Phantom "Not Enough SOL": fees, rent and how to fix it

Quick steps

1. Read the message. Note which token Phantom says is missing, for example SOL on Solana or ETH on Base.
2. Check your SOL balance. Make sure you hold SOL itself, not only USDC or other tokens, and that it is not staked.
3. Send slightly less. If you have some SOL, reduce the amount so the network fee and any rent fit in your balance.
4. Add SOL if you have none. Withdraw a small amount of SOL on the Solana network from an exchange or another wallet to your Phantom address.
5. Allow for rent. Keep about 0.0015 SOL extra (October 2026 rate) for every new token you will receive or buy.
6. Retry the transaction. Start the transaction again and check the fee Phantom shows before confirming.

This is one of the most common Phantom messages, and it often surprises people who have plenty of money in the wallet, just not in SOL. Phantom's help centre explains that network fees must be paid in each network's native token, that the fees go to validators rather than Phantom, and that Phantom shows the estimated fee before you confirm (Phantom help centre, 2026).

The messages you may see

On Solana, Phantom's help centre gives "Not Enough SOL" and "Insufficient SOL" as examples of this error (Phantom help centre, 2026). Other networks show a similar message for their own gas token:

Source: Phantom help centre, 2026. On Solana, dApps and other wallets may show the underlying network error instead, for example Transaction simulation failed followed by Transaction results in an account (0) with insufficient funds for rent.

Part one: Solana network fees

Every Solana transaction pays a base fee of 5,000 lamports (0.000005 SOL) per signature. Apps and wallets usually add a priority fee when the network is busy so the transaction is processed sooner. Even with priority fees, a normal transaction costs a small fraction of a cent to a few cents. The amount is tiny, but if your SOL balance is zero, you cannot pay it at all.

Part two: rent, the deposit most people miss

Solana charges a refundable deposit, called rent, for storing data on-chain. Two rules matter for Phantom users:

• Each token needs its own token account. The first time you receive or buy a token, a token account is created for it. Since 11 September 2026 its rent deposit is 1,488,440 lamports, about 0.0015 SOL; before September 2026 it was about 0.00204 SOL. Whoever creates the account pays: sometimes the sender, often you, for example when you buy a new token in a swap.
• Your SOL account has a minimum too. A plain wallet account must hold at least 650,240 lamports (about 0.00065 SOL) or be completely empty. A transaction that would leave it with a balance between zero and that minimum is rejected. That is where insufficient funds for rent comes from.

These numbers come from Solana's rent formula: (128 bytes plus the account's data size) times the rent rate per byte. Under the SIMD-0437 upgrade, the rate fell from 6,960 to 6,333 lamports per byte on 3 September 2026 and to 5,080 on 11 September 2026, and further cuts are expected around November 2026 (Solana Foundation and Chainstack docs, 2026). So treat these figures as of October 2026 and check the amount Phantom shows before you confirm. The deposit comes back when an account is closed. Our Solana fee and rent calculator works it out for any number of new token accounts.

Why it happens even though you had SOL

• You swapped all your SOL into another token. Now there is nothing left for the next fee. This is the classic case.
• You tried to send your entire SOL balance. The fee comes on top, so the total is more than you hold. Send a little less, or use the max button so the wallet subtracts the fee.
• You are buying several new tokens. Each one needs about 0.0015 SOL rent (October 2026 rate) on top of the swap.
• A dApp action creates several accounts. Some mints, games and DeFi actions open multiple accounts in one go, each with its own deposit.
• Your SOL is staked. Staked SOL cannot pay fees until it is unstaked, which takes an epoch, roughly two to three days. See Phantom staking.

How to fix it

If you have some SOL but not enough, reduce the amount you are sending so the fee and any rent fit. If you have none, the simplest fix is to have SOL sent to you. Options:

1. Withdraw a small amount of SOL from an exchange to your Phantom Solana address. Choose the Solana network for the withdrawal.
2. Ask a friend or move SOL from another wallet you own.
3. Buy SOL through Phantom's built-in buy options if they are available in your country.

Phantom's swap help article says the network fee on some swaps "may be sponsored if the swap is gasless" (Phantom help centre, 2026). On Solana, eligible gasless swaps and sends can go through without SOL: Phantom says the amount must be at least $0.30 and the token verified, and it deducts a flat fee from the token you use. If you have a Cash balance, Phantom also says you can swap it for the native token. Not every transaction qualifies, so a small SOL balance is still the reliable fix.

How much SOL should you keep?

Phantom's help centre suggests starting with about 0.02 SOL on Solana, and stresses this is not a per-transaction fee or a guaranteed minimum (Phantom help centre, 2026). That covers many ordinary transactions and a few new token accounts. Keep more if you trade many new tokens or use complex dApps. Phantom shows the expected fee before you confirm, so check it each time.

Getting rent back

Empty token accounts still hold their deposit. Closing them returns the deposit each one holds: about 0.00204 SOL for accounts opened before September 2026, about 0.0015 SOL for newer ones. Older accounts keep their larger deposit until closed; the rent cut does not refund the difference automatically (Chainstack docs, 2026). Phantom's burn feature for unwanted collectibles reclaims rent too. Be wary of third-party "claim your SOL" sites: some are legitimate account-closing tools, but many fake ones drain wallets. Never connect to one from a DM or ad, and never enter your recovery phrase.

Other networks in Phantom

The same logic applies elsewhere. On Base and Robinhood Chain you need ETH on that specific network, not ETH on Ethereum. On BNB Chain gas is paid in BNB. Moving a gas token between networks needs a bridge; see Phantom bridge and Phantom fees.

Frequently asked questions