Memos and destination tags, explained
A memo or destination tag is a reference number attached to a transfer. Where it is required, it is not optional decoration — it is the only thing telling the receiving platform which customer the money belongs to.
This is why an XRP, XLM, ATOM, EOS or HBAR deposit sent without a tag can be visible on-chain, obviously delivered, and still not credited to anyone.
Why some assets need one and most do not
On most networks, an exchange can give every customer their own deposit address, so the address identifies the customer. On networks where holding an address has an ongoing cost or requires a reserve, that becomes impractical at scale, so exchanges use one shared address for everybody and distinguish customers by tag.
The XRP Ledger is the clearest example, and it is the reason TXLens diagnoses XRP transfers but does not accept payment in XRP: a shared address plus a memo is precisely the arrangement where a missing reference number strands funds.
- XRP Ledger: source and destination tags — Primary network documentation describing how businesses map a shared address payment to a customer.
What actually happens when the tag is missing
The transfer succeeds. The funds arrive in the platform's shared account, where they sit as an unattributed credit. The platform can see the payment; it cannot see whose it is.
Resolving it means a human matching your evidence — transaction ID, amount, timestamp, sending address — against that unattributed credit. Most large platforms will do this. Some charge for it, and some decline below a value threshold because the manual work costs more than the deposit.
- Coinbase: destination tags and memos — Official exchange guidance on shared addresses, omitted tags and which party must assist.
Getting it credited
- Do not send another transfer. It will land in the same shared account with the same problem.
- Gather the transaction ID, exact amount, timestamp, sending address and destination address.
- Open one support ticket stating that the deposit was sent without a destination tag, and ask for it to be credited to your account.
- Expect to be asked to prove control of the sending wallet — a signed message, or a small transfer from the same address.
- Expect days rather than hours, and check whether a fee applies before escalating.
Avoiding it next time
Copy the tag at the same moment you copy the address, from the same screen, and paste both. Most wallets have a separate field for it; where they do not, sending from that wallet to a tag-requiring address is a bad idea.
A small test transfer first costs a few pence in fees and is the cheapest insurance available — provided it is above the platform's minimum deposit.
What you get, and what it costs
Free, always
The transaction check: network, asset, amount, both addresses, timestamp, on-chain status, confirmation count, and a copyable evidence message for support. No diagnosis.
£9.99, one-off
The diagnosis: the likely cause, recovery outlook, step-by-step instructions, the official support route, wording written for that case, and 72-hour monitoring. No subscription.
Questions
I forgot the destination tag. Is my money gone?
Usually not. The funds are held by the receiving platform in a shared account, and most platforms will credit them once support matches your evidence to the payment. It is a manual process, so expect days rather than minutes, and sometimes a fee.
Which assets need a memo or destination tag?
Most commonly XRP, XLM, ATOM, EOS and HBAR, though it depends on the platform rather than only on the asset. The deposit screen tells you: if it shows a tag or memo field, it is required.
Can I add a tag to a transfer after sending it?
No. A confirmed transfer cannot be modified. The only route is support attributing the existing payment to your account.
Related
Platform requirements on this page were last reviewed 2026-08. They change without notice, which is why every diagnosis is phrased as a likely cause rather than a certainty.
TXLens is read-only. We only use your transaction ID and public blockchain data. We never ask for your private keys, seed phrase or exchange login.