Negative balances

A negative balance happens when you buy cryptocurrency or deposit cash into your Coinbase account, but Coinbase doesn't receive successful payment from your bank or card issuer.

How this can happen:

  1. You deposit cash into your Coinbase account or purchase cryptocurrency using a bank account or debit card. Coinbase immediately credits your account for this transaction.

  2. Your bank reverses the deposit or purchase and the cash value of this deposit or purchase is returned to your bank or card issuer.

  3. This reversal creates a negative balance on your Coinbase account.

    • The negative balance will always equal the cash value of your original transaction even if the cryptocurrency value changes.

​Your Coinbase account will be restricted until your negative balance is resolved.

Resolve your negative balance

You can make a payment to resolve a negative balance here

A yellow pop-up banner will advise you that a transaction was reversed. Select Make Payment and choose a payment method from the drop-down menu.

Payment options:

  • Your Coinbase cash balance.

    • You can send crypto from an external wallet to your Coinbase account (you can find your Coinbase addresses here).

  • ​​A linked bank account.

    • You can link a new bank account if you don’t already have one linked.

Debit cards can't be used to resolve a negative balance on a Coinbase account.