How to check an on-chain transaction step by step

You can check an on-chain transaction by looking up its transaction ID in the blockchain explorer for the network you used. This helps when, for example, your wallet shows a payment as sent but nothing has appeared in the receiving account. With the transaction ID and network, you can check the publicly visible status yourself and verify the recipient address, amount, fees, and confirmations.

At a glance: Every blockchain payment has a transaction ID (TXID). Enter it in the right explorer - such as mempool.space for Bitcoin, Etherscan for Ethereum, or Tronscan for Tron - to see the status, confirmations, amount, recipient address, and fee.

We walk you through which details to compare and how to narrow down possible problems. Keep in mind that an on-chain confirmation does not prove an internal account credit, such as at a casino or exchange, and does not automatically identify an address's owner. This guide is current as of November 2026.

What you need to check a transaction

To check an on-chain transaction, you mainly need the transaction ID and the network used. Also have the asset, recipient address, and expected amount ready so you can identify the payment.

Find the transaction ID and network

The transaction ID, or TXID or transaction hash, is the identifier for a blockchain transaction. You can usually find it in your wallet's transaction details or the sending service's withdrawal history. An internal booking or withdrawal reference is not automatically a TXID.

Note the network separately from the asset: USDT, for example, can be transferred on Ethereum or Tron. Your search depends on the network actually used, not just the token name. We explain this distinction in our guide to understanding crypto payments.

Distinguish a wallet address from a transaction ID

A wallet address helps you find payments to or from that address, which may return multiple transactions. Searching for a TXID takes you to the specific transaction. Compare the recipient address and transferred asset there with your payment details.

An internal transfer between two accounts at the same service may not have a separate on-chain transaction. In that case, there is no TXID for the transfer; check the entry in the relevant account instead.

Check an on-chain transaction in six steps

1. Copy the TXID and network from the sender. Open the payment details in your wallet or the service's withdrawal history and copy the full transaction ID, usually labeled TXID or transaction hash, along with the listed network. An internal order number is not a TXID and usually cannot be searched in a block explorer. Also distinguish the service's payment status from the blockchain status: “processed” or “completed” does not automatically mean the transaction has already been confirmed in a block.

2. Choose the right block explorer. Use an explorer for the exact network listed in the transaction details, preferably through a link from your wallet or the network's official documentation. The coin or token name alone is not enough: USDT, for example, can be transferred on different networks, whose transactions you must check separately. Check the explorer's network selection before searching; mainnet and testnet are not interchangeable either.

3. Search for the full TXID. Paste the copied string into the search field and open the matching transaction record if one appears. If the search returns nothing, first check the network, whether the ID is complete, and whether you accidentally copied any spaces. A missing result does not prove your coins are lost. The withdrawal may not have been broadcast yet, or the explorer may not have picked it up, so you can then check a second explorer for the same network.

4. Read the status and block information. Look for the transaction status, block number or block height, and confirmation count if shown. “Pending” usually means the transaction is still waiting to be included in a block; a confirmation alone does not tell you when a service will credit your account. On smart-contract networks, the execution status also matters: a transaction can be included in a block yet still have failed, and a network fee may still have been charged.

5. Compare the recipient, asset, and amount. Compare the full recipient address and transferred amount with the original payment details, not just the beginning and end of the address. For token transfers, also open the transfer details and compare the token contract with a reliable reference, such as the token issuer's official information. An identical token name is not enough. The top-level “To” field may show a smart contract; the actual token recipient will then appear in the transfer details.

6. Check the result with the recipient. Now check the destination account or receiving wallet to see whether the same payment appears and what requirements apply before it is credited. If the on-chain details are correct but the account credit is missing, record the TXID, network, asset, amount, and time, including the time zone, for support. Add the displayed status or a screenshot if needed, but redact personal account details and other payments.

You do not need to grant wallet access for this check. A public block explorer does not need a wallet connection, signature, login credentials, private keys, or your seed phrase.

How to read statuses, confirmations, and fees

Understand pending, confirmed, and failed statuses

The transaction status tells you whether a transfer is still waiting, is already included in a block, or failed during execution. Labels and available statuses depend on the network and explorer. A failed smart-contract execution, for example, is not a general Bitcoin status.

Confirmations are not the same across networks

On Bitcoin, each additional block added to the chain after the transaction's block adds another confirmation. If your transaction is in the latest block, it usually has one confirmation; when another block follows, it has two.

Other networks may display their own finality states, such as “finalized.” Confirmation counts are therefore not directly comparable across networks: ten confirmations do not carry the same meaning everywhere.

There is no universal waiting time or required confirmation count. Account credits also depend on the receiving service's requirements, so inclusion in a block does not automatically mean your balance is already available there.

Treat the amount and network fee separately

The network fee pays for processing on the blockchain; a possible withdrawal fee is charged by the sending service. The fee visible in the explorer therefore does not have to match the amount the service charges you.

For example, if a service deducts a withdrawal fee of 2 USDT from 100 USDT, that leaves 98 USDT to transfer. That 2 USDT is not automatically the network fee, which may also be charged in the network's native cryptocurrency.

A failed smart-contract execution can still incur fees for computation already performed. “Failed” does not automatically mean “free of charge.”

A Bitcoin example: amount, change, and fee

If you send 0.00600000 BTC, find the agreed destination address among the outputs in the block explorer and check its associated amount. The sum of all outputs is not automatically the amount your recipient receives. Our simplified example shows a Bitcoin transaction with exactly one input and two outputs.

Calculate the network fee by subtracting all outputs from the input. Here is the calculation:

0.01000000 − 0.00600000 − 0.00398000 = 0.00002000 BTC

That equals 2,000 satoshis, since 1 BTC consists of 100,000,000 satoshis. The fee does not appear as an additional recipient output: it is the amount left after subtracting all outputs. In this example, a total of 0.00602000 BTC leaves your wallet - the payment plus the network fee.

Change is created because a Bitcoin input must be spent in full. Of the 0.01000000 BTC used, 0.00398000 BTC therefore returns to your wallet as a separate output. Not every additional output is another payment to a third party.

Check your wallet's transaction details or address management to verify that the change address actually belongs to your wallet. The explorer display alone does not prove that connection, even if it labels an output as change. For your check, compare the destination address and 0.00600000 BTC in the explorer with your payment instructions, and compare the second output with your wallet's information.

Tip: Always open the explorer for the network you actually used to send. You will not find a USDT payment sent over Tron on Etherscan, even though the token has the same name.

Troubleshoot missing or stuck transactions systematically

No result in the explorer

First check the full transaction ID (TXID), selected network, and type of identifier. An internal reference number from a withdrawal account is not a TXID and cannot be found in a blockchain explorer. Copy the identifier again and make sure, for example, that you are searching for an Ethereum transaction in an Ethereum explorer rather than on the Bitcoin network.

Next, check with the sender that the payment was actually sent. A requested or internally approved withdrawal may not yet have been submitted to the network; if anything is unclear, ask for the TXID and sending status. Explorers can also display data with a delay: if needed, compare results with a second explorer for the same network before considering another payment.

Pending for a long time or replaced by another transaction

For a pending transaction, fee levels and network congestion can delay inclusion in a block. A low fee can mean other transfers are prioritized, but this does not translate into a fixed waiting time. If the transaction disappears from a node's mempool, that does not mean it is confirmed or automatically rejected for good.

Some wallets support fee adjustments for Bitcoin or replacement of pending Ethereum transactions. Whether these features are available and work depends on the network, wallet, and specific transaction; success is not guaranteed. Do not send again without thinking it through, because a separate transfer could also be executed.

A replacement can create a new TXID: check your wallet history and any replacement notice in the explorer. On Ethereum, an earlier pending transaction from the same account can also block later ones. For example, if the transaction with nonce 12 is still pending, the one with nonce 13 cannot execute first.

Wrong network or destination address

A confirmed transfer generally cannot simply be reversed, even if you used the wrong network or address. Whether help is possible depends in part on who controls the destination address and which network the recipient supports.

For a deposit, contact official support with the TXID, network, destination address, and amount. Recovery is not guaranteed; do not pay supposed recovery services that promise to retrieve funds in exchange for an upfront payment. Never share your seed phrase or private keys.

Check the confirmed deposit and account credit separately

A confirmed on-chain payment does not automatically mean your balance has been updated by the recipient. This applies to casino and sports betting accounts as well as exchanges and other services: the blockchain record and internal account credit are two separate processes. When checking an on-chain transaction, also check your account's deposit requirements.

Compare payment details with the receiving account

First compare the destination address in the explorer with the deposit address the service showed you for this transfer. Then check whether the network you used is supported and whether you sent the correct coin or token. A matching token ticker alone is not enough: the network and, for tokens, the contract address may also matter.

Next, check that any required memo or tag was sent correctly. The service may need this extra identifier to assign a payment to your account. Finally, compare the deposit requirements: a minimum amount or a specific number of confirmations may be required before funds are credited. The relevant service's requirements apply.

Contact support with complete details

If your account is still not credited, collect the TXID, network, amount, time - ideally including the time zone - and the deposit address displayed in your account for support. Add the memo or tag used if needed. Never send your seed phrase or private keys: these credentials are not needed to check the payment.

Do not send another deposit to try to fix the issue while it is being investigated. A second transfer will not fix an incorrect network assignment or a missing memo or tag, and could put additional funds at risk.

Warning: An explorer only needs the TXID or an address. Sites that ask you to connect your wallet or sign something to “check” a transaction are not explorers - stop immediately if this happens.

Check transaction data without granting wallet access

A basic explorer lookup only requires public data: the network and transaction ID (TXID), or an address. You do not need a seed phrase, private key, or wallet signature to check an on-chain transaction. A wallet connection is not necessary either.

A publicly shared TXID can reveal information about the addresses involved, amounts, and other visible transactions. Public does not mean anonymous. Remove account names, email addresses, and other unnecessary details from screenshots; share transaction data only where it is needed to resolve the issue, such as the official support channel.

Do not grant wallet access or pay to supposedly “unblock” a transaction. Do not open explorer links from unexpected support messages without checking them. Instead, open an explorer you know directly and search for the TXID there.

Our short checklist is: verify the network, search for the TXID, check the destination address and amount, then read the status and confirmations. For a deposit, also check the internal account credit, because a confirmed blockchain transaction and a credit by the provider are separate steps. In a gambling context, pause while the issue is being resolved rather than depositing again, and keep your deposit limits in place. See our guide to limits and gambling breaks.