Guides · 7 entries · checked 24 Oct 2026

Every hold has a rulebook.

Each processor writes its own rules for holding your money. These guides read them for you, quote the official page, and say what to do next. Pick yours.

• Stripe

  Stripe’s 120-day hold, explained

  What the Unacceptable Risk Policy says, how to count the 120 days, the formal review, and what to check when payouts are still paused after it.

• PayPal

  PayPal’s 180-day hold: US and UK terms

  Where the 180 days comes from, why the US and UK agreements read differently, and three UK ombudsman decisions on holds past day 180.

• Shopify Payments

  Shopify Payments holds and reserves

  Account holds versus reserves, the expiry date in your reserve email, how to appeal, and what the Shopify Payments terms let Shopify keep.

• Etsy

  Etsy Payment Account reserve

  Why Etsy holds part of each sale, how tracking releases it early, where to see your release dates, and what Etsy says about 90 days.

• Amazon

  Amazon withheld funds and reserves

  The 60-day funds appeal after a deactivation, the separate deactivation appeal, and how account-level and delivery-date (DD+7) reserves differ.

• Wise

  Wise account closed: getting your money out

  The 90 days to move your money, appeal or refund, Wise’s 15-day complaint deadline, and the Financial Ombudsman or Ombudsfin route.

• United Kingdom

  The UK Financial Ombudsman route

  Who can complain, the reply deadlines, the 6-month limit, and published decisions on Stripe and PayPal holds.

Then put it on a clock

The hold calculator turns your notice date into a release date and calendar reminders for Stripe, PayPal, Shopify Payments, Etsy, Amazon and Wise. The evidence pack reads your payments CSV, the route letters draft what to send, and the escalation timeline tracks every reply deadline.

Every guide links to the processor’s own terms or help pages, and to the published ombudsman decisions it mentions. Terms change: check the date on each guide.