<p>That's how Bitcoin works. Accounts don't really have balances, they have unspent outputs. You have to spend entire outputs, but you can return amounts to yourself to create a new "change" output that you can spend later.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-01T22:39:42.717Z
2014-12-01T22:39:42.717Z
David Schwartz
<p>I'm using the blockchain API to make a "send to many transaction". In the recipients I only put other people addresses, but somehow the API sends the remainder of my balance back to me. </p>

<p>For example:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><a href="https://blockchain.info/tx/b4c3203815fdf61616c0a2358fa0388e734bf53503f0a659d3c9fc7863da8adc" rel="nofollow">https://blockchain.info/tx/b4c3203815fdf61616c0a2358fa0388e734bf53503f0a659d3c9fc7863da8adc</a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>I had 0.01 btc in my wallet. I sent 0.0000543 BTC to two different recipients, but somehow my whole balance got spent and my 0.0097914 BTC got sent back to me. I didn't ask for this.</p>

<p>EDIT: It also happens on a singular transaction:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><a href="https://blockchain.info/tx/2eb4273313e27c2ede86844c58f687dc535aeaa5207e9a9c4a526a032cd5143a" rel="nofollow">https://blockchain.info/tx/2eb4273313e27c2ede86844c58f687dc535aeaa5207e9a9c4a526a032cd5143a</a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>I've inspected the API calls and they are correct. My address is no where to be seen in it.</p>

<p>Why is this happening?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-12-01T19:37:53.213Z
Thank you very much. Didn't knew it was called change and so google wasn't hepling.
joaoroque
<transactions><blockchain><api>
My balance gets sent back to me
joaoroque
# My balance gets sent back to me

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-12-01)

I'm using the blockchain API to make a "send to many transaction". In the recipients I only put other people addresses, but somehow the API sends the remainder of my balance back to me.

For example:

> <https://blockchain.info/tx/b4c3203815fdf61616c0a2358fa0388e734bf53503f0a659d3c9fc7863da8adc>

I had 0.01 btc in my wallet. I sent 0.0000543 BTC to two different recipients, but somehow my whole balance got spent and my 0.0097914 BTC got sent back to me. I didn't ask for this.

EDIT: It also happens on a singular transaction:

> <https://blockchain.info/tx/2eb4273313e27c2ede86844c58f687dc535aeaa5207e9a9c4a526a032cd5143a>

I've inspected the API calls and they are correct. My address is no where to be seen in it.

Why is this happening?

**Tags:** transactions, blockchain, api

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you very much. Didn't knew it was called change and so google wasn't hepling.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-12-01. Score: 2

That's how Bitcoin works. Accounts don't really have balances, they have unspent outputs. You have to spend entire outputs, but you can return amounts to yourself to create a new "change" output that you can spend later.


---

