> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.xynq.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.xynq.ai/rewards.md).

# Rewards

Contributors are paid in **$XYNQ** for the useful compute they provide.

### What you earn for

Rewards are a function of **useful work delivered**, not merely being online. The main inputs:

* **Compute contributed** — tokens processed / FLOPs delivered.
* **VRAM committed** — hosting larger or more shards.
* **Uptime & availability** — being reliably present when enlisted.
* **Reputation** — passing verification and serving correctly.

Each epoch, a node's share of the reward pool is metered from verified work:

```python
def node_reward(node, epoch, pool_xynq) -> float:
    # verified useful work this epoch
    work = (node.tokens_served[epoch] * TOKEN_WEIGHT
            + node.vram_committed_gb[epoch] * VRAM_WEIGHT
            + node.uptime_ratio[epoch]      * UPTIME_WEIGHT)

    # reputation gates payout; failed verifications shrink it
    adjusted = work * node.reputation

    total = sum(n.adjusted_work[epoch] for n in registry.all())
    return pool_xynq * (adjusted / total) if total else 0.0
```

### Fair accounting

* Work is **metered** at the coordinator and cross-checked via verification spot-checks.
* Nodes that fail verification or game uptime are downranked and earn less (or are ejected).
* Rewards scale roughly linearly with honest, useful contribution.

### Where rewards come from

The network's fee flows (see **XYNQ Token** pages) sustain the coordination layer and reward pool. This is what makes "free for users, paid for contributors" economically coherent: users don't pay, but the token economy compensates the people supplying the hardware.

### Payouts

* Rewards accrue to the payout address you set when signing your node in.
* Contribution is permissionless — no approval needed to start earning.

> Contributing is the most direct way to expand free capacity for everyone. Every node you add raises the ceiling on how many people the network can serve for free.


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