Why is some of my XRP locked (the reserve), and can I get it back?

The full answer

What the sources confirm about the reserve

The XRP Ledger’s version 3.3.0 release notes, published on xrpl.org on August 6, 2026, name a proposed amendment called Sponsor and describe it as “Reserve and transaction sponsoring (XLS-68)” [1]. The same notes say the amendment would let companies, token issuers and other entities subsidize transaction costs and reserve requirements for end users. Under that design, sponsored users keep full control of their accounts and keys [1]. This confirms that reserve requirements exist on the ledger and fall on account holders. The same xrpl.org release notes list the new amendments in version 3.3.0 as BatchV1_1, ConfidentialTransfer, DynamicMPT, PermissionDelegationV1_1, Sponsor and fixCleanup3_3_0. They also say the release retires the long-active Clawback, fixDisallowIncomingV1, fixInnerObjTemplate, fixNFTokenReserve and fixUniversalNumber amendments, making them a permanent part of the protocol.

The amounts are a separate matter. XRPL.org’s reserves page gives the current reserve requirements on Mainnet as a base reserve of 1 XRP and an owner reserve of 0.2 XRP per item, and notes that reserves on other networks may vary [4]. Objects that count towards their owner’s reserve requirement include checks, deposit preauthorizations, escrows, NFT offers, NFT pages, offers, oracles, payment channels, signer lists, tickets and trust lines [4]. The page on why a new wallet needs a deposit before it works covers the step that comes first.

Why can’t I send my full balance to someone?

XRPL.org’s reserves page says you cannot send the reserved XRP to others, but you can recover some of it by deleting the account [4]. The sources also show that the reserve is a requirement the account itself meets unless a sponsor covers it, and that sponsorship was still a proposal in September 2026 [1][2].

How does trust-line ownership affect the reserve?

XRPL.org’s reserves page lists trust lines among the objects that count towards their owner’s reserve requirement [4]. It says the owner reserve can apply to one or both of the accounts that share a trust line, and that most often the token holder owes a reserve and the issuer does not [4]. It also says that, as an exception to the owner reserve, an account can create its first two trust lines with just the base reserve [4]. XRPL.org’s guide to calculating reserves says the total reserve is the base reserve plus the incremental reserve multiplied by the owner count [5]. Trust lines themselves, and how to check that a token is genuine, are covered on the page about what a trust line is.

How do I delete an account to recover the reserve, and what does deletion cost?

XRPL.org’s page on deleting accounts says the owner of an account can send an AccountDelete transaction to delete the account and related entries from the ledger, sending most of the account’s remaining XRP balance to another account [7]. The transaction must pay a special transaction cost equal to at least the owner reserve for one item, currently 0.2 XRP [7]. The same page says you can recover some of an account’s 1 XRP reserve by deleting the account, but you must still destroy at least 0.2 XRP to do so [7].

How have reserve amounts changed over time, and who decides changes?

CryptoSlate reported that the XRP Ledger lowered reserves in December 2024, with the base reserve dropping from 10 XRP to 1 XRP and the owner reserve from 2 XRP to 0.2 XRP [10]. XRPL.org says the reserve requirement changes from time to time through the Fee Voting process, where validators can agree to new reserve settings, and that any changes have to be approved by the consensus process [4].

Another reserve-related change is documented. The Sponsor amendment was introduced in server version 3.3.0 on August 6, 2026 [1]. Jake Claver’s check of the validated ledger, published in September 2026, listed Sponsor as not enabled on mainnet [2]. He reported that an amendment goes live only after at least 80 percent of trusted validators support it continuously for two weeks, and that the two-week clock resets if support drops below that level [2]. He also wrote that the gap between code shipping and a feature going live is decided by independent validators rather than by the company that wrote the code [2]. Sponsor therefore remains a proposal, not a live feature, as of that check.

Does the reserve go to anyone, or is it just locked?

The sources checked do not say where reserved XRP goes or whether it is paid to anyone, as of September 30, 2026.

What is the case against relying on this page?

The reserve figures on this page are XRPL.org’s current Mainnet values, and XRPL.org notes that reserves on other networks may vary [4]. The broader ways holders lose access to XRP without any theft are set out on the page about losing XRP without being hacked. Whether XRP in an account can be frozen or reclaimed by an issuer is a separate question, covered in can my XRP be frozen or taken back.