Why are my payouts on hold or delayed?
We periodically review your account to keep you safe from fraud and scams. If we find anything out of the ordinary, we’ll hold or delay payouts so that we can review account activity. This protects you from accepting unauthorized or fraudulent payments (for example, someone using a stolen credit card) which could have repercussions later for you and your business. We want to make sure your business is protected.
Note: If your GoDaddy Payments application was declined, but you have pending payments or hardware orders, please contact us for assistance. Our GoDaddy Guides are here to help.
Check out the info below for more information about held or delayed payouts. Select a question to see its answer:
- What might be impacting my payout?
- How do I know if I have a held payout?
- What happens if I have a held payout?
- How can I avoid my account being flagged for review?
What might be impacting my payout?
There are several reasons why your payouts may be held/delayed. Common reasons include account reviews, a pending application, a reserve being placed on your account, transaction type holds and a bank account not being linked to your account.
Payouts might be held as a result of:
- Account review: If your account or transaction activity has been flagged for review, we may request additional information from you to verify this activity. You will be able to keep transacting, but payouts will be on hold until we have received additional information. If your payouts are on hold due to account reviews, you will receive an email and/or text requesting additional information from you. This will also be visible on your Dashboard in the Payouts section.
- Pending application: You may be approved to start processing, but some components of your application may still be pending. This will be visible on your Dashboard in the Payouts section.
- Bank account not yet linked: The money you receive through GoDaddy Payments can’t be paid out until you complete the one-time GoDaddy Payments setup process and link a bank account. In the meantime, those funds will be held until you complete the one-time setup process and tell us where to deposit them.
Payouts might be delayed due to:
- Reserves: A reserve is when a percentage of each transaction will be placed on a temporary hold to cover against any potential chargebacks or refunds. You will receive an email from GoDaddy Payments if a reserve has been placed on your account. The details of the reserve will be included in the email and shown on the Balance section of your Dashboard. (Select Payouts, and then select Balance.) Learn more about reserves and how they work.
- Transaction type hold: As protection against potential fraud or chargebacks, if there is a sudden increase in certain types of transactions (like Virtual Terminal or Online Pay Links), funds received that way may be held for a specific amount of time before they’re released. When this type of hold is initially applied, details about the hold will be emailed to you and shown on the Balance section of your Dashboard. (Select Payouts, and then select Balance.) Learn more about transaction type holds.
How do I know if I have a held payout?
- Dashboard: Sign in to your Dashboard (use your GoDaddy username and password). If you have a held payout, there will be a grey note in your Payouts section and Balance page explaining the delay.
What happens if I have a held payout?
This depends on why the funds are being held. You’ll receive details via email or an alert at the top of your GoDaddy Payments Dashboard. There are two main reasons that a payout could be held:
- You still need to provide business info and link a bank account
Most GoDaddy accounts come with GoDaddy Payments enabled, so you can quickly begin accepting payments through Online Pay Links, Virtual Terminal or your online store. To have your funds deposited into your bank account, you’ll still need to complete a one-time setup process and link a bank account.
Once you’ve verified your business info and provided your bank account info, we’ll begin depositing your payouts at each Close of Day.
- A transaction has been flagged for additional review
- If additional info is not needed: We’ll clear the transactions and release the funds by 5:00 PM Pacific Time (no action is needed from you).
- If additional info is needed: We’ll email you about the flagged transaction(s) and ask for more details to verify the transaction. Generally, cardholder information and proof of sale documents are enough to clear transactions. We typically complete the review within 1-2 business days after receiving your documents.
If your payouts have been held for more than 1-2 business days, it’s likely that additional info is needed to complete the review process. Check to see if you’ve received an email from GoDaddy Payments requesting more information about your account.
How can I avoid my account being flagged for review?
There are different reasons your account might be flagged and not all of them are under your control. However, there are some basic guidelines that you can follow. These may help prevent payout holds – and they’re good business practices.
- Build up a history of positive payment transactions. Establish yourself as a merchant in good standing by fulfilling your orders and obligations as advertised.
- Work with your customers to resolve issues. If multiple customers file chargebacks with your company, it can delay availability of your funds. The best way to avoid this is to follow up with customers and resolve issues before they result in a chargeback.
- Keep your business above-board. All accounts are monitored for policy compliance. If your company engages in unusual, suspicious or risk-exposing activity, or if you begin selling prohibited products or services, funds in your GoDaddy Payments account will likely be placed on hold for additional review. For more information, please review the Commerce Services Agreement, Section 9.
More info
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