OverviewGuide: Unstake and Withdraw
A guide to unstaking and withdrawing using the DAO Dashboard. This document addresses a common question often asked by depositors: Why do my token rewards take longer to withdraw than the tokens I deposited?
DAO Dashboard and DAO Tracker retirement
The DAO Dashboard stays online until the end of March 2028, with only unstake, withdraw, and undelegate available. This is a result of the DAO migration primary proposal #17 which ends staking pool rewards. The DAO Tracker stays up over the same period for an overview of your pool status and activity. Your tokens are never lost: unstaking and withdrawing stay possible at any time by calling the pool contract directly, with or without the dashboard.
The two clocks
Every API3 staker has two separate waiting periods, and confusing them is the most common source of "where are my tokens?" questions.
| What | Wait before you can withdraw | Starts counting when |
|---|---|---|
| Tokens you deposited but did not stake | None | Withdrawable right away |
| Tokens you staked | 7 days | Your Initiate Unstake transaction is confirmed |
| Tokens you earned as rewards | 1 year | Each individual weekly reward was paid |
The 7-day clock starts automatically once the Initiate Unstake transaction is confirmed. The 1-year clock is long, and it is already running separately for every weekly reward you have ever received - you cannot start it, speed it up, or reset it by unstaking.
Rewards were minted into the pool once a week (on Thursdays) and automatically staked, so they compounded along with your deposit. The pool pays no rewards since the migration, and the last reward was minted on October 29, 2026. Each week's reward unlocks one year from the day it was paid. This is a rolling unlock, not a single anniversary - even after exactly one year of staking, only your oldest reward has unlocked. The other 51 weeks' worth are still locked, each with its own date.
The process: two steps
Before you start.
- Gas. Initiating, unstaking and withdrawing are three separate Ethereum transactions, so keep some ETH in your wallet. Do them in one round: initiate the unstake, come back after seven days to unstake, and withdraw in the same visit.
Step 1 - Unstake
- On the DAO Dashboard, click Initiate Unstake, choose the amount (or Max), and confirm the transaction in your wallet.
- A 7-day countdown starts once the transaction is confirmed. The tokens still count as voting power on Snapshot during the wait.
- When the countdown ends, click Unstake and confirm the transaction. There is no deadline, the unstake stays available until you do it.
Your tokens are now unstaked and sitting in your pool balance. They are not yet in your wallet.
Step 2 - Withdraw
- Look at the Withdrawable figure in the Balance section. This is the amount you can take out right now: your deposit plus any rewards that have passed their one-year mark.
- Click Withdraw, enter that amount (or Max), and confirm the transaction. The tokens are in your wallet once it is confirmed.
- Any rewards still inside their one-year lock stay in the pool. Each weekly reward unlocks one year after the Thursday it was paid, and on that date it is added to Withdrawable automatically. Come back and repeat Step 2 whenever you want to collect them, no further 7-day wait is needed.
What about the "Unstake & Withdraw" button?
It combines both steps into one transaction, and it is intended for stakers who have no locked rewards, for example someone who staked and unstaked within the same week. If you have been earning rewards, use Unstake and then Withdraw as described above.
Example: a typical small staker
Alex deposited and staked 1,000 API3 on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. Rewards have been paid every Thursday since, starting October 30, 2025. Today is Thursday, October 29, 2026, and Alex wants everything out, deposit and rewards.
Assumption for illustration: a flat 30.1% APR, compounded weekly. The real APR adjusted every week, so Alex's actual numbers will differ, but the shape of the timeline is identical for everyone.
Where Alex stands today
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Original deposit | 1,000.00 |
| Rewards earned (53 weekly payments, ~5.8-7.8 each) | ~357.85 |
| Total staked | ~1,357.85 |
Step 1 - Unstake
Thu Oct 29, 2026: Alex sends Initiate Unstake with Max. The 7-day countdown starts once the transaction is confirmed.
Thu Nov 5, 2026: the countdown ends. Alex sends Unstake. Once it is confirmed, everything is unstaked and sitting in Alex's pool Balance.
Step 2 - Withdraw
Thu Nov 5, 2026, first withdrawal. The Dashboard shows:
| Amount | Why | |
|---|---|---|
| Original deposit | 1,000.00 | 7-day wait is over |
| Oldest reward (paid Oct 30, 2025) | ~5.79 | It has passed its 1-year mark |
| Withdrawable now | ~1,005.79 | Alex withdraws this to the wallet |
| Still locked in the pool | ~352 | Each unlocks on its own 1-year anniversary |
This is the moment most people are surprised: the deposit comes back in a week, but roughly 352 tokens of rewards are still waiting. Nothing is lost, they are simply on the 1-year clock.
From November 2026 to October 2027 the rewards unlock week by week. Every Thursday, about 6-8 more tokens are added to Withdrawable. Of the ~352 locked tokens, approximately:
| By this date | Unlocked since Nov 5 (ready to withdraw) | Still locked |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2026 | 0 | ~352.1 |
| Dec 31, 2026 | ~47.5 | ~304.6 |
| Mar 31, 2027 | ~129.6 | ~222.5 |
| Jun 30, 2027 | ~218.1 | ~134.0 |
| Sep 30, 2027 | ~313.4 | ~38.7 |
| Oct 29, 2027 | ~352.1 (all of it) | 0 |
The last reward Alex received (paid Oct 29, 2026) unlocks around October 29, 2027.
Collecting the rest is Alex's choice. Each withdrawal costs gas, so for a small balance it rarely makes sense to collect weekly. Common approaches:
- One trip: come back once in late October 2027 and Withdraw the full ~352.
- A few trips: withdraw quarterly or semi-annually as the table above fills in.
Alex's timeline at a glance
STEP 1 - UNSTAKE
Oct 29, 2026 Initiate Unstake ──┐
│ 7-day wait
Nov 5, 2026 Unstake ───────────┘
STEP 2 - WITHDRAW
Nov 5, 2026 Withdraw ~1,005.79 ← deposit + oldest reward
│
│ ~6-8 tokens unlock every Thursday
▼
Oct 29, 2027 Last reward unlocks → Withdraw the remaining ~352Quick FAQ
I unstaked a week ago and my rewards aren't withdrawable. Is something wrong?
No. The 7-day wait only applies to Step 1. Each reward still has to reach its own one-year anniversary before Step 2 can release it.
Can I get my rewards out faster by unstaking earlier?
No. The one-year lock is tied to when each reward was paid, not to when you unstake.
Do staked tokens still earn rewards?
No. The pool pays no rewards since the migration, whether the tokens are staked or not.
Do I need to unstake again to collect rewards as they unlock?
No. Once you've completed Step 1, just return to the Dashboard and repeat Step 2 for whatever Withdrawable shows.
Where do I check what I can take out?
The Withdrawable amount in the Balance section of the DAO Dashboard is the authoritative number at any moment.
Rules referenced from the API3 DAO documentation: Staking tokens · Rewards · Pool contract · Reward calculation and distribution