<p>The first output is an <a href="https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/search?q=OP_RETURN">OP_RETURN</a> output whose content is:</p>
<p>Raw Hex:<br />
<code>5035e332014086d1</code> <code>6c5a07b4d277b5f4</code><br />
<code>95c85fd7c20167cd</code> <code>31029dac6f9293fc</code><br />
<code>0b7988032d44b0d3</code> <code>159bb0f423de</code></p>
<p>Which <a href="https://blockchair.com/bitcoin/transaction/ee40c94cc60cb3b0b59b86c2dec1c1187c4cc357c86b173fd0e8b8d4f925e5a0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Blockchair.com displays as</a>  &quot;Decoded:&quot; <code>P52@lZw_g1oy-D#</code></p>
<p>(the other output is change)</p>
<hr />
<blockquote>
<p>What happened to the fee?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That is the difference between the input and the change output. The OP_RETURN output doesn't affect this because it has a monetary value of zero.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-16T14:41:01.900Z
Ok I see, so some code changes need to be made to filter this out.

Thanks!
user2880722
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-16T14:51:50.553Z
Just one follow-up, if I wanted to decode this, is it UTF-8?
user2880722
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-16T16:53:29.993Z
OP_RETURN can be followed by up to 80 bytes of data in any encoding chosen by the transaction creator. In this case it isn't valid UTF-8 - I don't know why blockchair.com decoded it the way it did. I guess Blockchair makes an assumption. See "Raw Tx" on that page for exact data values.
RedGrittyBrick
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-16T14:24:17.873Z
2024-02-16T16:56:18.310Z
2024-02-16T16:56:18.310Z
RedGrittyBrick
<p>I'm writing a bitcoin blockchain indexer. I've indexed every block hash and now I'm working on indexing each transaction in each block.</p>
<p>I've been finding some weird stuff here and there and I don't understand this one (there are a few others just like this):</p>
<p>What happened to the Bitcoin? It appears that the block fee was &quot;lost&quot;?</p>
<p>txid: ee40c94cc60cb3b0b59b86c2dec1c1187c4cc357c86b173fd0e8b8d4f925e5a0</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/PsRsT.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/PsRsT.png" alt="tx" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-16T14:03:59.003Z
What do you mean lost
Antoine Poinsot
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-16T14:23:36.070Z
That's what I am asking lol. Look at the screenshot. 

It shows and unknown transaction worth nothing. 

What happened to the fee?
user2880722
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-16T14:26:41.867Z
I think you are confused by how transactions work. On the right it's tx outputs. On the left transaction input (confusingly displaying an address, which isn't present in a tx input). The fee is the left over of the sum of tx outputs' amounts minus the sum of tx inputs' amounts.
Antoine Poinsot
<bitcoin-core><transactions><blockchain><transaction-fees>
What happened to this Bitcoin transaction? Block fee lost?
user2880722
# What happened to this Bitcoin transaction? Block fee lost?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-02-16)

I'm writing a bitcoin blockchain indexer. I've indexed every block hash and now I'm working on indexing each transaction in each block.

I've been finding some weird stuff here and there and I don't understand this one (there are a few others just like this):

What happened to the Bitcoin? It appears that the block fee was "lost"?

txid: ee40c94cc60cb3b0b59b86c2dec1c1187c4cc357c86b173fd0e8b8d4f925e5a0

[![tx](https://i.sstatic.net/PsRsT.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/PsRsT.png)

**Tags:** bitcoin-core, transactions, blockchain, transaction-fees

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What do you mean lost  
> **username_0**: That's what I am asking lol. Look at the screenshot.   It shows and unknown transaction worth nothing.   What happened to the fee?  
> **username_1**: I think you are confused by how transactions work. On the right it's tx outputs. On the left transaction input (confusingly displaying an address, which isn't present in a tx input). The fee is the left over of the sum of tx outputs' amounts minus the sum of tx inputs' amounts.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-02-16. Score: 0

The first output is an [OP\_RETURN](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/search?q=OP_RETURN) output whose content is:

Raw Hex:  
`5035e332014086d1` `6c5a07b4d277b5f4`  
`95c85fd7c20167cd` `31029dac6f9293fc`  
`0b7988032d44b0d3` `159bb0f423de`

Which [Blockchair.com displays as](https://blockchair.com/bitcoin/transaction/ee40c94cc60cb3b0b59b86c2dec1c1187c4cc357c86b173fd0e8b8d4f925e5a0) "Decoded:" `P52@lZw_g1oy-D#`

(the other output is change)

---

> What happened to the fee?

That is the difference between the input and the change output. The OP\_RETURN output doesn't affect this because it has a monetary value of zero.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Ok I see, so some code changes need to be made to filter this out.  Thanks!  
> **username_0**: Just one follow-up, if I wanted to decode this, is it UTF-8?  
> **username_2**: OP_RETURN can be followed by up to 80 bytes of data in any encoding chosen by the transaction creator. In this case it isn't valid UTF-8 - I don't know why blockchair.com decoded it the way it did. I guess Blockchair makes an assumption. See "Raw Tx" on that page for exact data values.  

---

