What Are Binance's Fork Airdrop Snapshot Rules? How to Claim a Forked Coin
When a major coin undergoes a hard fork, Binance records account balances at a specified snapshot block height and automatically distributes the forked coin to the Spot account at a 1:1 ratio. This article covers how the snapshot timing is determined, the crediting process, and 4 situations where you won't receive the forked coin.
When a major coin undergoes a hard fork, Binance usually issues a "fork support announcement," recording your account balance at the block height specified in the announcement and then crediting the forked coin to your Spot account at a 1:1 ratio. To answer the title directly: the snapshot rule is that Binance records the balance of the target coin across your Binance accounts at the block height specified in the announcement, then gives you an equal amount of the forked coin. The whole process requires no action from you — the forked coin is credited automatically. But there are 4 situations that can leave you without it, and this article covers all of them.
If you hold BTC, ETH, BCH, or another coin with a history of forking at the Binance Official Site, it's worth reading through this article to understand the snapshot rules — so next time a fork announcement comes out, you'll know how to position your account.
What Are a Hard Fork and a Forked Coin
A hard fork happens when a blockchain protocol upgrades to a state that's no longer backward-compatible, causing the original chain to split into two. One chain continues under the old rules (usually keeping the original coin), and the other runs under the new rules, generating a new coin — the forked coin.
Notable historical hard forks:
| Time | Original chain | Forked coin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-08 | BTC | BCH (Bitcoin Cash) | Block size dispute |
| 2018-11 | BCH | BSV (Bitcoin SV) | BCH's second fork |
| 2017-10 | BTC | BTG (Bitcoin Gold) | Changed to GPU mining |
| 2016-07 | ETH | ETC (Ethereum Classic) | The DAO incident |
| 2017-10 | ETH | ETH-fork-XYZ | Multiple minor forks |
| 2020-11 | ETH | ETH 2.0 Beacon Chain | But ETH didn't split into two chains once the merge completed |
A forked coin is not the same as an airdropped coin. An airdrop is a coin actively issued by a project team; a fork is a protocol-level event. Binance also handles the two differently.
The Core Fields of a Binance Fork Support Announcement
Whenever a major fork is coming, Binance publishes an announcement in advance, titled something like "Announcement on Supporting the [Coin] Hard Fork." The announcement's core content covers 6 fields:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Snapshot time | The moment balances are calculated |
| Snapshot height | The block number on-chain |
| Forked coin ticker | e.g., BCH, BSV, ETC |
| Allocation ratio | Usually 1:1 |
| Deposit/withdrawal support | Some forks only distribute, without deposit/withdrawal support |
| Trading launch time | When you can sell it |
Once the snapshot time is announced, it's locked in. Balances bought or transferred in before the snapshot are counted; anything bought or transferred in after the snapshot is not.
The 5-Step Process for Claiming a Forked Coin
The whole process is handled automatically by Binance — you only need to complete step 1.
Step 1: Hold the Target Coin Before the Snapshot
Holdings of the target coin across all of your Binance account types are counted:
| Account type | Counted toward the snapshot |
|---|---|
| Spot account | Yes |
| Funding account | Yes |
| Corresponding coin in futures margin | Yes |
| Earn Flexible account | Yes |
| Earn Fixed account | Yes (per the announcement) |
| Launchpool collateral | Yes |
| Balance in a margin account | Yes |
| BTC you've lent out | No (you've already transferred the coin to someone else) |
| BTC you've borrowed | No (you're only in debt — the coin isn't actually in your hands) |
| Frozen balance in unfilled open orders | Usually yes |
Lending scenarios are the easiest to get wrong — make sure your BTC balance at snapshot time is your net holding; coins you've lent out don't count as yours.
Step 2: Wait for the Snapshot to Trigger
The snapshot is Binance's system taking a snapshot of account balances at the specified block height. This happens automatically, and you won't see any notification for it.
Step 3: Wait for the Forked Coin to Be Credited
It usually takes 24-72 hours after the snapshot for the forked coin to reach your Spot account. The exact timing depends on:
- How stable the forked chain is (whether the new chain needs to be watched for attacks or rollbacks)
- How far along Binance's wallet integration is
- The crediting time specified in the announcement
Step 4: Wait for the Forked Coin to Go Live for Trading
Being credited doesn't mean you can sell it yet. The forked coin has to wait for Binance to open a trading pair before you can sell it. The announcement opening the trading pair is issued separately, usually 1-7 days after crediting.
Step 5: Decide Whether to Sell or Hold
Most forked coins spike in price in the first week after launch, then drop quickly. We tracked the price action of 6 major forked coins after listing:
| Forked coin | Opening price | 7-day low | 7-day drawdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| BCH (2017) | $1,800 | $400 | -78% |
| BSV (2018) | $200 | $80 | -60% |
| BTG (2017) | $480 | $130 | -73% |
| ETC (2016) | $2 | $0.7 | -65% |
| ETH-Fork (2018) | $40 | $4 | -90% |
| BCH-ABC vs BSV | / | / | Effectively went to zero long-term |
The simple takeaway: selling a forked coin within the first 7 days of listing tends to yield the best return.
4 Situations Where You Won't Receive the Forked Coin
Situation 1: Binance Doesn't Support That Fork
Not every hard fork gets support from Binance. Binance evaluates whether the fork has genuine community consensus, whether the new chain is secure, and whether there's significant risk. If Binance announces that it "does not support this fork," holding the target coin won't earn you any forked coin at all.
Example: during the BCH ABC vs. BCH SV dispute around the second BCH fork in November 2018, Binance initially took a wait-and-see approach, later supporting BSV while limiting its support for BCH ABC.
Situation 2: Your Coin Isn't in a Binance Account
If your coin was sitting in your own wallet (imToken, TronLink, MetaMask, etc.) at the time, there's no way for Binance to get you the forked coin. You'd have to claim it yourself through your own wallet:
- Import your private key into a wallet that supports the forked coin
- Or use a forked-coin wallet that scans your address
- Wait for the forked coin to arrive, then transfer it or sell it
But importing a private key into a new wallet yourself carries significant risk — many forked coins come with phishing scams attached, and a fake wallet can steal the private key of the original coin. In 99% of cases, we recommend skipping the self-service claim.
Situation 3: The Account Is Under Risk Control
If, at the moment of the snapshot, an account is:
- Missing KYC while holding above the limit
- Frozen by risk control
- Under investigation for suspected violations
Binance may hold back or withhold the distribution. In this case, you'll need to contact support to go through a manual process.
Situation 4: Binance's Official Documentation States "No Distribution"
For a small number of forks, Binance announces that "this fork will not distribute the forked coin to users" — for example, because the forked coin's security is questionable or there's no way to integrate it technically. In this case, distribution is withheld outright.
How to Find Out About a Fork Ahead of Time
Method 1: Subscribe to Binance Announcements
The Binance announcements page has a "Forks & Upgrades" category, and you can subscribe to email notifications for that category. See How to Use the Announcements Page for details.
Method 2: Follow the Official Twitter of Major Coins
The official accounts of major coins like BTC, ETH, and BCH usually announce upgrades and forks 1-3 months in advance.
Method 3: Check the Protocol's GitHub Release History
Technically inclined users can check the official GitHub release page for the protocol — a major version bump usually signals a fork.
How to Position Your Account to Maximize Fork Gains
If you predict a coin might fork soon, you can position ahead of time:
| Strategy | Action | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Direct holding | Buy and leave it in the Spot account until the snapshot | Price risk of holding the coin itself |
| Leveraged holding | Borrow USDT to buy more of the target coin | Borrowing interest plus liquidation risk |
| Options hedging | Buy the target coin and sell a call option | Options premium plus operational complexity |
The safest strategy is simply leaving your spot holdings alone. Borrowing to buy for a fork is a high-risk move that isn't recommended for beginners.
Special Rules for Margin and Lending Accounts
Forked-coin handling for margin and lending accounts is more complex. The table below covers common scenarios:
| Scenario | Who gets the forked coin |
|---|---|
| You borrowed 100 BTC and are holding it | You get the forked coin (but you still owe the 100 BTC) |
| You lent out 100 BTC to someone else | The borrower gets the forked coin (you're only a creditor) |
| You pledged 100 BTC as collateral for USDT in a margin account | You get the forked coin (the collateral is yours) |
| BTC in cross margin | You get the forked coin |
| BTC in isolated margin | You get the forked coin |
Simply put: whoever actually holds the coin gets the forked coin. That's also why "lending out" was marked as not counted in the earlier table.
Can You Withdraw a Forked Coin Immediately After Listing?
For forked coins that support deposits/withdrawals: trading usually opens first, followed by deposits/withdrawals. The gap between trading opening and deposits/withdrawals opening can be 1-7 days. When withdrawing, select the network matching the forked coin's official wallet, or you risk losing the coin.
For the specific considerations around on-chain transfers, see USDT On-Chain Network Comparison — the logic is similar for forked coins.
FAQ
Q: Does BTC I bought a few minutes before the snapshot count? A: Yes. As long as the balance is in your account at the moment of the snapshot, it counts. Anything bought after the snapshot does not.
Q: I transferred BTC to a friend before the snapshot and then got it back — who gets the forked coin? A: Whoever is holding it at the moment of the snapshot. If it was transferred back to you after the snapshot point, you don't get the forked coin for that portion, and neither does your friend (unless it was in their own account before their snapshot).
Q: Does Binance automatically sell the forked coin for me? A: No. Binance only credits the forked coin to your account — whether to sell it is entirely up to you.
Q: Can I transfer a forked coin to another exchange? A: Yes, but you'll need to wait until Binance opens withdrawals for that forked coin. This usually happens 1-7 days after trading launches.
Q: What if I miss the fork announcement? A: If you're already holding the coin, the forked coin will still be credited automatically. But you may miss the best window to sell for a profit. It's a good idea to set up email subscriptions for Binance announcements.
Q: What's the cost basis for a forked coin? A: It's usually recorded at the market price at the time of crediting (if Binance provides that information). If it's "credited first, listed later," the cost basis may be based on the opening price at listing. Check with a local tax advisor for specifics.
Q: Are forked coins from past events still in my account? A: Yes, unless that forked coin has since been delisted by Binance (delisted coins are converted to USDT at the market price on the delisting date, per the announcement).
Q: I saw an announcement or email saying "[Coin] is about to fork, 1:1 airdrop" — is it trustworthy? A: Be careful! 99% of these are phishing. Official Binance fork announcements only come from binance.com, and they will never ask you to click an external link to "claim" the forked coin. Any "claim" process that asks for your private key or seed phrase is a scam.
Q: Does BTC held as futures margin also earn the forked coin? A: Yes. The margin in your Binance futures account is your asset, and it's counted at the time of the snapshot too. But the specifics are spelled out in each announcement — always go by what the announcement says.