What is a block reward in Monero?
A block reward in Monero is the XMR a miner receives for adding a valid block of transactions to the blockchain, Monero’s shared record of payments. As of 2026, a typical block reward includes 0.6 newly created XMR plus transaction fees paid by the people whose payments are included in that block.
What the reward pays for
When you send Monero, your payment needs to become part of the shared transaction record. Miners gather transactions into a block and use computing power to compete to add it.
This process is called proof of work. It makes adding blocks costly in computing effort, which helps protect the transaction record from manipulation. Other computers on the network check that a proposed block follows Monero’s rules.
The reward gives miners a reason to do this work and pay for equipment and electricity. It has two parts:
- Newly created XMR: New coins issued by Monero’s rules.
- Transaction fees: Existing XMR paid by people sending transactions.
Fees are not newly created money. If a block includes more total fees, its total reward can be higher even though the standard new-coin amount stays the same.
Why you hear “0.6 XMR per block”
Monero entered tail emission around June 2022. This is its ongoing stage of creating a small, permanent amount of new XMR after the main emission of roughly 18.13 million XMR.
The standard tail-emission amount is 0.6 XMR per block, with no scheduled end. This keeps a base mining incentive in place rather than making miners depend entirely on transaction fees.
Monero aims for one block about every two minutes. That works out to approximately:
- 0.3 new XMR per minute
- 432 new XMR per day
These are averages across the whole network, not amounts you personally earn. Blocks can arrive sooner or later than the two-minute target. Monero adjusts mining difficulty—the measure of how hard it is to find a valid block—every block to help maintain that pace.
There is also a technical exception: Monero’s block-size rules can reduce the newly created reward for an unusually large block. So “0.6 XMR plus fees” describes a typical block, not an unconditional payout for every possible block.
What you receive as a miner
If you mine alone and find an accepted block, you receive its reward. But finding one can take a very long time when your computing power is small compared with the network.
A mining pool combines work from many miners and divides earnings under its payout rules. If you join one, you usually receive a share of the pool’s earnings—not 0.6 XMR every two minutes. Pool fees and payout rules affect what reaches your wallet.
The same distinction matters if you mine through a browser service. The network’s block reward is not a promise of your earnings. Check how the service measures your work, deducts fees, and handles withdrawals.
Newly mined coins are locked for 60 blocks, roughly two hours at the target pace. A pool or service may have additional payout delays.
The bottom line
Monero’s block reward pays for adding a valid block: typically 0.6 new XMR plus transaction fees. Your personal mining income depends on your contribution and payout arrangement, while your profit also depends on costs such as electricity.
