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Encyclopedia How the network works · Entry 97

Coinbase maturity: why newly mined bitcoin must wait

AI-assisted research · separate automated verificationCorrections

Theme
How the network works
Sources
4 cited records
Reading time
About 3 minutes
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In this article

At a glance

Key facts

Key facts for Coinbase maturity: why newly mined bitcoin must wait
FactDetailSource
ConstantBitcoin Core v29.0 defines COINBASE_MATURITY as 100.[2]
CheckThe spending height minus the coinbase creation height must be at least 100.[1]
CoverageThe maturity check applies to the coinbase output, including its subsidy-and-fee-funded value.[1][3]
01

Avoid an off-by-one description

Suppose a coinbase output is created at illustrative height 900,000. Its earliest valid spending block under this check is 900,100: the height difference is 100. At tip 900,099, the creation block has 100 confirmations when counting its own block, and a spend can target the next block.

This is why “wait 100 blocks” and an interface’s confirmation count need precise interpretation. The validation rule uses heights, not elapsed hours.

02

The rule concerns a special transaction output

The coinbase transaction is the first transaction in a block and creates the miner’s allowed reward outputs. Ordinary payments do not receive this special maturity treatment merely because they originate from a mining business.

A later pool payout made through a separate non-coinbase transaction creates ordinary outputs. Inspect the actual output type and transaction history rather than a business label.

03

Maturity is not a guarantee against every reorganization

The rule delays spending of newly created coinbase outputs. If the creating block is displaced, its coinbase output is not part of the new accepted chain.

The maturity restriction should not be generalized into an assurance that any block 100 heights deep can never change.

Direct answers

Questions people ask

Does an ordinary bitcoin transfer require 100 confirmations?

No. This consensus condition is specific to coinbase outputs. Ordinary recipients choose confirmation policies based on their settlement needs and risk assumptions.

Inspect the evidence

The answer and key facts have stable claim links. These records retain the scope and qualification when reused.

A Bitcoin coinbase output cannot be spent in a valid transaction until the spending block is at least 100 heights after its creation block. This is a consensus maturity rule for coinbase outputs, not a general 100-confirmation requirement for every payment and not a rule of the Coinbase exchange.

Scope: Bitcoin · data through 2026-10-02. Verification: verified · 2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z.

Link to this claim
Constant: Bitcoin Core v29.0 defines COINBASE_MATURITY as 100.

Scope: Bitcoin · data through 2026-10-02. Verification: verified · 2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z.

Link to this claim
Check: The spending height minus the coinbase creation height must be at least 100.

Scope: Bitcoin · data through 2026-10-02. Verification: verified · 2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z.

Link to this claim
Coverage: The maturity check applies to the coinbase output, including its subsidy-and-fee-funded value.

Scope: Bitcoin · data through 2026-10-02. Verification: verified · 2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z.

Link to this claim
Revision history
  1. — Initial Bitcoin encyclopedia entry at this permanent URL.
  2. — Added reusable claims, explicit source locators, and matching Markdown and JSON. This publishing change does not itself establish factual verification.

Source register

Sources and references

Retrieval dates and locators are recorded individually.
  1. Bitcoin Core validation implementationBitcoin Core

    Coinbase maturity, input value conservation and transaction fee validation.

    Locator: CheckTxInputs · Version / scope: Bitcoin Core v29.0 · Retrieved: 2026-10-02T17:03:40.391ZOpen source
  2. Bitcoin Core consensus constantsBitcoin Core

    Consensus maturity and witness scale constants.

    Locator: COINBASE_MATURITY; WITNESS_SCALE_FACTOR · Version / scope: Bitcoin Core v29.0 · Retrieved: 2026-10-02T17:03:40.530ZOpen source
  3. Bitcoin Developer Guide: Block ChainBitcoin developer documentation contributors

    Block headers, transaction Merkle trees and competing valid branches.

    Locator: Proof Of Work; Block Height And Forking; Transaction Data · Retrieved: 2026-10-02T17:03:41.181ZOpen source
  4. Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash SystemSatoshi Nakamoto

    Most-work chain selection, Merkle inclusion, SPV limits and transaction change.

    Locator: Sections 4–5 and 7–11 · Version / scope: 2008 paper · Retrieved: 2026-10-02T17:03:41.335ZOpen source
How this article was made

Research and drafting use AI assistance. A separate automated review checks claims against primary sources; no external expert or named human review is implied. Publication, substantive editing, source retrieval and verification are recorded separately. This version was independently checked by an automated reviewer on 2 October 2026.

Editorial method and corrections

Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “Coinbase maturity: why newly mined bitcoin must wait.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/bitcoin-coinbase-maturity/