What are payment holds?
Payment holds are a common industry practice that Venmo implements to help ensure a safer environment for both buyers and sellers on our platform. As selling products and services online carries some inherent financial risk, these holds provide an easy path to resolution in the event of disputes on eligible payments. For business owners and sellers, this practice also makes it easier to return payments when there’s a need to refund a customer.
When a payment is on hold, businesses and sellers can expect funds to be available in their Venmo account (minus the business transaction fee or seller transaction fee) within 21 days or fewer.
What causes a payment to be on hold?
There are a few different reasons why your payment may be on hold. Here are a few common causes:
- You’re a new seller with Venmo or you’re an established seller but have opened a new account
- The payment you received may be considered unusual for your selling pattern
- Your account was inactive for a while
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You’re selling a product or service that can potentially cause dissatisfaction with customers
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Multiple customers reported problems or requested refunds
How will I know if my payment is on hold?
If you receive a payment that’s been placed on hold, you’ll be notified in the confirmation email for the payment. Payments that are on hold are also displayed with a small “On Hold” badge in the Transactions tab of your Venmo app, and you’ll see a held amount at the top that page.
My payment is on hold. What should I do?
When your payment is on hold, the money still belongs to you—it’s just temporarily on hold. Held payments are automatically released within 21 days, meaning that you’ll have access to the funds from any held payment once the hold period expires. When this happens, you’ll receive a notification in the Venmo app and via email explaining that your funds are available.
You can select any payment under the Transactions tab in your Venmo app to see whether it’s on hold and view additional payment details. This information is also available when viewing your statement from the web.
How can I avoid payment holds?
Selling products and services online carries some inherent financial risk. To account for this and to create a safer environment for buyers and sellers on Venmo, payment holds are automatically applied to eligible payments. Since these holds are automated, there isn’t a way to stop them from happening.