You send someone money on Cash App and instead of the usual instant 'Completed', the payment sits on 'Pending'. Or a payment you were expecting never lands. Or your Cash App Card gets declined at a shop and the Activity feed says the transaction is 'pending review'. A day later, the pending payment says 'failed'.
These look alike but have different causes. Cash App's help says its payments are usually available instantly, so a pending status is normally a sign that something is waiting: an action from you, a security check, a limit, or a merchant who hasn't finished the charge. The fix depends on which one it is, and the payment's own screen in your Activity feed usually tells you.
Read the status first
Open the Activity tab and tap the payment. Match what you see to the list below.
- 'Pending' or 'Waiting to Complete' on a payment to or from a person: something needs action. See cause one.
- 'Failed' on a payment that was pending: it waited 24 hours and was canceled. See cause one, then check causes two and three.
- A Cash App Card purchase declined and 'pending review', or a notice about unusual activity on your account: a security check. See cause two.
- You are prompted to verify your identity, or payments stop around the $1,000 mark: account limits. See cause three, which also covers business accounts.
- A Cash App Pay purchase at a business showing as pending: the merchant hasn't completed the charge. See cause four.
Cause 1: The payment is waiting for you to act
Cash App's help on pending payments says a pending payment could mean you need to take action, and that you should follow the steps outlined in your Activity feed to complete it. Tap the payment and read what it asks for before trying anything else.
Two details from the same page matter. If the payment says 'Waiting to Complete', swipe down on the Activity feed to refresh it, because the status may already have changed. And there is a deadline: once a payment has been pending for 24 hours, Cash App automatically cancels it and shows it as 'failed'. A failed payment of this kind did not go through, so if the person still needs the money, send it again once whatever held it up is sorted.
Cause 2: A security check, 'pending review' or a temporary lock
The 'pending review' status applies to the Cash App Card. Cash App says that if it notices potentially unauthorized activity on your account, it may decline Cash App Card transactions for your protection, and depending on the transaction it may send you a notification asking whether you recognize the declined purchase.
Separately, Cash App says it may temporarily lock an account when it notices unusual activity. A lock typically lasts 24 to 48 hours, you can't buy or sell stocks during that time, and Cash App says the lock won't prevent you from sending future payments. You get a notification within 24 to 48 hours confirming the investigation is complete and the account is unlocked.
- Tap the Activity tab in the bottom right corner of the home screen.
- Find the declined transaction marked pending review.
- Confirm whether you do or do not recognize it.
- Don't ignore the notification. Cash App says that if no action is taken, future transactions at the same merchant will likely decline again.
- For any other card decline, tap the Activity tab and select the transaction. Cash App says that is where you can see why it was declined.
- If your account was locked, wait for the unlock notification, then log in and carry on as normal.
Cause 3: You hit an account limit (personal or business)
Every Cash App account has limits on money moving in and out, and they are much lower before you verify your identity. Cash App prompts you to verify once you reach them. Verification asks for your legal name, date of birth and the last 4 digits of your SSN or ITIN, and in some cases your full SSN or ITIN, residential address, an unexpired government-issued photo ID, or income verification or source of funds. Cash App says it is unable to verify anyone under 18.
Cash App for Business currently supports sole proprietors, single-member LLCs and nonprofit corporations; Cash App says international businesses, partnerships, multi-member LLCs and large corporations aren't supported yet. Payments received from a Cash App account carry a 2.6% + $0.15 processing fee, or 3% via Tap to Pay, and you need a personal account to accept payments from friends and family. Cash App's limits page sets out the limits like this:
- Unverified and Sponsored accounts can send and receive up to $1,000 in a rolling 30-day period.
- There is also a total account limit of $1,500.
- An unverified account's balance limit is $1,000. After verifying, Cash App says you'll have an unlimited cash balance.
- Verified accounts can send up to $40,000 in a rolling 30-day period. Receive limits for verified accounts are set for each account and shown in the 'Limits' tab. Cash App's help does not publish a separate receive limit for business accounts, so check that tab.
- To see yours, tap the profile icon at the top right, then tap 'Limits' in the Account & Settings section.
- To check verification, tap your profile icon, choose 'Personal Information' and go to 'Identity verification'. If you are verified it says 'Verified'. If not, you may be able to select 'Verify', though Cash App notes that option is not always available.
- If you are sure you haven't reached the limit, Cash App says you may need to consolidate the number of accounts you've created.
Cause 4: A Cash App Pay purchase is still pending at the merchant
When you pay a business with Cash App Pay, the payment goes through phases. While it is 'Pending', the merchant has entered it but is still processing it, and Cash App places a temporary hold on your funds. That shows as a lower Cash App balance or a pending charge on your bank account, depending on how you paid. Cash App also says merchants may temporarily increase the amount during the pending phase so an order isn't declined, and the excess is removed when the payment completes.
If the merchant cancels, the hold is released and the money returns. Cash App says most pending authorizations resolve within a few business days and that the hold is released automatically if the merchant doesn't complete the charge. For questions about a specific pending purchase, Cash App's advice is to contact the merchant directly.
Refunds: who can give your money back, and how long it takes
Cash App is clear that it can't cancel or refund a payment after it has been completed. Cash App to Cash App payments are instant and usually can't be canceled, so first tap the payment in your Activity feed and check for a cancel option.
- To refund someone (as the recipient): go to the Activity tab, select the payment, choose 'Refund' and press 'Confirm'.
- To ask for money back (as the sender): tap the payment in Activity, tap 'Report an Issue', select a reason and tap 'Next'. If it has been more than 30 days, enter the amount on the home screen, tap 'Request', fill in the To and For fields and tap 'Request' again. Cash App warns that if the recipient doesn't respond, you may be unable to recover the money.
- Timing: refunds are generally returned instantly to your Cash App balance when the payment came from your balance. Refunds to a credit or debit card usually arrive within 5 business days.
- Cash App Pay purchases: contact the merchant, because Cash App can't request refunds on your behalf. A refund can take up to 10 business days to appear after the merchant issues it. If it hasn't arrived after that, or the merchant won't respond or refuses, you can file a dispute: tap the profile icon, select 'Support', choose 'Cash App Card' then 'Dispute a purchase', and select 'Start a dispute'.
Prevent it next time, and watch for scams
Verify your identity before you need to move larger amounts, so the $1,000 limit doesn't catch you mid-payment. Respond to any security notification on a declined card purchase straight away. Double-check $cashtags, phone numbers and email addresses before you send, because a completed payment can't be pulled back by Cash App.
A stuck payment is also when scammers appear. Cash App says its support will never ask for your sign-in code, your full card number, PIN or SSN, ask you to send a payment to any account, or ask you to download a remote access app or make a 'test' transaction. Contact support only through the app: tap the profile icon and select 'Support', or call 1 (800) 969-1940.
If you take payments for a business
OneSol can't release a hold or a limit on another platform's account. If you sell for a living, you can also sell from your own OneSol page by connecting your own Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay or Square account, so payments go to your own account, and having a second processor connected means one hold doesn't stop every sale. Selling with your own processor is on the Pro plan.