After upgrading to EIP-7702, gas becomes higher mainly because each transaction includes an additional authorization verification fee (Authorization Cost) and a floor cost designed to prevent data congestion.
Step 1: Identify the sources of extra costs
EIP-7702 transactions (type 0x04) allow an EOA to "borrow" smart contract code. To perform this safely, the protocol adds a "firewall" and a "toll" at the base layer:
Fixed authorization fee (PER_EMPTY_ACCOUNT_COST): Each authorization incurs a fixed fee. The current baseline is 25,000 Gas, plus an additional 4,040 Gas added as an execution threshold during gas calculation.
Floor cost: To prevent malicious transactions from bloating blocks, the EIP-7702 authorization data (roughly 108 bytes) is now included in the floor fee, adding 4,040 Gas per authorization.
Step 2: Check gas components item by item
If you notice higher gas costs than before, compare the structure below to identify the extra portion:
| Cost Component | Regular EOA Transaction | EIP-7702 Transaction (1 authorization) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic transaction fee | 21,000 Gas | 21,000 Gas |
| Authorization execution fee | None | 25,000 Gas |
| Authorization floor cost | None | 4,040 Gas |
| Estimated total gas | ~21,000+ | ~50,040+ |
Completion standard: Check the transaction details on a block explorer (e.g., Etherscan). If Gas Used is around 50,000 or more and the transaction type shows 0x04, the extra gas comes from the upgrade.
High risk warning: Do not try to cancel an authorization just to "save gas." Although revoking an authorization (setting delegate_address empty) costs roughly 40,000 Gas, which is lower than the 80,000 Gas typical for an upgrade transaction, an authorized delegation is persistent once signed and on‑chain. If you accidentally sign a malicious authorization, an attacker can drain your assets through batch transactions without your consent. Revoking an authorization requires extra gas, but it is a necessary security expense to prevent your account from being remotely controlled.
Common failure reasons
Assuming a one‑time fee only: Many people think the upgrade is a single‑cost event. In reality, an EIP-7702 upgrade transaction consists of two parts: authorization signature verification first, then execution of business logic. The verification step consumes a significant amount of new gas.
Overlooking the floor cost leads to insufficient gas: Because EIP‑8131 mandates that authorization data be included in the minimum transaction fee, transactions may fail if the wallet's auto‑estimator does not cover this cost and the gas limit is set too low. It's recommended to manually adjust the gas limit upward by 5‑10% before signing.
After completing the operation
Verification method: Use a block explorer to confirm the status is Success and record the actual gas consumed.
Next steps: If the upgrade transaction is confirmed but subsequent regular transfers still show higher gas, check whether the address still has an unrevoked delegation (you can use revoke.cash or your wallet's authorization management feature). As long as the delegation remains, the account operates in a smart contract mode, and any transaction involving that account's authorization will continue to generate extra EVM execution overhead due to account state verification.
