Why is my payment "Pending?"
If you send a payment to a phone number or email address that isn't verified or that isn't associated with a Venmo account, it will show as "Pending." Your payment method will still be charged, but the money won't reach the recipient until they finish setting up their Venmo account.
How do I complete a pending payment or take it back?
If your friend wants to accept the money, please have them follow the instructions to sign up or add an additional email address to their Venmo account.
If the payment is still pending, you can also cancel it:
- Go to the Me tab in your Venmo app
- Find the transaction at the top of your Transactions feed
- Under the payment in question, tap Take Back
You can also access your pending payments on the web and cancel it there.
Taking back a pending payment means that the money will be sent back to your original funding source:
- For payments sent back to your Venmo balance, you should see the refund reflected right away
- For payments reversed back to a bank account, the funds should be deposited back in your bank account in up to 5 business days
- For payment sent back to a credit or debit card, you should see that posted on your statement in up to 7 business days
These timelines can depend on external factors and cannot be expedited.