If you sent Bitcoin to an old exchange deposit address, locate the actual transaction and check that service's current address policy. A confirmed output at the old address does not automatically establish credit to your exchange account. An expiry label also does not instruct Bitcoin to return the payment. Stop further deposits to that address and ask the official receiver to investigate the existing receipt.
Find out whose old address it was
A previously generated self-custody address and a deposit address issued by a service are different situations. For a wallet you control, the relevant question is whether you still control the correct wallet and its keys. For a custodial service, the operator controls receipt handling and association with your account. Restoring your personal wallet cannot give you that service's private keys.
The Bitcoin FAQ explains that older receive addresses in a normal wallet remain part of that wallet. It also explains the limits of reversing a confirmed payment. Do not expand the first point into a promise that every platform will keep supporting every address it once issued. The network record and the platform's deposit-processing policy answer different questions.
Preserve evidence that the address came from the genuine service: your earlier deposit record, a saved address-management entry or the original order. A copied string in a personal note is useful context but does not prove current support. If the address came from an unsolicited message or a lookalike website, that is a separate destination-verification problem.
Do not borrow one exchange's rule for another
Coinbase Exchange's address-change help says addresses generated for an account remain associated with it. That statement is scoped to that product's documentation. It is not a universal rule for every Coinbase product, every network or another company's exchange.
By contrast, Kraken's address-expiry guidance describes deposit addresses that can expire and warns that deposits to expired addresses may not be credited. These independent examples show why the correct next step is to read the actual receiver's instructions. Neither example establishes which policy applies to a KOT.CASH order.
An address being different today also does not by itself prove the earlier one expired. The platform may rotate display addresses, withdraw support for a format, or have another account-management rule. Open the current deposit page and address history. Do not repeatedly generate unnecessary new addresses as a troubleshooting ritual; address generation can itself interact with a service's expiry policy.
Reconcile the chain receipt with the account record
| Finding | What it establishes | Next evidence needed |
|---|---|---|
| No matching transaction found | The supplied reference is not yet verified | Correct txid, Bitcoin network and original sending record |
| Transaction still unconfirmed | The network receipt is not settled | Current transaction status and the receiver's treatment |
| Confirmed output to a different address | The intended old destination was not paid by that output | Full address comparison and sender investigation |
| Confirmed output to the old service address | An onchain receipt at that destination | The service's account association and expiry handling |
| Old address still listed as supported | A product rule may permit continued use | Whether this actual deposit satisfies its requirements |
| Old address marked expired or unsupported | Automatic credit cannot be assumed | Official review or recovery eligibility |
| Output later spent | There was subsequent movement | Who controlled that movement and the service's accounting |
Check the specific receiving output, not the transaction's overall total. A transaction can have multiple outputs. Keep the intended asset and network explicit: BTC on Bitcoin is not a similarly named asset or token on another chain. An address that passes a format check does not establish either the platform's support or its relationship to your account.
A recovery request is different from a second payment
If a confirmed receipt reached the service's old destination, the useful question is whether its support team can locate and associate it under its procedures. Kraken's recovery guidance illustrates that technical recoverability, fees and timing depend on the case. It does not promise recovery for every expired-address deposit.
Ask the actual receiver whether review is available and what information it needs. Keep any stated cost and proposed return destination in the official conversation. An unknown person who offers to activate the old address for a separate crypto payment has not demonstrated control of the service's wallet. No legitimate investigation of a public transaction reference requires your recovery words.
A new deposit to a current address does not automatically repair allocation of the old one. It can create two separate deposits. Similarly, a later outgoing transfer from the old address is not evidence that the original payment was returned to you. Trace any claimed refund to its actual destination and ask the service to explain how it relates to the case.
Build a compact case with the original identifiers
- Save the original txid, Bitcoin network, amount, sending time and complete old receiving address.
- Verify the actual output and transaction status through a trusted network record.
- Find the service's address history and policy, preserving any old order or account reference.
- Contact official support with the verified receipt and ask about expiry handling or recovery eligibility.
- Record any case reference, conditions, costs and proposed next action without sending a duplicate deposit.
- For future transfers, reopen the receiver's current instructions and verify the full destination before authorizing the send.
Consider a fictional 0.015 BTC deposit assigned reference Oak. The chain shows that amount in an output to the saved old address, while the service account shows no credit. The original question has now narrowed: network receipt exists, but account credit is unresolved. Sending another 0.015 BTC would not tell you why Oak was missed. These numbers are illustrative, not a claim about a real service case.
For a payment that is actually waiting onchain, use Bitcoin transaction timing. For a settled receipt awaiting a platform's threshold, see deposit confirmations. A no-account swap uses its own order instructions; do not reuse an old order's address merely because it once worked. Keep the current order separate from the investigation of a past transfer.
FAQ
What should I do after sending Bitcoin to an old address?
Verify the actual receiving output and identify whether the address belongs to your own wallet or a service. For a service deposit, check its address policy and contact official support about the existing receipt before sending more.
Does an old Bitcoin address still work?
An older address in a wallet you control is different from an expired platform deposit instruction. The service's current support and account-crediting policy must be checked separately.
Does an old address with a balance prove that my exchange credited me?
No; the chain balance and the platform's internal account are different records. Match your specific deposit and ask the receiver to resolve its allocation.