Methods and systems for verifying a hardware design for a multi-stage component configured to receive input data and generate output data by processing the input data at each of a plurality of successive stages wherein each stage is independently enabled is stall independent. For each stage from the second stage to the last stage: a relevant portion of the output data of an instantiation of the hardware design is verified as the same if the instantiation is in the same state when that stage is enabled in a cycle by any set of inputs and any subsequent stages are enabled in subsequent cycles by a first minimal sequence of inputs. The relevant portion of the output data of the hardware design is verified as the same if the instantiation is in the same state (i) when that stage is enabled in a cycle and any subsequent stages are enabled in subsequent cycles by a second minimal sequence of inputs and (ii) when that stage is stalled, then that stage is enabled in the next cycle and the subsequent stages are enabled in subsequent cycles by the second minimal sequence of inputs.