---
id: help.payments.status
title: "What a payment’s status means"
canonical: https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/payments/what-a-status-means
description: "Only  means the money is yours. Every other status is a payment still in progress, or one that did not happen."
last_verified: 2026-11-01
---

# What a payment’s status means

Only **Paid** means the money is yours. Every other status is a payment still in progress, or one that did not happen.

## The statuses

| On screen | What it means, and what to do |
|---|---|
| Paid | The bank has confirmed the money, so deliver what you sold. Part of it may have been refunded since. |
| Processing | The bank has the payment, and we are waiting for its answer. Wait, because we keep checking with the bank. |
| Authenticating | Your customer is at the bank’s 3-D Secure step. Wait for them to finish. |
| Held | The money is held on the card, and has not been charged yet. Charge it, or release the hold, on the payment’s page. |
| Incomplete | Nothing has been paid yet. They may not have finished, or their card was refused. There is nothing to do unless they tell you they paid. |
| Canceled | The payment was called off, and no money moved. There is nothing to do. |

## What counts as paid

We only mark a payment Paid once the bank itself has confirmed it. A customer arriving back on your website, or telling you they paid, is not the same thing.

## If a card was refused

An Incomplete payment’s page says what happened, under **The last attempt was refused** or **The last attempt did not complete**. [Why was a payment declined?](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/payments/why-was-it-declined.md) explains the messages.

For developers: [Accept a payment](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/accept-a-payment.md)

## Related

- [Why was a payment declined?](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/payments/why-was-it-declined.md)
- [Find a payment](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/payments/find-a-payment.md)
- [Your balance in plain words](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/payouts/your-balance.md)

Still stuck? Write to [admin@secureprocessing.app](mailto:admin@secureprocessing.app) with the payment’s id and the status you see.