GUIDES
Token-2022 airdrop checklist: what to check before you send
Updated 2026-09-29
Token-2022 tokens can carry extensions. They make tokens more flexible and airdrops easier to break: recipients get a different amount, a batch dies halfway, or some addresses never receive anything.
This checklist follows the order you'd work in: the token first, then the recipients, then the costs.
Check which extensions the token has
Paste the mint into the token safety check. It lists Token-2022 extensions, freeze authority and any transfer fee. These extensions change how an airdrop behaves:
- TransferFeeConfig: every transfer pays a percentage fee, so recipients receive less than the amount you entered.
- TransferHook: every transfer calls a program chosen by the issuer and needs extra accounts; generic batch tools often fail midway.
- DefaultAccountState (frozen): new token accounts start frozen, so transfers into them fail.
- NonTransferable: the token cannot be transferred at all.
- PermanentDelegate: transfers work, but the delegate can move any holder's tokens. Recipients should know.
- MetadataPointer / TokenMetadata: name and image data only; no effect on transfers.
Check the freeze authority
If the token keeps a freeze authority, the issuer can freeze any token account. A frozen account can't send the token and can't receive more of it.
Before the airdrop, confirm in an explorer or the safety check that the sending account isn't frozen and no recipient account is. One frozen account is enough to fail that transfer.
Check recipient addresses
Recipients should be wallet addresses. These all look like valid addresses, but tokens sent to them go wrong:
- A token account address: pasting a token account as the wallet sends tokens into an account almost nobody can use.
- A program address or an account owned by a program: nobody can sign to move the tokens out, so they're stuck.
- A token account that requires transfer memos: transfers must include a memo, and plain batch sends fail.
Budget rent and fees
If a recipient has no account for this token yet, one is created first and the sending wallet pays its rent. A standard SPL token account cost about 0.0015 SOL in our September 2026 test; Token-2022 accounts are slightly larger and cost a bit more. Current rent is set on-chain.
Airdropping to 1,000 new addresses costs about 1.5 SOL in rent alone, plus network fees and a submission tip per transaction. Fund the sending wallet first; when collecting from many wallets, each one needs a little SOL too.
Test small, then run the full list
- Send a small amount to 2–3 recipients first and check the received amount and token account in an explorer.
- For fee-bearing tokens, confirm recipients accept the post-fee amount.
- Keep the task record and transaction signatures for reconciliation.
FAQ
Are Token-2022 tokens always harder to airdrop?
No. A Token-2022 token with only metadata extensions transfers like any other token. The ones to watch are transfer fees, hooks and default-frozen accounts.
Do recipients need SOL first?
No. The sending wallet pays rent for new token accounts.
Can MintPier send tokens with a transfer fee or hook?
Not yet. Batch transfer blocks these tokens at preview, so nothing runs and nothing is charged.