. Navigate to the asset's detail page, select the "Unstake" option, and confirm. Coinbase handles validator exits behind the scenes. For ETH, the platform processes withdrawals through its own validator infrastructure, with wait times dependent on the Ethereum exit queue. Like Kraken, Coinbase publishes estimated unstaking timelines on its Prime support pages.

Self-custody wallets (DeFi unstaking). If you staked directly with a validator through a crypto wallet like Phantom (Solana), Keplr (Cosmos), or the Polkadot Staking Dashboard, unstaking requires submitting an on-chain transaction. You'll pay a network gas fee, and the blockchain's native unbonding period applies in full. After the cooldown, most wallets require a separate "withdraw" transaction to move the deactivated tokens back into your available balance. Solana's Phantom wallet, for instance, requires you to unstake the full stake account, wait for the epoch to end, and then manually withdraw.

DeFi unstaking puts more responsibility on the user. You're managing private keys, confirming transaction details, and ensuring you have enough native tokens in your wallet to cover gas fees. For users unfamiliar with onchain transactions, a centralized platform like Kraken removes this complexity. To understand exactly what crypto staking is and how it works at the protocol level, see the Kraken Learn Center.

Unbonding periods are set at the protocol level, not by the exchange. Centralized platforms may process unstaking faster through internal liquidity management, but the underlying blockchain rules still govern bonded products. The table below outlines the native unbonding periods for major proof-of-stake assets.

Suppose you hold 5,000 DOT staked on Kraken's bonded product earning an estimated 10% APR. Before the March 2026 Polkadot upgrade, unstaking meant a 28-day unbonding period during which no rewards accrued.

At 10% APR, 28 days without rewards on 5,000 DOT cost roughly 38.4 DOT in foregone rewards (5,000 × 0.10 × 28/365). After the upgrade, the same unstake takes 24–48 hours, reducing foregone rewards to under 1.4 DOT. Protocol upgrades can materially change the calculus of when and whether to unstake.

Unstaking costs fall into three categories.

• Platform fees. Some exchanges charge a fee or commission for the unstaking transaction itself. Kraken charges no transaction fees for staking or unstaking. Kraken's commission is deducted from the rewards you earn, not from your principal, and the commission rate decreases as your staked balance grows.

• Network (gas) fees. If you're unstaking directly on-chain through a self-custody wallet, you'll pay a gas fee to the network. On Solana, this fee is negligible (approximately 0.000005 SOL per transaction). On Ethereum, gas fees vary with network congestion and can range from a few cents to several dollars. On centralized platforms like Kraken, these fees are typically absorbed by the platform.

• Opportunity cost. The rewards you miss during the unbonding period are a real cost. For assets with long cooldowns, like Cosmos at 21 days, the opportunity cost can be meaningful. If you're earning 15% APR on 1,000 ATOM, 21 days of forgone rewards equals approximately 8.6 ATOM.

Compare the total cost, including opportunity cost, across platforms before committing to unstake. A platform with zero unstaking fees but a longer bonded period may cost you more in missed rewards than one that charges a small fee but offers a flexible exit.

Tax treatment of staking and unstaking varies by jurisdiction, and the rules are still evolving. This section provides general context, not tax advice. Consult a qualified tax professional for guidance on your specific situation.

In many jurisdictions, staking rewards are treated as taxable income at the time they are received, valued at the fair market price on the date of receipt. The act of unstaking itself may or may not be a separately taxable event depending on local rules, but the rewards you accumulated while staking will likely have already created a tax obligation.

Record-keeping matters. Track the date and amount of every staking and unstaking transaction, the fair market value of your assets at the time of each event, and any fees paid. Download this information regularly, every 3-6 months is a good frequency, in order to ensure your records are up-to-date and accessible. These records establish your cost basis and are necessary for accurate tax reporting.

Liquid staking tokens introduce complexity. Swapping a liquid staking token (like stETH or mSOL) back to the native asset on a DEX may be treated as a taxable disposal in some jurisdictions, separate from the staking rewards themselves.

For a more detailed breakdown of how crypto rewards interact with tax obligations, see the crypto tax guide in the Kraken Learn Center. For questions about staking risk more broadly, the guide to crypto staking safety covers slashing, validator risk, and platform considerations.

"My unstaking is stuck in pending."

For bonded products, the pending status simply reflects the blockchain's unbonding period. The countdown starts when your unstake request is confirmed on-chain. If you're on a centralized platform, the pending status will update automatically once the unbonding period completes. On Kraken, you can track the remaining time and estimated completion date directly in the Earn section.

"I don't have enough gas to unstake."

If you're unstaking from a self-custody wallet, you need a small balance of the network's native token to pay the transaction fee. On Solana, keep at least 0.05 SOL unstaked. On Ethereum, gas costs fluctuate, so check current gas prices before initiating the transaction. On Kraken, gas fees are handled by the platform, so this issue does not apply.

"My minimum stake balance is too low."

Some protocols and platforms enforce a minimum staking amount. On Cosmos, for example, the Exodus wallet requires a minimum balance of 0.735 ATOM to cover staking transaction fees. If unstaking would drop you below a platform's minimum, you may need to unstake the full amount instead of a partial withdrawal.

"I unstaked but the tokens aren't in my wallet."

On some blockchains, unstaking and withdrawing are two separate steps. On Solana, after the cooldown epoch ends, you must manually withdraw the deactivated tokens from your stake account to your main wallet. The same applies to Cosmos: after the 21-day unbonding period, the tokens become available but may need a separate claim transaction.

"Can I cancel an unstake request?"

On most blockchains, no. Once you submit an unstake transaction, the process cannot be reversed. Some protocols (like Polkadot) allow you to rebond funds during the unbonding period, effectively canceling the unstake, but this requires a separate on-chain transaction. On Cosmos, unstaking is irreversible once initiated. Check your specific blockchain's rules before confirming.

Situation. A first-time staker holds 2 ETH on Kraken's bonded staking product. ETH is trading at $3,200. After reading about a potential market correction, they decide to unstake so they can sell if the price drops further.

Approach. They initiate an unstake on Kraken. Because the ETH exit queue is moderately busy, the estimated unbonding period is 4 days.

Outcome. On day 2 of the unbonding period, ETH drops to $2,900. The staker cannot sell because the tokens are still locked. By the time the unbonding completes on day 4, ETH has recovered to $3,150. The staker sells at $3,150, having missed the dip they wanted to trade around, and also having forfeited 4 days of staking rewards (roughly 0.0007 ETH at ~3.5% APR).

Lesson. Bonded staking products are designed for long-term holders. If you think you'll need to react to short-term price movements, flexible staking or Auto Earn (which keeps assets available for trading at all times) is a better fit. Kraken's flexible staking and Auto Earn products let you exit without an unbonding period, though reward rates are typically lower than bonded options.

These materials are for general information purposes only and are not investment advice or a recommendation or solicitation to buy, sell, stake or hold any cryptoasset or to engage in any specific trading strategy. Kraken does not and will not work to increase or decrease the price of any particular cryptoasset it makes available. Some crypto products and markets are regulated and others are unregulated; regardless, Kraken may or may not be required to be registered or otherwise authorized to provide specific products and services in each market, and you may not be protected by government compensation and/or regulatory protection schemes. The unpredictable nature of the cryptoasset markets can lead to loss of funds. Tax may be payable on any return and/or on any increase in the value of your cryptoassets and you should seek independent advice on your taxation position. Geographic restrictions may apply. See Legal Disclosures for each jurisdiction here.

Geographic restrictions apply. Projected annual rate is an estimate based on the average staking rewards accrued over the past period, before commission, and is subject to change. Staking involves risks including no guarantee of rewards, potential loss from slashing or hacks, and depreciation in the value of assets while staked. Please refer to Kraken's Terms of Service for additional information.