# Sending all your bitcoin: why Send Max differs from the displayed balance Send Max normally asks a wallet to spend selected available funds while leaving enough value for the transaction fee. The recipient therefore receives less than the selected input total. A displayed balance may also include outputs the wallet cannot currently spend or sign for. Read the funded transaction’s recipient amount and fee; the button’s exact selection rules depend on the wallet. Evidence: [Transactions](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/transactions.html); [getbalances RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/getbalances/); [walletcreatefundedpsbt RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/walletcreatefundedpsbt/) Canonical: https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/bitcoin-send-max/ Published: 2026-10-02 Substantively modified: 2026-10-02 Independently verified by an automated reviewer: 2026-10-02T19:29:20.637Z Data current through: 2026-10-02 AI-assisted research and drafting with a separate automated source-verification pass; no external expert or named human review is implied. ## Key facts - **Accounting:** Inputs equal outputs plus fee ([Transactions](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/transactions.html)) - **Visibility:** A watch-only balance is not signing authority ([getbalances RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/getbalances/)) - **Selection:** The wallet decides which available outputs to include ([walletcreatefundedpsbt RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/walletcreatefundedpsbt/)) ## Subtract a fee from spendable inputs If selected inputs total 100,000 satoshis and the final fee is 1,500, a one-output transaction can deliver 98,500 satoshis. That is an illustrative calculation, not a quoted fee for all send-all transactions. Additional inputs change transaction size. A wallet with many small outputs can pay a different fee from one spending a single output with the same total value. Evidence: [Transactions](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/transactions.html); [sendtoaddress RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/sendtoaddress/) ## Find out what the displayed balance contains Core’s documented balances distinguish trusted, untrusted pending and immature value, with a separate watch-only category when present. Other interfaces group these differently. Selected outputs may also require signatures or policies that the current device cannot supply. Funding a PSBT can include information useful to another signer without making the transaction fully authorized. A maximum amount calculated in a watch-only interface still needs the actual signing path. Evidence: [getbalances RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/getbalances/); [walletcreatefundedpsbt RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/walletcreatefundedpsbt/) ## Check the final recipient amount A fee-subtraction control and a Send Max button are related accounting ideas, but they are not universal synonyms. Verify whether the wallet selected every available output or only a chosen subset, whether it created change and how much the recipient gets. If the recipient expects an exact invoice amount, a send-all action may underpay it. Fund the requested output and fee separately when that is what the agreement requires. Evidence: [sendtoaddress RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/sendtoaddress/); [walletcreatefundedpsbt RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/walletcreatefundedpsbt/) ## Questions ### Can I send every satoshi without paying a fee? A wallet may permit a particular fee choice, but nodes and miners apply their own policies and selection rules. Send Max typically reserves a fee; it does not guarantee that a zero-fee transaction will be relayed or included. Evidence: [Transactions](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/transactions.html); [walletcreatefundedpsbt RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/walletcreatefundedpsbt/) ### Why is Send Max lower than my wallet balance? The fee reduces the recipient output, and the display may include pending, immature, watch-only or otherwise unavailable value. Compare the selected inputs and their spending conditions with the balance categories. Evidence: [getbalances RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/getbalances/); [Transactions](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/transactions.html) ## Claims and scope ### bitcoin-send-max-quick-answer Send Max normally asks a wallet to spend selected available funds while leaving enough value for the transaction fee. The recipient therefore receives less than the selected input total. A displayed balance may also include outputs the wallet cannot currently spend or sign for. Read the funded transaction’s recipient amount and fee; the button’s exact selection rules depend on the wallet. Educational explanation. Product-specific behavior is scoped to the cited documentation, checked 2026-10-02. Scope: {"collection":"bitcoin","dataAsOf":"2026-10-02","blockHeight":null} ### bitcoin-send-max-fact-accounting Accounting: Inputs equal outputs plus fee Scope: {"collection":"bitcoin","dataAsOf":"2026-10-02","blockHeight":null} ### bitcoin-send-max-fact-visibility Visibility: A watch-only balance is not signing authority Scope: {"collection":"bitcoin","dataAsOf":"2026-10-02","blockHeight":null} ### bitcoin-send-max-fact-selection Selection: The wallet decides which available outputs to include Scope: {"collection":"bitcoin","dataAsOf":"2026-10-02","blockHeight":null} ## Sources - [Transactions](https://developer.bitcoin.org/devguide/transactions.html) — Bitcoin developer documentation. Inputs, outputs, authorization, change, coinbase exceptions and fee accounting. Locator: Introduction; Spending An Output; P2PKH Script Validation; Multisig; Transaction Fees And Change; Avoiding Key Reuse. Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:53:53.759Z. - [getbalances RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/getbalances/) — Bitcoin Core. Wallet balances are divided by trust and spendability-related categories. Locator: Result: mine, watchonly, trusted, untrusted_pending, immature. Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:53:55.000Z. - [walletcreatefundedpsbt RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/walletcreatefundedpsbt/) — Bitcoin Core. Funding inputs, watch-only inclusion, fee rate and change outputs. Locator: Arguments: inputs, outputs, options; Result. Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:53:55.093Z. - [sendtoaddress RPC](https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/sendtoaddress/) — Bitcoin Core. Fee subtraction changes recipient output; comments remain local metadata. Locator: Description; Arguments: amount, comment, comment_to, subtractfeefromamount, fee_rate; Result. Retrieved: 2026-10-02T18:53:55.005Z. ## Revision history - 2026-10-02: First publication after primary-source research and separate automated verification. ## Cite this entry Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “Sending all your bitcoin: why Send Max differs from the displayed balance.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/bitcoin-send-max/