Incomplete Payment to a Phone Number or Email Address

If a payment appears in the “Incomplete” section of the app or displays as “Pending” in your feed, this means you paid an email address or phone number that isn't associated with an active Venmo account. (This will also happen if the email address or phone number hasn’t been verified by the recipient.) If you’re on the new version of the Venmo app (without the ☰ icon in the top right), you can view the “Incomplete” section by going to the “You” tab by selecting the single person icon , then tapping the “Incomplete” button . 

Although the funds will be charged to the payment method you used, the money won’t reach the intended recipient until the phone number or email address you used is added to their Venmo account and verified.

If your friend wants to accept the money, please have them follow the instructions to sign up or add the additional email address to their Venmo account. If you want to take the funds back yourself by cancelling the payment, you can see your pending payments on the web. If you’re on the old version of the app (with the ☰ icon in the top right), you can follow these instructions to take back the payment:

1. Tap the "☰" icon at the top of the app
2. Tap "Incomplete"
3. Make sure you’re looking at the "Payments" tab
4. Under the payment in question, choose “Take Back”

If you’re on the new version of the app (without the ☰ icon), you can follow these instructions to take back the payment:

1. Go to the “You” tab by selecting the single person icon
2. Tap the “Incomplete” button
3. Make sure you’re looking at the "Payments" tab
4. Under the payment in question, choose “Take Back”

Taking back the payment means that the funds will be reversed back to your original funding source. If you used a bank account or card, the funds will be returned there. If you used your Venmo balance to fund the payment, the amount should be reflected in your balance.

For funds reversed back to a bank account, the funds should be deposited back in your bank account in 3 to 5 business days. If you used a card for the payment and take the funds back, you should see that posted on your statement in 5 to 7 business days.

I was supposed to receive a payment via Splitwise but it is not in my Venmo account 
If your friend sent you a payment via Splitwise, but it didn’t arrive in your Venmo account, it’s possible that the email address they used caused the issue. If the email on your Venmo account doesn’t match the email address used for the Splitwise payment, our system won’t be able to get the payment to your Venmo account. There is an easy fix – you can go into your settings on Venmo and update your email address so it matches what was used for the payment. If the email address already matches, please make sure to verify your email address.  

If the information that was used for the payment cannot be added to your Venmo account, please ask your friend to contact the Splitwise support team for further assistance.