Zcash NU6.1

NU6.1 activated at block height 3146400, mined on November 24, 2025 at 19:56 UTC.

What is NU6.1?

NU6.1 is the eighth major network upgrade for Zcash, endorsed by both Electric Coin Co. and the Zcash Foundation. It institutes a funding model that gives the community and coin holders distinct voices in determining what, if any, grants are provided to support Zcash’s development and community efforts.

In this model, 8% of the block rewards will continue to be allocated to the ZCG for grants by and for the Zcash Community. 12% of the block rewards will accrue to a fund controlled by decisions of coin holders, seeded by the Deferred Dev Fund Lockbox. The Coinholder-Controlled Fund may be used to distribute larger grants to ecosystem participants, or left at rest. This model will be activated through until the 3rd halving, allowing enough time to determine whether it should be changed or codified for longer.

Improvements

New ZIPs

  • ZIP 255: Deployment of the NU6.1 Network Upgrade
  • ZIP 271: Dev Fund Extension and One-Time Disbursement
  • ZIP 1016: Community and Coinholder Funding Model

Updated ZIPs

The following ZIP has been updated:

  • ZIP 214: Consensus rules for a Zcash Development Fund

How do I upgrade?

If you are unsure about how to upgrade your Zebra or zcashd node, don’t worry! The Zebra Book and the Zcash Full Node and CLI user guide should answer most upgrade-related questions.

Zcashd is being deprecated in 2025.

Full nodes are being migrated to zebrad, and the Zallet wallet is being built as a replacement for the zcashd wallet. Click here for more info on Zcashd deprecation.

Note for ASIC Miners

ASIC miners do not verify consensus rules, and NU6.1 does not alter the block header, so there’s no specific upgrade action needed on their part. They rely on the mining pool they’re connecting to, which is responsible for upgrading its nodes.

Additional Resources