> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.kneadapp.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# If Your Card Payments Are Paused

> What the "Card payments and payouts are paused" notice means and how to get it lifted.

## Overview

If you see **"Card payments and payouts are paused"** in **Settings → Payments**, Knead has paused card payments on your account while we review a payment that was flagged as possible fraud. This is rare, and it is usually sorted out quickly.

Most of the time the baker did nothing wrong — someone tried to pay with a stolen card. The pause keeps the problem from growing while a person looks at it.

## What Is Paused and What Is Not

**Paused while we review:**

* Customers can't pay invoices or storefront orders by card. The **Pay now** button does not appear on new invoices.
* Stripe does not send payouts to your bank.

**Not affected:**

* Your orders, calendar, quotes, recipes, and customers all work as normal.
* You can still create and send invoices.
* You can still take cash, check, or Venmo and [record it as a manual payment](/invoicing-and-payments/recording-manual-payments).
* Money already in your bank account stays there.

## What Happened to the Flagged Payment

When a payment is flagged, Knead may **refund it to the customer's card automatically**. The invoice goes back to unpaid, and you will see the refund on the invoice. This returns the money before the cardholder has to dispute it, which avoids a dispute fee.

If the customer is someone you know and the order is real, don't worry — once the review is done they can simply pay again.

## How to Get It Lifted

Email us at [hello@kneadapp.co](mailto:hello@kneadapp.co). It helps if you include:

* Your bakery name.
* Whether you know the customer who made the flagged payment.
* Anything unusual about the order (a rush request, an address far away, a customer you have never spoken to).

A person reviews every pause. When it is lifted, card payments and payouts switch back on right away.

<Note>Good to know: Going through Stripe setup again does not lift the pause. Only Knead can lift it, so please email us instead.</Note>

## A Softer Case: Payouts Paused Only

Sometimes a payment looks a little unusual but not clearly bad. In that case Knead leaves card payments **on** and only pauses payouts until a person has looked. You won't see a notice in Settings for this, and customers can keep paying as normal. If a payout seems late, email us and we will check.

## Keeping Your Account Safe

A few habits make flagged payments much less likely:

* **Be careful with rush orders from strangers**, especially large ones paid in full right away.
* **Don't run test payments with your own card.** Paying yourself is against Stripe's rules and looks exactly like fraud. If you want to see how checkout works, email us and we will help you test it safely.
* **Be wary of overpayment requests** — a customer who wants to pay extra and have you send the difference somewhere else is a well-known scam.

## Related Articles

* [Why Your First Payouts Take Longer](/invoicing-and-payments/new-baker-payout-hold)
* [Payout Schedule and History](/invoicing-and-payments/payout-schedule-and-history)
* [Recording Manual Payments](/invoicing-and-payments/recording-manual-payments)

***

*Still need help? [Contact us](mailto:hello@kneadapp.co)*