---
updatedAt: 2026-10-14T04:24:41.000Z
agentTools:
  projectIndex: https://docs.mavan.bitminetech.io/llms.txt
---

# Polkadot Slashing Explained

#### How slashing works on Polkadot

Polkadot penalises two types of validator misbehaviour:

| Offence Type                      | What triggers it                                                                                 | Typical Slash Size                                                                          | Notes                                                                                              |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Unresponsiveness (offline)**    | Validator misses > 10 % of its assigned blocks during a session                                  | **≈ 0.1 %** of the stake tied to that validator                                             | Considered a *minor* offence. The validator is also **chilled** (kicked out) for at least one era. |
| **Equivocation (double-signing)** | Validator signs two different blocks for the same slot (BABE) or two conflicting votes (GRANDPA) | From **0.01 % up to 100 %** depending on *how many* validators equivocated in the same slot | A *major* offence. Penalty scales quadratically with the fraction of validators involved           |

#### Slash-size formula (equivocation)

> 📘 slash = min((3 × x / n)^2, 1)

* `x` = number of misbehaving validators
* `n` = total validators in the active set

Examples:

* 1 / 100 equivocators → `min((3 × 1 / 100)², 1)` ≈ **0.09 %** slash
* 20 / 100 equivocators → `min((3 × 20 / 100)², 1)` = **36 %** slash

#### Who pays the penalty?

* The validator’s self-bond and each nominator’s bonded DOT are slashed pro-rata.
* Only the stake exposed to that validator is affected. Nominating 16 different validators isolates risk to ¹⁄₁₆ of your bond per incident.

#### What happens to slashed funds?

1. Slashed DOT is immediately removed and frozen for 256 eras (\~9 months).
2. After that period, 50 % is burned and 50 % goes to the Treasury.

#### Chilling and re-entry

* A slashed validator is *chilled* (removed) and must wait at least one era before re-entering.
* Nominators are automatically re-nominated to the validator’s stash. For uninterrupted rewards, manually switch to a trusted validator.

#### Reduce your risk

* Distribute your stake across multiple pools.

<br />

| Action                | Benefit                                                                             |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Split nominations** | You can distribute up to 16 nominations from one account, isolating slash exposure. |

|   |
| - |

> **Key takeaway:**\
> Slashing is rare and manageable. Choosing reputable validators like **MAVAN**—with proven uptime, high self-stake, and robust fail-over—greatly mitigates the risk.