How Polygon processes transactions, step by step
Polygon PoS validators order your transaction and add it to a block; you pay the gas fee in POL and save the hash and fee records afterward.
Vahe HakobyanEditor-in-chief
Updated Oct 6, 20263 min readFact-checked
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Polygon is a Layer 2 platform with its own proof-of-stake chain that stays compatible with Ethereum. Polygon processes your transaction on that chain from start to finish. You need a wallet that supports Polygon and a small POL balance for gas.
What you need before you start
Every Polygon PoS transaction pays a gas fee in POL, the network's native token. POL is an ERC-20 token that works with Ethereum-compatible wallets, and it replaced MATIC in September 2024. The fee rises when the network is busy.
How does Polygon process your transaction?
Polygon PoS is the chain most people mean by Polygon, and it uses proof of stake. Validators stake POL for the right to validate and earn POL rewards. Polygon zkEVM, launched in 2023, is a separate network that handles transactions with zero-knowledge proofs. Ethereum's mainnet does not process your transfer.
- 1Check the address and networkConfirm your wallet is on Polygon PoS and the address is right. A wrong network usually means a lost transfer.
- 2Check the feeYour wallet shows the cost before you confirm. Check that your balance covers it.
- 3Confirm the sendYour wallet signs the transaction with your key and broadcasts it to Polygon PoS.
- 4Validators order itValidators receive the transaction and place it with others for the next block.
- 5Wait for a blockYour wallet shows the transaction as pending until a validator adds it to a block.
- 6Watch confirmationsEach new block makes the transaction harder to reverse, and Polygon commits checkpoints to Ethereum.
What should you do after confirmation?
Save the transaction hash your wallet shows for the transfer, because a support team asks for it when something goes wrong. The IRS treats crypto as property, so keep the fee you paid and the date of the transaction for your tax records.
Frequently asked questions
Most transactions are included in a block within seconds, though heavy demand can slow that down.
Some wallets let you replace a pending transaction with a new one that offers a higher gas fee. Once a block includes it, it cannot be cancelled.
Polygon replaced MATIC with POL in an upgrade, and Polygon says one shared token is simpler than one for each chain. Holders swapped their MATIC for POL.
