Who receives the block reward when a block is mined?
The block reward goes to the payout address named in the valid block that the Monero network accepts. If you mine alone, that is usually your address; if you mine through a pool, the pool’s payout system decides how your share reaches you.
What the block reward includes
When a Monero block is accepted, its miner can claim two parts of the reward:
- Newly created XMR: XMR is the currency symbol for Monero. Under normal block-size rules, the base reward is 0.6 XMR per block.
- Transaction fees: These are fees paid by people whose transactions are included in that block.
Monero’s ongoing creation of new coins is called tail emission. It began around June 2022 and has no scheduled end. An unusually large block can receive a reduced base reward because of Monero’s block-size penalty rules.
The reward is recorded in a special transaction inside the block, called the miner transaction. It assigns the reward to the chosen payout destination. Simply running a miner does not automatically entitle you to part of every block reward.
If you mine alone, you receive the reward
With solo mining, you work independently rather than combining your mining effort with other people.
If your miner finds a valid block and the network accepts it into the main chain—the accepted history of transactions—the reward goes to the address configured for your mining setup. You do not split it with a pool.
The trade-off is uncertainty. Your computer might work for a long time without finding a block. You are not paid just for spending time or electricity trying.
Also, finding a valid block is not always enough. If another competing block becomes part of the accepted chain instead, your block may be left out, and its reward will not become spendable.
If you use a pool, the reward is shared
A mining pool combines work from many miners so they can receive smaller, more frequent payouts.
In a traditional pool, the block reward usually goes first to an address controlled by the pool operator. The pool then credits miners according to its payment rules, often after deducting a fee.
Your contribution is usually measured through shares: proofs that your miner is doing work. Shares are not themselves Monero blocks, but they help the pool track how much you contributed.
Finding the winning block for a pool normally does not mean you personally keep the whole reward.
Monero’s P2Pool, a decentralized pool without a central payout operator, works differently. Eligible miners receive portions directly through the block’s miner transaction, based on P2Pool’s share rules.
When the reward becomes available
Newly mined Monero is locked for 60 blocks, roughly two hours at the target pace of one block every two minutes. Actual timing varies.
For a traditional pool, your payout may take longer because of its minimum payout amount and payment schedule. If you use a browser-mining service, check who controls the reward address and how withdrawals work. An on-screen earnings balance is not the same as XMR received in your wallet.
The bottom line
The accepted block names the reward recipient. Solo mining usually pays you directly; traditional pools collect and distribute rewards; P2Pool pays eligible participants directly. Your mining setup determines which arrangement applies to you.
