Wikitoro author Mike Druttman
Written by Mike Druttman
Wikitoro reviewer Nadav Zelver
Reviewed by Nadav Zelver

Bitcoin halving cuts the mining reward in half every 210,000 blocks about every four years. It helps control supply, with a cap of 21 million BTC. The next one’s due in April 2028, which drops the block reward to 1.625 BTC. It’s baked into the protocol.

 

Bitcoin Halving 101

Every 210,000 blocks or so (roughly once every four years) Bitcoin throws a curveball. It's called a halving.

Here’s what happens: the reward miners get for validating a block of transactions gets cut in half. Clean. Automatic. No vote needed.

This is the timeline:

  • 2009: 50 BTC per block
  • 2012: 25 BTC
  • 2016: 12.5 BTC
  • 2020: 6.25 BTC
  • 2024: 3.125 BTC

And it’ll keep going like this until the full 21 million BTC are out there. That’ll be sometime around 2140.

So why should you care?

Because this slows the flow of new bitcoins hitting the market. With supply shrinking and demand staying the same (or rising), it can put upward pressure on price.

It also hits miners. They earn fewer coins with every block but still take home transaction fees.

Less new supply, same hungry market. You do the math.

 

April 2028: The Next Halving

Mark your calendars. Bitcoin’s next halving is tracking toward April 2028, right around block 1,050,000. Most projections point to April 17, but don’t be surprised if it lands a little earlier or later. Based on current block times, it could fall anywhere between April 1 and April 20.

When it does, the block reward will get sliced again, from 3.125 BTC down to 1.625 BTC.

 

Quick Comparison

Event Date Block Height Reward Before → After
4th Halving April 20, 2024 840,000 6.25 → 3.125 BTC
5th Halving April 2028 (estimaded) 1,050,000 3.125 → 1.625 BTC

 

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Wikitoro author Mike Druttman About Mike Druttman

Mike Druttman, Head of Content at Wikitoro.org, has decades of expertise in marketing communications and business matching. Educated at the CAM Foundation and the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Mik...

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