Leagues · 6 min read
The Commissioner's Playbook: Setting League Tax Rates and Prize Pots
Every league has one person who actually reads the settings page. In a Portfolio League that person is running an economy, whether they realize it or not.
Anyone can create a league and become its commissioner. If yours goes quiet every November, that is usually a settings problem before it is a people problem. The tax rates you set, the season structure you choose and the way you hand out the prize pot shape how everybody else plays. It's the meta-game sitting on top of the trading, and this is the walkthrough.
Creating a league
When you create a league you set its rules and become its commissioner. The maximum number of members depends on your tier:
| Commissioner tier | Max members (incl. commissioner) |
|---|---|
| Free | 10 |
| Plus | 12 |
| Pro | 16 |
| Elite | 50 |
The commissioner's real power: tax rates
The most distinctive lever a commissioner holds is the league tax adjustment: a number of points added to or taken off the league's tax rate. Every member starts from the same rate, 20% short-term and 10% long-term, whatever plan they're on, so a +5 league charges everyone 25% and 15%. Which direction you set it changes the whole character of the league.
Setting the rate below baseline
Set the adjustment below zero and the difference is deferred, not forgiven. Members pay less at the time of each sale, but the unpaid amount accrues as a liability that settles on the Tax Day you pick, or when the league closes or the member leaves. This encourages aggressive, high-volume trading during the season, at the cost of a large bill waiting at the end.
Setting the rate above baseline
Set the adjustment above zero and the extra flows into a league prize pot. The pot pays out the same way your league's payout does: the full pot to the top finisher, or a tiered split such as 60/30/10 if that is how the league pays. A higher tax rate discourages churn and rewards disciplined, long-term holding, and it builds a prize worth competing for. Remember that prizes are paid in StarCoins, which have no cash value outside the platform.
Designing a league that plays well
Think of the tax rate as a dial between two styles. A below-baseline league is fast and loose, with lots of trading, big swings, and a dramatic Tax Day reckoning. An above-baseline league is patient and strategic, where holders are rewarded, churn is punished, and a real prize pot is on the line. There's no single right answer. The best commissioners pick a style, set the prize structure to match, and tell their members exactly what to expect before rates lock.
Why the finish matters
Leagues settle up at the end. When the season ends, the final standings determine how members' virtual StarCoin holdings and positions transfer between accounts. The commissioner sets the rules that decide how hard-fought, and how rewarding, that finish line is. Set them thoughtfully.