> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://faq.universalaccountservicing.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# When a payment won't go through
> Nine checks that fix most declined payments, what bank declines mean, and what every error message is telling you.
Most failed payments come down to a small mismatch. Work through the checks below first — if you
have an exact error message, the [reference table](#error-message-reference) is at the end.
## Try these nine things first
If you selected a bank account, use bank details. If you selected a card, use a card.
Spelled as it appears on the card or account.
Street number, apartment or unit, city, state, ZIP and country — all must match the address your
bank has for that card.
Nine digits for the routing number. Both are on a check.
No spaces.
The CVV or CVC from the back of the card, or the front on American Express.
`MM/YY`, and not in the past.
Banks routinely block payments they do not recognize. They can clear it in a moment, and they
will not do so unless you ask.
If everything above checks out, use another card or bank account.
## When your bank is the one saying no
Three of the most common messages are not about your account with us at all. In each case we cannot
release the payment from our side — your bank has to.
| Message | What happened | What to do |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Issuer Declined** | Your bank declined it — insufficient funds, an expired card, or another restriction | Check your balance and card details, then contact your bank |
| **Suspected Fraud** | Your bank blocked it protectively | Call your bank to confirm the payment is genuine, then retry |
| **REJECTED CONTACT CUST** | The card has been used more than twice in 24 hours | Use a different method today, or wait 24 hours after your bank clears it |
## When the card is not allowed on your account
Some accounts cannot be paid by credit card at all. The card networks treat these payments as debt
repayment, and on those accounts the network permits a debit card but not a credit card.
If that is your account, a credit card will decline however many times you try it, and there is
nothing we can release from our side. **Pay from a bank account or with a debit card instead.** The
same is true of an HSA or FSA card on an account that is not for a medical purchase.
Your own list of methods is on the **Make A Payment** screen — see
[Accepted payment methods](/payments/accepted-payment-methods).
## If your payment is returned after it went through
A payment can look successful and then be returned unpaid by your bank days later. What happens next
depends on why it came back.
| Why it came back | What we do |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Not enough money in the account** | We may re-attempt the same amount up to two more times. You are charged one returned payment fee for that payment |
| **The account is closed, invalid or frozen** | We do not try again. Add a different payment method |
| **You stopped the payment, or withdrew your authorization** | We do not try again, and if that method was on AutoPay we remove it. AutoPay stops until you set up a new one |
| **We took the wrong amount or the wrong date** | We correct it and originate one corrected payment. Tell us if you think this is what happened |
**If your payment method comes off AutoPay, nothing is paying your account.** Removing the method
is not the same as pausing what you owe. Check your AutoPay status and add a new method, or
[pay another way](/payments/ways-to-pay), before your next due date.
## ACH return codes
If you paid from a bank account and it came back, your bank attached a **return code** to it. Ask
them for the code — it is the fastest way to find out what to fix.
Below are the codes a consumer payment actually comes back as.
| Code | What it means | What to do |
| ---- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| R01 | Not enough money in the account when we presented it | Fund the account. We may re-attempt, and you can also [pay another way](/payments/ways-to-pay). |
| R02 | The account is closed | Add a different payment method. |
| R03 | Your bank cannot find an account with that number | Check the account number against a check, then save it again. |
| R04 | The account number is not a valid format | Check the account number against a check, then save it again. |
| R05 | The debit was sent against your account using a business payment code and you told your bank it was unauthorized | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas) — we need to correct how the payment was sent. |
| R06 | Our bank asked for the payment back | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| R07 | You revoked your authorization for this payment method | If that was not what you intended, set up a new payment method. See [AutoPay](/autopay/enrolling). |
| R08 | You placed a stop payment on it | If you meant to stop only that one payment, tell us — otherwise nothing further will be taken from that account. |
| R09 | The money is in the account but has not cleared yet | Wait for the funds to become available, then pay again. |
| R10 | You told your bank you did not recognize us or did not authorize the debit | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas) so we can confirm what you authorized. |
| R11 | You authorized a payment but dispute this one — wrong amount or wrong date | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). If we took the wrong amount or the wrong date, we correct it. |
| R12 | The account moved to another bank | Add the account at your new bank. |
| R13 | The routing number is not a valid ACH routing number | Check the 9-digit routing number against a check. |
| R14 | The person authorized to receive payments for the account holder has died | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| R15 | The account holder has died | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| R16 | The account is frozen, or subject to a legal hold | Your bank has to release it. Use a different account meanwhile. |
| R17 | Your bank rejected the entry as containing an error, or as questionable | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| R18 | The payment carried an improper date | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| R19 | The payment amount was missing or malformed | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| R20 | The account does not accept ACH transactions — some savings and money market accounts do not | Use a checking account, a debit card, or another method. |
| R21 | The company identification on the payment was not valid | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| R22 | The individual ID number on the payment was not correct | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| R23 | The credit was refused by the receiving account — this applies to a refund we sent you | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas) so we can reissue it. |
| R24 | Your bank treated it as a duplicate of another payment | Check your account before paying again — you may have already paid. |
| R29 | The account is a business account and the account holder reported the debit as unauthorized | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| R34 | A regulator has limited what your bank can process | Use a different account. |
**R05, R07, R08, R10 and R29 stop future payments from that account.** When a payment comes back
for any of these, we do not try again and we remove the method from AutoPay. Nothing is paying
your account until you add a new one — see [If your payment is returned](#if-your-payment-is-returned-after-it-went-through).
### Codes that are not about your payment
The ACH network uses codes up to R85. The rest never apply to a payment you made to us — they cover
paper check re-presentment, international transfers, federal benefit enrollment, and messages banks
send each other about a return after the fact. If your bank quotes you a code outside the table
above, [contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas) with the code and we will tell you what it means
for your account.
## A \$0.00 charge from us is normal
When you add a card we run a temporary **\$0.00 authorization**, shown as **UAS 8882332302**, to
confirm the details. It cancels automatically, usually within 3–5 business days. If it is still
there after five business days, contact your bank — we have already canceled it.
## Error message reference
Find the message you saw. Anything marked *contact us* is something we need to fix from our side.
| Message | What it means and what to do |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Account Closed | The bank account has been closed. Use a different account. |
| Auth Service unavailable | A problem on our side. [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| Billing City does not match zip code | Check the city and ZIP you entered match each other. |
| Billing State does not match zip code | Check the state and ZIP you entered match each other. |
| Card not accepted by merchant, please try different card | That card type is not available on your account. See [above](#when-the-card-is-not-allowed-on-your-account). |
| Cardholder state or zip code is required | Both the state and the ZIP are needed. |
| Check processing temporarily offline. Please try again shortly. | A temporary system problem. Wait and try again. |
| Credit card has expired | The expiration date has passed. Use a current card. |
| Declined — Stop Payment | Your bank has a stop payment on this account. Contact your bank. |
| Duplicate Check | Your bank declined it as a duplicate. Contact your bank. |
| Error storing payment method record | The method could not be saved. Check the details and try again. |
| Funds cannot be released for this transaction | A hold on the card cannot be released from our side. Contact your card issuer. |
| Invalid account type specified | Select either checking or savings. |
| Invalid Card Look Up | Try again. If it keeps happening, [contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| Invalid card number | Check the number matches your card. Do not include spaces. |
| Invalid check format specified | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| Invalid checking account number | Check the account number against your check. |
| Invalid expiration date | Use `MM/YY`, matching your card. |
| Invalid Routing number | Check the 9-digit routing number against your check. |
| Invalid schedule | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| Invalid transaction data | Something is missing or incorrect. Review every field. |
| Issuer Declined | Your bank declined it. See [above](#when-your-bank-is-the-one-saying-no). |
| Merchant does not accept this type of card | That card type is not enabled on your account — see [Accepted payment methods](/payments/accepted-payment-methods). |
| Merchant does not accept transactions from *(country)* | A card issued in that country cannot be used. Try another. |
| Payment details missing | Card or bank details are incomplete. Fill in every required field. |
| Payment method is not a check | The account type or check format was set on a card. Review the details. |
| Payment method not added because verification returned… | The card did not pass verification. [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| Processing error, please try again | Submit the payment again. |
| Processor temporarily unavailable | A temporary problem at the processor. Wait and try again. |
| Received error from check processor | [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| REJECTED CONTACT CUST | The card has been used more than twice in 24 hours. See [above](#when-your-bank-is-the-one-saying-no). |
| Requested payment method not found | Reselect your payment method. |
| Session timed out, please re-login | Sign in again and retry. |
| Stolen/Forged Checks | Your bank has reported stolen or forged checks on this account. Contact your bank. |
| Suspected Fraud | Your bank blocked it. See [above](#when-your-bank-is-the-one-saying-no). |
| System temporarily unavailable | Wait and try again. If it persists, [contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| Temporarily unable to process transaction. Please try again shortly. | A temporary problem on our side. Wait and try again. |
| Transaction Declined | Your bank declined it without giving a reason. Contact your bank. |
| Transaction exceeds maximum amount | Your payment is above the limit for that method. See [Payment limits](/payments/payment-limits). |
| Unable to apply changes, please retry | Try again. If it persists, [contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| Unable to create customer payment method from requested transaction | Check every field is complete and correct. |
| Unable to load payment method | A temporary problem. Save the payment method again. |
| Unable to locate requested payment method | The method was removed. Enter it again and save. |
| Unable to perform requested action | A problem on our side. [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| Unable to process transaction | Review your payment method and try again. |
| Unable to retrieve list of banks | Try again. If it persists, [contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| You have tried too many card numbers, please contact merchant | Too many different cards have been attempted. [Contact us](/getting-help/contacting-uas). |
| Your billing information does not match your credit card. Please check with your bank. | The billing address does not match what your bank holds for that card. |
## Still stuck
Have your Account Number and the exact wording of the message to hand.
**If you are racing a promotional deadline, do not leave a failed payment until the last day.**
Sorting out a decline with your bank can take longer than you expect. See
[Promotional offers](/promotional-offers).