Every claim moves through a series of statuses from submission to resolution. This article explains what each status means and how claims flow through the system.
Claim Status Overview
Status | What It Means |
In Progress (In Review) | The claim has been submitted and is being reviewed. |
On Hold | Additional information is needed before the claim can be resolved. |
Resolved | The claim has been approved and a resolution has been applied. |
Unqualified | The claim didn't meet the eligibility requirements. |
Denied | The claim was reviewed and rejected. |
Status Details
In Progress (In Review)
This is the initial status when a claim is submitted. The Onward claims team is reviewing the claim.
What happens next:
If the claim is approved, it moves to Resolved.
If more information is needed, it moves to On Hold.
If the claim doesn't meet eligibility, it moves to Unqualified or Denied.
On Hold
The claim is paused because additional information or action is needed. This could mean:
Waiting on customer — The customer needs to provide more evidence, clarify details, or respond to a question.
Waiting on merchant — The merchant needs to provide order or shipment details.
Waiting on Onward — Onward is investigating the claim (e.g., verifying with the carrier).
Customers are notified when their claim is placed on hold and told what's needed to proceed.
Customer response time: If a claim is on hold waiting for the customer and they don't respond within the configured number of days, the claim may be automatically closed.
Resolved
The claim has been approved and a resolution has been applied. The resolution type is noted alongside the status:
Resolved — Reordered — A new order was created with the same items.
Resolved — Refunded — A refund was issued to the original payment method.
Resolved — Store Credit — A gift card was issued.
Resolved — Reimbursed — The merchant was reimbursed (e.g., for chargebacks).
Resolved — Handled by Merchant — The merchant resolved the issue outside of Onward.
Unqualified
The claim didn't meet the eligibility criteria. Common reasons:
The order didn't have active Onward protection.
The claim was filed outside the submission window.
The item wasn't eligible for the claim type.
Denied
The claim was reviewed and rejected. Reasons may include:
Fraud indicators were detected.
The issue was determined to be a product defect rather than a shipping issue (and satisfaction guarantee isn't enabled).
Insufficient evidence provided.
The issue doesn't fall within covered causes.
The Claim Lifecycle
Most claims follow one of these paths:
Standard path — Claim submitted → Onward reviews → resolved. Most claims are resolved within 1–2 business days.
Hold path — Claim submitted → on hold (waiting for info) → customer responds → resolved.
Denied path — Claim submitted → reviewed → denied (doesn't meet eligibility or fraud detected).