Boosting CRV Rewards

Prerequisites

This guide assumes you have already provided liquidity and are currently staking LP tokens on the DAO gauge. If you haven't done this yet, see our DEX liquidity provision guide or Llamalend supplying guide.

Locking CRV into veCRV can improve the return profile of a Curve position in several ways. The boost calculator at the bottom of this article helps estimate the CRV reward boost for a specific gauge, while also showing an estimated crvUSD revenue share based on recent veCRV holder revenue.

What Locking CRV Unlocks

Locking CRV gives users three protocol-level benefits:

• Boosted CRV rewards: veCRV can increase CRV rewards on staked LP positions by up to 2.5x, depending on the gauge and the user's share of veCRV.
• crvUSD revenue share: veCRV holders receive a share of crvUSD protocol revenue. The calculator estimates this using recent DefiLlama holders-revenue data.
• Governance and gauge voting power: veCRV gives voting power in Curve DAO governance and gauge weight votes, which influence where CRV emissions are directed.

These benefits are related but separate. A user can use veCRV to boost liquidity rewards in a gauge and still receive protocol revenue share from veCRV ownership.

How Rewards Are Displayed

In Curve's interface, rewards are always displayed as a range showing the difference between unboosted rewards (for regular liquidity providers) and maximum boosted rewards (for veCRV holders). This range helps you understand the potential value of holding veCRV.

Important Note

Only CRV rewards are boosted by veCRV. External reward tokens (like tokens from other protocols) are distributed solely based on your liquidity share and are not affected by veCRV holdings.

Step 1: Review Required veCRV

The first step to getting rewards boosted is to determine how much veCRV you need. Each gauge has different requirements, meaning some pools are easier to boost than others. This depends on:

• The amount of veCRV others have locked
• The total value staked in the gauge
• Your future share of staked LP tokens in that gauge

Use the calculator below to compare how much veCRV you have, or plan to lock, against the amount needed for maximum boost.

Step 2: Lock CRV for veCRV

After determining how much veCRV you need, visit the CRV Locker to create your lock. For detailed instructions on locking CRV, see Locking CRV & Managing Locks.

Step 3: Check Your Boost

After creating your lock, proceed to the desired pool page and click on Your Details as shown below. Under this tab you can see your current rewards boost.

Troubleshooting Boost Updates

• ✅ If the new boost is visible after 'Current boost:', then no further action is required.
• ⚠️ If the current boost hasn't updated, try claiming CRV from each of the gauges where you have liquidity. This should trigger the boost update.

Boost Update Timing

Boosts are only updated when you make a withdrawal, deposit, or claim from a liquidity gauge. This is why claiming rewards can help refresh your boost display.

How the Boost Formula Works

Your boost multiplier can be between 1 and 2.5. This means if you have a 2.5x boost and deposit $10,000, your rewards are calculated as if you deposited $25,000. It depends on the following factors:

• Your veCRV balance: More veCRV means a higher potential boost.
• Your future share of staked LP tokens in the gauge: Your boost is calculated relative to the share of gauge-staked liquidity your position will represent after staking.
• The voting supply and staked liquidity in the gauge: The boost mechanism balances your voting power against everyone else's staked LP tokens in the Pool or Lending market's gauge. Ethereum gauges use Ethereum veCRV; L2 gauges use their chain's veCRV oracle.

By boosting, you're essentially getting a larger share of the new CRV tokens distributed. This incentivizes users to lock CRV, which in turn strengthens the Curve DAO's governance and promotes long-term alignment with the protocol.

The Boost Formula

$$B = \min\left(2.5, 1 + 1.5 \times \frac{\frac{\text{veCRV}_\text{user}}{\text{veCRV}_\text{total}}}{\frac{\text{Value}_\text{user}}{\text{Value}_\text{gauge}}}\right)$$

Formula Variables:

• $B$ = Your rewards boost (capped at 2.5x maximum)
• $\text{Value}_\text{user}$ = Your deposited value in USD
• $\text{Value}_\text{gauge}$ = Future total value staked in the reward gauge in USD, including your deposit if it is a new position
• $\text{veCRV}_\text{user}$ = Your veCRV amount (vote weight)
• $\text{veCRV}_\text{total}$ = Voting supply used by the selected gauge (Ethereum veCRV on Ethereum, or the L2 veCRV oracle on a supported L2)

Estimate Your Boost And Revenue Share

Use this calculator to estimate the boost for a specific pool gauge before connecting a wallet. It compares your share of the selected gauge's voting supply with your future share of its staked LP tokens. L2 estimates use the selected chain's veCRV oracle, which may take time to reflect a new Ethereum CRV lock. The crvUSD revenue-share estimate always uses Ethereum veCRV and recent DefiLlama holders revenue; it is not guaranteed yield.

1

Select a pool gauge

Pick the gauge where your LP tokens are or will be staked.

Loading gauges

Selected pool gauge

Gauge contract details

NetworkNo gauge selected

Gauge addressNo gauge selected

Staked in gauge$0

Gauge supply0

VotingEscrow sourceLoad an address to read oracle

LP token price$0

2

Enter or load your position

Paste an address to auto-fill a current position, or enter your LP token amount manually.

Address lookup

Optional. Loads your staked LP balance, gauge supply, and the voting supply used by this gauge.

Estimated deposit value

LP token price is unavailable for this gauge, so the calculator needs a USD estimate.

Advanced boost inputs

Current staked gauge TVL

Current USD value staked in this gauge, not total pool liquidity.

Voting supply used by this gauge

Selected chain L2 VotingEscrow Oracle supply denominator.

Position type

Future gauge share uses current staked TVL plus your deposit.

3

Enter veCRV or CRV lock details

Use current veCRV if you already locked CRV, or estimate veCRV from a planned CRV lock.

Input mode

CRV to lock

CRV price unavailable.

Lock duration

Years, capped at 4 for max veCRV.

Future veCRV00 CRV locked for 4.00 years

Future veCRV share0%0 / 0 veCRV

Holder leaderboardLoadingLeaderboard source unavailable

4

Review your boost

Boost compares your share of this gauge’s voting supply with your future share of its staked LP tokens. Revenue share always uses Ethereum veCRV.

Estimated boost—Enter an LP token amount or deposit value to calculate your boost.

Estimated crvUSD revenue shareRevenue data is unavailable right now. Your estimated Ethereum veCRV share is 0%.

Enter a deposit amount to calculate max boostThe required veCRV depends on the share of the gauge that your deposit represents.

Gauge voting share—

CRV for 2.5x boost—

Lock CRV

How locking works

Boost breakdown

Gauge voting share0%0 / 0 veCRV

Future gauge LP share0%$0 / $0 future staked TVL

veCRV for 2.5x boostUnavailableEnter a supported deposit amount

CRV for 2.5x boostUnavailableNot available for this position

How boost is calculated

Curve boosts compare your share of all veCRV against your future share of the selected gauge's staked LP tokens.

boost = min(2.5, 1 + 1.5 * (veCRV share / future gauge LP share))

Estimates use the standard Curve working-balance boost formula. Boost updates on-chain after a deposit, withdrawal, or claim.