How to send USDT on TRC-20 (Tron)

What a USDT TRC-20 wallet address looks like

TRC-20 is the token standard on the Tron blockchain, and USDT (Tether) is one of the tokens issued under it. A Tron address as shown in wallets and explorers is 34 characters long and always starts with a capital T.

That makes it easy to tell apart from other networks. An Ethereum (ERC-20) address starts with 0x, and a Solana address has no fixed prefix. If the address you've been given doesn't start with T, it isn't a TRC-20 address, whatever the label says. Our guide to USDT TRC-20 vs ERC-20 explains the differences in more detail.

Tron addresses are case-sensitive, so always copy and paste rather than typing one out by hand.

How TRC-20 fees work: energy, bandwidth and TRX

Tron doesn't charge a flat fee. Every transaction uses a resource called bandwidth, measured by the transaction's size. Sending a TRC-20 token such as USDT also calls a smart contract, which uses a second resource called energy.

Each Tron account gets a small free bandwidth allowance (600 bandwidth over a rolling 24-hour window, according to Tron's developer documentation), but there is no free energy. When your account doesn't have enough of either, the network burns TRX from your balance to cover the difference. You can also get resources by staking TRX, which is how heavy users reduce their costs.

In practice, for a one-off transfer from a personal wallet:

• Keep some TRX in the same wallet as your USDT. Without it, the transfer will usually fail or refuse to send.
• Your wallet shows an estimated fee before you confirm. Check it on that screen rather than relying on a figure you read elsewhere, because the cost depends on current network settings and on the resources your account already has.
• On an exchange, you normally don't need TRX. The exchange charges its own withdrawal fee, shown on the withdrawal screen, and handles the network costs itself.

Step by step: sending USDT from an exchange on TRC-20

The layout differs between exchanges such as Binance, Coinbase, Kraken or OKX, but the withdrawal screen asks for the same things in roughly the same order:

• Go to your wallet or assets page, pick USDT and choose Withdraw or Send. Pick the option for an external crypto address, not an internal transfer to another user.
• Paste the recipient's address. For a donation to us, pick USDT on Tron (TRC-20) on the donate page and copy the one-time address it gives you.
• Choose the network. It may be labelled Tron, TRX or TRC-20. Some exchanges suggest a network automatically from the address; still check it yourself.
• Enter the amount and review the withdrawal fee and the amount the recipient will get.
• Compare the first and last six characters of the pasted address with the original, then confirm with your two-factor code or email approval.
• Save the transaction ID (TxID) once the exchange shows it. It may take a few minutes to appear in your withdrawal history.

Sending from a self-custody wallet

In a wallet app that supports Tron, open your USDT balance, tap Send, paste the address and enter the amount. Many multi-chain wallets hold USDT on several networks at once and list each as a separate balance, for example "USDT (Tron)" and "USDT (Ethereum)". Make sure you're sending from the Tron balance.

Before you confirm, the wallet shows the energy, bandwidth and any TRX it will burn. If it says you don't have enough TRX, top up with a small amount of TRX first. The USDT itself can't be used to pay the fee.

Wrong networks and test transfers

Blockchain transfers can't be reversed. The US Federal Trade Commission's crypto guidance puts it plainly: once you pay with cryptocurrency, you can usually only get your money back if the person you paid sends it back. If you send USDT on one network to an address meant for another, the recipient may not be able to recover it at all.

Three habits prevent nearly every mistake:

• Match the network to the address. A T… address takes TRC-20 only. Don't send USDT on BNB Smart Chain, Ethereum or any other network to it.
• Send a small test amount first when the sum matters, check that it arrives using a block explorer, then send the rest. Our guide on how to check a crypto transaction shows how.
• Get the address from the source, not from your transaction history or a message. Scammers send tiny transfers from look-alike addresses hoping you'll copy theirs later. Our article on avoiding crypto donation scams covers this and other tricks.