Do Monero mining calculators include pool fees?
Some Monero mining calculators include pool fees, but others show earnings before those fees are taken out. Before you trust an estimate, look for a “pool fee” setting and check whether the result already subtracts it. If the calculator does not explain this, treat its estimate as before-fee earnings until you can confirm otherwise.
What the pool fee means for your estimate
A mining pool combines your mining work with work from other people. When the pool earns rewards, it shares them with participants under its payout rules. Most pools keep a percentage to pay for running the service.
A calculator might handle that percentage in several ways:
- An adjustable field: You enter your pool’s fee yourself.
- A built-in assumption: The calculator uses a default percentage, which may not match your pool.
- An automatic deduction: A pool’s own calculator may already account for its fee.
- No deduction: The result shows the estimated rewards before pool fees.
You should not assume a pool’s own calculator includes its fee just because it appears on the pool’s website. Check the explanation beside the estimate or in its help text.
How to check whether the fee is included
Start by finding the calculator’s assumptions. Look for labels such as “pool fee,” “fees included,” “gross revenue,” or “net revenue.” Gross revenue usually means earnings before deductions. Net revenue means some deductions have been made, but you still need to check which ones.
If there is an editable pool-fee field, try changing it from 0% to 1% while keeping everything else unchanged. The estimated mining revenue should fall by about 1%, though rounding can hide the change on very small amounts.
Be careful when checking a result labeled “profit.” Profit may also subtract electricity costs, so a 1% fee on mining revenue can reduce the remaining profit by more than 1%.
If the calculator gives no explanation and no fee setting, you cannot reliably tell from the final number alone.
How to subtract a missing pool fee
If the estimate excludes the fee, you can adjust it yourself:
Earnings after pool fee = before-fee earnings × (1 − fee percentage ÷ 100)
For example, suppose a calculator estimates 0.01 XMR before fees for a chosen period. This is an illustration, not an earnings forecast.
With a 1% pool fee:
- Pool fee: 0.0001 XMR
- Earnings after that fee: 0.0099 XMR
Do not subtract the fee again if the calculator already included it. That would make your estimate lower than it should be.
What “pool fees included” does not cover
Including a pool fee does not mean the calculator includes every cost. Depending on your setup, there may also be mining-software fees, browser-service charges, or payout charges.
Some software fees take a share of mining time rather than a percentage of your payout. That makes them slightly different from a pool deduction. Check how your calculator accounts for them rather than simply adding every percentage together.
A minimum payout is also not a fee. It is the amount you must accumulate before the service sends your earnings.
The bottom line
Check the calculator’s fee setting against your pool’s current published fee. Subtract it yourself only when it is missing. For browser mining, also check any separate service charges: “pool fees included” does not necessarily mean “all costs included.”
