How the Rent-Exempt Minimum Is Calculated
Updated · 4 min read
The rent-exempt minimum is not arbitrary. It is derived from the account's data size and a network rent rate, multiplied by an exemption period.
The formula
Minimum balance = (data size + 128 bytes of account overhead) x rent per byte for the exemption period. At the time of writing mainnet charges 5,080 lamports per byte for rent exemption.
For a standard token account: (165 + 128) x 5,080 = 1,488,440 lamports, which is 0.00148844 SOL. Before Solana lowered its rent rate the figure was 6,960 lamports per byte, which is why older token accounts hold 2,039,280 lamports (0.00203928 SOL). Closing returns whatever the account actually holds.
Checking it yourself
The Solana CLI can compute it for any size, and RPC nodes expose it through getMinimumBalanceForRentExemption.
solana rent 165
Why it matters
Because the deposit depends on size, larger accounts such as Token-2022 accounts with extensions lock more SOL, and all of it returns when the account is closed.
Check your wallet for locked SOL
Scan any Solana address for empty token accounts and see exactly how much rent you can reclaim. Free to check, non-custodial to close.
Frequently asked questions
Can the rent rate change?
Rent parameters are set by the network and could change through protocol upgrades. Always check live values with the CLI or RPC.