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I know that you give back 15 rep if an answer is unaccepted:

Do you lose the 15 pts if someone later unaccepts your answer?

However, does this loss happen on the day the answer is unaccepted, or does it apply retroactively to the day that the answer was accepted? Can you drop below 200 for a day in the past from this happening?

If the above is not true, can a reputation recalc still cause the unaccept to be applied retroactively (and a drop below 200), or does it remain on the specific day it happened?

I know that accepts (and unaccepts) won't accept the rep cap, but this could have implications for the number of days calculated for Epic and Legendary badges.

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4 Answers 4

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Does this loss happen on the day the answer is unaccepted, or does it apply retroactively to the day that the answer was accepted?

The actual loss of reputation occurs on the day(s) the reputation was originally received. The reputation you gained gets reversed as if it did not happen.

Can you drop below 200 for a day in the past from this happening?

Yes, you can, if there are not other reputation events for that day to account for the sudden change (for example, if you had a 210 day and an accept on that day got reversed, the day would now count for 195 and no longer count towards the badges).

Can a reputation recalc still cause the unaccept to be applied retroactively (and a drop below 200), or does it remain on the specific day it happened?

No need for rep recalcs, those are all done automatically. The day(s) for which the reputation was reversed are all automatically recalculated so that any votes that did not count for reputation due to caps will fill in the gap that has been reversed.

Dime please.

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    What about the +2 you get from accepting someone's answer. If you later unaccept an answer because a better answer came along and you accepted the new one, does the +2 from last year get subtracted from that day's reputation, and a new +2 get added on today's reputation? I will send you a dime in the mail.
    – user1271772
    Commented Jul 19, 2020 at 21:00
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Reputation changes never happen retro-actively. Just as for changed votes, user deletion and other such things that reputation, the change for an unaccepted answer happens when it happens. Users affected by this will see it as a negative entry in their rep activity log.

Since you asked about the rep cap, it's worth pointing out that reputation earned from accepts and bounties is not counted towards the cap in the first place. Reversals of these items should also likewise not affect the cap.

The reputation system used to be kind of sloppy about how it kept track of things and deletions and other changes often didn't show up until a full recalc was done. This is no longer the case and the reputation number is always a "live" indication of current score. Anything that affects it will take effect almost immediately (allowing for small delays in cahcing).

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  • Because accepts do not affect the rep cap, unaccepts do not affect the cap either. 21 answer upvotes and a unaccept will leave you at a net gain of 185 for the day.
    – Martijn Pieters
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 20:57
  • @MartijnPieters: I have removed that bit, but I have to wonder: does it really work the way it should? Does the -15 hit mean the rep cap will actually register at 215 that day?
    – Caleb
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 20:59
  • No, the rep cap is for up and downvotes only. Bounties, accepts and unaccepts are not counted for the cap. You will not be able to get 215 from upvotes alone that day, no.
    – Martijn Pieters
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 21:00
  • I wasn't really asking about the rep cap, but instead about the Epic and Legendary badges. It seems you could retroactively lose a day counted toward those.
    – Andrew Mao
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 21:07
  • @AndrewMao: No you shouldn't loose anything in relation to badges retro-actively.
    – Caleb
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 21:08
  • Hmmm, they were just telling me yesterday, that the rep while shown in the day it is unaccepted, actually comes off of the day it was given.
    – Lance Roberts
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 22:07
  • @LanceRoberts Are you sure you are reading that right? The accepted answer from a dev no less indicates just the opposite. In any event accepts don't affect the rep cap no matter when they kick in.
    – Caleb
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 22:52
  • @Caleb, I'm not completely sure of anything. The answer you note doesn't really say anything either way. The link I give in my answer has a lot to read, but hard to find anything truly definitive, but that's what I've been told before, and what I do get out of reading everything on that question.
    – Lance Roberts
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 22:54
  • @Caleb, check this out
    – Lance Roberts
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 23:31
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The reputation lost is displayed the day it is lost, but the reputation is actually calculated off of the day it was originally given.

Here's a reference.

Better Reference.

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  • Now you have me really confused. Does that mean I'm going to lose the rep for the day I originally gained it then?
    – Andrew Mao
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 22:24
  • That's what I think, but I'm still not sure how it affects the Epic and Legendary badges.
    – Lance Roberts
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 22:31
  • Your answer seems to contradict the answers given by others here...I guess we'll have to get some more feedback to get this sorted out.
    – Andrew Mao
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 22:35
  • @AndrewMao, ok, see Better reference edited in.
    – Lance Roberts
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 23:30
  • Others seem to be wrong then, don't they :)
    – Andrew Mao
    Commented Mar 26, 2013 at 23:42
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The loss does not happen retroactively, you will see -15 reputation on the day the answer was unaccepted.

You can actually track these changes in the reputation tab on your user profile.

This question is showing an example of a notification of an unaccepted answer: How do you want to be notified of unaccepted answers?

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