Payment statuses reference

Last updated March 26, 20263 min read

Reference guide for PayFacile payment statuses: Paid, Outstanding, Refunded, Insufficient funds, Failed. Payment method statuses: Active, Invalid, Expired.

Overview

Every payment recorded in PayFacile has a status reflecting its current state. This reference guide details each status, its meaning, and available actions.

Statuses are visible in the Payments section of your dashboard, as well as in each order's detail view.

Payment statuses

Here are the five possible statuses for a payment:

Paid

The payment has been received and confirmed. Funds have been successfully collected via Stripe, GoCardless, or recorded as an external payment. The corresponding invoice has been generated and sent to the customer.

Outstanding

The invoice has been issued but payment has not yet been received. This status is common for SEPA direct debits via GoCardless, where processing takes several business days. The payment will automatically transition to "Paid" once funds are confirmed.

Refunded

A full refund has been processed. Funds have been returned to the customer through the original payment gateway (Stripe or GoCardless). A credit note is generated for your accounting records.

Insufficient funds

The charge attempt failed because the customer's account does not have sufficient funds. PayFacile automatically schedules a retry. The system makes multiple attempts before considering the payment as definitively failed.

Failed

All charge attempts have failed. The payment will no longer be retried automatically. Possible causes: expired card, closed account, bank decline, or invalid payment method. You can contact the customer to resolve the situation.

Payment method statuses

Payment methods registered for your customers also have a status:

Active

The payment method is valid and operational. Automatic charges (subscriptions) will proceed normally.

Invalid

The payment method has been declined or revoked by the bank. Charge attempts will fail. The customer needs to update their payment method from their customer portal.

Expired

The credit card has passed its expiration date. Charge attempts will fail until the customer registers a new card.

Actions by status

Here are the available actions for each payment status:

  • Paid: download the invoice, resend the invoice by email, initiate a refund.
  • Outstanding: wait for bank confirmation. No action required.
  • Refunded: view the refund details and the generated credit note.
  • Insufficient funds: wait for automatic retry. Contact the customer if needed.
  • Failed: contact the customer to obtain a new payment method. Record an external payment if settlement is received through another channel.

Filter payments by status

In the Payments section, use the filters to display only payments with a specific status. This feature is useful for:

  • Quickly identifying failed payments that require action.
  • Checking payments pending confirmation.
  • Tracking completed refunds.

FAQ

Does an "Outstanding" payment always become "Paid"?
Not necessarily. An outstanding payment can transition to "Paid" once funds are confirmed, or to "Insufficient funds" / "Failed" if the charge is declined. This is particularly common with SEPA direct debits that have a multi-day confirmation delay.
How many retries are made for insufficient funds?
The number of retries depends on the billing system configuration. Multiple attempts are made at increasing intervals before the payment transitions to "Failed" status. You can also configure automation workflows to send reminder emails to the customer.
How can I recover a failed payment?
Contact the customer and ask them to update their payment method from their customer portal. If the customer pays through another method (wire transfer, check), you can record an external payment from the order detail page.
Can a refund be partial?
PayFacile handles full refunds. The "Refunded" status indicates that a complete refund has been processed through the payment gateway.
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