USDT on TON is Tether's token issued on The Open Network as a jetton. It is what Telegram's built-in Wallet and Tonkeeper show as โUSDT (TON)โ. Two rules keep TON transfers safe: when you send to an exchange or a swap deposit, you must include the comment (memo) the service shows, and your wallet must hold a little Toncoin, because the network fee for a USDT transfer is paid in TON, not in USDT.
How USDT is stored on TON
TON uses a jetton standard. Each owner has a separate jetton wallet contract for USDT, deployed automatically and controlled by the main wallet. You share your main address โ in the user-friendly format it begins with UQ (non-bounceable) or EQ (bounceable) and is 48 characters long. Explorers such as Tonviewer show both the main address and the jetton wallet; for sending you always use the main one.
Tether launched USDT on TON in April 2024. Like other USDT deployments it has 6 decimals. Check the token by its master contract on Tether's supported-protocols page or in the wallet's verified list: copies called โUSDTโ circulate on TON just as on other chains.
Why the memo is not optional
Exchanges and swap services often receive TON deposits for thousands of users at one address. The comment field tells them which account or order the coins belong to. The liquidity provider's network list marks USDT on TON with a required MEMO, exactly like XRP's destination tag. Without it the transfer arrives at the right address but cannot be matched automatically.
- Copy the address and the memo from the order page separately; do not type the memo by hand.
- In Tonkeeper the field is called Comment; in Telegram Wallet it appears as a comment or memo when withdrawing to an external address.
- Some wallets offer to encrypt the comment. Do not: an encrypted comment is unreadable for the receiving service.
- When you receive USDT to your own wallet, no memo is needed โ the address is yours alone.
Gas: you need Toncoin
A jetton transfer is a chain of messages between contracts, and each message pays gas in TON. Wallets attach some TON to the transfer and return the unused part. In practice a USDT transfer costs a few hundredths of a TON, and wallets refuse to send if your TON balance is too small. Telegram Wallet may offer to pay the fee in USDT through its own service; that is a wallet feature, not a property of the network.
KOT.CASH does not swap Toncoin itself, because the liquidity provider does not support TON as a coin. USDT on the TON network is supported. If your wallet has no TON for gas, top it up from an exchange before sending USDT.
Bounceable or not matters only for brand-new wallets. A transfer to an uninitialised wallet in the EQ (bounceable) form can bounce back; wallets therefore show addresses in the UQ form by default. For jetton transfers like USDT this is handled by the jetton contract, but when you top up TON for gas to a fresh wallet, use the UQ form your wallet displays.
USDT on TON in a swap
| Direction | Minimum | Credited after | Memo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Send USDT on TON โ receive USDT TRC20 | โ 6.7 USDT | 1 confirmation | Required on deposit |
| Send USDT TRC20 โ receive USDT on TON | โ 2.3 USDT | 20 TRON confirmations | Not needed for your own wallet |
| Payout network fee to TON | โ 0.15 USDT | โ | โ |
The order page shows the deposit address and, for TON deposits, the comment next to it. The standard swap form has no field for a payout memo, so receive USDT on TON to your own wallet (Tonkeeper, MyTonWallet, Telegram Wallet's self-custodial part) rather than straight to an exchange that needs a comment. Multi-Hop and Split Swap forms do have a payout memo field.
Forgot the memo: what to do
- Do not send the same amount again with the memo โ that only creates a second payment.
- Find the transaction in Tonviewer or Tonscan by your address and copy its hash.
- Write to the receiving service's support with the hash, amount, time and your account or order ID. For a KOT.CASH order, send the order link.
- Expect manual handling: exchanges often credit such deposits after a check, sometimes for a fee.
The memo and tag checker lists every coin and network where a memo is used; the general rules are in the memo and destination tag guide.
TON or TRC20 for USDT?
TON is fast and cheap for small amounts and is the natural choice inside Telegram. TRC20 is accepted by almost every exchange and OTC desk, does not need a memo for most deposits, but burns TRX for energy. For a transfer between your own wallets the fee difference is small; for deposits to services, the memo requirement is the main extra risk of TON. The stablecoin fee comparison shows the cost side.
FAQ
Does USDT on TON need a memo?
Only when you send to a shared deposit address such as an exchange or a swap order. Transfers to your own wallet do not need one.
Can I pay the TON network fee in USDT?
The network charges gas in Toncoin. Some wallets, including Telegram Wallet, offer to cover it from USDT through their own service.
Does KOT.CASH support Toncoin?
No. USDT on the TON network is supported for deposits and payouts, the TON coin itself is not.
What does a TON address look like?
48 characters in the user-friendly format, usually starting with UQ or EQ. Both forms point to the same account.
How fast is a USDT deposit on TON credited?
The provider credits it after one confirmation, typically within a minute, plus processing time.