EIP-681 is the Ethereum standard for transaction requests in a URL. It's what lets a QR code say "send 0.015 ETH to this address on Base" instead of just showing an address.
The anatomy
ethereum:0x5aAe…BeAed@8453?value=15000000000000000
| Part | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Scheme | ethereum: |
An Ethereum transaction request |
| Target | 0x5aAe…BeAed |
The recipient (an address or ENS name) |
| Chain ID | @8453 |
Which network (8453 is Base). Optional; without it the wallet uses its current network |
value |
15000000000000000 |
Amount in wei |
Amounts are in wei
There are no decimals in an EIP-681 link. The amount is an integer in the smallest unit: 1 ETH = 10^18 wei. The spec also allows scientific notation such as 1.5e16, as long as the result is a whole number. A plain integer is the most widely understood, and it's what CryptoQR Maker writes.
| You want | value= |
|---|---|
| 1 ETH | 1000000000000000000 |
| 0.1 ETH | 100000000000000000 |
| 0.015 ETH | 15000000000000000 |
Chain IDs and L2s
The chain ID lets one format cover many networks: 1 for Ethereum, 10 for OP Mainnet, 56 for BNB Smart Chain, 137 for Polygon, 8453 for Base, 42161 for Arbitrum One. The native asset changes with the network. On Polygon the amount is POL, on BNB Smart Chain it's BNB.
Token transfers
EIP-681 can also call a contract function. An ERC-20 transfer request targets the token contract and passes the recipient and amount as parameters:
ethereum:<token contract>/transfer?address=<recipient>&uint256=<amount in token units>
Token amounts use the token's own decimals (6 for USDC and USDT on most networks, 18 for many others). Wallet support for this form is uneven, and a mistake sends real money to the wrong place. For stablecoin addresses, a plain address with the network printed beside it is safer; our sister site TokenQR makes exactly that.
Practical advice
- Wallets read the address reliably; support for
valueand the chain ID varies. Write the amount and network next to the code too. - Use the checksummed, mixed-case address. EIP-55 lets the scanning wallet detect typos.
- Test the code with the wallets your payers actually use.
Let the tool do the wei math. Open the Ethereum QR generator