Finalization (Withdrawals)

When withdrawing from ZKsync (L2) back to Ethereum (L1), your funds are not automatically released on L1 once the L2 transaction is included.

Withdrawals are always a two-step process:

1. Initiate on L2 — you call withdraw() (via the SDK’s create) to start the withdrawal.

   • This burns/locks the funds on L2.
   • At this point, your withdrawal is visible in L2 receipts and logs, but your funds are not yet available on L1.

2. Finalize on L1 — you must explicitly call finalize to release your funds on L1.

   • This submits an L1 transaction.
   • Only after this step does your ETH or token balance increase on Ethereum.

Why finalization matters

• Funds remain locked until finalization.
• Anyone can finalize — not just the withdrawer. In practice, most users will finalize their own withdrawals.
• Finalization costs gas on L1, so plan for this when withdrawing.

If you forget to finalize, your funds will stay in limbo: visible as “ready to withdraw,” but unavailable on Ethereum.

SDK methods

• finalize(l2TxHash)
  Actively sends the L1 transaction to finalize the withdrawal. Returns the updated status and the L1 receipt.

Example: Explicit finalize

// Step 1: Create withdrawal on L2
const withdrawal = await sdk.withdrawals.create({
  token: ETH_ADDRESS,
  amount: parseEther('0.1'),
  to: myAddress,
});

// Step 2: Finalize on L1
await sdk.withdrawals.wait(withdrawal, { for: 'ready' }); // block until finalizable
const { status, receipt } = await sdk.withdrawals.finalize(withdrawal.l2TxHash);

console.log(status.phase); // "FINALIZED"
console.log(receipt?.transactionHash); // L1 finalize tx