Every XRP wallet requires a minimum balance of 1 XRP to be activated. This base reserve is not a fee — it is XRP that remains locked in the account as long as the account exists. It prevents spam account creation that could bloat the distributed ledger.
The 1 XRP reserve is distinct from the per-transaction fee of 0.00001 XRP. The reserve is a one-time deposit; the transaction fee is burned with each transaction. Understanding this distinction is important for new users calculating their total XRP holding requirements.
The reserve amount is set by XRPL validator consensus and has historically been reduced as XRP's price increased. If you trust objects to your account (such as escrows or trust lines), additional reserve increments of 0.2 XRP per object may apply.
To close an XRP account and recover the reserve, all trust lines and other objects must be removed and the account must be deleted using the AccountDelete transaction, which costs a special fee of 2 XRP.
