The formula
The runtime charges for the account's data plus 128 bytes of overhead, at 3,480 lamports per byte per year, and an account is exempt if it holds two years' worth. Rent collection from non-exempt accounts has been switched off, so in practice every new account must be created with at least this deposit.
rent-exempt lamports = (128 + data bytes) ร 3,480 ร 2
0 bytes (wallet) = 890,880 lamports = 0.00089088 SOL
165 bytes (token acct) = 2,039,280 lamports = 0.00203928 SOL
82 bytes (token mint) = 1,461,600 lamports = 0.0014616 SOLWhere you meet it
- Sending SOL to a brand-new address: the transfer must be at least 0.00089088 SOL, or the network rejects it because the new account would be below the minimum.
- Sending your whole balance: a wallet can go to exactly zero (the account is deleted), but not to a small non-zero amount below the minimum.
- First time you receive a token such as USDT or USDC: an associated token account of 165 bytes is created, and whoever creates it pays 0.00203928 SOL. Exchanges and many senders pay it for you; some wallets ask you to.
- Closing empty token accounts in wallets such as Phantom or Solflare returns those 0.002 SOL deposits to you.
Token-2022 and program accounts
Token-2022 accounts are larger when the mint uses extensions (transfer fees, interest, metadata pointers), so their deposit is higher than 0.00204 SOL. Program and data accounts can be kilobytes or megabytes: a 1 MB account locks about 7.3 SOL. Type the exact size in bytes if you know it from an explorer.
Frequently asked questions
+What is the minimum SOL balance for a wallet?
A system account with no data needs 0.00089088 SOL (890,880 lamports) to exist, unless its balance is exactly zero.
+Why did I pay about 0.002 SOL to receive a token?
Receiving a new token creates a 165-byte token account, which must hold 0.00203928 SOL. It is a refundable deposit, not a fee.
+How do I get the rent back?
Close the account. For empty token accounts most wallets have a "close" or "burn and close" option; the deposit returns to your SOL balance.
+Is rent still charged on Solana?
Rent collection from non-exempt accounts is disabled; new accounts simply have to be rent-exempt from the start.
+Does the rent-exempt amount change with the SOL price?
No. It is fixed in lamports. Only its dollar value moves with the SOL price.
Calculations run entirely in your browser; nothing you type is sent to KOT.CASH. Results are estimates for information only and are not financial, tax or legal advice.