Why did a payment fail?

Find out why a payment didn't go through or is held up, and what to do about it, from Why? beside the payment or from Check my account.

This article is being updated.

When a payment doesn't go through, Prevarro can tell you why and what to do next. You see this if your role can see Payments.

Where to look

Why? beside a payment. In Payments, a payment marked Failed has Why? beside its status. So does a bank debit still marked Processing, since a bank debit can be held up. You'll find it:

• in the Transactions list;
• at the top of a payment you've opened;
• in the list of payments inside a payment schedule you've opened, under Schedules.

On a phone, open the payment to see Why?. Select it and the answer shows right there: what happened, a link to fix it where there is one, and this article. If it reads We couldn't run the check., select Try again.

Check my account. On a Payments screen, open Help in the sidebar or Get help in the top bar. The Check my account block shows your business's Payments account first if it can't take payments. Then it lists the payments that failed or are held up, newest first. If nothing is wrong, it reads Nothing needs attention here. If it reads We couldn't run the checks., select Try again.

The check first looks at whether the payment has already been sorted (see Already sorted below). If it hasn't, the check looks at your business's account, then the payment method, then the payment itself. It stops at the first cause it finds.

Your business's Payments account

Your Payments account is your business's own Prevarro Payments account, set up and run from inside Prevarro. If it can take payments, the check moves on to the payment. If it can't, the answer says why:

• Payments isn't set up for your business yet;
• your business hasn't finished setting up its Payments account;
• Stripe, our payment processor, has restricted the account until it gets more information;
• the payment processor has disabled the account;
• or the account can't take payments right now.

If your role manages Payments settings, select Finish setting up Payments. It opens Payments → Settings. While setup is unfinished, the Payments account card shows Start setup, or Continue setup once setup has started, and it opens the setup screen, where you add what's needed. If the payment processor has disabled the account, there's no setup to finish. Contact us through Help and we'll find out why.

If your role doesn't manage those settings, there's no link. The answer ends Someone who manages your business's Payments settings can look.

No payment method on file

A payment schedule has no payment method to charge, so the customer's payments can't be collected.

The payment method can't be charged again

The payment method was declined for good, for example the card was reported lost or stolen, or its direct debit authority was cancelled.

For either of these, select Change the payment method. It opens the payment schedule, where Change… under Method lets you pick another method on file or send the customer a secure link to add a new one.

The direct debit isn't confirmed

The customer hasn't confirmed the direct debit request for their bank account yet. The debit still goes ahead, but ask your customer to confirm it so their agreement is on record. The link opens the payment schedule, or the payment itself if it isn't on one.

Declined

The answer says whose payment it was, how much, and why it was declined, in plain words. For example, there weren't enough funds, the card has expired, the security code was wrong, or the bank needed the customer to approve it. Sometimes the bank gives no reason. Sometimes the payment processor couldn't be reached to take the payment.

For a payment on a payment schedule, the answer also says what happens next:

• If the retries have finished, it says how many times it was retried. Select Change the payment method to set a new one.
• If the payment schedule is paused, it won't be retried until it's resumed. Select Resume the payment schedule, then Resume on the schedule and Resume again to confirm.

For a payment that isn't on a payment schedule, select Open the payment to see it.

Waiting to be retried

The payment was declined and a retry is booked. The answer says how many retries there have been and when the next one is. If you don't want to wait, select Retry now. It opens the payment schedule, where Retry now tries again straight away.

Still processing

A bank debit takes time. The bank hasn't confirmed it yet, and there's nothing to do but wait.

Already sorted

If things have moved on since you opened the screen, the answer says so, with no link:

• the payment was declined, but the invoice has since been paid or voided;
• the payment was paid, with the date it settled;
• it was paid, then some or all of it was refunded;
• it was paid, then the customer's bank disputed it.

Links for your role

If your role can manage payment schedules, the link takes the action: Change the payment method, Resume the payment schedule or Retry now. Otherwise it reads Open the payment schedule, and someone who can manage payment schedules can take it from there.

A payment schedule that's completed, cancelled, or collects by sending an invoice has no payment method to change. Its link reads Open the payment schedule instead of Change the payment method.