Where your money goes when you swap on Solana: every fee, explained simply

The short version

1. The network fee: 0.000005 SOL

Every Solana transaction pays a base fee of 0.000005 SOL (5,000 lamports), a fraction of a US cent.^[1] Strictly, it is charged per signature, and a normal transaction from your wallet has one. It is paid in SOL, which is why you need a little SOL even when you only trade other tokens. A swap that reaches the network but fails still pays it, because validators did the work of trying.

2. The priority fee: a tip to go first

When the network is busy, apps add a small priority fee so validators process your transaction sooner; it typically stays under $0.01, even when demand is high.^[1] Your wallet or swap app usually sets it for you. Jupiter's default Ultra mode picks it for you,^[2] and its Manual mode lets you set it yourself.^[3]

3. The token deposit: about 0.002 SOL, and you can get it back

The first time your wallet holds a token, Solana opens a small account for it and sets aside a deposit of about 0.002 SOL, often called rent.^[1] That is why your SOL balance drops a little more than expected after you buy a new token. The deposit is refunded when you close the empty account: many wallets offer this, and Raydium has a Reclaim rent ↗ page for it.^[4]

4. The pool fee: paid to the people who supply the tokens

Most swaps trade against a liquidity pool (see What is a liquidity pool?), and each pool charges a fee set when it was created. On Raydium it ranges from 0.25% to 4% on standard pools and starts at 0.01% on concentrated ones. 84% of it goes to the pool's liquidity providers, 12% buys back RAY and 4% goes to Raydium's treasury.^[5] Our Raydium hub shows the split as a diagram. Meteora, another Solana liquidity platform, splits pool fees between liquidity providers and the protocol in ratios that depend on the pool type; its fee guide lists them.

5. The app fee: 0% to 0.5% on Jupiter

Apps that find the best route for you may add their own fee: 0% to 0.5% on Jupiter, depending on the pair.^[6] On its default Ultra mode, swaps between stablecoins, and from SOL or a stablecoin into JUP, JLP or JupSOL, are free; SOL to a stablecoin costs 0.02%; most other swaps 0.1%; and a token less than a day old 0.5%.^[2] Manual mode charges no Jupiter fee; you pay only network fees.^[3] The app on your phone may follow its own schedule, so read the quote each time.

6. Launchpad fees: 1.25% a trade on StonkFun

Tokens that trade on a launchpad pay its fee. A StonkFun coin on its LaunchLab curve pays 1.25% of every trade: 1% to StonkFun, which passes part of it to the coin's creator, and 0.25% to Raydium.^[7] How token launches work explains the curve.

7. Transfer taxes: built into some tokens

Some tokens use a Token-2022 feature that withholds a share of every transfer, including the one that delivers your swap.^[8] PreStocks tokens withheld 3% on most tokens in late September 2026; our PreStocks guide shows how to read the current rate yourself. StonkFun's reward coins charge a 1% or 3% tax on every transfer, paid out to their holders.^[9]

Not a fee, but a cost: price impact and slippage

A big trade in a small pool moves the price against you: that is price impact. The price can also move between your quote and your transaction: your slippage limit sets how far you accept before the swap fails instead. StonkBuilder Learn explains slippage and price impact ↗ in more depth.

A worked example

Illustrative numbers only. Say you swap $100 of SOL for a new token that trades with a 1% fee and charges a 3% transfer tax:

1. The 1% trading fee leaves $99 to swap.
2. The 3% transfer tax is withheld as the token arrives, so about $96.03 reaches your wallet.
3. About 0.002 SOL goes into the new token's deposit, which you can reclaim later.
4. The network and priority fees add up to less than a cent.
5. Price impact and slippage come on top, and depend on the size of the pool.

Selling later pays the trading fee and the tax again, so a coin like this has to rise by about 8% before you break even.

How to see every fee before you sign

1. 01

   Open the quote details

   Most swap apps show the fee, the route and the price impact behind a small arrow or a 'details' link.

2. 02

   Check the token's own tax

   On Solscan, a token with a transfer fee lists it on the token page. Our hubs list the rate where a project uses one.

3. 03

   Read your wallet's preview

   Before you sign, your wallet shows what leaves and what arrives. If the numbers look wrong, reject it.

4. 04

   Keep some SOL for fees

   Raydium suggests keeping at least 0.02 SOL, so a busy network never leaves you stuck.