# Confirm the Golem payment network before reading GLM; capacity is not a balance

GLM is an ERC-20 on Ethereum and Polygon. A provider must be set to mainnet explicitly. Testnet amounts have no real value. Shared cores and disk are not those balances, and rolling GLM on the monitor is not spendable wallet funds.

- Canonical: https://iotahome.site/en/learn/golem-glm-payments-vs-capacity
- Publisher: IOTA Watch
- Topics: Golem
- Published: 2026-10-24
- Updated: 2026-10-24

## At a glance

Read mainnet or testnet in status first, then total, on-chain, Polygon, and pending as separate lines. Do not replace them with capacity or the monitor window.

## Payment network, balances, and capacity

| Where | What you read | Limit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Site description of GLM | Medium of exchange between providers and requestors; ERC-20 on Ethereum and Polygon | Not the amount already credited to one machine |
| YA_PAYMENT_NETWORK_GROUP | mainnet is what the guide calls real GLM; the image default points at testnet | Testnet amounts have no real value |
| amount in status | Total, on-chain, polygon, plus pending and issued | Not the monitor’s rolling 24 hours, and the network label still matters |
| Cores, memory, disk | Size of the share | Not a GLM balance and not convertible into a payment here |

The Golem site defines GLM as the medium of exchange between providers and requestors, and it states that GLM is an ERC-20 on Ethereum and Polygon. To decide whether an amount means anything you can treat as real, read which payment network the provider is on, then which chain the status lines use. Offered capacity and the monitor’s rolling window are not that set of balances.

## Where the amounts sit

The install guide tells you to set YA_PAYMENT_NETWORK_GROUP to mainnet if you want what it calls real GLM. The same page warns that the image defaults to testnet, that testnet GLM has no real value, and that you stay off mainnet until you set mainnet explicitly. The Network line in status is how you check that the change took effect.

Under Wallet, the same status shows amount: total, on-chain, and polygon, plus pending and issued. On-chain and polygon are holdings on two networks. Do not collapse them into one spendable line unless you know how you move funds on each chain. Pending is not settled.

The monitor reads rolling 24-hour GLM and lifetime GLM from Stats. It does not replace the chain split in status, and it does not read your wallet app.

## What to inspect

- Whether Network in status says mainnet or testnet. Do not write testnet figures into real income.

- Copy total, on-chain, polygon, and pending separately. If a line is missing, leave it unknown. Do not fill zero.

- Whether the receiving address is the one you intend to inspect on Ethereum or Polygon. See [node id and the receiving wallet](https://iotahome.site/en/learn/golem-node-id-vs-wallet).

- Cores, memory, and disk only say how much you share. They do not enter the balance sum.

## What to do next

- The network is still testnet: follow the install guide, set mainnet, and read status again. Testnet amounts from before the change do not add into mainnet income.

- Status shows a polygon or on-chain balance while the monitor’s 24-hour figure differs: the window and the source differ. Read the monitor pair in [rolling 24 hours and lifetime](https://iotahome.site/en/learn/golem-monitor-guide).

- Capacity is ample but the amount lines are explicit zeros, or no tasks arrive: separate “no tasks” from “no payment” in [capacity and tasks](https://iotahome.site/en/learn/golem-offers-tasks-availability).

## Example

Illustrative, not an actual balance: status says network mainnet, amount total 3 GLM, of which on-chain is 1 and polygon is 2, with pending 0.4 in one item. The 1 and the 2 are holding summaries on two chains. The 3 is the total line in status, not a third payment. The 0.4 is still pending. If the monitor also shows rolling 24-hour GLM of 1.25, do not subtract 1.25 from 3 and call the result “what the wallet has left.” A core count of 4 or of 8 changes none of those lines.

## Related tool

Use [the Golem project page](https://iotahome.site/en/projects/golem) to compare the public node’s GLM record. Chain balances stay with your wallet and with provider status. Free is five saved devices per project, Pro 50. Do not save the same receiving balance as a second device.

## Common questions

### Can testnet GLM be exchanged into mainnet GLM?

The install guide says testnet GLM has no real value and that mainnet requires setting the payment network to mainnet. Do not add testnet figures into mainnet income.

### Should I add on-chain and polygon and treat the sum as spendable?

They are holding summaries on two networks. Moving them is a question for your own wallet. The monitor will not merge or send them.

### Does pending count as already earned?

Status lists it separately as pending. Record it as pending. Do not fold it into a settled balance.

## Sources and implementation

- [Golem Network](https://golem.network/)
- [Golem provider installation](https://docs.golem.network/docs/providers/provider-installation)
- [Golem Stats](https://stats.golem.network/)