HSP-027: Remove the NEAR Developer Gas Rebate — Status & Milestone Update
Executive Summary
HSP-027 proposed the elimination of the 30% NEAR Developer Gas Rebate by setting the protocol parameter burnt_gas_reward = 0. This change redirects 100% of execution gas fees burned during smart contract execution directly to protocol-level burn, strengthening NEAR’s token value accrual and simplifying protocol economics.
Following ratification on House of Stake under Proposal #27, technical implementation was initiated via nearcore PR #16108. This report outlines the current status, official milestones, and key performance indicators.
Milestone Tracker
| Milestone | Timeline | Success Criteria | Status | Completion Date | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governance Approval | June–July 2026 | Proposal passes HoS vote |  |
Jul 3, 2026 | HOS Proposal #27 |
| Protocol Implementation | July 2026 | Developer rebate parameter updated; code merged | |
July 23, 2026 | nearcore PR #16108 |
| Mainnet Deployment | Any release after v2.13 | Developer rebate disabled on mainnet |  |
Pending | nearcore release 2.14.0-rc1 |
| Post-Implementation Report | 7 days after mainnet upgrade | Change in protocol burn quantified and proven |  |
Pending | — |
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
| Metric | Target | Status | Date | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developer rebate rate reduction | Reduced from 30% to 0% | |
July 2026 | Code change completed and merged in protocol logic (nearcore PR #16108) |
| Protocol upgrade deployment | Successful protocol upgrade deployment | |
Pending | Merged in nearcore staging; awaiting mainnet release deployment (nearcore release 2.14.0-rc1) |
| Protocol-level fee burn increase | Increase in fee burn attributable to removal of the rebate | |
Pending | Baseline tracking underway; metrics confirmation to follow mainnet activation |
| Protocol stability | No critical protocol incidents caused by implementation | |
Sept 2026 | Implementation code reviewed with no critical issues identified (nearcore PR #16108) |
Current Status & Summary
Last updated: September 17, 2026
- Governance: The proposal successfully passed community review and tokenholder voting via House of Stake, establishing a clear mandate to modify the protocol parameter
burnt_gas_reward. - Engineering: Protocol engineers prepared and merged the reference implementation in nearcore (PR #16108), updating the protocol parameter logic so that no gas rewards are routed to smart contract accounts upon execution.
- Next Steps: The core engineering team is incorporating this change into the upcoming protocol release. Once validators upgrade their nodes and the feature flag activates on mainnet, 100% of execution gas fees will be permanently burned.
Resource Links
- House of Stake Proposal: HOS Proposal #27
- NEAR Governance Forum Discussion: HSP-027 Discussion Thread
- GitHub Pull Request: nearcore PR #16108
Notes & Disclosures
- User Impact: This change operates exclusively at the protocol distribution level. It does not increase gas costs for end users or alter smart contract execution mechanics.