What "Payment pending", "Due" and "Unpaid" mean on a Shopify order

What does “Payment pending” mean on a Shopify order?

Payment pending means the order exists, but Shopify hasn’t received the money yet. Treat the order as unpaid until it changes to Paid. The badge clears when the payment provider finishes processing, when the customer pays an invoice, or when you mark the order paid after the money reaches your account.

Shopify gives three causes:

• A method that takes time. The customer paid with something other than a credit card, and the provider needs time to finish processing. Stock is reserved for the order meanwhile, but payment isn’t guaranteed.
• A manual method. Cash on delivery, money orders and bank transfers stay unpaid until you mark the order paid.
• Payment terms. You checked Payment due later and set terms.

If it’s a manual method or payment terms and you were paid outside Shopify, click Collect payment > Mark as paid once the money is in your account. Otherwise, wait for the provider to finish.

To set terms on a draft:

1. In the draft’s Payment section, select Payment due later.
2. Choose a term from the Payment terms drop-down: Due on receipt (the day you send the invoice), Due on fulfillment (the day all items are fulfilled), net 7, 15, 30, 45, 60 or 90, or a fixed date.
3. Click Save.

On an order already in Payment pending, use the ⋯ menu in that section, then Add payment terms.

The order still counts as a sale: Shopify’s sales reports include pending and unpaid orders from the day they’re placed. It also isn’t a pending payout, which is money waiting to reach your bank. Drafts have their own statuses, and the fulfillment badge beside this one is separate.

Which payment status will my counter order show?

It depends on how you took the order. A link paid in full arrives Paid, or Authorized if you capture card payments manually. Payment terms and manual methods sit in Payment pending. A POS part payment shows Partially paid, and a POS checkout marked unpaid waits until you invoice it from the admin.

Some EU locations, including France, Italy and Spain, can’t mark a POS checkout unpaid or partially paid. To keep stock aside, see how to hold an item for a customer in Shopify POS.

What does “Due” mean on a Shopify order, and is it the same as “Overdue”?

Due shows on a Payment pending order with payment terms once its due date arrives and the payment still hasn’t been captured. It covers orders due today and orders past due. Shopify’s payment-terms help page still says Overdue. Both mean the due date has come and the order isn’t paid.

Merchants have asked why a Due on receipt order showed overdue while the customer’s invoice link said it was already paid. To clear it, send the invoice again with Collect payment > Send invoice, or call the customer. If the customer paid outside Shopify, click Mark as paid once the money is in your account.

Shopify can also send up to five payment reminders (Settings > Notifications > Orders > Manage payment reminders). For a chasing routine, see how to chase an unpaid draft order invoice, and for net 30 regulars, phone orders at a trade counter.

What does “Authorized” mean, and how long do I have to capture it?

Authorized means the payment provider has validated the customer’s payment details, but you haven’t collected the money yet. Online, you’ll see it only if you capture payments manually. On POS Pro, Shopify Payments card sales also show it for up to 15 minutes before capture, except in Germany and Italy (POS card sales that show Authorized). With Shopify Payments, card payments are authorized for 7 days, and you receive no money from the order unless you capture the payment before that period ends.

Online card payments are captured automatically by default, so most online orders never show this status. The setting is Settings > Payments > Payment capture method.

To capture an Authorized payment:

1. Open the order.
2. In the Authorized section, click Capture payment.
3. Optional: change the amount to capture part of the payment.
4. Click Capture. Capturing moves the order from Authorized to Paid.

What does the “Expiring” badge mean?

Expiring isn’t a payment status. It’s a badge Shopify adds to an Authorized order two days before the deadline for capturing the payment. Capture the payment now, using the steps above, or the deadline passes and the order turns Expired.

What does “Expired” mean, and can I still collect the payment?

Expired means the payment wasn’t captured before the payment provider’s deadline on an Authorized order. Ask your payment provider whether the payment can still be captured. If it can’t, take the payment again, for example with a new payment link (invoicing an existing order covers the routes).

Some alternative payment providers also use Expired when they couldn’t process a payment.

What does “Partially paid” mean?

Partially paid means part of the order total has been collected and the rest is still owed. In the admin, it shows when you manually capture less than the full order value. In Shopify POS, an order you mark as partially paid at checkout carries a Partially paid label. Either way, you still need to collect the balance.

In POS, tap Mark as partially paid, then Mark as partial. Later, open the order and tap Collect payment. For planned deposits, see Shopify deposits by plan.

What does “Unpaid” mean on a Shopify order?

Unpaid is a catch-all status. Shopify uses it for orders that are Authorized, Payment pending, Expired or Partially paid. Open the order to see which it is, because each needs a different action: capture the payment, chase the customer, ask the provider, or collect the balance.

Expiring is a badge, not a status, and Due and Unpaid aren’t values Shopify’s API reports, so apps that read your orders still show the underlying status, such as Pending or Authorized. To work through the group, filter the orders list by payment status.

Can a customer still pay an order that shows “Payment pending”?

Yes, if it’s waiting on an invoice. Shopify lets you send invoices for Payment pending orders, and the customer pays through the link. Open the order and click Collect payment > Send invoice, add a message, click Review invoice, then Send invoice. Don’t mark the order paid before the money arrives.

If the customer already paid with a method that takes time, wait rather than send a second invoice. To be told when a link is paid, see how to know when a payment link is paid.

How do I stop orders sitting in “Payment pending”?

Collect the payment up front instead of letting the order wait. Payment terms and manual methods create the order before the money arrives, so someone has to go back to the admin, click Collect payment > Send invoice or Mark as paid, and keep checking the orders list. A payment link the customer pays in full skips that wait.

Where Pay Link fits

Pay Link, from Countermade (the Shopify POS apps from Invenire Studios), is built for phone orders where the customer is ready to pay in full now. Staff build the order in Shopify POS and Pay Link creates a payment link for the customer, so the customer pays the full amount at once instead of the order waiting on payment terms or a bank transfer. The customer pays on Shopify’s own secure checkout, and staff never see or type card details. The result is an online order paid by link.

Staff see the total before the link goes out, with a note when checkout will add shipping. Turn on local pickup so pickup customers can choose it. A double tap makes one link, not two, so there’s no second link to tidy up, and staff can see whether the link has been paid. Pay Link needs Shopify POS Pro and takes full payment only.

Next step

Filter your orders list by payment status and start with the orders showing Due. For the next phone customer who is ready to pay in full, send a payment link instead of setting payment terms.

Pay Link isn’t on the Shopify App Store yet. Get early access and we’ll email you when it’s ready to try.