The full step-by-step Ethereum Pectra upgrade guide: consolidate validators, top‑up, and stake ETH with stakefish

stakefish

08 May 2025 — 6 min read

On May 7, 2025, Ethereum launched its Pectra upgrade, the network’s biggest update since the Merge. This upgrade transforms staking, making it easier, faster, and more rewarding. With the Pectra upgrade, you can:

Earn more rewards by combining validators or topping up ETH.
Stake faster with deposits processed in ~13 minutes (down from ~12 hours).
Control your funds with flexible withdrawals.

The Pectra upgrade includes 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), with three key changes for stakers:

EIP-7251: Raises the validator balance cap from 32 ETH to 2048 ETH, enabling you to top up or combine validators for compounded rewards.
EIP-6110: Moves deposits to the execution layer, slashing activation wait times.
EIP-7002: Allows you to trigger exits or partial withdrawals directly on-chain.

At stakefish, a trusted leader in staking since 2018, we’ve upgraded our Ethereum staking dashboard to help you make the most of Pectra. Let’s dive in.

Learn more:

What’s new on the stakefish Ethereum staking dashboard

We’ve rolled out six exciting updates to our staking platform to with the Pectra upgrade:

Compound Staking: Stake up to 2048 ETH per validator for higher rewards.
Fast Deposits: Activate validators in ~13 minutes with on-chain deposits.
Top-Up Feature: Add ETH to existing validators to boost earnings.
Partial Withdrawals: Withdraw excess ETH from compounded validators.
Upgrade MEV/Fee Smoothing Pool: Share extra rewards from transaction fees.
Validator Consolidation: Merge multiple validators into one for simpler management.

How to Stake, Top Up, and Consolidate Validators with stakefish

Consolidating Validators

The consolidate feature allows you to convert a single validator to a compound OR combine two or more validators into a single compound validator.

Source	Target	Action
ETH1 0x01	ETH1 0x01 (same source)	Upgrades single validator to Compound validator.
ETH1 0x01	COMP 0x02	Merges an ETH1 to an existing Compound validator.
COMP 0x02	COMP 0x02	Merges two Compound validators into one.

In the following steps we will show you how to consolidate multiple validators into a single validator.

1. Navigate to the Ethereum staking dashboard.

2. Select the validators to consolidate. Once the validators are selected, click “Consolidate.”

3. From the validators selected, choose which validator will be the “Target validator” to consolidate the ETH balances. Once a Target validator is chosen, select “Consolidate,” and approve the transactions from your wallet.

To monitoring your validator's consolidation status, select View details -> public link to beaconchain, and then the consolidation tab You will see something like this: beaconcha.in/validator/2321#consolidations

Done! Your validators are now merged into one, ready to earn compounded rewards.

Top‑Up Validators

As part of the Ethereum Pectra upgrade, EIP-7251: Increase the MAX_EFFECTIVE_BALANCE boosts the maximum effective balance of validators from 32 ETH to 2048 ETH. The enables compounding and enables stakers to top up their validator’s balance up to 2048 ETH.

In the following steps, we will show you how to top off a single validator using the stakefish Ethereum staking dashboard. Please note that top up can only be performed on a compound validator. A compound validator can be staked as a new validator or consolidated/converted.

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How to use the Top Up feature in the Ethereum staking dashboard.

Navigate to the stakefish Ethereum staking dashboard and either select “View details” for a specific validator to top up or select “Stake More” to open the staking modal and select a validator.

From the view in “View details” select “Top up.”

The staking modal will open. Select the “Top up” tab. Alternatively, you can reach this view by selecting “Stake More” from the staking dashboard.

If a validator is not already selected to top up, select which validator you wish to top up.

After the validator to top up is selected, enter the amount with which to top up.

The last step is to select “Top Up Validator” and approve the transactions from your wallet. Your top up amount will enter the entry queue and be added to your validator.

Stake ETH

Start staking with as little as 32 ETH or go big with up to 2048 ETH per validator. Follow these steps:

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From the homepage select “Stake 32 ETH” or “Dashboard” in the upper right corner. Alternatively you can go directly to stake.fish/dashboard.

Connect your wallet and select “Stake Now” to open the staking modal.

From the staking modal, under the “New Staking” tab, select how much either you wish to stake with a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 2048 ETH. With maximum 2048 ETH validator, excess rewards will be partially withdraw. We recommend to stake 1920 ETH to make available room for rewards to compound to the maximum.

Next, select how many validators to create from the amount you wish to stake using the slider. In this example, 25 validators of 44 ETH each are created from 1000 ETH staked. After you have chosen how many validators to stake, click “Stake Validators.”

Accept the conditions and select “Confirm.”

Approve the transactions in your wallet.

Once the transactions are approved a notification will appear showing that your transactions are submitted.

Once the transactions are submitted you will get a notification if they are confirmed.

Once navigating back to the staking dashboard you will see your validators will be in a pending status as they make their way through the Ethereum entry queue.

To check the status of your validators, select “View details” and then select the pubkey to see their deposit status on beaconcha.in.

Once your validators have made their way through the entry queue and are deposited you will begin earning rewards.

Congratulations, you are now staking a compound validator on Ethereum!

Conclusion

The Pectra upgrade unlocks a new era of Ethereum staking, and stakefish is here to help you thrive. With our upgraded dashboard, you can::

Consolidate multiple validators into one validator.
Top‑up balances on demand to accelerate compounding.
Stake in minutes with on‑chain deposits and industry‑low commissions.

The Pectra upgrade opens new doors for the staking experience, and stakefish is here to help you make the most of it. From compounded rewards to lightning-fast deposits, our upgraded dashboard and expert support ensure you’re ready to thrive.

Ready to start staking?

Stake ETH

About stakefish

Founded in 2018 by Ethereum and Bitcoin veterans, stakefish is the leading validator for Proof of Stake blockchains. With support for 20+ networks, we combine institutional‑grade infrastructure with intuitive dashboards, transparent reporting, and a spotless slashing record so individuals and institutions alike can stake confidently while strengthening decentralized networks.