A small deposit test (also known as a Satoshi test) is a method of verifying ownership of a self-custody wallet to comply with regulatory requirements.
Customers are prompted to send a small, randomly-generated amount of crypto from their wallet to their Coinbase account within a certain timeframe. Once the request is completed, the wallet is marked as verified and customers can withdraw funds from their account to the wallet address. This allows customers to prove ownership of the wallet address for any kind of blockchain network (BTC, SOL, etc.), not just for EVM-compatible chains.
To complete the small deposit test:
When prompted to verify wallet ownership during the send process, select “Small deposit test.”
You’ll be asked to send a specific amount of crypto from your wallet to your designated Coinbase receiving address.
Complete the transaction, ensuring that you send the exact amount of the requested crypto (for example, 1.268 ADA instead of 1.3 ADA).
Note: This process may take up to 48 hours and involve gas fees depending on the network.
Confirm you’re sending the funds from the wallet address you want to verify. The wallet will need to contain the amount required for the test deposit and applicable network fees.
Once the test is complete, you’ll receive an email confirming the successful verification of your wallet.