Shopify Payments account on hold or reserve: why, and how to get paid
Two different things can stop Shopify Payments money reaching you: an account hold and a reserve. They work differently and are fixed differently.
Account hold vs reserve
| Account hold | Reserve | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | No payouts until the hold is resolved | Keeps back part — sometimes all — of your sales for a set period |
| Can customers still buy? | Usually yes; in some cases checkout is blocked | Generally yes |
| How it ends | You resolve what Shopify asks for | The period ends, or you meet the conditions / appeal |
Account hold: common reasons
- Information requirements, wrong bank account details, or product eligibility issues;
- Supportability — your business type or model isn’t supported on Shopify Payments;
- Sanctions related to your location;
- Creditor or legal action.
How to resolve a hold
- Read the admin banner or the email sent to the store owner — it says what Shopify needs and whether checkout is affected.
- Reply directly to that email with the information requested, quickly.
- Can’t find the email? Check spam. Only the store owner can see account details and resolve the hold — find the owner’s email under Settings → Users and permissions, then the name under Store owner.
- For a high-value goods review, complete the review in the admin or remove those goods before the deadline — otherwise you’ll need another payment provider.
- For a creditor hold, contact your creditor. Shopify can’t lift it; only the payment processor can, after your creditor releases it.
Watch for phishing: check that an email is really from Shopify before clicking links or sending bank details. If the notice doesn’t explain enough, or you’re sure you never got a hold email, contact Shopify Support.
Reserves
A reserve protects against losses from chargebacks and refunds — for example unfulfilled orders, damaged products or unprocessed refunds. Shopify’s examples:
- Fixed amount: e.g. $1,000 held for 120 days.
- Percentage: e.g. 10% of transactions held for 120 days, with the other 90% paid out normally.
Risk factors Shopify lists include extended billing cycles, high chargebacks, rising refund rates, long delivery times and sudden spikes in sales volume.
Where to see it
In the Shopify admin, go to Finance → Payouts and click Reserve. Your balance is split into Pending (not reserved) and Reserve (held until the period ends).
Getting it released
- When the reserve expires, the money is added to upcoming payouts (processing can take a few business days).
- To appeal, reply to the reserve terms email within the timeframe it gives. Some reserves can’t be appealed.
- If the email lists requirements for removal, the reserve is removed automatically once you meet them.
To lower the chance of a reserve: ship on time, refund promptly, keep delivery times realistic, and tell customers clearly when items are pre-orders. For chargebacks themselves, see Shopify chargebacks; for normal payout timing, see Shopify payout timing.