# 🏆 Elite Performance bucket (/delegation/elite-performance-bucket)
The Elite Performance bucket rewards approved validators that perform best and charge no commission. It holds 50% of The Vault's [undirected stake](/stake/direct-vs-undirected-stake), the largest share, and the top 50 approved validators by vote credits share it equally.
The eligibility checks and vote-credit ranking determine which validators share this bucket (Figure 7.11).
Figure 7.11: How the Elite Performance bucket works
## Who can receive it [#who-can-receive-it]
To receive stake from this bucket, a validator must:
* Be approved by the [Validator Board](/stakepool-application/validator-board) and stay on the [approved list](/approved/approved-validators).
* Run 0% base commission and 0% MEV commission in every one of the last 10 epochs.
* Meet The Vault's delegation criteria in each of the last 10 epochs: at least 100 SOL of self-stake and at least 95% of the cluster-average vote credits.
* Rank in the top 50 of those validators by total vote credits over the last 10 epochs.
* Keep its [Stake-as-a-Service](/delegation/stake-as-a-service-saas) invoices paid.
You compete only against other approved validators in The Vault's set, not against every validator on Solana.
## How the ranking works [#how-the-ranking-works]
Eligible validators are ranked by the total vote credits they earned over the last 10 epochs. The validator in position 50 sets the cutoff, called the vote credit floor.
The window rolls forward one epoch at a time. An epoch that breaks a rule, such as one with a non-zero MEV commission, keeps you out of the bucket until it falls out of the window, 10 epochs later (Figure 7.12).
Figure 7.12: The rolling 10-epoch window
Fewer than 50 validators can qualify at a time; the validators page shows how many are in the bucket.
## How the stake is shared [#how-the-stake-is-shared]
The bucket's 50% is split equally among the validators in it. Rank 1 and rank 50 receive the same amount: the ranking decides who is in, not how much each one gets.
As an illustrative example, if The Vault manages 1,000,000 SOL of undirected stake, the bucket holds 500,000 SOL and each of 50 validators receives about 10,000 SOL. Real amounts depend on the size of the pool.
A validator can be in both buckets at once. Its stakebot target then adds up its [direct stake](/stake/direct-staking), its share of the [Direct Stake Leaders bucket](/delegation/direct-stake-leaders-bucket), its share of this bucket and any [gauge](/gauges/gauges) stake (Figure 7.13).
Figure 7.13: How the buckets add up
## Where to check your eligibility [#where-to-check-your-eligibility]
### Validators page [#validators-page]
On the [validators page](https://thevault.finance/validators), the vote credit floor card shows the minimum total vote credits needed to rank in the top 50. Tap Elite Performance to list the validators in the bucket (Figure 7.14).
Figure 7.14: The vote credit floor and the Elite Performance filter
In the list, each validator in the bucket carries an Elite rank badge, and PRF in the target breakdown is its share of this bucket (Figure 7.15).
Figure 7.15: The PRF column shows the bucket share
### Your validator's page [#your-validators-page]
Tap View next to your validator. Under Performance, Eligibility shows how many of the last 10 epochs passed the delegation criteria, epoch by epoch, and Elite performance shows whether you are in the bucket and your rank. Vote credit history opens your vote credits per epoch (Figure 7.16).
Figure 7.16: Eligibility and Elite rank on your validator's page
Under Stake composition, Performance shows the stake your validator receives from this bucket.
### Validator Monitor [#validator-monitor]
To follow your vote credits and vote latency epoch by epoch, use the Overview and Performance tabs of [Validator Monitor](/validator-monitor/about-validator-monitor).
## When the stake arrives [#when-the-stake-arrives]
If you are approved and in the top 50, you don't need to do anything: the stakebot includes you automatically. It updates its targets every three hours, and stake moves over the next few epochs, as Solana's warm-up rules allow.
## Fees [#fees]
Stake from this bucket carries the [Stake-as-a-Service](/delegation/stake-as-a-service-saas) fee: 25% of the earnings on that stake, subject to the main-bucket exemptions. To pay invoices automatically, set up the [SaaS payment bot](/delegation/stake-as-a-service-saas#pay-your-fees-automatically).
The [Community Pool](/community-pool/overview) uses separate invoices: its fee is 75% of earnings from that allocation, and validators retain 25%. Its three-unpaid-invoice cap is separate from the temporary main-bucket allowance. See [Community Pool invoice payments](/community-pool/how-to-pay-invoices).
## What can stop the bucket stake [#what-can-stop-the-bucket-stake]
* Any epoch with a base or MEV commission above 0%: you stay out until that epoch leaves the 10-epoch window. A commission above 5% or an MEV commission above 10% can block all of your stake for 10 epochs.
* An epoch below 95% of the cluster-average vote credits, or with less than 100 SOL of self-stake.
* Falling below the vote credit floor as other validators earn more vote credits.
* Reaching the temporary limit of 20 unpaid main-bucket invoices: the stakebot blocks delegation from this bucket and the Direct Stake Leaders bucket until your invoices are settled. The 20-unpaid-invoice limit is a temporary transition allowance; see [Stake-as-a-Service payment terms](/delegation/stake-as-a-service-saas#payment-terms).
* Removal from the approved list.
For more answers, see the Elite Performance bucket questions in [Delegation FAQs](/delegation/delegation-faqs#elite-performance-bucket).