---
sidebar_position: 6
title: FAQ
description: The seven most-asked questions from providers and prospective providers.
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.lium.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Rewards FAQ

## 1. How much will I earn with N×H100/H200/A100 on Subnet 51?

**Start with the <a href={links.calculator}>rewards calculator</a>.** Enter your GPU model, count, and rental rate, and you'll get hourly, daily, and monthly projections based on live SN51 data.

Example: 8×H100 at $0.20/hr at typical SN51 utilization might earn $3,000–$4,000 per month from rental fees plus subnet emission, depending on current network conditions. But the actual number depends on:
- Current SN51 demand for H100 capacity (drives both your rental utilization and the live `gpu_portion` for the rented pool — see the <a href={links.grafana_gpu_model_rate}>Grafana GPU model rate dashboard</a>)
- Your competitive pricing
- Whether sysbox is running on your node (mandatory; without it your score is `0` post-cutoff — see the [emission docs](./emission.mdx#sysbox-is-required))
- The bucket cap dilution for your `(GPU model, count)` pairing (see [the unrented-pool eligibility rules](./emission.mdx#unrented-pool))
- Validator scoring at the time

The calculator accounts for all of these. Use it as your primary planning tool, and revisit it weekly as network conditions change.

## 2. Why are there two reward streams instead of one?

Subnet 51 combines two independent reward sources:

1. **Rental fees** (platform side) — when a renter books your GPU, Lium collects USD and distributes your provider share daily as alpha.
2. **Subnet emission** (Bittensor protocol side) — the SN51 subnet mints new alpha tokens every ~72 minutes (one tempo) and distributes them to eligible providers via Yuma Consensus.

The two streams coexist because rental demand is not always saturated. SN51 emission itself is split into **three pools** (rented, unrented, burn — see [Subnet emission](./emission.mdx#the-three-pools)): when your GPU is unrented and its model is eligible, you earn from the unrented pool; when your GPU is rented, you earn rental income *plus* a slice of the rented pool.

See the [Rewards index](./index.mdx) for a diagram showing both streams.

## 3. Why did I receive less than the calculator predicted?

Common reasons:

- **Actual utilization fell short** — your real rental utilization tracked below the figure you used in the calculator (for example, you assumed steady-high utilization but averaged moderate). Lower utilization means lower rental income.
- **Sysbox dropped out** — sysbox is mandatory. Any window where `sysbox-runc` was not running on your node zeros that period's score.
- **Live `gpu_portion` shifted** — the rented-pool portion for your GPU model is an EMA of platform-wide rental revenue and moves between epochs. Watch the <a href={links.grafana_gpu_model_rate}>Grafana GPU model rate dashboard</a>.
- **Cap dilution kicked in** — if more unrented GPUs landed in your `(model, count)` bucket than the per-model cap allows, every node in that bucket is scaled down by `cap / unrented_count`.
- **Misbehavior windows** — nodes with SSH failures, crashes, or policy violations forfeit that day's payout. Even one misbehavior incident can reduce your monthly total.
- **Emission allocation shifted** — the dynamic split between the unrented pool and the burn pool moved; if rental activity dropped, more emission went to the burn pool (paid to designated burner UIDs only) and less to you.

The calculator shows a best-estimate snapshot. Your actual earnings are determined by live network conditions and your node's real-time score. Check the [Payouts](./payouts.mdx) page for details on misbehavior policy.

## 4. When do I get paid? Can I be paid faster?

Payouts are processed **daily**. Your earnings from a given day are computed at the end of the day, and a payout is initiated. You receive your alpha with a delay of .

**There is no expedited payout path.** If you need faster liquidity, unstake your alpha once it arrives (7-day unbonding period on Bittensor) and swap for a stablecoin on your exchange of choice.

## 5. Why do I have alpha and not TAO? How do I cash out?

Subnet 51 uses **dynamic TAO (alpha)**, a subnet-specific token backed by stake in the SN51 pool. When you earn rewards, you receive alpha in your coldkey.

To convert to standard TAO or another token:

1. **Unstake** your alpha from the SN51 pool. This returns it to your wallet as standard TAO. See the [Bittensor dynamic-TAO guide](https://docs.learnbittensor.org/subnets/understanding-subnets).
2. **Swap or sell** your TAO on a centralized (Coinbase, MEXC) or decentralized (Uniswap) exchange.

Unstaking has a 7-day unbonding period on the Bittensor network. Plan accordingly if you need the tokens urgently.

## 6. What is the burn pool and how big is it?

The burn pool is **dynamic**, not a fixed slice. SN51 emission splits into three pools each epoch:

- **Rented pool** — , fixed.
- **Unrented + burn** — share the remaining  ceiling. The split between them is recomputed every epoch by the validator from real rental activity.

When unrented activity is low, most of the  ceiling falls into the burn pool — paid to designated burner UIDs rather than concentrated on a small set of active providers. As unrented activity ramps up, the burn pool shrinks toward zero. In mature operation with saturated unrented activity, burn can reach zero and the entire  flows to active unrented eligible nodes.

For the full three-pool table, see [Subnet emission](./emission.mdx#the-three-pools).

## 7. How do I increase my score and earn more?

Today, the score depends on a small set of factors that actually move the needle:

- **Sysbox running (mandatory)** — without `sysbox-runc` on your node, your score is `0`. See [Sysbox setup](../nodes/sysbox.md).
- **Run an eligible GPU model** — only base models with a positive bucket cap earn from the unrented pool. The eligible/ineligible split is tuned over time; use the <a href={links.calculator}>rewards calculator</a> for the live snapshot rather than relying on a static list.
- **Pick a (model, count) pairing that isn't capped out** — if your bucket already has more unrented GPUs than its cap, every node in that bucket is diluted by `cap / unrented_count`. Watch supply.
- **Competitive pricing** — set your rental price competitively. Higher utilization shifts you from the unrented pool into rental income + the rented pool. The rented pool's per-model `gpu_portion` is updated live from rental revenue (visible on the <a href={links.grafana_gpu_model_rate}>Grafana dashboard</a>), so models that get rented heavily earn more from the rented pool too.
- **No misbehavior** — failed verifications and SSH/connectivity incidents zero out your score for the affected day.

To increase your earnings:
1. Make sure `sysbox-runc` is installed and running on every node.
2. Run an eligible GPU model and check whether your `(model, count)` bucket is already saturated.
3. Adjust your price to match demand; too high and you won't rent, too low and you leave money on the table.
4. Use the <a href={links.calculator}>rewards calculator</a> and the <a href={links.grafana_gpu_model_rate}>Grafana GPU model rate dashboard</a> to plan against live numbers — the static tables in this doc and in the validator config change over time.

For detailed operational guidance, see the [Provider portal](../portal/managing-nodes.md) documentation (if available) or the [Getting started guide](../quickstart.md).