diff --git a/backend/src/event-handlers/rollup.js b/backend/src/event-handlers/rollup.js
index 9197803..395e6a8 100644
--- a/backend/src/event-handlers/rollup.js
+++ b/backend/src/event-handlers/rollup.js
@@ -28,11 +28,6 @@ const stakeRollupAvailability = async () => {
   await dao.stakeAvailability(rollup.target, currentRep, availabilityStakeDuration);
 };
 
-const extendRollupAvailability = async () => {
-  const currentRep = await dao.balanceOf(await wallet.getAddress());
-  await dao.stakeAvailability(rollup.target, currentRep, availabilityStakeDuration);
-};
-
 const getBatchPostAuthorWeights = async (batchItems_) => {
   const weights = {};
   await Promise.each(batchItems_, async (postId) => {
@@ -184,12 +179,9 @@ const start = async () => {
   batchWorker = await rollup.batchWorker();
   console.log('At startup', { batchWorker });
 
-  // Stake availability and
+  // Stake availability and set an interval to maintain it
   await stakeRollupAvailability();
-  // Set an interval to maintain it
-  setInterval(() => {
-
-  });
+  setInterval(stakeRollupAvailability, availabilityStakeDuration * 1000);
 
   rollup.on('BatchWorkerAssigned', async (batchWorker_) => {
     console.log('Batch worker assigned:', batchWorker);
diff --git a/ethereum/contracts/Availability.sol b/ethereum/contracts/Availability.sol
index fb04ded..e810e56 100644
--- a/ethereum/contracts/Availability.sol
+++ b/ethereum/contracts/Availability.sol
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ contract Availability is IAcceptAvailability, DAOContract {
         address worker,
         uint256 amount,
         uint duration
-    ) external {
+    ) external returns (uint refund) {
         require(
             msg.sender == address(dao),
             "acceptAvailability must only be called by DAO contract"
@@ -41,6 +41,10 @@ contract Availability is IAcceptAvailability, DAOContract {
             // Stake has already been assigned; We need to create a new one
             stakeIndex = stakeCount++;
             activeWorkerStakes[worker] = stakeIndex;
+        } else {
+            // We are replacing an existing stake.
+            // That means we can refund some of the granted allowance
+            refund = stakes[stakeIndex].amount;
         }
         AvailabilityStake storage stake = stakes[stakeIndex];
         stake.worker = worker;
diff --git a/ethereum/contracts/core/DAO.sol b/ethereum/contracts/core/DAO.sol
index bca74ec..3500fc4 100644
--- a/ethereum/contracts/core/DAO.sol
+++ b/ethereum/contracts/core/DAO.sol
@@ -101,14 +101,6 @@ contract DAO {
         return rep.allowance(owner, spender);
     }
 
-    function spendAllowance(
-        address owner,
-        address spender,
-        uint256 value
-    ) public {
-        return rep.spendAllowance(owner, spender, value);
-    }
-
     function forwardAllowance(
         address owner,
         address to,
@@ -124,8 +116,16 @@ contract DAO {
         uint256 value,
         uint duration
     ) external returns (bool) {
-        rep.approve(msg.sender, to, value);
-        IAcceptAvailability(to).acceptAvailability(msg.sender, value, duration);
+        uint refund = IAcceptAvailability(to).acceptAvailability(
+            msg.sender,
+            value,
+            duration
+        );
+        rep.approve(
+            msg.sender,
+            to,
+            rep.allowance(msg.sender, to) + value - refund
+        );
         return true;
     }
 
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ contract DAO {
         if (allowance(owner, msg.sender) < amount) {
             amount = allowance(owner, msg.sender);
         }
-        spendAllowance(owner, msg.sender, amount);
+        rep.spendAllowance(owner, msg.sender, amount);
         bench.stakeOnValidationPool(poolIndex, owner, amount, inFavor);
     }
 
diff --git a/ethereum/contracts/interfaces/IAcceptAvailability.sol b/ethereum/contracts/interfaces/IAcceptAvailability.sol
index 9643466..68f54bb 100644
--- a/ethereum/contracts/interfaces/IAcceptAvailability.sol
+++ b/ethereum/contracts/interfaces/IAcceptAvailability.sol
@@ -6,5 +6,5 @@ interface IAcceptAvailability {
         address from,
         uint256 value,
         uint duration
-    ) external;
+    ) external returns (uint refund);
 }
diff --git a/ethereum/test/Work1.js b/ethereum/test/Work1.js
index 38cc2dc..a31ed15 100644
--- a/ethereum/test/Work1.js
+++ b/ethereum/test/Work1.js
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ describe('Work1', () => {
       expect(stake.worker).to.equal(account1);
       expect(stake.amount).to.equal(50);
       expect(stake.endTime).to.equal(await time.latest() + STAKE_DURATION);
+      expect(await dao.allowance(account1, work1.target)).to.equal(50);
     });
 
     it('should not be able to stake availability without reputation value', async () => {
@@ -84,6 +85,7 @@ describe('Work1', () => {
       expect(await work1.stakeCount()).to.equal(1);
       await expect(dao.stakeAvailability(work1.target, 50, STAKE_DURATION)).to.emit(work1, 'AvailabilityStaked').withArgs(0);
       expect(await work1.stakeCount()).to.equal(1);
+      expect(await dao.allowance(account1, work1.target)).to.equal(50);
     });
 
     it('should be able to extend the duration of an availability stake after it expires', async () => {
@@ -91,6 +93,7 @@ describe('Work1', () => {
       expect(await work1.stakeCount()).to.equal(1);
       await dao.stakeAvailability(work1.target, 50, STAKE_DURATION);
       expect(await work1.stakeCount()).to.equal(1);
+      expect(await dao.allowance(account1, work1.target)).to.equal(50);
     });
 
     it('extending a stake before expiration should reset the end time to the new duration from the present', async () => {
@@ -101,6 +104,7 @@ describe('Work1', () => {
       const expectedEndTime = await time.latest() + 2 * STAKE_DURATION;
       const stake = await work1.stakes(0);
       expect(stake.endTime).to.be.within(expectedEndTime - 1, expectedEndTime);
+      expect(await dao.allowance(account1, work1.target)).to.equal(50);
     });
 
     it('extending a stake after expiration should restart the stake for the given duration', async () => {
@@ -111,6 +115,7 @@ describe('Work1', () => {
       const expectedEndTime = await time.latest() + STAKE_DURATION * 2;
       const stake = await work1.stakes(0);
       expect(stake.endTime).to.be.within(expectedEndTime - 1, expectedEndTime);
+      expect(await dao.allowance(account1, work1.target)).to.equal(50);
     });
   });
 
@@ -166,7 +171,7 @@ describe('Work1', () => {
 
     it('after a stake has been assigned work, staking again should create a new stake', async () => {
       const {
-        dao, work1, account2,
+        dao, work1, account1, account2,
       } = await loadFixture(deploy);
       await dao.stakeAvailability(work1.target, 50, STAKE_DURATION);
       await work1.connect(account2).requestWork('req-content-id', { value: WORK1_PRICE });
@@ -174,6 +179,7 @@ describe('Work1', () => {
       expect(await work1.stakeCount()).to.equal(1);
       await dao.stakeAvailability(work1.target, 50, STAKE_DURATION);
       expect(await work1.stakeCount()).to.equal(2);
+      expect(await dao.allowance(account1, work1.target)).to.equal(100);
     });
   });