A Bitcoin transaction is unconfirmed until it is included in a block. A lower fee rate than competing transactions can leave it waiting, but block timing is unpredictable: Bitcoin averages about 10 minutes between blocks, not a guaranteed confirmation time. Check the sending wallet or service first. If it supports them and you control the relevant transaction, a fee bump using RBF or CPFP may improve its chance of being included sooner; neither guarantees a deadline.
What “unconfirmed” means
An unconfirmed transaction has been broadcast or received but has not yet been included in a Bitcoin block. A wallet notification or a transaction ID is not the same as a confirmed payment. Bitcoin.org explains that blocks arrive about every 10 minutes on average, but the interval for any particular block can be shorter or longer. A transaction may therefore remain pending even when its fee is reasonable, and a low fee relative to current demand can extend the wait. Bitcoin.org’s FAQ describes confirmations and fees.
Fees compete for limited block space and depend on transaction size as well as demand. A fee estimate is a snapshot or wallet calculation, not a promise that a transaction will confirm within a set number of minutes.
What to check before trying to speed it up
- Find the transaction ID. Check the sending wallet or service to confirm that the payment is still unconfirmed, rather than replaced, no longer shown by that service, or already included in a block. A block explorer can show public chain status, but only the wallet or service that controls the transaction can usually provide its fee-bump controls.
- Review the fee information. Look for the transaction’s fee rate and any pending-transaction notice in the wallet. Fee conditions change as transactions compete for block space, so an earlier recommendation may no longer reflect current demand.
- Identify who controls the transaction. A self-custody sender may have an RBF or fee-bump option. A recipient may be able to use CPFP only if they control an eligible unconfirmed output and their wallet supports spending it. With an exchange withdrawal or other custodial payment, contact the service that created it; you may not control the signing wallet or its inputs.
- Avoid sending a second payment without checking the consequences. A new transaction could duplicate the transfer or conflict with the pending one. Ask the sending wallet or service how it handles the original before taking that step.
Ways to increase the fee
| Method | Who can generally initiate it | What happens | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| RBF (Replace-By-Fee) | The sender, if their wallet controls the original transaction and supports replacement. | A conflicting replacement spends the same input or inputs with a higher fee, subject to relay and mempool policy. | The wallet must be able to sign and submit a valid replacement. Raising the displayed fee rate alone may not satisfy all policy requirements. |
| CPFP (Child Pays for Parent) | Someone who controls an eligible output of the unconfirmed transaction, often the sender’s change or the recipient’s output. | A new child transaction spends that output. Miners may consider the combined fee rate of the parent and child. | You need control of an eligible unconfirmed output, and wallet support and package policy can constrain acceptance. |
Both methods concern transactions waiting in the mempool; neither reverses a transaction already included in a block. Bitcoin Core’s replacement policy documentation describes policy for its nodes, while Bitcoin Optech’s fee-bumping guide covers RBF and CPFP concepts. These mechanisms do not guarantee confirmation.
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How RBF works in practice
If you sent the payment, look in your wallet for an option labelled “increase fee,” “bump fee,” or RBF. The wallet may fund the replacement by reducing change or adding inputs, and the replacement must meet the relay and mempool policies it encounters. Bitcoin Core’s current policy documentation says a replacement must pay at least the aggregate absolute fees of the transactions it conflicts with, add enough fee to cover relay bandwidth at the incremental relay feerate, remain within the conflicting-cluster limit, and strictly improve the mempool feerate diagram. The same page lists full-RBF as default policy beginning with Bitcoin Core v28.0 and documents a default incremental relay feerate of 0.1 sat/vB. Those are Bitcoin Core policy details, not a universal fee recommendation or a guarantee that every wallet, node, exchange, or miner behaves identically.
For developers and advanced users, Bitcoin.org’s psbtbumpfee RPC reference says the original opt-in RBF transaction must be in the wallet; fee increases can be funded by reducing change or adding inputs. Most users should use their wallet’s built-in controls rather than construct a replacement manually.
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How CPFP works in practice
If you received the payment, or have change in the pending transaction, check whether your wallet offers a CPFP or fee-bump action for that unconfirmed output. The child transaction must offer enough fee to make the parent-and-child package attractive for inclusion, and the wallet or network policy may constrain what can be relayed. If you cannot spend an output of the parent, or your wallet does not offer the function, CPFP is not available to you through that wallet.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When waiting is the sensible option
If there is no supported fee-bump option, waiting is reasonable. The transaction may be included as block space becomes available, but an individual confirmation time cannot be predicted from the 10-minute average. If a service created the transaction, ask that service whether it can increase the fee or provide the current status.
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An unconfirmed transaction is not final. Bitcoin Core’s Opt-in RBF FAQ explains that nodes do not share a globally consistent “first” transaction, so conflicting spends may be possible before confirmation. For a high-value or otherwise consequential payment, wait for a number of confirmations appropriate to the value and risk before treating it as settled.
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