Excess rent: get SOL back from accounts you keep (SIMD-0437)

Short answer: SIMD-0437 reduces the lamports-per-byte rent rate in steps. Accounts created at the old rate hold extra SOL above the new minimum. The WithdrawExcessLamports instruction moves that extra SOL to you while the account — and your tokens — stay put.

Steps

1. Scan your wallet. thedark compares each account’s balance with the current rent-exempt minimum.
2. Select excess-rent items. They appear under “Excess rent” with the exact amount above the minimum.
3. Approve the withdrawal. Your wallet signs a WithdrawExcessLamports instruction; the account stays open.

What changed

Solana’s proposal SIMD-0437 lowers the rent rate in several steps. In September 2026 the rate dropped from 6,960 to 5,080 lamports per byte, so a new 165-byte token account needs 1,488,440 lamports instead of 2,039,280. Further steps are planned.

Why that matters to you

Accounts created before the change still hold the old deposit. The difference is excess rent: SOL that is no longer required. As the rate keeps falling, excess grows — so the same account can be topped back down more than once.

How the withdrawal works

The token program’s WithdrawExcessLamports instruction lets the account owner move any lamports above the rent-exempt minimum to another address. Unlike closing, the account and its tokens remain. thedark enables it for Token-2022 accounts now and for classic SPL accounts once each network step is confirmed by simulation.

Rent figures last verified 23 October 2026 against mainnet getMinimumBalanceForRentExemption.