How to Donate USDT (Tether) on TRON (TRC-20)
USDT is the most common stablecoin, and it exists on more than a dozen blockchains. We accept it on TRON only. Here's how to send it there, which exchanges can, what the TRX fee is about, and how to avoid the scams aimed at TRON users.
By Global Relief Group · Last updated:
TRON (TRC-20) only
USDT on Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, Solana or anywhere else can’t be credited. Choose the network labelled TRC20 or Tron.
Fees are paid in TRX
From your own wallet, a USDT transfer burns TRX for network resources unless your wallet offers another way to pay.
Check it’s the real token
Fake tokens called USDT circulate on TRON. Real USDT has one contract address, and only that counts.
TRON (TRC-20) only
Tether issues USDT on many blockchains, including Ethereum, TRON, BNB Smart Chain, Solana, Avalanche and TON. Each version is a separate token on a separate network. We accept USDT on TRON only, at an address starting with T, the same address we use for TRX.
Tether no longer issues USDT on some older networks, including Omni (on Bitcoin), Kusama, Bitcoin Cash SLP, EOS and Algorand. If an old wallet holds USDT on one of these, it can’t be donated to us.
Which exchanges can send USDT on TRON?
| Exchange | USDT on TRON? | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Binance | Yes | Choose the network labelled TRC20 (TRON). |
| OKX | Yes | Choose the network labelled TRC20 or Tron. |
| Bybit | Yes | Choose the network labelled TRC20 or Tron. |
| Kraken | Yes | Tron is a listed USDT network. |
| Coinbase | No | Coinbase supports USDT on Ethereum (ERC-20) only. Donate USDC on Ethereum instead. |
If you use Coinbase, our guide to donating USDC on Ethereum is the stablecoin route that works.
Make sure it’s real USDT
Anyone can create a token on TRON and call it USDT, “Tether USD” or something similar, and scammers do, often offering “discounted USDT”. A token’s name, icon and the balance your wallet shows prove nothing. What matters is the token’s contract address. Real USDT on TRON, as listed by Tether, is:
TR7NHqjeKQxGTCi8q8ZY4pL8otSzgjLj6t
If you bought your USDT on a major exchange, it’s the real token. If it arrived unexpectedly in your wallet, or you bought it cheaply from a stranger, look it up on TRONSCAN and check the contract. A transfer of a fake token is worthless to the cause, and our verification will show it.
Fees: Energy, Bandwidth and TRX
TRON doesn’t charge a flat fee. Every transaction uses two network resources: Bandwidth, for the size of the transaction, and Energy, for running a smart contract, which a USDT transfer does. Each account gets 600 Bandwidth free per day, but no free Energy. If you don’t have staked Energy, TRX is burned from your wallet to cover it, at 100 sun (0.0001 TRX) per unit of Energy.
- Sending from an exchange: you pay the exchange’s withdrawal fee, usually in USDT, and don’t need TRX.
- Sending from your own wallet: keep some TRX alongside your USDT. Wallet makers put a USDT transfer to an address that already holds USDT, like ours, at around 64,000–65,000 Energy, roughly 6–7 TRX if it’s all paid by burning TRX. Your wallet shows the estimate before you send.
- Wallet options to pay in USDT: TronLink’s GasFree wallet lets you pay the fee in the token you’re sending, plus a one-off activation fee. Trust Wallet can rent Energy for you and charge for it in TRX or USDT. Fees are shown in the app before you confirm.
A wallet that holds USDT but no TRX can’t send it. If that’s you, either add a little TRX, use one of the wallet options above, or move the USDT to an exchange and withdraw from there.
Step by step
- Choose your cause and USDT on our donation screen, enter the amount, and copy our
Taddress. - Withdraw or send USDT from your exchange or wallet and paste the address.
- Choose TRON (TRC-20) as the network. Some exchanges detect it from the address; check it anyway.
- Check the fee and the amount you’ll send, then confirm.
- Copy the transaction ID (64 characters, no 0x) and submit it on our confirmation step.
TRON produces a block every 3 seconds, and a block becomes final once 19 of TRON’s 27 block producers have built on it, normally in about a minute. Our team then verifies your donation and emails your receipt.
Watch out for address poisoning
Address poisoning is common on TRON. Right after you receive or send USDT, a scammer sends a tiny amount of TRX to your wallet from an address that looks like one you’ve used, matching its first and last few characters. The hope is that next time you copy “the same” address from your history and send to them instead.
Protect yourself
Always copy our address from the donation screen, never from your wallet history or a block explorer, and compare the whole address, not just the start and end. For a large gift, send a small amount first and submit it as its own donation.
Tax: US donors
The IRS counts stablecoins such as USDT as digital assets, so a USDT gift is a donation of property, not a cash gift. Its rules for donating a digital asset are:
- Held more than a year: your deduction is generally the fair market value on the day you give it.
- Held a year or less: it is generally the lower of what you paid and the fair market value.
- Claiming more than $5,000 for crypto gifts in a year (similar gifts are added together) generally needs a qualified appraisal, and the charity signs Section B of your Form 8283.
Because USDT is designed to stay close to $1, what you paid and its value when you give it are usually close, but the property rules and the $5,000 appraisal threshold still apply.
Your receipt from Global Relief Group (EIN 27-3281810) records the coin and quantity received. This is general information, not tax advice: check with a qualified tax adviser. Our US crypto donation tax guide goes into more detail.
Common questions
Can I send USDT on Ethereum (ERC-20) or BNB Smart Chain (BEP-20)?
No. We accept USDT on TRON only. USDT sent on another network can’t be credited to your donation, and recovery isn’t guaranteed.
I use Coinbase. How can I donate a stablecoin?
Coinbase only supports USDT on Ethereum, which we don’t accept. Donate USDC on the Ethereum network instead; our USDC guide shows how.
My wallet says I don’t have enough energy or TRX. What now?
Add some TRX to the wallet, use a wallet feature that lets you pay the fee in USDT, or send the USDT to an exchange and withdraw it to us on TRC-20 from there.
Is TRC-20 USDT worth the same as other USDT?
Yes. It’s Tether’s token on the TRON network, designed to be worth one US dollar, like USDT on other networks. The versions just can’t be sent between networks directly.
Do I need a memo or tag for USDT?
No. Our TRON address doesn’t need a memo or tag.