What is Rent Exemption on Solana? How Account Rent Works

Rent exemption is a core concept in the Solana blockchain that determines how accounts are stored on-chain. Every account on Solana must maintain a minimum balance of SOL to remain on the blockchain -- this is called the rent-exempt minimum.

The rent-exempt minimum depends on the size of the account data. For a standard token account (165 bytes), the rent-exempt minimum is approximately 0.00204 SOL. This deposit ensures the account can exist on the blockchain indefinitely without being garbage collected.

In the early days of Solana, accounts that fell below the rent-exempt minimum would be charged periodic rent and eventually deleted. Today, all accounts are required to be rent-exempt, meaning they must hold at least the minimum balance at creation.

When you create a new token account (for example, by buying a token for the first time), your wallet automatically deposits the rent-exempt amount. This is why you might notice your SOL balance decreasing slightly when you trade new tokens.

The good news is that rent deposits are fully recoverable. When an account is closed, the rent-exempt SOL is returned to the account owner. For empty token accounts, tools like SolWipe can close them in bulk and return all the locked rent deposits to your wallet.

Understanding rent exemption is important for managing your Solana wallet efficiently. Every new token you trade creates an account with a rent deposit, and cleaning up empty accounts regularly ensures you are not leaving SOL on the table.