XRPL Account Reserve & Activation Cost Explained
Every XRP Ledger account must hold a minimum XRP balance. Here is exactly how much, why, and how to free it up.
What Is the Base Reserve?
The base reserve is the minimum amount of XRP an account must hold to exist on the ledger. Currently it is 1 XRP. This XRP is locked - it cannot be spent, traded, or sent as long as the account exists.
To activate a new XRP Ledger wallet, someone must send at least 1 XRP to the address. Until the account receives this initial payment, it does not exist on the ledger and cannot send transactions or hold tokens.
What Is the Owner Reserve?
The owner reserve is an additional 0.2 XRP locked per ledger object your account owns. Ledger objects include trustlines, DEX offers, NFT offers, escrows, and other on-chain entries.
This reserve exists to discourage ledger bloat. Each object takes space in the shared ledger, so the protocol requires a small deposit that is returned when the object is removed.
| Object Type | Reserve Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Trustline | 0.2 XRP | Per token you hold |
| DEX Offer | 0.2 XRP | Per open order |
| NFT Offer | 0.2 XRP | Per buy/sell offer |
| Escrow | 0.2 XRP | Per active escrow |
| Payment Channel | 0.2 XRP | Per open channel |
| Signer List | 0.2 XRP | Multi-sign setup |
| Check | 0.2 XRP | Per outstanding check |
How to Calculate Your Total Reserve
Your total locked XRP is:
Your spendable balance is your total XRP balance minus the total reserve. You can see both values on your wallet dashboard.
Example Calculation
Suppose your account has 5 trustlines and 2 open DEX offers. That is 7 owned objects.
If your balance is 10 XRP, your spendable amount is 10 - 2.4 = 7.6 XRP.
How to Free Up Reserves
Every ledger object you remove returns 0.2 XRP to your spendable balance:
- Remove trustlines - sell or send your entire token balance to zero, then remove the trustline
- Cancel DEX offers - cancel any open limit orders you no longer need
- Cancel NFT offers - withdraw expired or unwanted buy/sell offers
- Finish escrows - complete or cancel active escrows
On XRPL.to, you can manage trustlines and offers from your swap page or dashboard.
Reserve History
The XRP Ledger reserve values are set by validator votes and have decreased over time as XRP's value has increased:
| Period | Base Reserve | Owner Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| Before 2021 | 20 XRP | 5 XRP |
| 2021 - Nov 2024 | 10 XRP | 2 XRP |
| December 2024 - Now | 1 XRP | 0.2 XRP |
The December 2024 reduction made XRPL significantly more accessible. Activating an account now costs just 1 XRP instead of 10 XRP.
Common Questions
Can I spend my base reserve?
No. The 1 XRP base reserve is permanently locked as long as the account exists. You cannot send it or trade with it.
What happens if I remove all my trustlines and offers?
Your total reserve drops to just the 1 XRP base reserve. The freed XRP becomes spendable immediately.
Can the reserve amounts change?
Yes. Validators can vote to change reserve values. The base reserve dropped from 10 XRP to 1 XRP in December 2024. Changes apply to all accounts retroactively.
Start Trading
Now that you understand reserves, check your balance and start trading on the XRPL DEX.