How to Receive Bitcoin From Someone: Address, Checks and Cashing Out in Naira

Ada's cousin in Manchester wants to pay her 0.01 BTC for design work. He says, "Just send me your Bitcoin account number." Ada doesn't have one, and she's afraid of giving the wrong thing and losing the money.

There is no account number, but there is a Bitcoin address, and receiving is easier than it sounds. This post shows how to get your address, what the payer must do, how to tell when the payment is really yours, and how to turn it into naira.

What do you need to receive Bitcoin?

Only a receiving address. It's a long string that starts with 1, 3 or bc1, and it works like a bank account number that anyone can pay into but nobody can take from. Your wallet app creates it for you. Our guide to Bitcoin address types explains what those starting characters mean.

You don't need the sender's details, and you never share your seed phrase or password. If someone asks for those "to receive" money, it's a scam, and is it safe to share your wallet address explains why the address on its own is harmless.

How do you get your Bitcoin address?

The screens differ between apps, so use the generic path:

1. Open the app and find the Bitcoin (BTC) wallet.
2. Tap Receive (some apps say Deposit).
3. If the app asks you to pick a network, choose Bitcoin. Use the regular Bitcoin network unless your app clearly shows another option for BTC.
4. Copy the address, or save the QR code.
5. Compare the first and last few characters of the copied address with what the app shows, before you send it to anyone.

In KWIQ, the Bitcoin wallet works the same way. If you're not sure which coins and networks are supported, see which coins and networks KWIQ accepts.

What should you tell the payer?

Send three things, in this order:

• The address, pasted as text. Typing it by hand invites mistakes.
• The network: "Bitcoin network, please, no other chain."
• A request for the transaction ID (TXID) once they've sent it, so you can follow it.

Keep the message in the same chat, so you know the address came from you. Scammers sometimes swap addresses in forwarded messages, so tell the payer to check the first and last characters match.

How do you know the Bitcoin has arrived?

A Bitcoin payment moves through three states.

Stage	What you see	What it means
Broadcast	"Pending" or "Unconfirmed"	The network has seen it, but it isn't final
1 confirmation	Included in a block	Usually enough for small amounts
Several confirmations	Fully settled	Safer for larger amounts

A pending payment can still be replaced or dropped, so don't release goods or services on a screenshot or on "pending" alone. Our posts on what blockchain confirmations are and the unconfirmed Bitcoin transaction explain the waiting. You can also paste the TXID into a public explorer such as mempool.space to see its status without trusting a screenshot.

What if it hasn't arrived?

Work through this list:

1. Ask for the TXID and look it up on an explorer. No TXID usually means nothing was sent.
2. Check the receiving address on the explorer's result matches yours exactly.
3. Check the fee. A very low fee can leave the payment waiting for hours. Read Bitcoin network fees and how to pay less for why.
4. Check the network. If the payer sent a different coin or used another chain, it may be sitting somewhere else. Sent crypto to the wrong network covers what can and can't be done.

Be careful with anyone who says they'll "fix" a stuck payment for a fee. The checks above cost nothing.

Can you receive Bitcoin over Lightning?

Lightning is a faster layer built on top of Bitcoin, explained in our Lightning guide. Unless the app you're using shows Lightning as an option, use the regular Bitcoin network. Don't give a payer a Lightning invoice and a regular address interchangeably: they are different things.

Turning received Bitcoin into naira

Once the payment is confirmed, you can sell it. On KWIQ, swapping crypto to naira has zero fees, trades are automated, and naira can reach your bank account in as little as 4 seconds after a sale. The steps are on the sell Bitcoin for naira page, and how to sell crypto in Nigeria gives the general walkthrough. Prices move, so check the current figure on the Bitcoin to naira rate page before you decide.

If you'd rather hold some Bitcoin, KWIQ also sells crypto: every coin KWIQ has a wallet for can be bought with naira in the app. For a primer on the official basics, Bitcoin.org's security and anonymity notes are worth a read.

Ready to try? Download the KWIQ app, or create a free account on the web.