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Insufficient funds for gas * price + value: cause and fix

Rejected before the chain. The node refuses it: no transaction hash, no receipt.

3 min read· Updated

Short answer

Before it accepts a transaction, the node checks that the sender can pay for it: the gas limit times the max fee per gas, plus the value. If the balance is lower, the transaction is refused with "insufficient funds" and nothing is spent. Fund the account on that chain, send less, or lower the gas limit and fee cap you set.

What you will see

Messages printed for it:

  • insufficient funds for gas * price + value
  • The total cost (gas * gas fee + value) of executing this transaction exceeds the balance of the account.
  • exceeds transaction sender account balance
On this page

Where does it stop?

A transaction's path from your code to the node, the mempool, a block and a receipt. The node's check is marked in red with the error insufficient funds for gas times price plus value, and the later steps are dashed: no hash and no receipt.A transaction's path from your code to the node, the mempool, a block and a receipt. The node's check is marked in red with the error insufficient funds for gas times price plus value, and the later steps are dashed: no hash and no receipt.

The node checks the balance before it accepts the transaction. If the check fails, the transaction never enters the mempool: no hash, no block, and no gas spent.

What does the node check?

EIP-1559 says the signer must be able to afford gas_limit * max_fee_per_gas. Clients add the value you send, which is why the message reads gas * price + value.

The node adds the gas limit times maxFeePerGas to the value and compares the sum with the sender's balance. A balance of 0 ETH against a value of 1 ETH is refused with insufficient funds for gas times price plus value, and no hash is named.The node adds the gas limit times maxFeePerGas to the value and compares the sum with the sender's balance. A balance of 0 ETH against a value of 1 ETH is refused with insufficient funds for gas times price plus value, and no hash is named.

The check uses the limits you set, not what the transaction will end up using. A high gas limit or max fee reserves more than the transaction may need.

Why does it happen?

  • The balance is too low. The account simply does not hold the value plus the fees.
  • You send the whole balance. The value equals everything the account has, and nothing is left for gas.
  • The limits are set too high. A generous gas limit or maxFeePerGas raises the amount the node wants to see.
  • The funds are on another chain. A balance belongs to one network, and the transaction is for another.

How do I fix it?

  1. Read the balance on the chain you send to. getBalance on a client for that chain shows what the node sees.
  2. Fund the account, or send less. Leave room for the fees: value plus gas limit times max fee must fit in the balance.
  3. Lower the limits if they are generous. A smaller gas limit or maxFeePerGas lowers the amount reserved, but a maxFeePerGas below the block’s base fee is refused as well.
  4. In an agent, check the balance before the tool sends, and return a clear message to the model instead of a raw transaction error.

What does it look like in a trace?

Like every refusal by the node, it is a send span that ends with an error and no hash:

send 31337error
error.type
InsufficientFundsError
exception.message
The total cost (gas * gas fee + value) of executing this transaction exceeds the balance of the account.
blockchain.tx.hash
not set
From the run above (an account at balance 0 sending 1 ETH). exception.message appears only with errorMessages set to sanitized.

By default only the error type is recorded, and for this refusal it is InsufficientFundsError. See nonce too low for how to read the node’s wording in a trace. If you want the gas side of a transaction that did run, the L1 data fee explains the second part of its cost on OP-stack chains.

How this page was checked. Reproduced on a local Anvil chain (31337) with viem 2.57.2 and @hashspan/viem 1.1.0 on 2026-10-07: an account at balance 0 sending 1 ETH. The balance rule is EIP-1559's (gas_limit times max_fee_per_gas); clients and viem also count the value, as their messages say. The last line above is another client's wording that viem maps to the same error (viem 2.57.2, errors/node.ts).

FAQ

Does a transaction refused for insufficient funds cost gas?

No. The node refuses it before it reaches a block, so nothing is mined and no gas is spent. A transaction that is mined and then fails, such as one that runs out of gas, does cost gas.

Does the check use the gas the transaction will use?

No. It uses the limits you set: the gas limit times maxFeePerGas, plus the value. EIP-1559 requires the signer to afford gas_limit times max_fee_per_gas, so a high limit or fee cap reserves more than the transaction may need.

Why does it fire when my balance looks high enough?

Check the chain first: a balance is per network. Then check the limits: a large gas limit or maxFeePerGas raises the amount the node wants to see, even if the transaction would cost less.

See it in your own trace

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