Delayed Unstake schedules your stake to deactivate at the end of the current epoch and returns your SOL at the start of the next one. Unlike Instant Unstake, there is no liquidity provider quote or DEX swap involved. You wait for the Solana epoch cycle to complete and then claim your SOL.
It works for both:
Native staking (Marinade Native positions and other native stake accounts in your wallet)
Liquid staking (mSOL), where your mSOL is burned and redeemed for the underlying SOL at the protocol rate
Delayed Unstake carries a 0.2% protocol fee. If you need SOL immediately, you can choose Instant Unstake instead.
How Delayed Unstake works
Start an unstake from the Marinade app and choose Delayed unstake.
The app shows you the SOL amount you will receive.
For mSOL, this is calculated as
[mSOL to burn] x [mSOL price]at the time you start.For native staking, you receive the SOL from your stake account once it finishes deactivating.
You review the amount and the expected claim time (next epoch or the one after, depending on when you start. See "Key Epoch Phases" below).
You approve the transaction in your wallet.
Once the epoch unlock arrives, you return to the app and claim your SOL.
Things to keep in mind
Delayed = SOL next epoch (or the one after). The amount is fixed at the time you start.
0.2% protocol fee applies. This is the standard Marinade unstake fee and applies to all Delayed Unstake transactions.
Timing matters. Starting in the last 4 hours of an epoch pushes your claim back by one extra epoch. See the phases below.
Don't want to wait? You can choose Instant Unstake to receive SOL immediately at a liquidity provider or DEX quote.
Key Epoch Phases on Marinade
Each epoch on the Solana blockchain lasts approximately two days and can be divided into three important periods:
Beginning of the Epoch: The first few minutes or hours after the epoch starts.
Mid-Epoch: The main part of the epoch where staking and unstaking occur.
Last Hours of the Epoch: The final four hours before the epoch ends.
Example of Delayed Unstake at Epoch N (mSOL):
The example below uses mSOL to illustrate how timing within an epoch affects when you receive SOL. The same epoch timing applies to native staking, but the SOL amount is determined by your stake account's balance at deactivation, not by the mSOL price.
Here are the three situations that can happen when you use 'Delayed unstake' during Epoch N.
You start unstaking during Z, which is the beginning of epoch n (a few minutes into epoch n).
You will receive your SOL at the beginning of Epoch N+1. The amount of SOL you receive is computed as
SOL = [mSOL to burn]*[mSOL price]when the unstaking starts, but the mSOL price may not be updated as the Marinade bot needs to be run to update the price at the beginning of each epoch. We suggest waiting a few hours into the epoch before using 'Delayed unstake' and starting it before the last 4 hours of the epoch.
You start unstaking during A.
You will receive SOL at the beginning of Epoch N+1. The amount computed is
[mSOL to burn]*[mSOL price]when the unstaking starts.
You start unstaking during B, the last 4 hours of Epoch N.
You will receive SOL at the beginning of Epoch N+2. The amount computed is
[mSOL to burn]*[mSOL price]when the unstaking starts.
Native staking follows the same epoch timing
For native stake accounts, the same three scenarios apply for when you receive your SOL:
Start during Z or A (before the last 4 hours of Epoch N): your stake finishes deactivating and is claimable at the beginning of Epoch N+1.
Start during B (the last 4 hours of Epoch N): your stake finishes deactivating and is claimable at the beginning of Epoch N+2.
The difference is the amount. There is no mSOL price involved. You receive the full SOL balance of your stake account once it finishes deactivating, following the standard Solana stake deactivation cycle.