# ☑️ Approved validator FAQs (/approved/approved-validator-faqs)
Common questions from validators on the [approved list](/approved/approved-validators). For how stake reaches you, start with the [Delegation onboarding guide](/approved/delegation-onboarding-guide).
## Getting set up [#getting-set-up]
### Do I need to do anything after approval? [#do-i-need-to-do-anything-after-approval]
For the main delegation buckets, the stakebot includes you automatically. [Community Pool participation](/community-pool/how-to-validator-opt-in) requires a separate opt-in. To receive stake from the buckets you need to qualify for them: the top 100 by [direct stake](/stake/direct-staking), or the top 50 approved validators with 0% base and 0% MEV commission by vote credits.
### How do I get the Validators role in Discord? [#how-do-i-get-the-validators-role-in-discord]
Open a support ticket and ask staff for the Validators role. It gives you access to the validator channels.
### Can I get a direct line to the team? [#can-i-get-a-direct-line-to-the-team]
Yes. Ask in a support ticket for a private Telegram group with staff, and include your Telegram username.
## Stake [#stake]
### When will I see stake? [#when-will-i-see-stake]
Allocations update every three hours. A new allocation ramps up over several epochs, up to about five, because of Solana's warm-up rules and rebalancing.
### Why did my stake drop? [#why-did-my-stake-drop]
A validator can lose bucket stake when its rank falls below the cutoff, its eligibility changes, or overdue invoices block allocation. Check the Direct Stake Leaders and Elite Performance tabs, SOL floor and vote credit floor on the [validators page](https://thevault.finance/validators). See the [bucket requirements](/delegation/get-stake-from-the-pool) and [temporary invoice allowance](/delegation/stake-as-a-service-saas#enforcement).
### How do I get into the Direct Stake Leaders bucket? [#how-do-i-get-into-the-direct-stake-leaders-bucket]
Have more direct stake through The Vault than the validator in position 100. [Direct stake](/stake/how-to-direct-stake) to your own validator counts, and so does [vSOL](/about/vsol) your community directs to you, including through [Kamino Multiply](/kamino-multiply/kamino-multiply-strategy). The cutoff changes over time; the SOL floor on the [validators page](https://thevault.finance/validators) shows it.
### How do I qualify for the Elite Performance bucket? [#how-do-i-qualify-for-the-elite-performance-bucket]
Run 0% base and 0% MEV commission and rank in the top 50 approved validators by vote credits. Vote credits are totaled over the last 10 epochs, so a performance issue takes 10 epochs to wash out.
### Does a commission change affect my stake? [#does-a-commission-change-affect-my-stake]
Yes. The Elite Performance bucket needs 0% base and 0% MEV commission, and staying approved needs a base commission of at most 5% and an MEV commission of at most 10%. Raising your commission above 5% or your MEV commission above 10% (the Solana Foundation Delegation Program criteria), even for one epoch, can block your stake for 10 epochs.
A commission above 0% doesn't shut you out: within those limits you can still receive stake from the Direct Stake Leaders bucket by ranking in the top 100 by direct stake, and from [gauges](/gauges/gauges).
### How should I approach gauges and the Community Pool? [#how-should-i-approach-gauges-and-the-community-pool]
[Gauges](/gauges/gauges) allocate 10% of undirected stake. Eligible validators already in the pool can [opt in to the Community Pool](/community-pool/how-to-validator-opt-in) to receive an equal share of its voting power. Allow for gauge epochs and subsequent stake movement. The Community Pool charges 75% of earnings from its allocation, leaving 25% for the validator.
## Invoices [#invoices]
### How do I pay my Stake-as-a-Service invoices? [#how-do-i-pay-my-stake-as-a-service-invoices]
Open your validator on the [validator dashboard](https://thevault.finance/validators), connect your wallet and review the invoice settlement token and payment quote. Current invoicers use vSOL or VLP, with SOL funding through supported payment flows. For automatic payments, see [Pay your fees automatically](/delegation/stake-as-a-service-saas#pay-your-fees-automatically).
### Can I get reminders? [#can-i-get-reminders]
Yes. Use `/register ` in [The Vault Discord](https://discord.gg/thevaultfinance) to get a daily alert at 01:00 UTC while your validator has unpaid epochs, and `/unregister` to stop. The alerts track unpaid invoices, not your wallet balance.
### What happens if I don't pay? [#what-happens-if-i-dont-pay]
The main Direct Stake Leaders and Elite Performance buckets currently have a temporary 20-unpaid-invoice transition allowance. The Community Pool keeps a separate three-unpaid-invoice cap; pay within three Solana epochs to retain that stake. Late pool validators are automatically blocked and their Community Pool allocation is reallocated to paying eligible validators. See [the separate payment limits](/delegation/stake-as-a-service-saas#enforcement).
## Help [#help]
### Something on the dashboard looks wrong. What do I do? [#something-on-the-dashboard-looks-wrong-what-do-i-do]
Open a support ticket with your validator's vote account and what you see, and the team will check it.