How payouts work
When a guest pays, the funds don't go directly to your bank account. They first land in your ThinkPayments balance, which works like a holding account. On your payout schedule, those funds are gathered up and deposited into your bank account as a single payout.
This is normal for card processing. The short delay between charging a card and receiving the funds is the time it takes for the payment to clear and settle.
Your first payout
Your first deposit takes a little longer than the rest. When your account is first set up, Stripe and its banking partners complete a verification step before releasing funds. Because of this, your first payout may take up to 7 to 10 business days.
This is a one-time setup process. After it's complete, your payouts settle into a faster, regular rhythm.
Ongoing payouts
Once your account is established, payouts are sent on a regular schedule and typically arrive within 1 to 3 business days of the funds being collected.
A few things affect exactly when a deposit lands:
weekends and bank holidays, when banks don't process transfers
the time of day a payment was taken
your bank's own processing speed
Because of this, there is no fixed same-day or next-day rule. A payment taken on a Tuesday may be deposited sooner than one taken on a Friday heading into a weekend. You can always see your next scheduled payout and its estimated amount at the top of the Payouts page.
Why the deposit amount may not match what you charged
This is the part that surprises people most, so it's worth explaining clearly.
The amount deposited to your bank is usually not the same as the total you
charged that day. There are two reasons:
Timing. A single deposit contains payments that were collected and cleared together, which may span more than one day of activity. The payments you took today are likely in a future deposit, not today's.
Fees and refunds. Processing fees are deducted before payout, and any refunds you issued are also deducted. So a deposit reflects your net activity, not the gross total of your charges.
If you want to see exactly what made up a specific deposit, the Payout Reconciliation report breaks down every payment, refund, and fee inside it. For the full picture of how payments, payouts, and reconciliation fit together, see the related article.
What if a payout doesn't arrive?
If a deposit can't be completed, usually due to an issue with your bank account details, the funds stay safely in your ThinkPayments balance until the issue is resolved. Nothing is lost.
If you're expecting a payout that hasn't arrived, first check the Payouts page to confirm it was sent and for how much. If something still doesn't look right, contact our support team, and we'll help you track it down.