Zcash's next network upgrade, NU7, now has a concrete schedule culminating in a proposed mainnet launch on November 5. According to a forum post, the Zcash Foundation, Tachyon, Valar, ZODL and Shielded Labs have reached agreement with the engineering teams working across the ecosystem on deadlines for completing the code, testing it and deciding whether it is ready for mainnet.

The timeline builds on a governance vote in which Zcash holders backed shorter block times and the retention of the network's existing halving structure, as covered in a previous report. The new schedule adds what the vote could not provide: firm deadlines for implementation, testing and the activation decision.

Because a governance vote cannot change Zcash's consensus rules on its own, the Zakura and Zebra node implementations must both ship compatible rules before exchanges, wallets and infrastructure providers can prepare for activation. Consensus changes of this kind only take effect if every full node enforces the same rules at the same block height, which is why both implementations have to be ready together before any activation date. Developers responsible for the two clients also discussed whether the proposed schedule was achievable.

October 20 go/no-go review anchors the schedule

September 30: code completion. The selected features are expected to be implemented and ready for inclusion in the testnet release.

October 6: testnet activation. The official Zcash testnet is scheduled to begin running NU7 under the proposed consensus rules.

October 20: mainnet review. Developers will assess the testnet results, make the final activation decision and select the mainnet activation height.

November 5: proposed mainnet launch. NU7 would become active on the production network if the October review finds no reason to postpone it.

During the two-week testnet window, developers can check whether Zakura and Zebra remain in agreement while producing blocks under the new rules. Exchanges, indexers and block explorers will also be able to test whether their systems can process the higher block frequency without falling behind.

This makes November 5 a target rather than a guaranteed activation date. A consensus mismatch, performance problem or infrastructure failure surfaced on testnet could still delay the upgrade.

NU7's release package has become narrower

The planned upgrade contains three principal changes: a 25-second block target, the removal of support for version 4 transactions, and integration of the network sustainability mechanism. NU7 will not introduce a new transaction format. Dropping that work from the release reduces the number of consensus changes that must be implemented and tested before November.

The 25-second target would replace the network's current 75-second block interval, the change behind the threefold increase in block frequency that testing is designed to measure; shorter intervals generally mean less waiting for a transaction's first confirmation. The version 4 removal applies to the older of the two formats Zcash nodes currently accept, since the newer version 5 transaction format has been available since the NU5 upgrade in 2022.

The forum announcement says maintained wallets should not require significant changes. Users are not being asked to move funds, create new addresses or convert existing ZEC before activation.

Software that still creates version 4 transactions is a separate concern. Those transactions would no longer be accepted after NU7, so abandoned or outdated wallet software may stop working correctly. Users relying on actively maintained wallets should receive the necessary compatibility changes through normal software updates.

Infrastructure operators face the larger adjustment. Full nodes will encounter blocks more frequently, while exchanges, explorers and indexers must ensure their systems can follow the faster chain. Testnet performance will show whether those services can handle the change before the rules become mandatory on mainnet.

Fees would return through mining rewards after 2031

NU7 would also introduce the fee component of the network sustainability mechanism. Under ZIP 235, at least 60% of the transaction fees in each block would initially leave circulation, while the remaining portion could continue to reward miners.

The removed ZEC would not be transferred into a treasury controlled by the Zcash Foundation, developers or any other organization. The resulting supply reduction would later be offset algorithmically through additional block issuance.

The agreed design preserves Zcash's scheduled halvings. Reissuance is expected to begin in 2031, allowing transaction activity after NU7 to contribute to mining rewards in later years without changing the near-term halving schedule.

In practice, at least 60% of current transaction fees would leave circulation first, and beginning in 2031 the protocol would gradually offset that reduction through future block subsidies. The eventual contribution will depend on how much the network is used: low fee revenue would add little to future mining rewards, while higher transaction activity would shift more ZEC from present fees into later issuance.

Testnet performance now decides whether the deadline holds

The main uncertainty is no longer whether the community supports 25-second blocks. Developers must now show that both node implementations can follow the same chain and that supporting infrastructure can process blocks arriving three times as frequently.

Successful testing would leave the activation-height decision as the final step before NU7 reaches mainnet. Material failures would provide a clear reason to move the November target rather than expose the production network to an upgrade that is not ready.

This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Network-upgrade dates and technical specifications may change during testing.