Overview
Occasionally, a payment you accept through Handoff may be placed into a temporary review before the funds are released. This is a normal part of payment processing and helps ensure payments are processed securely.
This article explains why a payment may be reviewed, what to expect during the process, and how to avoid delays on larger payments.
Why a Payment Is Reviewed
When you signed up to accept payments through Handoff, you provided information about your typical job size and expected monthly payment volume. Your account was approved based on those estimates.
If you receive a payment that is significantly larger than your usual transactions, it may be temporarily reviewed before the funds are released.
Reviews are based on your account's established processing patterns, not a fixed dollar limit. A payment that is several times larger than your typical job is the most common reason a review occurs.
Why Reviews Happen
A payment review is not a penalty or an indication that something is wrong.
Our payment processing partner performs these reviews to confirm that your business could support a payment if it were ever reversed in the future. This helps manage the financial risk associated with processing unusually large transactions.
As you continue processing payments and build a history with Handoff, your typical processing range increases, making reviews less likely over time.
What Happens During a Review
If a payment is placed into review:
The payment is temporarily held while the review is completed.
Our team will contact you if additional information is needed.
In most cases, you'll simply be asked to provide a few recent business bank statements.
What Happens After the Review
After the review is complete, one of two outcomes is typical:
The payment is approved. In most cases, the payment is released and continues processing as normal.
An alternative payment method is recommended. If the payment is substantially larger than your account is currently approved to process, we may require collecting the payment by check or wire transfer instead. If this happens, we'll explain your options and help you choose the best approach.
How to Avoid Payment Delays
If you know you'll be receiving a large payment, contact us through the Handoff chat before sending the payment.
We'll help you:
Understand your current approved processing range.
Determine whether the payment is likely to require a review.
Decide whether another payment method would help avoid delays.
Providing advance notice is the easiest way to keep large payments moving smoothly.
Additional Notes
Payment reviews are a normal part of payment processing.
Reviews are typically completed quickly.
Most reviews only require recent business bank statements.
Processing history helps reduce the likelihood of future reviews for larger payments.
Troubleshooting
My payment is still in review.
If your payment is currently under review, check for any messages from the Handoff team requesting additional documentation. Responding promptly with the requested information will help complete the review as quickly as possible.
If you're unsure about the status of your payment, contact us through the Handoff chat and we'll guide you through the next steps.