A balance account is where all transaction funds are captured and managed before payout. These accounts track incoming payments, pending settlements, and any funds held for risk-related purposes.
There are three types of balances you will see:
Available Balance
Pending Balance
Reserved Balance
1. Available Balance
The Available Balance represents the merchant’s current cleared funds that are ready for payout.
How it works:
Funds are automatically swept and paid out Monday through Friday
Default payout time: 1:00 AM in the store’s local time zone
Because of daily sweeps, the Available Balance typically reflects $0.00
When you may see a balance greater than $0.00:
If the Available Balance shows a positive amount during a weekday, this may indicate an issue requiring review by Valpay. Examples include:
The merchant’s bank is rejecting deposits
The account has been placed on a funding hold
There is an issue with the 1:00 AM sweep transfer
Weekend balances (payouts do not occur on Saturdays or Sundays)
Important:
If the Available Balance is greater than $0.00 on a weekday (outside normal weekend timing), a Valpay representative should review the account.
2. Pending Balance
The Pending Balance reflects incoming funds that have not yet settled.
This includes:
Card transactions that are still in the settlement process
Transfers with future value dates
Funds that are authorized but not yet fully cleared
Pending funds will move into the Available Balance once settlement is complete and eligible for payout.
3. Reserved Balance
The Reserved Balance contains funds that are held back for specific purposes, such as:
Chargebacks
Refunds
Issuing payments (if applicable)
Capital repayment obligations
Risk mitigation requirements
Reserved funds are not available for payout until the underlying obligation is resolved.
Understanding Negative Balances
If a balance account shows a negative amount, this typically means:
A chargeback has been received, or
A refund has been processed
And the merchant has not yet processed enough new transactions to offset the amount
Example:
A merchant receives a $500 chargeback.
The Available Balance becomes –$500.
The next day, the merchant processes $300 in new transactions.
The balance becomes –$200.
The following day, the merchant processes $250 in transactions.
$200 covers the negative balance.
The remaining $50 is paid out to the merchant during the next payout cycle.
Important:
If the merchant’s balance remains negative for multiple days:
The merchant will not receive payouts
Future transactions will continue to offset the negative balance
Payouts resume once the balance reaches at least $0.01
Why You May See a Weekend Balance
Since payouts only occur Monday through Friday, it is normal to see Available Balance amounts accumulate on:
Saturday
Sunday
These funds will be swept during the next scheduled weekday payout.
How to View Balance Accounts in the Valpay Portal
Valpay partners can view balance details by following these steps:
Go to: portal.valpay.com
Log in to the Valpay Portal
Select Merchants from the left-side menu
Select Accounts
Search for the merchant using:
Legal Name
DBA
Account Holder ID
Select the merchant account
Click the Stores tab at the top
Select the store you wish to view
When the store details drawer opens on the right, select the $ Finances tab
At the top of the page, you will see the three balance totals:
Available
Pending
Reserved
Summary
Each store has a balance account where funds are managed.
Available Balance is typically $0.00 due to daily payouts.
Pending Balance represents incoming funds not yet settled.
Reserved Balance holds funds for chargebacks, refunds, or risk-related obligations.
Negative balances must be covered by incoming transactions before payouts resume.
Weekend balances are normal due to payout timing.