---
bip: 84
title: "Derivation scheme for P2WPKH based accounts"
status: Deployed
type: Specification
layer: "Applications"
authors: ["Pavol Rusnak"]
assigned: 2017-12-28
last_modified: 2025-10-08
topics: ["wallets","hd-wallets","derivation"]
license: "CC0-1.0"
url: https://bipexplorer.com/bip/84
source: https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0084.mediawiki
---

# BIP 84: Derivation scheme for P2WPKH based accounts

> **In plain English:** Specifies the standard key path for HD wallets that use native SegWit addresses (those starting with 'bc1q'). Agreeing on this path means a user can restore the same seed phrase in different wallet apps and find the same addresses and funds.

## Abstract

This BIP defines the derivation scheme for HD wallets using the P2WPKH ([BIP 173](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/173)) serialization format for segregated witness transactions.

## Motivation

With the usage of P2WPKH transactions it is necessary to have a common derivation scheme. It allows the user to use different HD wallets with the same masterseed and/or a single account seamlessly.

Thus the user needs to create dedicated segregated witness accounts, which ensures that only wallets compatible with this BIP will detect the accounts and handle them appropriately.

### Considerations

We use the same rationale as described in Considerations section of [BIP 49](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/49).

## Specifications

This BIP defines the two needed steps to derive multiple deterministic addresses based on a [BIP 32](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/32) root account.

### Public key derivation

To derive a public key from the root account, this BIP uses the same account-structure as defined in [BIP 44](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/44) and [BIP 49](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/49), but only uses a different purpose value to indicate the different transaction serialization method.

```
m / purpose' / coin_type' / account' / change / address_index
```

For the `purpose`\-path level it uses `84'`. The rest of the levels are used as defined in BIP44 or BIP49.

### Address derivation

To derive the P2WPKH address from the above calculated public key, we use the encapsulation defined in [BIP 141](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/141#p2wpkh):

witness: scriptSig: (empty) scriptPubKey: 0 <20-byte-key-hash> (0x0014{20-byte-key-hash})

### Extended Key Version

When serializing extended keys, this scheme uses alternate version bytes. Extended public keys use `0x04b24746` to produce a "zpub" prefix, and private keys use `0x04b2430c` to produce a "zprv" prefix. Testnet uses `0x045f1cf6` "vpub" and `0x045f18bc` "vprv."

Additional registered version bytes are listed in [SLIP-0132](https://github.com/satoshilabs/slips/blob/master/slip-0132.md).

## Backwards Compatibility

This BIP is not backwards compatible by design as described under [considerations](#considerations). An incompatible wallet will not discover accounts at all and the user will notice that something is wrong.

## Test vectors

```
  mnemonic = abandon abandon abandon abandon abandon abandon abandon abandon abandon abandon abandon about
  rootpriv = zprvAWgYBBk7JR8Gjrh4UJQ2uJdG1r3WNRRfURiABBE3RvMXYSrRJL62XuezvGdPvG6GFBZduosCc1YP5wixPox7zhZLfiUm8aunE96BBa4Kei5
  rootpub  = zpub6jftahH18ngZxLmXaKw3GSZzZsszmt9WqedkyZdezFtWRFBZqsQH5hyUmb4pCEeZGmVfQuP5bedXTB8is6fTv19U1GQRyQUKQGUTzyHACMF

  // Account 0, root = m/84'/0'/0'
  xpriv = zprvAdG4iTXWBoARxkkzNpNh8r6Qag3irQB8PzEMkAFeTRXxHpbF9z4QgEvBRmfvqWvGp42t42nvgGpNgYSJA9iefm1yYNZKEm7z6qUWCroSQnE
  xpub  = zpub6rFR7y4Q2AijBEqTUquhVz398htDFrtymD9xYYfG1m4wAcvPhXNfE3EfH1r1ADqtfSdVCToUG868RvUUkgDKf31mGDtKsAYz2oz2AGutZYs

  // Account 0, first receiving address = m/84'/0'/0'/0/0
  privkey = KyZpNDKnfs94vbrwhJneDi77V6jF64PWPF8x5cdJb8ifgg2DUc9d
  pubkey  = 0330d54fd0dd420a6e5f8d3624f5f3482cae350f79d5f0753bf5beef9c2d91af3c
  address = bc1qcr8te4kr609gcawutmrza0j4xv80jy8z306fyu

  // Account 0, second receiving address = m/84'/0'/0'/0/1
  privkey = Kxpf5b8p3qX56DKEe5NqWbNUP9MnqoRFzZwHRtsFqhzuvUJsYZCy
  pubkey  = 03e775fd51f0dfb8cd865d9ff1cca2a158cf651fe997fdc9fee9c1d3b5e995ea77
  address = bc1qnjg0jd8228aq7egyzacy8cys3knf9xvrerkf9g

  // Account 0, first change address = m/84'/0'/0'/1/0
  privkey = KxuoxufJL5csa1Wieb2kp29VNdn92Us8CoaUG3aGtPtcF3AzeXvF
  pubkey  = 03025324888e429ab8e3dbaf1f7802648b9cd01e9b418485c5fa4c1b9b5700e1a6
  address = bc1q8c6fshw2dlwun7ekn9qwf37cu2rn755upcp6el
```

## Reference

-   [BIP32 - Hierarchical Deterministic Wallets](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/32)

-   [BIP43 - Purpose Field for Deterministic Wallets](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/43)

-   [BIP44 - Multi-Account Hierarchy for Deterministic Wallets](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/44)

-   [BIP49 - Derivation scheme for P2WPKH-nested-in-P2SH based accounts](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/49)

-   [BIP141 - Segregated Witness (Consensus layer)](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/141)

-   [BIP173 - Base32 address format for native v0-16 witness outputs](https://bipexplorer.com/bip/173)