FrozenFunds
FrozenFunds

Free, private, no account. Everything stays in this browser.

Guide · Stripe · checked 26 Oct 2026

Stripe’s 120 days.

If Stripe paused your payouts, the number in its own policy is 120 days. Here is what that number does and does not mean, and how to use it.

What the policy says

Stripe’s Unacceptable Risk Policy1 (last updated 29 July 2026) says Stripe will typically restrict or pause payouts for 120 days from the date you receive the initial email notifying you. At the end of that period Stripe completes a formal review, and may release the funds, continue to hold them, or cancel the account.

Stripe will typically restrict or pause payouts to the User’s bank account for 120 days from the date the User receives the initial email notifying them of the actions applied to their account.

— Stripe Unacceptable Risk Policy

Count it properly

  • Day 0 is the date of the first notice email. Write it down and keep the email.1
  • Day 120 is when the formal review falls due. The calculator gives you the date and a calendar file.
  • If Stripe gives you a different release date in writing, that date is the one to hold it to.

Before day 120: send the evidence

Reviews turn on risk: refund rates, dispute rates and proof that customers received what they paid for. Build a one-page evidence pack from your payments export and send it with the evidence reply. Keep it factual and short.

After day 120: ask for release, in writing

If the review has passed and money is still held, ask for the balance, less any chargebacks already received, and for an explanation of anything kept back, by transaction. In the UK, use the word “complaint”: it starts the firm’s deadline for a final response (15 business days for payment-services complaints, 8 weeks for most others) before you can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service.23

Day 120 passed, payouts still paused

A balance shown as available is not a payout on its way. Before you write, check which of these you are looking at.

  • A banner: “A withdrawal from your bank account is pending”. Stripe is clearing a negative balance. Payouts in that currency pause until the withdrawal completes, typically about three business days, then resume on your schedule.4
  • A payout date that keeps moving later. Stripe says this is most likely a verification requirement still to be completed. Check the Dashboard and your email for a request for information.5
  • A payout marked sent that has not arrived. Allow 5 business days, then ask your bank to trace it with the trace ID. If the bank cannot find it, get that in writing and send it to Stripe Support.5
  • None of these, on an account handled under the policy. You are waiting on the formal review. Stripe “aims to complete the formal review within a reasonable period following the end of the 120-day period” and notifies the outcome by email. Ask in writing for that outcome, the amount being released, and the reason for anything held back.1

Source [4] [5] [1]

Sources

Every source checked 26 Oct 2026. Numbers in the text link here.

  1. Stripe Unacceptable Risk Policy ↩
  2. FOS: how to complain ↩
  3. FCA Handbook DISP 1.6 ↩
  4. Stripe Support: payout paused for a negative-balance withdrawal ↩
  5. Stripe Support: where is my payout? ↩

Questions, answered

When does the 120 days start?

Stripe’s policy counts it from the date you receive the first email telling you payouts are restricted or paused. Keep that email: it is your day 0.

Is 120 days a guarantee?

No. The policy says Stripe will “typically” pause payouts for 120 days and then complete a formal review. At the review it may release funds, keep holding them, or close the account. Your own agreement and any written date Stripe gives you also matter.

Can Stripe keep money for chargebacks after 120 days?

It can say so, but it should be able to explain why. In UK decisions the Financial Ombudsman Service asked whether an ongoing risk justified a longer hold, and where it did not, told Stripe to pay interest on the late part.

Day 120 has passed and my balance says Available, but payouts are still paused. Why?

Available is not the same as on its way. Stripe’s support pages give three common causes: a pending withdrawal to clear a negative balance, an open verification requirement, or a payout your bank has not credited yet. If none applies, you are waiting on the formal review, which the policy says Stripe aims to finish within a reasonable period after day 120 and report by email.

Should I open another account to keep selling?

Not to get around a decision. FrozenFunds will not help with evading underwriting. If you need to keep trading, apply openly to another provider and disclose your history when asked.