diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index dd58982..11527fc 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1013,8 +1013,10 @@ rendered differently on two screens.
 
 The native token's label is a network's `nativeCurrency` in
 `src/shared/networks.js`: `ETH` on mainnet, `SepoliaETH` on Sepolia. The
-wallet's balances and the Send and confirmation screens, which send on the
-active network, use the active network's. A transaction's figures use the one of
+wallet's balances and the Send screen, which sends on the active network, use
+the active network's. The confirmation screen uses the one of the network it is
+drawn for, the network active when it was shown, even after the network is
+switched in Settings while it is open. A transaction's figures use the one of
 the network its chain id names, whichever network is active: the value and fee
 on the approval screen, the amount on the wait, success and error screens, the
 transaction history and the transaction detail screen, and the refusal of a fee
@@ -1719,10 +1721,18 @@ view would leave a wallet one click from deletion.
       the reserve the transaction does not use. If the balance no longer covers
       the fee, the amount is left as it was and the amount-plus-fee error below
       blocks the send
-    - Your balance: value + symbol (USD in parentheses), or `unknown (SYMBOL)`
-      for a token whose scale is unknown
+    - Your balance: the From address's balance on the network the screen is
+      drawn for, read from that network's RPC endpoint each time the screen is
+      shown, so a screen the popup reopens onto after the network was switched
+      states and checks the balance on the new network. "Loading..." until the
+      read returns, then value + symbol (USD in parentheses), or
+      `unknown (SYMBOL)` for a token whose scale is unknown or when the read
+      failed. The amount check uses the same balances: the ETH balance, and for
+      a token transfer the token balance as well
     - Network fee: "Estimating..." then two lines, or "Unable to estimate",
-      fetched async. The first line is what the transfer is expected to cost,
+      fetched async once the balance is read, from the same RPC endpoint as the
+      balance, even if the network is switched in Settings while the balance is
+      being read. The first line is what the transfer is expected to cost,
       `gasLimit * gasPrice` (USD in parentheses); the second is the
       `gasLimit * maxFeePerGas` reserve the node requires, which is what the
       balance check gates on. The second line is omitted on a network with no
@@ -1732,19 +1742,22 @@ view would leave a wallet one click from deletion.
       plus four reserved warning boxes made visible by the async checks —
       recipient with no transaction history, recipient is a contract, burn
       address, and an Etherscan phishing/scam label
-    - Errors (insufficient balance), plus three reserved error boxes — the
-      amount plus the fee exceeds the balance (ETH transfers), not enough ETH to
-      pay the fee for the transfer (ERC-20 transfers), and the fee could not be
-      estimated. The first two are mutually exclusive per transfer type, so only
-      the applicable one holds space. The last names its cause: for a token
-      whose scale is unknown the fee can never be estimated, and it says the
-      wallet does not know how many decimal places the token uses and that the
-      transaction cannot be sent; for any other failure it asks the user to go
-      back and try again
+    - Errors (an invalid amount), plus five reserved error boxes, so the balance
+      and the fee arriving later move nothing — the amount exceeds the balance
+      (for a token whose scale is unknown it says the token's balance is
+      unknown), the balance could not be read (it asks the user to go back and
+      try again), the amount plus the fee exceeds the balance (ETH transfers),
+      not enough ETH to pay the fee for the transfer (ERC-20 transfers), and the
+      fee could not be estimated. The third and fourth are mutually exclusive
+      per transfer type, so only the applicable one holds space. The last names
+      its cause: for a token whose scale is unknown the fee can never be
+      estimated, and it says the wallet does not know how many decimal places
+      the token uses and that the transaction cannot be sent; for any other
+      failure it asks the user to go back and try again
     - Password: an inline field on this screen, not a modal, with its own error
       line
-    - "Sign & Send" button (disabled if errors, and while the network fee
-      estimate is pending or unavailable)
+    - "Sign & Send" button (disabled if errors, while the balance is being read,
+      and while the network fee estimate is pending or unavailable)
 - **Transitions**:
     - "Sign & Send" (correct password) → broadcast tx → **WaitTx**
     - "Sign & Send" (correct password) → broadcast fails → **ErrorTx**
diff --git a/src/popup/index.html b/src/popup/index.html
index a433783..c666ac0 100644
--- a/src/popup/index.html
+++ b/src/popup/index.html
@@ -669,6 +669,20 @@
                     id="confirm-errors"
                     class="mb-2 border border-border border-dashed p-2 invisible min-h-[1.25rem]"
                 ></div>
+                <!-- Its sentence names the token, or why the token's balance
+                is unknown, so show() in confirmTx.js sets it. -->
+                <div
+                    id="confirm-balance-error"
+                    class="mb-2 border border-border border-dashed p-2 text-xs invisible"
+                ></div>
+                <div
+                    id="confirm-balance-read-error"
+                    class="mb-2 border border-border border-dashed p-2 text-xs invisible"
+                >
+                    Your balance could not be read from the network, so this
+                    transaction cannot be checked against it. Please go back and
+                    try again.
+                </div>
                 <div
                     id="confirm-amount-fee-error"
                     class="mb-2 border border-border border-dashed p-2 text-xs invisible"
diff --git a/src/popup/views/confirmTx.js b/src/popup/views/confirmTx.js
index 90c74ae..0649df1 100644
--- a/src/popup/views/confirmTx.js
+++ b/src/popup/views/confirmTx.js
@@ -2,7 +2,13 @@
 // Shows transaction details, warnings, errors. On Sign & Send,
 // reads inline password, decrypts secret, signs and broadcasts.
 
-const { parseEther, parseUnits, formatEther, Contract } = require("ethers");
+const {
+    parseEther,
+    parseUnits,
+    formatEther,
+    formatUnits,
+    Contract,
+} = require("ethers");
 const {
     $,
     showError,
@@ -11,7 +17,6 @@ const {
     addressTitle,
     escapeHtml,
     displaySymbol,
-    nativeCurrency,
     renderAddressHtml,
     blockieHtml,
     attachCopyHandlers,
@@ -20,6 +25,7 @@ const {
     formatFee,
 } = require("./helpers");
 const { state, currentNetwork } = require("../../shared/state");
+const { nativeCurrencyByChainId } = require("../../shared/networks");
 const { getSignerForAddress } = require("../../shared/wallet");
 const { walletDefect } = require("../../shared/walletDefects");
 const { decryptWithPassword } = require("../../shared/vault");
@@ -32,6 +38,7 @@ const {
 const { ERC20_ABI, isBurnAddress } = require("../../shared/constants");
 const {
     displayedDecimals,
+    toDecimals,
     transferAmountUnits,
 } = require("../../shared/transferAmount");
 const { assertWithinCeilings } = require("../../shared/approvalVerify");
@@ -60,6 +67,14 @@ let feeWei = null;
 // amount was derived from. Null for any other send, which ethers prices from
 // the node at signing time.
 let maxSendFees = null;
+// The From address's balances on the network this screen is drawn for, read
+// from that network's node by readBalances() each time the screen is shown.
+// The popup can reopen onto this screen after the network was switched, so
+// any balance Send knew may be another network's. Null until the read
+// returns; then `eth` and `token` are decimal strings, `token` null for an
+// ETH send or a token whose scale is unknown, and both null if the read
+// failed.
+let balances = null;
 
 function restore() {
     const d = state.viewData;
@@ -87,7 +102,9 @@ function valueWithUsd(text, usdAmount) {
 // once its amount is re-derived from the fee estimate.
 function renderAmount(txInfo) {
     const isErc20 = txInfo.token !== "ETH";
-    const rawSymbol = isErc20 ? txInfo.tokenSymbol || "?" : nativeCurrency();
+    const rawSymbol = isErc20
+        ? txInfo.tokenSymbol || "?"
+        : nativeCurrencyByChainId(txInfo.chainId);
     const price = isErc20 ? getPrice(rawSymbol) : getPrice("ETH");
     const amountUsd = price ? parseFloat(txInfo.amount) * price : null;
     $("confirm-amount").textContent = valueWithUsd(
@@ -96,21 +113,56 @@ function renderAmount(txInfo) {
     );
 }
 
+// The balance line, with its USD value: "Loading..." until readBalances()
+// returns, then the balance it read.
+function renderBalance(txInfo) {
+    const isErc20 = txInfo.token !== "ETH";
+    const rawSymbol = isErc20
+        ? txInfo.tokenSymbol || "?"
+        : nativeCurrencyByChainId(txInfo.chainId);
+    const symbol = displaySymbol(rawSymbol);
+    if (balances === null) {
+        $("confirm-balance").textContent = "Loading...";
+        return;
+    }
+    // A null balance is one nobody established, for a token whose scale is
+    // unknown or after a read that failed, and is stated as unknown, never as
+    // zero (https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/AutistMask/issues/349).
+    const bal = isErc20 ? balances.token : balances.eth;
+    if (bal === null) {
+        $("confirm-balance").textContent = "unknown (" + symbol + ")";
+        return;
+    }
+    const price = isErc20 ? getPrice(rawSymbol) : getPrice("ETH");
+    const balUsd = price ? parseFloat(bal) * price : null;
+    $("confirm-balance").textContent = valueWithUsd(
+        truncateAmountNeverZero(bal) + " " + symbol,
+        balUsd,
+    );
+}
+
 function show(txInfo) {
     pendingTx = txInfo;
     feeStatus = FEE_PENDING;
     feeWei = null;
     maxSendFees = null;
+    balances = null;
     // The network this screen is drawn for, and the only one it sends on:
-    // Settings can switch the active network while the screen is open. The
-    // wait, success and error screens label the amount by it too.
+    // Settings can switch the active network while the screen is open. This
+    // screen and the wait, success and error screens label amounts by it.
     txInfo.chainId = currentNetwork().chainId;
+    // That network's node, read here once and passed to every read below, so
+    // a read still in flight when the network is switched, and the fee
+    // estimate that follows the balance read, stay on it.
+    const provider = getProvider(state.rpcUrl, state.networkId);
 
     const isErc20 = txInfo.token !== "ETH";
     // The raw symbol is the price-table key; the capped one is what the
     // screen says. Truncating before the lookup would silently drop the
     // price of any token whose symbol is long enough to be capped.
-    const rawSymbol = isErc20 ? txInfo.tokenSymbol || "?" : nativeCurrency();
+    const rawSymbol = isErc20
+        ? txInfo.tokenSymbol || "?"
+        : nativeCurrencyByChainId(txInfo.chainId);
     const symbol = displaySymbol(rawSymbol);
 
     // Transaction type
@@ -152,33 +204,7 @@ function show(txInfo) {
     $("confirm-to-ens").classList.add("hidden");
 
     renderAmount(txInfo);
-
-    // Balance (with inline USD)
-    const ethPrice = getPrice("ETH");
-    const tokenPrice = getPrice(rawSymbol);
-    if (isErc20) {
-        // null is a balance whose scale nothing knows, not a balance of zero
-        // (https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/AutistMask/issues/349). The send is
-        // refused at encode time for the same missing scale; what this line
-        // must not do is state a quantity nobody established.
-        const bal = txInfo.tokenBalance;
-        const balUsd =
-            tokenPrice && bal != null ? parseFloat(bal) * tokenPrice : null;
-        $("confirm-balance").textContent =
-            bal == null
-                ? "unknown (" + symbol + ")"
-                : valueWithUsd(
-                      truncateAmountNeverZero(bal) + " " + symbol,
-                      balUsd,
-                  );
-    } else {
-        const bal = txInfo.balance || "0";
-        const balUsd = ethPrice ? parseFloat(bal) * ethPrice : null;
-        $("confirm-balance").textContent = valueWithUsd(
-            truncateAmountNeverZero(bal) + " " + symbol,
-            balUsd,
-        );
-    }
+    renderBalance(txInfo);
 
     // Check for warnings (synchronous local checks)
     const localWarnings = getLocalWarnings(txInfo.to, {
@@ -212,15 +238,15 @@ function show(txInfo) {
     $("confirm-gas-error").classList.toggle("hidden", !isErc20);
     $("confirm-gas-error").textContent =
         "You do not have enough " +
-        nativeCurrency() +
+        nativeCurrencyByChainId(txInfo.chainId) +
         " to pay the network fee for this transfer. Please add " +
-        nativeCurrency() +
+        nativeCurrencyByChainId(txInfo.chainId) +
         " to this address and try again.";
 
     // Shown later, once checkRecipientHistory() finds a contract.
     $("confirm-contract-warning").textContent =
         "WARNING: The recipient is a smart contract. Sending " +
-        nativeCurrency() +
+        nativeCurrencyByChainId(txInfo.chainId) +
         " or tokens directly to a contract may result in permanent loss of" +
         " funds.";
 
@@ -237,6 +263,20 @@ function show(txInfo) {
               " cannot be checked against your balance. Please go back and" +
               " try again.";
 
+    // So does the message for an amount the balance does not cover. It is
+    // set here, before the first paint, so the balance read returning only
+    // makes it visible and moves nothing, which is why it quotes no balance.
+    // Without the token's scale readBalances() reads no token balance.
+    $("confirm-balance-error").textContent =
+        isErc20 && toDecimals(txInfo.tokenDecimals) === null
+            ? "This token's balance is unknown, because nothing this wallet" +
+              " can consult reports how many decimal places it uses, so the" +
+              " amount you are trying to send cannot be checked against it."
+            : "Your " +
+              symbol +
+              " balance does not cover this amount. Please go back and send" +
+              " a smaller amount.";
+
     renderValidation(txInfo);
 
     // Reset password field and error
@@ -262,69 +302,77 @@ function show(txInfo) {
         $("confirm-burn-warning").style.visibility = "visible";
     }
 
-    estimateGas(txInfo);
-    checkRecipientHistory(txInfo);
+    // The fee is estimated once the balances are read, because a max ETH
+    // send's amount is the ETH balance minus the estimate's reserve.
+    readBalances(txInfo, provider).then(() => estimateGas(txInfo, provider));
+    checkRecipientHistory(txInfo, provider);
+}
+
+// Read the From address's balances from `provider`, the node of the network
+// this screen is drawn for: ETH, and for a token send the token, at the scale
+// the screen renders the amount with. A token whose scale is unknown has no
+// balance to read. Never rejects.
+async function readBalances(txInfo, provider) {
+    let read;
+    try {
+        const decimals = toDecimals(txInfo.tokenDecimals);
+        const readToken = txInfo.token !== "ETH" && decimals !== null;
+        const [ethWei, tokenUnits] = await Promise.all([
+            provider.getBalance(txInfo.from),
+            readToken
+                ? new Contract(txInfo.token, ERC20_ABI, provider).balanceOf(
+                      txInfo.from,
+                  )
+                : null,
+        ]);
+        read = {
+            eth: formatEther(ethWei),
+            token: readToken ? formatUnits(tokenUnits, decimals) : null,
+        };
+    } catch (e) {
+        log.errorf("balance read failed:", e.shortMessage || e.message);
+        read = { eth: null, token: null };
+    }
+    // The user may have left this transaction while the read was in flight.
+    if (pendingTx !== txInfo) return;
+    balances = read;
+    renderBalance(txInfo);
+    renderValidation(txInfo);
 }
 
 // Render the balance check for the transaction on screen. Called once during
-// show() and again when the fee estimate resolves or fails. Every element it
-// touches already occupies its space, so re-running it never moves anything.
+// show(), again when the balances are read, and again when the fee estimate
+// resolves or fails. Every element it touches already occupies its space, so
+// re-running it never moves anything.
 function renderValidation(txInfo) {
     const isErc20 = txInfo.token !== "ETH";
-    const symbol = isErc20
-        ? displaySymbol(txInfo.tokenSymbol || "?")
-        : nativeCurrency();
+
+    // Null while the balances are being read and after a read that failed.
+    // validateTransfer() takes a missing balance as nothing to spend from, so
+    // sending stays blocked either way, and the only message shown for it is
+    // the one saying the read failed.
+    const ethBalance = balances ? balances.eth : null;
+    const tokenBalance = balances ? balances.token : null;
+    const balanceRead = ethBalance !== null;
 
     const { canSend, codes } = validateTransfer({
         isErc20,
         amount: txInfo.amount,
         tokenDecimals: txInfo.tokenDecimals,
-        ethBalance: txInfo.balance,
-        tokenBalance: txInfo.tokenBalance,
+        ethBalance,
+        tokenBalance,
         feeStatus,
         feeWei,
     });
 
-    // Messages carrying the user's own numbers are built here; the fixed
-    // sentences live in the reserved elements in index.html, except the
-    // gas and fee-unknown ones, which show() sets.
+    // An invalid amount is known before the first paint, so its message is
+    // written here. Every message a later result brings has a reserved
+    // element, its sentence fixed in index.html or set by show(), and is only
+    // made visible below, so nothing moves when the result arrives.
     const messages = [];
     if (codes.includes(CODES.AMOUNT_INVALID)) {
         messages.push("Please enter a valid amount to send.");
     }
-    if (codes.includes(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_TOKEN)) {
-        messages.push(
-            txInfo.tokenBalance == null
-                ? "This token's balance is unknown, because nothing this" +
-                      " wallet can consult reports how many decimal places it" +
-                      " uses, so the amount you are trying to send cannot be" +
-                      " checked against it."
-                : "Insufficient " +
-                      symbol +
-                      " balance. You have " +
-                      truncateAmountNeverZero(txInfo.tokenBalance) +
-                      " " +
-                      symbol +
-                      " but are trying to send " +
-                      txInfo.amount +
-                      " " +
-                      symbol +
-                      ".",
-        );
-    }
-    if (codes.includes(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH)) {
-        messages.push(
-            "Insufficient balance. You have " +
-                truncateAmountNeverZero(txInfo.balance || "0") +
-                " " +
-                symbol +
-                " but are trying to send " +
-                txInfo.amount +
-                " " +
-                symbol +
-                ".",
-        );
-    }
 
     const errorsEl = $("confirm-errors");
     if (messages.length > 0) {
@@ -337,13 +385,20 @@ function renderValidation(txInfo) {
         errorsEl.style.visibility = "hidden";
     }
 
+    setVisible("confirm-balance-read-error", balances !== null && !balanceRead);
+    setVisible(
+        "confirm-balance-error",
+        balanceRead &&
+            (codes.includes(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_TOKEN) ||
+                codes.includes(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH)),
+    );
     setVisible(
         "confirm-amount-fee-error",
-        codes.includes(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_WITH_FEE),
+        balanceRead && codes.includes(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_WITH_FEE),
     );
     setVisible(
         "confirm-gas-error",
-        codes.includes(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_FOR_FEE),
+        balanceRead && codes.includes(CODES.INSUFFICIENT_ETH_FOR_FEE),
     );
     setVisible(
         "confirm-fee-unknown-error",
@@ -362,9 +417,10 @@ function setVisible(id, visible) {
     $(id).style.visibility = visible ? "visible" : "hidden";
 }
 
-async function estimateGas(txInfo) {
+// Estimate the network fee on `provider`, the node of the network this screen
+// is drawn for.
+async function estimateGas(txInfo, provider) {
     try {
-        const provider = getProvider(state.rpcUrl, state.networkId);
         const feeData = await provider.getFeeData();
         let gasLimit;
 
@@ -412,12 +468,13 @@ async function estimateGas(txInfo) {
         // does, so the same fee reads the same on both.
         if (estimateWei !== null && estimateWei < gasCostWei) {
             $("confirm-fee-amount").textContent =
-                "~" + formatFee(estimateWei, nativeCurrency());
+                "~" +
+                formatFee(estimateWei, nativeCurrencyByChainId(txInfo.chainId));
             $("confirm-fee-reserve").textContent =
                 "up to " +
                 truncateAmountNeverZero(formatEther(gasCostWei)) +
                 " " +
-                nativeCurrency() +
+                nativeCurrencyByChainId(txInfo.chainId) +
                 " reserved";
             setVisible("confirm-fee-reserve", true);
         } else {
@@ -426,20 +483,20 @@ async function estimateGas(txInfo) {
             // cost is not below the reserve. Show the reserve alone.
             $("confirm-fee-amount").textContent = formatFee(
                 gasCostWei,
-                nativeCurrency(),
+                nativeCurrencyByChainId(txInfo.chainId),
             );
             setVisible("confirm-fee-reserve", false);
         }
         feeStatus = FEE_KNOWN;
         feeWei = gasCostWei;
-        // A max ETH send is the balance minus this estimate's reserve, not the
-        // Send screen's, and is signed with this estimate's fee fields: fees
-        // fetched again at signing could exceed the reserve it leaves, and the
-        // node would refuse it for want of funds. Where the balance no longer
-        // covers the fee, the amount is left as it is and the balance check
-        // below says so.
+        // A max ETH send is the balance readBalances() read minus this
+        // estimate's reserve, not the Send screen's, and is signed with this
+        // estimate's fee fields: fees fetched again at signing could exceed
+        // the reserve it leaves, and the node would refuse it for want of
+        // funds. Where the balance is unknown or no longer covers the fee, the
+        // amount is left as it is and the balance check below says so.
         if (txInfo.max && txInfo.token === "ETH") {
-            const amount = maxEthAmount(txInfo.balance, gasCostWei);
+            const amount = maxEthAmount(balances?.eth, gasCostWei);
             if (amount !== null) {
                 txInfo.amount = amount;
                 renderAmount(txInfo);
@@ -514,9 +571,8 @@ function showSendError(message) {
     el.style.visibility = "visible";
 }
 
-async function checkRecipientHistory(txInfo) {
+async function checkRecipientHistory(txInfo, provider) {
     try {
-        const provider = getProvider(state.rpcUrl, state.networkId);
         const asyncWarnings = await getFullWarnings(txInfo.to, provider, {
             fromAddress: txInfo.from,
         });
diff --git a/src/popup/views/send.js b/src/popup/views/send.js
index 29350d6..6556c9f 100644
--- a/src/popup/views/send.js
+++ b/src/popup/views/send.js
@@ -164,8 +164,9 @@ function renderSendTokenSelect(addr) {
     }
 }
 
-// The token balance and scale the Send screen states and hands the
-// confirmation screen, so the two screens describe the holding the same way.
+// The token balance the Send screen states, and the scale it hands the
+// confirmation screen, which reads the balance itself from the network it is
+// drawn for.
 //
 // The scale is resolved the same way balances.js resolved the scale it
 // DISPLAYED this token's balance at: bundled list, then the user's tracked
@@ -188,13 +189,11 @@ function renderSendTokenSelect(addr) {
 //
 // The two resolutions can therefore differ, and where they do, the stored
 // `balance` is a quantity computed at a scale this screen has just declined to
-// stand behind. Stating it would leave validateTransfer() checking the amount
-// against a number the wallet does not vouch for, so it is withdrawn: unknown
-// scale means unknown balance. It is null rather than "0": both screens state
-// an unknown balance as unknown, and validateTransfer() treats it as no balance
-// to spend from, which is the fail-closed side of an amount nobody can check.
-// Only a stored quantity is withdrawn: the "0" for a token that has no row at
-// all is an absence of holdings, which is true at every scale.
+// stand behind, so it is withdrawn: unknown scale means unknown balance. It is
+// null rather than "0": this screen states it as unknown, as the confirmation
+// screen does, and Max fills nothing in for it. Only a stored quantity is
+// withdrawn: the "0" for a token that has no row at all is an absence of
+// holdings, which is true at every scale.
 function tokenBalanceAndDecimals(addr, token) {
     const tb = (addr.tokenBalances || []).find(
         (t) => t.address.toLowerCase() === token.toLowerCase(),
@@ -378,7 +377,6 @@ function init(_ctx) {
         const addr = currentAddress();
 
         let tokenSymbol = null;
-        let tokenBalance = null;
         let tokenDecimals = null;
         if (token !== "ETH") {
             tokenSymbol = resolveSymbol(
@@ -386,10 +384,7 @@ function init(_ctx) {
                 addr.tokenBalances,
                 state.trackedTokens,
             );
-            ({ tokenBalance, tokenDecimals } = tokenBalanceAndDecimals(
-                addr,
-                token,
-            ));
+            ({ tokenDecimals } = tokenBalanceAndDecimals(addr, token));
         }
 
         // The confirmation screen's own amount check, so it is never shown
@@ -424,9 +419,7 @@ function init(_ctx) {
             ensName: ensName,
             amount: amount,
             token: token,
-            balance: addr.balance,
             tokenSymbol: tokenSymbol,
-            tokenBalance: tokenBalance,
             tokenDecimals: tokenDecimals,
             max: amountIsMax,
         });
diff --git a/src/shared/txValidation.js b/src/shared/txValidation.js
index 4c9d5df..ed256cc 100644
--- a/src/shared/txValidation.js
+++ b/src/shared/txValidation.js
@@ -111,8 +111,8 @@ function isValidAmount(amount, tokenDecimals = null) {
 
 // The most ETH a send can carry: the exact balance minus the fee reserve from
 // feeReserveWei(), as a decimal string, so validateTransfer() passes it with
-// exactly that reserve left behind. `ethBalance` is the exact decimal string
-// balances.js stores, never a rounded one. Null when the balance does not
+// exactly that reserve left behind. `ethBalance` is an exact decimal string as
+// formatEther() writes it, never a rounded one. Null when the balance does not
 // leave anything to send once the fee is paid, or when either input is
 // unusable.
 function maxEthAmount(ethBalance, feeWei) {
diff --git a/tests/addressKey.test.js b/tests/addressKey.test.js
index 631cfe5..89e779f 100644
--- a/tests/addressKey.test.js
+++ b/tests/addressKey.test.js
@@ -291,7 +291,6 @@ async function confirmSend(from, selected) {
         to: RECIPIENT,
         amount: "0.5",
         token: "ETH",
-        balance: "1.0",
     });
     await settle();
     node("confirm-tx-password").value = PASSWORD;
diff --git a/tests/confirmTxNetworkSwitch.test.js b/tests/confirmTxNetworkSwitch.test.js
index a612744..48e3fea 100644
--- a/tests/confirmTxNetworkSwitch.test.js
+++ b/tests/confirmTxNetworkSwitch.test.js
@@ -7,17 +7,35 @@
 // reviewed on Sepolia went out as 1 ETH on mainnet once mainnet was chosen in
 // Settings in between.
 //
+// Its balance line and balance check are that network's too
+// (https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/AutistMask/issues/558). The popup can reopen onto
+// a confirmation screen saved before the network was switched in another
+// popup, and the screen, drawn again for the new network, showed and checked
+// the balance Send had read on the old one. The balance read and the fee
+// estimate after it stay on that network when it is switched while they run.
+//
 // Driven through the real confirmation screen, signer and chain switch, with
 // only the node and the DOM stubbed. The stub node is on the network its
-// provider was built for, so a broadcast records the network it went to.
+// provider was built for, so a broadcast records the network it went to, and
+// a balance read answers with that network's balance.
 
 "use strict";
 
-// The signed transactions the stub node was handed, with its network's chain id.
-const mockNode = { broadcast: [] };
+// The balances the stub node reports on each network, by network name: ETH
+// in wei and the token in its base units. The networks whose node was asked
+// for the fee, in order. And the signed transactions it was handed, with its
+// network's chain id.
+const mockNode = {
+    balanceWei: {},
+    tokenUnits: {},
+    feeAskedOn: [],
+    broadcast: [],
+};
 
 jest.mock("ethers", () => {
     const actual = jest.requireActual("ethers");
+    // The selector of balanceOf(address).
+    const BALANCE_OF = "0x70a08231";
     class StubProvider {
         constructor(url, network) {
             this.network = network;
@@ -25,7 +43,22 @@ jest.mock("ethers", () => {
         async getNetwork() {
             return this.network;
         }
+        async getBalance() {
+            return mockNode.balanceWei[this.network.name];
+        }
+        // balanceOf() is the one contract call the screen makes before Sign
+        // & Send.
+        async call(tx) {
+            if (!tx.data.startsWith(BALANCE_OF)) {
+                throw new Error("the stub node answers only balanceOf()");
+            }
+            return actual.AbiCoder.defaultAbiCoder().encode(
+                ["uint256"],
+                [mockNode.tokenUnits[this.network.name]],
+            );
+        }
         async getFeeData() {
+            mockNode.feeAskedOn.push(this.network.name);
             return {
                 maxFeePerGas: 20000000000n,
                 maxPriorityFeePerGas: 1000000000n,
@@ -123,7 +156,13 @@ global.document = {
 };
 global.navigator = { clipboard: { writeText() {} } };
 
-const { BaseWallet, Transaction, Wallet } = require("ethers");
+const {
+    BaseWallet,
+    JsonRpcProvider,
+    Transaction,
+    Wallet,
+    parseEther,
+} = require("ethers");
 const { encryptWithPassword } = require("../src/shared/vault");
 const { state, loadState } = require("../src/shared/state");
 const { onChainSwitch } = require("../src/shared/chainSwitch");
@@ -135,6 +174,8 @@ const PRIVATE_KEY = "0x" + "11".repeat(32);
 const HOLDER = new Wallet(PRIVATE_KEY).address;
 const RECIPIENT = "0xC0FfEE0000000000000000000000000000c0fFEe";
 const PASSWORD = "correct horse battery staple";
+// A token with 6 decimal places, which the bundled list does not know.
+const TOKEN = "0x" + "d".repeat(40);
 
 function el(id) {
     return global.document.getElementById(id);
@@ -150,6 +191,12 @@ beforeAll(async () => {
 
 beforeEach(() => {
     elements.clear();
+    mockNode.balanceWei = {
+        mainnet: parseEther("5"),
+        sepolia: parseEther("5"),
+    };
+    mockNode.tokenUnits = { mainnet: 0n, sepolia: 0n };
+    mockNode.feeAskedOn = [];
     mockNode.broadcast = [];
     txStatus.showWait.mockClear();
     txStatus.showError.mockClear();
@@ -160,16 +207,23 @@ afterEach(() => {
     signTransaction.mockRestore();
 });
 
-// Show the confirmation screen for 1 of the native token on `networkId`, as
-// Review on the Send screen does, with its fee estimate settled.
-async function review(networkId) {
+// show() reads the balances and estimates the fee without awaiting either;
+// this lets both settle.
+async function settle() {
+    for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 0));
+}
+
+// Show the confirmation screen for 1 of the native token on `networkId`, or
+// for what `send` describes instead, as Review on the Send screen does, with
+// its balance read and its fee estimate settled.
+async function review(networkId, send = {}) {
     await onChainSwitch(networkId);
     state.wallets = [
         {
             type: "key",
             name: "Wallet 1",
             encryptedSecret,
-            addresses: [{ address: HOLDER, balance: "5.0" }],
+            addresses: [{ address: HOLDER }],
         },
     ];
     state.selectedWallet = 0;
@@ -181,13 +235,36 @@ async function review(networkId) {
         ensName: null,
         amount: "1",
         token: "ETH",
-        balance: "5.0",
         tokenSymbol: null,
-        tokenBalance: null,
         tokenDecimals: null,
         max: false,
+        ...send,
     });
-    for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 0));
+    await settle();
+}
+
+// Switch the network to `networkId` as Settings in another popup does, then
+// open the popup again onto the confirmation screen it saved.
+async function reopenOn(networkId) {
+    const saved = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(state.viewData));
+    await onChainSwitch(networkId);
+    elements.clear();
+    state.viewData = saved;
+    confirmTx.init({});
+    confirmTx.restore();
+    await settle();
+}
+
+function errors() {
+    return el("confirm-errors").innerHTML;
+}
+
+function shown(id) {
+    return el(id).style.visibility === "visible";
+}
+
+function sendDisabled() {
+    return el("btn-confirm-send").disabled;
 }
 
 async function signAndSend() {
@@ -257,3 +334,174 @@ test("the send is refused by a signer on another network's node", async () => {
     expect(signTransaction).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(mockNode.broadcast).toEqual([]);
 });
+
+describe("a confirmation screen saved on mainnet and reopened after a switch to Sepolia", () => {
+    test("states and checks the Sepolia balance, which covers the send", async () => {
+        mockNode.balanceWei = {
+            mainnet: parseEther("0.5"),
+            sepolia: parseEther("5"),
+        };
+        await review("mainnet");
+        expect(el("confirm-balance").textContent).toBe("0.5000 ETH");
+        expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(true);
+
+        await reopenOn("sepolia");
+        expect(el("confirm-type").textContent).toBe(
+            "Native SepoliaETH transfer",
+        );
+        expect(el("confirm-balance").textContent).toBe("5.0000 SepoliaETH");
+        expect(errors()).toBe("");
+        expect(shown("confirm-balance-error")).toBe(false);
+        expect(el("confirm-amount-fee-error").style.visibility).toBe("hidden");
+        expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    test("states and checks the Sepolia balance, which does not cover the send", async () => {
+        mockNode.balanceWei = {
+            mainnet: parseEther("5"),
+            sepolia: parseEther("0.5"),
+        };
+        await review("mainnet");
+        expect(el("confirm-balance").textContent).toBe("5.0000 ETH");
+        expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(false);
+
+        await reopenOn("sepolia");
+        expect(el("confirm-balance").textContent).toBe("0.5000 SepoliaETH");
+        expect(shown("confirm-balance-error")).toBe(true);
+        expect(el("confirm-balance-error").textContent).toBe(
+            "Your SepoliaETH balance does not cover this amount. Please go" +
+                " back and send a smaller amount.",
+        );
+        expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    const tokenSend = {
+        token: TOKEN,
+        tokenSymbol: "TOK",
+        tokenDecimals: 6,
+    };
+
+    test("states and checks the Sepolia token balance, which covers the send", async () => {
+        mockNode.tokenUnits = { mainnet: 0n, sepolia: 10000000n };
+        await review("mainnet", tokenSend);
+        expect(el("confirm-balance").textContent).toBe("0.0000 TOK");
+        expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(true);
+
+        await reopenOn("sepolia");
+        expect(el("confirm-balance").textContent).toBe("10.0000 TOK");
+        expect(errors()).toBe("");
+        expect(shown("confirm-balance-error")).toBe(false);
+        expect(el("confirm-gas-error").style.visibility).toBe("hidden");
+        expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    test("states and checks the Sepolia token balance, which does not cover the send", async () => {
+        mockNode.tokenUnits = { mainnet: 10000000n, sepolia: 500000n };
+        await review("mainnet", tokenSend);
+        expect(el("confirm-balance").textContent).toBe("10.0000 TOK");
+        expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(false);
+
+        await reopenOn("sepolia");
+        expect(el("confirm-balance").textContent).toBe("0.5000 TOK");
+        expect(shown("confirm-balance-error")).toBe(true);
+        expect(el("confirm-balance-error").textContent).toBe(
+            "Your TOK balance does not cover this amount. Please go back and" +
+                " send a smaller amount.",
+        );
+        expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(true);
+    });
+});
+
+describe("the balance read", () => {
+    test("leaves the balance line Loading... and Sign & Send disabled until it returns", async () => {
+        let answer;
+        const getBalance = jest
+            .spyOn(JsonRpcProvider.prototype, "getBalance")
+            .mockImplementationOnce(() => new Promise((r) => (answer = r)));
+        try {
+            await review("sepolia");
+        } finally {
+            getBalance.mockRestore();
+        }
+        expect(el("confirm-balance").textContent).toBe("Loading...");
+        expect(el("confirm-fee-amount").textContent).toBe("Estimating...");
+        expect(el("confirm-errors").style.visibility).toBe("hidden");
+        expect(shown("confirm-balance-error")).toBe(false);
+        expect(shown("confirm-balance-read-error")).toBe(false);
+        expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(true);
+
+        answer(parseEther("5"));
+        await settle();
+        expect(el("confirm-balance").textContent).toBe("5.0000 SepoliaETH");
+        expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    // The Chrome suite measures that nothing moves; this checks the message
+    // is already written, only hidden, before the read returns.
+    test("that finds the amount not covered only makes a message written before it visible", async () => {
+        let answer;
+        const getBalance = jest
+            .spyOn(JsonRpcProvider.prototype, "getBalance")
+            .mockImplementationOnce(() => new Promise((r) => (answer = r)));
+        try {
+            await review("sepolia");
+        } finally {
+            getBalance.mockRestore();
+        }
+        const message =
+            "Your SepoliaETH balance does not cover this amount. Please go" +
+            " back and send a smaller amount.";
+        expect(el("confirm-balance-error").textContent).toBe(message);
+        expect(shown("confirm-balance-error")).toBe(false);
+
+        answer(parseEther("0.5"));
+        await settle();
+        expect(el("confirm-balance-error").textContent).toBe(message);
+        expect(shown("confirm-balance-error")).toBe(true);
+        expect(errors()).toBe("");
+        expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    // The fee is estimated once the read returns, so a node chosen then would
+    // be the new network's.
+    test("still in flight when Sepolia is chosen in Settings leaves the balance and the fee on mainnet", async () => {
+        let answer;
+        const getBalance = jest
+            .spyOn(JsonRpcProvider.prototype, "getBalance")
+            .mockImplementationOnce(() => new Promise((r) => (answer = r)));
+        try {
+            await review("mainnet");
+        } finally {
+            getBalance.mockRestore();
+        }
+        expect(mockNode.feeAskedOn).toEqual([]);
+
+        await onChainSwitch("sepolia");
+        answer(parseEther("5"));
+        await settle();
+
+        expect(mockNode.feeAskedOn).toEqual(["mainnet"]);
+        expect(el("confirm-balance").textContent).toBe("5.0000 ETH");
+        // 21000 gas at 10 gwei expected, at 20 gwei reserved.
+        expect(el("confirm-fee-amount").textContent).toBe("~0.0002 ETH");
+        expect(el("confirm-fee-reserve").textContent).toBe(
+            "up to 0.0004 ETH reserved",
+        );
+    });
+
+    test("that fails states the balance as unknown, not zero, and blocks sending", async () => {
+        const getBalance = jest
+            .spyOn(JsonRpcProvider.prototype, "getBalance")
+            .mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("the node did not answer"));
+        try {
+            await review("sepolia");
+        } finally {
+            getBalance.mockRestore();
+        }
+        expect(el("confirm-balance").textContent).toBe("unknown (SepoliaETH)");
+        expect(shown("confirm-balance-read-error")).toBe(true);
+        expect(shown("confirm-balance-error")).toBe(false);
+        expect(errors()).toBe("");
+        expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(true);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/tests/e2e/network.js b/tests/e2e/network.js
index 123f6cd..e2d2443 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/network.js
+++ b/tests/e2e/network.js
@@ -244,16 +244,21 @@ function latestBlock() {
     };
 }
 
-// keccak("decimals()")[0:4], and the same for symbol() and name().
+// keccak("decimals()")[0:4], and the same for symbol(), name() and
+// balanceOf(address).
 const SELECTOR_DECIMALS = "0x313ce567";
 const SELECTOR_SYMBOL = "0x95d89b41";
 const SELECTOR_NAME = "0x06fdde03";
+const SELECTOR_BALANCE_OF = "0x70a08231";
 
-// Every eth_call still answers with a zero word except decimals(), symbol()
-// and name() on the stub token. The wallet reads decimals() back at signing
-// time to compare with the scale the confirmation screen rendered (issue
-// #305). Adding the token by its contract address reads all three (issue
-// #295); symbol() and name() answer what the explorer reports for it.
+// Every eth_call still answers with a zero word except decimals(), symbol(),
+// name() and balanceOf() on the stub token. The wallet reads decimals() back
+// at signing time to compare with the scale the confirmation screen rendered
+// (issue #305). Adding the token by its contract address reads the first three
+// (issue #295); symbol() and name() answer what the explorer reports for it.
+// The confirmation screen reads balanceOf()
+// (https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/AutistMask/issues/558), which answers the holding
+// the explorer reports, or zero when no holding is seeded.
 //
 // opts.tokenDecimalsOverride is the lying contract: set it and decimals()
 // answers something other than the value this same fixture reports through
@@ -278,6 +283,9 @@ function ethCallResult(req, opts) {
     if (data.startsWith(SELECTOR_NAME)) {
         return abi.encode(["string"], [tokenObject(opts).name]);
     }
+    if (data.startsWith(SELECTOR_BALANCE_OF) && opts.seedTokenBalance) {
+        return word(tokenBalanceItems(opts)[0].value);
+    }
     return ZERO_WORD;
 }
 
@@ -420,9 +428,10 @@ const HOLD_MAX_MS = 30000;
 
 // Hold a reply open for as long as the test asks: until opts[name] is false.
 //
-// The switch (holdGasEstimate, holdTransactionCount or holdBlockscout) is read
-// here rather than captured, so a test flips it on the same options object the
-// route was registered with — the same pattern as seedTokenTransfer. This is
+// The switch (holdBalance, holdGasEstimate, holdTransactionCount or
+// holdBlockscout) is read here rather than captured, so a test flips it on the
+// same options object the route was registered with — the same pattern as
+// seedTokenTransfer. This is
 // the only way to observe a screen while its request is genuinely in flight;
 // sampling the screen and hoping to win a race against the network would
 // assert nothing on a slow machine.
@@ -557,6 +566,9 @@ async function handleRpc(route, postData, opts, report) {
         report("unstubbed request: POST " + route.request().url());
         return route.abort();
     }
+    if (batch.some((req) => req.method === "eth_getBalance")) {
+        await awaitRelease(opts, "holdBalance", report);
+    }
     if (batch.some((req) => req.method === "eth_estimateGas")) {
         await awaitRelease(opts, "holdGasEstimate", report);
     }
@@ -615,6 +627,8 @@ function traceEnabled(raw) {
  *   fixture expects.
  * @param {boolean} [opts.failGasEstimate]  answer eth_estimateGas with a
  *   node-side refusal.
+ * @param {boolean} [opts.holdBalance]  hold every batch containing an
+ *   eth_getBalance until this is cleared again.
  * @param {boolean} [opts.holdGasEstimate]  hold every batch containing an
  *   eth_estimateGas until this is cleared again.
  * @param {boolean} [opts.holdTransactionCount]  hold every batch containing an
diff --git a/tests/e2e/run.js b/tests/e2e/run.js
index c5e221f..5f23f4f 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/run.js
+++ b/tests/e2e/run.js
@@ -2232,7 +2232,7 @@ function feeEth(wei) {
 
 // What the confirmation screen is showing right now, read out of the DOM in
 // one pass: whether sending is allowed, which reason it is giving, what the
-// fee block says, and how tall the whole view is.
+// fee block says, how tall the whole view is, and where Sign & Send sits in it.
 async function confirmState(page) {
     return page.evaluate(() => {
         const el = (id) => document.getElementById(id);
@@ -2245,6 +2245,9 @@ async function confirmState(page) {
         };
         return {
             height: el("view-confirm-tx").getBoundingClientRect().height,
+            sendTop:
+                el("btn-confirm-send").getBoundingClientRect().top -
+                el("view-confirm-tx").getBoundingClientRect().top,
             type: el("confirm-type").textContent.trim(),
             balance: el("confirm-balance").textContent.trim(),
             fee: el("confirm-fee-amount").textContent.trim(),
@@ -2253,6 +2256,9 @@ async function confirmState(page) {
             errors: shown("confirm-errors")
                 ? el("confirm-errors").textContent.trim()
                 : "",
+            balanceError: shown("confirm-balance-error")
+                ? el("confirm-balance-error").textContent.trim()
+                : "",
             amountFeeError: shown("confirm-amount-fee-error"),
             gasError: shown("confirm-gas-error"),
             feeUnknownError: shown("confirm-fee-unknown-error"),
@@ -2271,6 +2277,16 @@ async function waitForEstimate(page) {
     );
 }
 
+async function waitForBalance(page) {
+    await page.waitForFunction(
+        () =>
+            document.getElementById("confirm-balance").textContent.trim() !==
+            "Loading...",
+        null,
+        { timeout: 60000 },
+    );
+}
+
 async function backToAddress(page) {
     if (await page.isVisible("#view-confirm-tx")) {
         await page.click("#btn-confirm-back");
@@ -2282,13 +2298,14 @@ async function backToAddress(page) {
     await openAddressDetail(page);
 }
 
-// Drive the popup to the confirmation screen for one send.
+// Drive the popup to the confirmation screen for one send, and return as soon
+// as the screen is shown, its balance read still in flight.
 //
 // It waits for the send screen to be showing `balance`, the fixture's balance
 // as that screen displays it, before filling anything in. Waiting for it —
 // rather than for a refresh to have probably landed — is what keeps every
 // assertion below deterministic after a fixture change.
-async function goToConfirm(page, { token, balance, amount }) {
+async function openConfirm(page, { token, balance, amount }) {
     await backToAddress(page);
     await page.click("#btn-send");
     await visible(page, "#view-send");
@@ -2303,6 +2320,14 @@ async function goToConfirm(page, { token, balance, amount }) {
     await page.fill("#send-amount", amount);
     await page.click("#btn-send-review");
     await visible(page, "#view-confirm-tx");
+}
+
+// The same, returning once the screen has read the balance. It reads it
+// before it estimates the fee, so every state below is read with the balance
+// in place, the pending fee included.
+async function goToConfirm(page, send) {
+    await openConfirm(page, send);
+    await waitForBalance(page);
     await assertAddressesFit(page, "the confirmation screen");
 }
 
@@ -2378,7 +2403,10 @@ test("ConfirmTx blocks sending while the fee estimate is pending (#238)", async
         "the estimate-failed message is shown for an estimate that is merely pending",
     );
     assert(
-        !st.amountFeeError && !st.gasError && st.errors === "",
+        !st.amountFeeError &&
+            !st.gasError &&
+            st.errors === "" &&
+            st.balanceError === "",
         "a balance message is shown before the fee is known",
     );
 });
@@ -2409,6 +2437,7 @@ test("ConfirmTx enables Send once the estimate lands, quoting both numbers (#238
     );
     assert(
         st.errors === "" &&
+            st.balanceError === "" &&
             !st.amountFeeError &&
             !st.gasError &&
             !st.feeUnknownError,
@@ -2475,30 +2504,54 @@ test("ConfirmTx gates on the fee RESERVE, not the displayed estimate (#238)", as
     );
 });
 
-test("ConfirmTx refuses a send that exceeds the balance outright (#238)", async (env) => {
-    await goToConfirm(env.page, {
-        token: "ETH",
-        balance: FUNDED_ETH_TEXT + " ETH",
-        amount: OVER_BALANCE_AMOUNT,
-    });
+// The screen is first measured with its balance read held, so the message the
+// read brings must already hold its space when the read returns (#558).
+test("ConfirmTx refuses a send that exceeds the balance outright, and nothing moves when the balance arrives (#238)", async (env) => {
+    env.routeOpts.holdBalance = true;
+    let reading;
+    try {
+        await openConfirm(env.page, {
+            token: "ETH",
+            balance: FUNDED_ETH_TEXT + " ETH",
+            amount: OVER_BALANCE_AMOUNT,
+        });
+        reading = await confirmState(env.page);
+    } finally {
+        env.routeOpts.holdBalance = false;
+    }
+    assert(
+        reading.balance === "Loading...",
+        "the balance read was not held: " + JSON.stringify(reading.balance),
+    );
+    await waitForBalance(env.page);
     await waitForEstimate(env.page);
 
     const st = await confirmState(env.page);
-    const want =
-        "Insufficient balance. You have " +
-        FUNDED_ETH_TEXT +
-        " ETH but are trying to send " +
-        OVER_BALANCE_AMOUNT +
-        " ETH.";
     assert(
-        st.errors === want,
-        "wrong over-balance message: " + JSON.stringify(st.errors),
+        st.balance === FUNDED_ETH_TEXT + " ETH",
+        "the confirmation screen shows the wrong balance: " +
+            JSON.stringify(st.balance),
+    );
+    const want =
+        "Your ETH balance does not cover this amount. Please go back and" +
+        " send a smaller amount.";
+    assert(
+        st.balanceError === want,
+        "wrong over-balance message: " + JSON.stringify(st.balanceError),
     );
     assert(st.sendDisabled, "Send is enabled for a send that exceeds balance");
     assert(
         !st.amountFeeError,
         "the amount-plus-fee message is shown for an amount that alone exceeds the balance",
     );
+    assert(
+        st.sendTop === reading.sendTop,
+        "Sign & Send moved when the balance read returned: " +
+            reading.sendTop +
+            "px -> " +
+            st.sendTop +
+            "px",
+    );
 });
 
 test("ConfirmTx refuses to send when the fee estimate fails, with its own message (#238)", async (env) => {
@@ -2542,7 +2595,10 @@ test("ConfirmTx refuses to send when the fee estimate fails, with its own messag
             "the estimate-failed message is not shown after a failed estimate",
         );
         assert(
-            !st.amountFeeError && !st.gasError && st.errors === "",
+            !st.amountFeeError &&
+                !st.gasError &&
+                st.errors === "" &&
+                st.balanceError === "",
             "a balance message is shown for an estimate that simply failed",
         );
         assert(
@@ -2633,21 +2689,19 @@ test("ConfirmTx refuses an ERC-20 send that exceeds the token balance (#238)", a
     await waitForEstimate(env.page);
 
     const st = await confirmState(env.page);
-    const want =
-        "Insufficient " +
-        STUB_TOKEN.symbol +
-        " balance. You have " +
-        TOKEN_BALANCE_TEXT +
-        " " +
-        STUB_TOKEN.symbol +
-        " but are trying to send " +
-        OVER_TOKEN_AMOUNT +
-        " " +
-        STUB_TOKEN.symbol +
-        ".";
     assert(
-        st.errors === want,
-        "wrong over-token-balance message: " + JSON.stringify(st.errors),
+        st.balance === TOKEN_BALANCE_TEXT + " " + STUB_TOKEN.symbol,
+        "the confirmation screen shows the wrong token balance: " +
+            JSON.stringify(st.balance),
+    );
+    const want =
+        "Your " +
+        STUB_TOKEN.symbol +
+        " balance does not cover this amount. Please go back and send a" +
+        " smaller amount.";
+    assert(
+        st.balanceError === want,
+        "wrong over-token-balance message: " + JSON.stringify(st.balanceError),
     );
     assert(
         st.sendDisabled,
@@ -2703,9 +2757,9 @@ test("ConfirmTx gates the ERC-20 fee on the RESERVE, with the ERC-20 message (#2
         "the native-ETH over-budget message is shown on an ERC-20 transfer",
     );
     assert(
-        st.errors === "",
+        st.errors === "" && st.balanceError === "",
         "a token-balance message is shown for a transfer the token balance covers: " +
-            JSON.stringify(st.errors),
+            JSON.stringify(st.errors + st.balanceError),
     );
     assert(
         st.height === env.erc20PendingHeight,
@@ -4859,6 +4913,9 @@ async function main() {
         seedTokenBalance: false,
         ethBalanceWei: null,
         failGasEstimate: false,
+        // Whether a JSON-RPC batch asking for a balance is held unanswered:
+        // the confirmation screen's own balance read (#558).
+        holdBalance: false,
         holdGasEstimate: false,
         // Whether a JSON-RPC batch asking for a transaction count is held
         // unanswered: the address scan after creating a wallet (#475).
diff --git a/tests/nativeCurrency.test.js b/tests/nativeCurrency.test.js
index 8bd8bb7..d09133c 100644
--- a/tests/nativeCurrency.test.js
+++ b/tests/nativeCurrency.test.js
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@ jest.mock("ethers", () => {
         async lookupAddress() {
             return null;
         }
+        // The 1.5 of the native token the address holds on either network.
+        async getBalance() {
+            return 1500000000000000000n;
+        }
         // 10 gwei expected, 20 gwei reserved per gas.
         async getFeeData() {
             return { maxFeePerGas: 20000000000n, gasPrice: 10000000000n };
@@ -332,14 +336,11 @@ describe.each([
 
     test("the insufficient-balance error", async () => {
         await confirmSend("2");
-        expect(
-            global.document.getElementById("confirm-errors").innerHTML,
-        ).toContain(
-            "You have 1.5000 " +
+        expect(text("confirm-balance-error")).toBe(
+            "Your " +
                 symbol +
-                " but are trying to send 2 " +
-                symbol +
-                ".",
+                " balance does not cover this amount. Please go back and send" +
+                " a smaller amount.",
         );
     });
 });
diff --git a/tests/persistedFieldContract.test.js b/tests/persistedFieldContract.test.js
index 637d2ab..6d45119 100644
--- a/tests/persistedFieldContract.test.js
+++ b/tests/persistedFieldContract.test.js
@@ -767,7 +767,6 @@ const WELL_FORMED_DATA = {
         from: ADDRESS,
         to: ADDRESS,
         amount: "1",
-        balance: "2",
     },
     pendingWait: {
         hash: "0x1",
diff --git a/tests/sendAmountRule.test.js b/tests/sendAmountRule.test.js
index 407b13c..224ff4a 100644
--- a/tests/sendAmountRule.test.js
+++ b/tests/sendAmountRule.test.js
@@ -23,7 +23,10 @@ jest.mock("../src/shared/log", () => ({
     isDebug: () => false,
 }));
 
-// What the confirmation screen asks the node for.
+const { AbiCoder } = require("ethers");
+
+// What the confirmation screen asks the node for. The address holds the 1 ETH
+// and 250 TOK the wallet below records.
 const mockProvider = {
     getFeeData: async () => ({
         maxFeePerGas: 2000000000n,
@@ -32,7 +35,11 @@ const mockProvider = {
     estimateGas: async () => 21000n,
     getCode: async () => "0x",
     getTransactionCount: async () => 1,
-    getBalance: async () => 0n,
+    getBalance: async () => 1000000000000000000n,
+    // The one contract call the screen makes, balanceOf(), answered at the
+    // token's 6 decimal places.
+    call: async () =>
+        AbiCoder.defaultAbiCoder().encode(["uint256"], [250000000n]),
 };
 
 jest.mock("../src/shared/balances", () => {
diff --git a/tests/sendDisplayFloor.test.js b/tests/sendDisplayFloor.test.js
index 1e0b885..d7a37d6 100644
--- a/tests/sendDisplayFloor.test.js
+++ b/tests/sendDisplayFloor.test.js
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 // What the stub node answers. Each test sets what it needs.
 const mockNode = {
     balanceWei: 0n,
+    tokenUnits: 0n,
     feeData: { maxFeePerGas: 1n, gasPrice: 1n },
 };
 
@@ -30,6 +31,13 @@ jest.mock("ethers", () => {
         async getBalance() {
             return mockNode.balanceWei;
         }
+        // balanceOf(), the one contract call these screens make.
+        async call() {
+            return actual.AbiCoder.defaultAbiCoder().encode(
+                ["uint256"],
+                [mockNode.tokenUnits],
+            );
+        }
         async lookupAddress() {
             return null;
         }
@@ -195,10 +203,19 @@ function errors() {
     return global.document.getElementById("confirm-errors").innerHTML;
 }
 
+// The message for an amount the balance does not cover, while it is shown.
+function balanceError() {
+    const box = global.document.getElementById("confirm-balance-error");
+    return box.style.visibility === "visible" ? box.textContent : "";
+}
+
 // The ETH balance the node reports and the token rows the explorer reports,
-// fetched and stored exactly where the popup stores them.
+// fetched and stored exactly where the popup stores them. The node reports the
+// token holding the explorer does.
 async function refreshWith(balanceWei, tokenItems = []) {
     mockNode.balanceWei = balanceWei;
+    mockNode.tokenUnits =
+        tokenItems.length > 0 ? BigInt(tokenItems[0].value) : 0n;
     mockExplorer.items = tokenItems;
     state.wallets = [{ name: "Wallet 1", addresses: [{ address: HOLDER }] }];
     state.selectedWallet = 0;
@@ -300,9 +317,10 @@ describe("a tracked token holding below 0.000001 never renders as zero", () => {
         await confirmSend("0.0000005", TOKEN);
         expect(text("confirm-balance")).toBe("0.0000005 TOK");
         expect(errors()).toBe("");
+        expect(balanceError()).toBe("");
         await confirmSend("0.0000006", TOKEN);
-        expect(errors()).toContain(
-            "You have 0.0000005 TOK but are trying to send 0.0000006 TOK.",
+        expect(balanceError()).toContain(
+            "Your TOK balance does not cover this amount.",
         );
     });
 
@@ -316,6 +334,7 @@ describe("a tracked token holding below 0.000001 never renders as zero", () => {
         await confirmSend("1.5", TOKEN);
         expect(text("confirm-balance")).toBe("1.5000 TOK");
         expect(errors()).toBe("");
+        expect(balanceError()).toBe("");
     });
 
     test("with more than 18 decimals and a holding below 10^-18", async () => {
@@ -329,9 +348,8 @@ describe("a tracked token holding below 0.000001 never renders as zero", () => {
         );
         await confirmSend("0.000000000000000001", TOKEN);
         expect(text("confirm-balance")).toBe("0.000000000000000000000001 TOK");
-        expect(errors()).toContain(
-            "You have 0.000000000000000000000001 TOK but are trying to send" +
-                " 0.000000000000000001 TOK.",
+        expect(balanceError()).toContain(
+            "Your TOK balance does not cover this amount.",
         );
     });
 });
@@ -356,9 +374,10 @@ describe("an untracked token holding below 0.000001 never renders as zero", () =
         await confirmSend("0.0000005", TOKEN);
         expect(text("confirm-balance")).toBe("0.0000005 TOK");
         expect(errors()).toBe("");
+        expect(balanceError()).toBe("");
         await confirmSend("0.0000006", TOKEN);
-        expect(errors()).toContain(
-            "You have 0.0000005 TOK but are trying to send 0.0000006 TOK.",
+        expect(balanceError()).toContain(
+            "Your TOK balance does not cover this amount.",
         );
     });
 });
diff --git a/tests/sendMax.test.js b/tests/sendMax.test.js
index 1c3f0b9..997e43e 100644
--- a/tests/sendMax.test.js
+++ b/tests/sendMax.test.js
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 // What the stub node answers, and the signed transactions it was handed.
 const mockNode = {
     balanceWei: 0n,
+    tokenUnits: 0n,
     feeData: null,
     broadcast: [],
 };
@@ -30,6 +31,14 @@ jest.mock("ethers", () => {
         async getBalance() {
             return mockNode.balanceWei;
         }
+        // balanceOf(), the one contract call these screens make before Sign
+        // & Send.
+        async call() {
+            return actual.AbiCoder.defaultAbiCoder().encode(
+                ["uint256"],
+                [mockNode.tokenUnits],
+            );
+        }
         async lookupAddress() {
             return null;
         }
@@ -187,9 +196,12 @@ function text(id) {
 }
 
 // The ETH balance the node reports and the token rows the explorer reports,
-// fetched and stored exactly where the popup stores them.
+// fetched and stored exactly where the popup stores them. The node reports the
+// token holding the explorer does.
 async function refreshWith(balanceWei, tokenItems = []) {
     mockNode.balanceWei = balanceWei;
+    mockNode.tokenUnits =
+        tokenItems.length > 0 ? BigInt(tokenItems[0].value) : 0n;
     mockExplorer.items = tokenItems;
     state.wallets = [
         {
diff --git a/tests/unknownScaleSend.test.js b/tests/unknownScaleSend.test.js
index e264584..c65a9b3 100644
--- a/tests/unknownScaleSend.test.js
+++ b/tests/unknownScaleSend.test.js
@@ -39,7 +39,8 @@ jest.mock("../src/shared/log", () => ({
 
 // Everything the confirmation screen would reach the network for. The gas
 // estimate is the point: with a usable scale it must succeed, so that a failure
-// in these tests is a failure of the scale and not of the stub.
+// in these tests is a failure of the scale and not of the stub. The address
+// holds the 1 ETH the wallets below record, and `tokenUnits` of the token.
 const mockProvider = {
     getFeeData: async () => ({
         maxFeePerGas: 2000000000n,
@@ -48,7 +49,14 @@ const mockProvider = {
     estimateGas: async () => 21000n,
     getCode: async () => "0x",
     getTransactionCount: async () => 1,
-    getBalance: async () => 0n,
+    getBalance: async () => 1000000000000000000n,
+    tokenUnits: 0n,
+    // The one contract call the screen makes, balanceOf().
+    call: async () =>
+        AbiCoder.defaultAbiCoder().encode(
+            ["uint256"],
+            [mockProvider.tokenUnits],
+        ),
 };
 
 jest.mock("../src/shared/balances", () => {
@@ -114,7 +122,7 @@ global.document = {
 };
 global.navigator = { clipboard: { writeText() {} } };
 
-const { parseUnits } = require("ethers");
+const { AbiCoder, parseUnits } = require("ethers");
 const { fetchTokenBalances } = require("../src/shared/balances");
 const { debugFetch } = require("../src/shared/log");
 const { state } = require("../src/shared/state");
@@ -155,8 +163,9 @@ function row(token = {}, value = FIVE_WETH) {
 }
 
 // Fetch the explorer's rows through the real fetcher and put them exactly where
-// refreshBalances() puts them.
+// refreshBalances() puts them. The node reports the holding the explorer does.
 async function fetchOnto(items) {
+    mockProvider.tokenUnits = BigInt(items[0].value);
     debugFetch.mockImplementation(async () => ({
         ok: true,
         status: 200,
@@ -181,6 +190,7 @@ async function fetchOnto(items) {
 // is from the first. Two addresses is what it takes to reach
 // explorerDecimals()'s disagreement check, which is only reachable across rows.
 async function fetchOntoBoth(itemsA, itemsB) {
+    mockProvider.tokenUnits = BigInt(itemsA[0].value);
     debugFetch.mockImplementation(async () => ({
         ok: true,
         status: 200,
@@ -239,6 +249,12 @@ function errors() {
     return el("confirm-errors").innerHTML;
 }
 
+// The message for an amount the balance does not cover, while it is shown.
+function balanceError() {
+    const box = el("confirm-balance-error");
+    return box.style.visibility === "visible" ? box.textContent : "";
+}
+
 function sendDisabled() {
     return el("btn-confirm-send").disabled;
 }
@@ -270,7 +286,6 @@ describe("the Send screen resolves the scale rather than reading the stored one"
         const txInfo = await reviewSend(WETH, "1.5");
         expect(txInfo.tokenDecimals).toBe(18);
         expect(txInfo.tokenDecimals).not.toBe(balances[0].decimals);
-        expect(txInfo.tokenBalance).toBe("5.0");
     });
 
     test("that scale estimates a fee and leaves Send enabled", async () => {
@@ -307,11 +322,10 @@ describe("the Send screen resolves the scale rather than reading the stored one"
         // No fallback was introduced: resolution answers null here, and the
         // null is what goes forward.
         expect(txInfo.tokenDecimals).toBeNull();
-        expect(txInfo.tokenBalance).toBeNull();
         confirmTx.show(txInfo);
         await settle();
         expect(text("confirm-balance")).toBe("unknown (NOVEL)");
-        expect(errors()).toContain("This token&#39;s balance is unknown");
+        expect(balanceError()).toContain("This token's balance is unknown");
         expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(true);
     });
 });
@@ -355,7 +369,8 @@ describe("a scale the explorer's own rows disagree about", () => {
         const txInfo = await reviewSend(NOVEL, "1.5");
         expect(txInfo.tokenDecimals).toBeNull();
         // The regression this closes: null scale alongside a non-null balance.
-        expect(txInfo.tokenBalance).toBeNull();
+        send.updateSendBalance();
+        expect(text("send-balance")).toBe("Current balance: unknown (NOVEL)");
     });
 
     test("so the user is told the balance is unknown, not only that the fee failed", async () => {
@@ -367,8 +382,7 @@ describe("a scale the explorer's own rows disagree about", () => {
         // confirm-fee-unknown-error — "the network fee could not be
         // estimated... please go back and try again" — as the only explanation
         // for a screen that can never proceed.
-        expect(errors()).not.toBe("");
-        expect(errors()).toContain("This token&#39;s balance is unknown");
+        expect(balanceError()).toContain("This token's balance is unknown");
         expect(text("confirm-balance")).toBe("unknown (NOVEL)");
         expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(true);
         // The fee line still reports the estimate as unavailable, because it
@@ -434,31 +448,20 @@ describe("a scale the explorer's own rows disagree about", () => {
         expect(text("send-balance")).toBe("Current balance: 5.0000 NOVEL");
         const txInfo = await reviewSend(NOVEL, "1.5");
         expect(txInfo.tokenDecimals).toBe(6);
-        expect(txInfo.tokenBalance).toBe("5.0");
         confirmTx.show(txInfo);
         await settle();
         expect(text("confirm-balance")).toBe("5.0000 NOVEL");
         expect(errors()).toBe("");
+        expect(balanceError()).toBe("");
         expect(sendDisabled()).toBe(false);
     });
 });
 
 describe("the confirmation screen tells an unknown balance from a zero one", () => {
-    function txInfo(tokenBalance) {
-        return {
-            from: HOLDER,
-            to: RECIPIENT,
-            ensName: null,
-            amount: "1.5",
-            token: NOVEL,
-            balance: "1.0",
-            tokenSymbol: "NOVEL",
-            tokenBalance,
-            tokenDecimals: tokenBalance === null ? null : 18,
-        };
-    }
-
-    async function render(tokenBalance) {
+    // A send of 1.5 NOVEL from an address the node reports none of, with the
+    // token's scale `tokenDecimals`, or null for a scale nobody knows.
+    async function render(tokenDecimals) {
+        mockProvider.tokenUnits = 0n;
         state.wallets = [
             {
                 name: "Wallet 1",
@@ -469,30 +472,40 @@ describe("the confirmation screen tells an unknown balance from a zero one", ()
         ];
         state.selectedWallet = 0;
         state.selectedAddress = 0;
-        confirmTx.show(txInfo(tokenBalance));
+        confirmTx.show({
+            from: HOLDER,
+            to: RECIPIENT,
+            ensName: null,
+            amount: "1.5",
+            token: NOVEL,
+            tokenSymbol: "NOVEL",
+            tokenDecimals,
+        });
         await settle();
-        return { balance: text("confirm-balance"), errors: errors() };
+        return { balance: text("confirm-balance"), message: balanceError() };
     }
 
     test("the balance line states unknown rather than a quantity of zero", async () => {
         const unknown = await render(null);
-        const zero = await render("0.0");
+        const zero = await render(18);
         expect(unknown.balance).not.toBe(zero.balance);
         expect(unknown.balance).toBe("unknown (NOVEL)");
         expect(zero.balance).toBe("0.0000 NOVEL");
     });
 
     // Both hit INSUFFICIENT_TOKEN — an unknown balance is treated as nothing to
-    // spend from, which is the fail-closed side — but "you have 0.0" is a claim
-    // about the holding, and this one has no established quantity to claim.
-    test("the insufficient-balance message names the reason, not a figure", async () => {
+    // spend from, which is the fail-closed side — but "your balance does not
+    // cover this amount" is a claim about the holding, and this one has no
+    // established quantity to claim.
+    test("the insufficient-balance message names the reason, not a shortfall", async () => {
         const unknown = await render(null);
-        const zero = await render("0.0");
-        expect(unknown.errors).not.toBe(zero.errors);
-        expect(unknown.errors).toContain("This token&#39;s balance is unknown");
-        expect(unknown.errors).not.toContain("You have");
-        expect(zero.errors).toContain("You have 0.0000 NOVEL");
-        expect(zero.errors).not.toContain("balance is unknown");
+        const zero = await render(18);
+        expect(unknown.message).toContain("This token's balance is unknown");
+        expect(unknown.message).not.toContain("does not cover");
+        expect(zero.message).toBe(
+            "Your NOVEL balance does not cover this amount. Please go back and" +
+                " send a smaller amount.",
+        );
     });
 });