Per tokenOne associated token account, derived from wallet and mint
RentA refundable SOL deposit, roughly 0.002 SOL per account
ReclaimableYes — closing an empty account returns the deposit
FBT Swap
What you should know
On an EVM chain, holding a token is an entry in that token's own ledger. On Solana, it is a separate account on-chain, derived from your wallet and the token mint, and accounts occupy state that must be paid for.
That payment is rent, it is refundable, and it is the reason a Solana wallet needs SOL even to receive a token.
Associated token accounts
For each mint you hold, an associated token account is derived deterministically from your wallet address and that mint. It stores your balance for that specific token and nothing else.
If it does not exist, the token cannot be received, which is why sending a token to a wallet that has never held it requires the sender or the wallet to create the account first.
What rent actually is
Accounts must hold a minimum balance proportional to their size to be exempt from deletion. For a token account this is a small, fixed amount of SOL — typically around two thousandths of a SOL.
It is a deposit, not a fee. Closing the account returns it in full to your wallet.
The costs this creates
Receiving a new token costs rent plus transaction fees. A wallet that has interacted with dozens of tokens has that rent spread across dozens of accounts, which can add up to a non-trivial SOL balance sitting idle.
Wallets increasingly offer a cleanup function that closes empty token accounts and reclaims the deposits.
Practical implications
Always keep a SOL buffer for rent and fees, not just for the transaction itself. If a transfer fails because the recipient has no token account, that is the reason. Periodically close empty accounts to recover the SOL.
FBT Swap routes Solana swaps through public aggregators and shows the quote and the fee before your wallet signs; account creation, when needed, appears in the transaction you approve.
At a glance
At a glance
01
Per token
One associated token account, derived from wallet and mint
02
Rent
A refundable SOL deposit, roughly 0.002 SOL per account
03
Reclaimable
Yes — closing an empty account returns the deposit
04
Consequence
You need SOL to receive tokens, not just to send them
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers before you decide.
Why do I need SOL to receive a token?+
Because receiving it may require creating an associated token account, which must be funded with a rent-exempt deposit. The deposit is returned when the account is closed.
Can I get the rent back?+
Yes. Closing a token account with a zero balance returns the full deposit to your wallet. Many wallets offer this as a cleanup action across all empty accounts at once.
Is rent charged continuously?+
Not for rent-exempt accounts, which is effectively all of them now. The minimum balance makes the account permanent, so it is a one-off refundable deposit rather than an ongoing charge.
Risk notice
Crypto assets are volatile and on-chain transactions cannot be reversed. You can lose money, including all of it. Nothing here is financial advice.
