Checking funds after an Amazon suspension: holds, disbursement requests and video interviews

Your selling account has been suspended, and although a balance is showing, no money is coming in. The notification says your funds are "held" or that Amazon has decided "not to disburse payment," and you are even being asked to book a video interview. If that sounds like your situation, this article walks you through, in order, how sales proceeds get stopped, how to tell the reasons for a hold apart, how to check your balance, the routes for requesting payment, how to prepare for virtual identity verification (the video interview), and what to avoid.

This article is based on what we were able to confirm in Seller Central Help (agreements, policies, and FAQs) and in announcements from Amazon as of September 2026. Terms and screen names can change, so when you take any steps, give priority to the notifications you have actually received and the latest Help content.

What happens to sales proceeds after a suspension: what "held" and "not disbursed" mean in your notification

When disbursements stop at the same moment your account is suspended, it's natural to worry that the money will simply be confiscated. Amazon's agreements, policies, and notifications describe how sales proceeds are handled using terms like the following.

Term used in notifications or the agreement	Meaning (summary of the agreement, policies, and sample notifications)
Hold (留保)	Stopping payment for as long as a risk persists, when Amazon determines there is a risk of returns, chargebacks, violations of the terms, or the like
Permanent hold (永続的に留保)	Permanently stopping disbursements or payments when Amazon determines that the account is being used for deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal purposes, or to repeatedly violate its policies
Decline to disburse payment (支払いを見送る)	Wording used in notifications to state that, following an investigation, Amazon has decided not to pay out the sales proceeds (from examples of notifications that sellers reposted on the Amazon Seller Forums)
Forfeiture (没収)	In the agreement, this word is used for additional amounts Amazon may require as security for the performance of obligations. We have not been able to find any example in Help of it being used for sales proceeds themselves

"Permanent hold" and "decline to disburse payment" are phrases indicating that the sales proceeds may ultimately not be paid out. At the "hold" stage, how the funds are handled depends on the outcome of the review and the procedures you follow. Even if you receive a notification that payment will not be disbursed, check whether any further steps are still open to you (covered later).

How long and how much is held: 90 days as a rule, but it can be extended

Help's "Policy on the release of held sales proceeds" (売上金留保の解除に関するポリシー) explains that sales proceeds are generally held for 90 days, and that the hold is extended if the risk persists or the investigation needs to continue. If Amazon determines that an account is being used for deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal purposes or to violate its policies (examples given include listing counterfeit products, obtaining fraudulent reviews, manipulating rankings, and fictitious transactions), the funds are held until it is confirmed that no such conduct took place.

As a rule, the amount held is the entire unpaid balance at the time of the hold. That amount changes as returns and refunds, A-to-z Guarantee claims, the costs of inventory removal/disposal, unpaid fees, and so on are settled. Section 2 of the General Terms of the Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement (BSA) also provides that Amazon can recover amounts a seller owes it by charging the seller's credit card, offsetting them against payments, and other means. This is why your balance can go up and down even while your account is suspended.

Think of held money in three groups: reasons for holds other than suspension

The balance on a suspended account can include not only funds held because of the suspension but also holds and reserves that arise in the course of normal trading. Splitting it into the following three groups makes it easier to understand how your balance is moving.

Group	Main reasons	How it appears on screen	What leads to release
(1) Holds from normal transactions	Delivery Date-based reserve, Amazon Business pay-by-invoice orders	Deferred transactions	Waiting for the days to pass or for the buyer to pay
(2) Account-level reserve	Unresolved guarantee claims, chargebacks within the past 90 days, metrics below target, the account being under review, etc.	"Account Level Reserve" (アカウントレベルの引当金) on the summary tab of the Payments report	Checking the status of the claims or review causing it and taking any necessary action
(3) Holds under the sales proceeds hold policy	Suspension, determinations of risk or fraud	Shown as an account-level reserve or similar, with the reason given in a Performance Notification	An appeal following the steps in the notification, a separate payment request, identity verification, etc.

The Delivery Date-based reserve in group (1) is a mechanism to cover buyers' refund requests, and Help sets the default at 7 days from the delivery date. For pay-by-invoice orders, an Amazon announcement states that from March 16, 2026, sellers can receive payment within 30 days of shipment.

Group (2) is an amount set aside to cover refunds, guarantee claims, chargebacks, and the like that the Delivery Date-based reserve does not cover, and more than one reason can apply at the same time. Regarding group (3), Amazon staff answering on the Seller Forums have explained that when an account is suspended, funds are held as an "account-level reserve" to settle returns, refunds, guarantee claims, unpaid fees, and so on. Because it can be hard to tell (2) and (3) apart from the screen alone, confirm the reason from the wording of your notification.

Also check for reasons payments stop that have nothing to do with the suspension

Help lists common reasons for delayed payments as reserves, missing or invalid bank account or credit card information, a negative or zero balance, holds under the funds hold policy, unconfirmed shipments, the account being under review, and pay-by-invoice orders. For your bank account, the things to check are typos, whether you entered debit card details by mistake, whether the country where the account is held is supported by the disbursement service, and whether the account has been closed.

On the forums, sellers have also reported a notification in which only payments were stopped, marked "temporarily under review," even though the account was not suspended, and another stating that the balance would be held until a notice of withdrawal was received because of a garnishment by a municipality (with instructions to contact the relevant municipality).

How to check your balance and the reason for the hold using screens and notifications

Before you submit a request or contact Amazon, get a clear picture of how much is held, why it is held, and what you are being asked to do.

STEP 1. Read the reason and next steps in your Performance Notifications

From the menu (the three lines in the upper left), open Performance (パフォーマンス) > Performance Notifications (パフォーマンス通知). Amazon staff advise checking for notifications with subject lines such as "Important information about your Amazon selling account" (Amazon出品用アカウントに関する重要なお知らせ) and "Amazon.co.jp balance status" (Amazon.co.jp 残高のステータス). Subject lines may differ, so starting with the most recent notification, write down the date, the reason, the unpaid balance, the steps you are being asked to take, any deadline, and the names of the policies referenced.

STEP 2. Review your overall balance in the Payments report

According to Help, you can open the Payments report from the Reports (レポート) tab > Payments (ペイメント) to see the beginning balance, the next scheduled transfer date, and the transfer amount, fees, and adjustments for each order, and you can also select a period and download it. In the new Seller Central, the Financial Overview (財務概要) shows your total balance split into "Available balance" and "Reserve."

STEP 3. Check the breakdown in Transactions

In Manage Transactions (トランザクションの管理), you can filter by deferred, released, and account-level reserve. Because the transaction report includes deferred transactions while the settlement report includes only released transactions, their totals and dates may not match. According to an Amazon announcement, the date range transaction report and summary report for the Japan store were updated in April 2026: for periods from January 1, 2025 onward, released transactions and transactions deferred under the Delivery Date-based reserve are combined in a single report, with a column showing whether each is deferred or released and the release date added.

STEP 4. Check your disbursement history and status

In Manage Disbursements (支払いの管理), you can see the disbursement date, status, trace ID, settlement ID, and more. Statuses include "Succeeded" (処理済み), "Initiated" (処理開始), "Failed" (処理失敗), and "Canceled" (処理キャンセル), and it can take up to 5 business days from completion of the transfer for the money to arrive in your account.

What you want to check	New Seller Central	Old Seller Central
Overall balance	Financial Overview	Payments Dashboard (ペイメントダッシュボード)
Breakdown by transaction and whether funds are held	Manage Transactions	Transaction View (トランザクション表示)
Disbursement history and status	Manage Disbursements	All Statements (過去の決済情報)
Downloading and reconciling reports	Revenue reconciliation (収益の照合), etc.	Reports Repository (レポートリポジトリ)

The mapping between the new and old screens is only a guide. Labels also vary (for example, 支払い管理 or 取引管理), so look for similar names.

STEP 5. Verify your registered information and keep records

Check your bank account, credit card, and the email address registered to your account. Save the screens you checked in a way that shows the date, and download the reports as well; this will help you reconcile the amounts you receive and support any inquiries. We also cover how to keep records of your inquiries in What to confirm with the payments team and how to record your inquiries.

Routes for requesting payment: reinstatement, identity verification, and payment review are separate procedures

"Account reinstatement," "identity verification," and "payment review" are not a single procedure. Amazon staff have explained on the forums that passing identity verification does not automatically release held funds, and that identity verification and payment review are separate processes.

Procedure	Main entry point	What is reviewed	Key points
Account reinstatement	Account Health (アカウント健全性) > Reactivate your selling account (出品用アカウントの再開)	The cause of the suspension and how it has been resolved or improved	Help says a response takes up to about 2 days (this is not an estimate of when the account will be reinstated)
Identity verification (video interview)	The link in your Performance Notification	That you are who you say you are, etc. (the details of what is checked are not officially explained)	Passing does not mean you will be paid automatically
Payment review	The steps in your notification, or (60 days after the hold date) disbursement-appeals@amazon.co.jp	Your identity, and whether there has been any deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity	You may be asked for documents related to identity, finances, and sourcing

Reports on the forums vary: some sellers were still told payment would not be disbursed after the interview, while others received their held funds after the interview but did not have their account reinstated. It's important not to infer the outcome of one procedure from the result of another. We explain how to proceed with a reinstatement request in The full picture from suspension to reinstatement request.

Route 1. Appeal using the steps in your notification

The policy states that appeals against a hold should be made following the steps in the notification or in Seller Central, and that if the hold is released, the funds will be paid according to the disbursement schedule. Amazon staff on the forums recommend confirming the cause stated in the notification and appealing according to the steps in the Performance Notification, and they have replied that if the cause cannot be resolved, the suspension or hold may not be lifted. The core of this route is preparing an explanation and supporting documents that address the reason in the notification (which policy and which products). Staff have also replied that once an account is reinstated, payment may be made on the normal payment cycle, but there are reports of holds remaining even after reinstatement, so keep checking how your balance is displayed.

Route 2. Submit a separate appeal 60 days after the hold date

If the hold is not lifted after an appeal, or if you do not file an appeal, you can contact disbursement-appeals@amazon.co.jp at any time after 60 days have passed since the date your sales proceeds were held and file a separate appeal to receive payment. The policy states that Amazon will verify your identity and evaluate the account for deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity before releasing the hold, and that in the process it may request additional documents or ask third parties or government agencies to verify information. However, there are also reports of sellers being told after this evaluation that payment would not be disbursed. If you only want to inquire about your balance, you can contact the same address at any time.

Replies from staff on the forums also include differing guidance on timing and addresses, such as "60 days from suspension," "after 90 days," and "a different address after 180 days." Check both what Help says and the notification you received, and if they conflict, follow the instructions in your notification.

What to check before sending, and what to do if you get no reply

• Send from your registered email address: There are multiple reports of sellers who emailed from an unregistered address and received a reply saying the address "is not the one registered to your Seller Central account."
• Move to the next channel after about two weeks: If you get no reply, contacting Account Health Support (アカウント健全性サポート) is recommended.
• Don't open duplicate cases: If you have already opened a case with the same content, the guidance is to add to the existing case rather than create a new one.
• If your email isn't accepted even from your registered address, explain it in a case: The suggested method is to open an email case from Help > Get support (サポートとリソースを利用する) > Selling on Amazon (Amazon出品サービス) > Account Health (アカウント健全性) > Account reinstatement (アカウントの復元), attaching the reply email and screenshots of any error screens (menu names may change).

Professional sellers can get a callback from an Account Health Specialist through "Contact us" (お問い合わせ; "Call me now," 今すぐ電話がほしい) on the Account Health page. Sellers who are not on the Professional plan are directed to use Help, the Seller Forums, and similar resources. For how to prepare before a call, see Preparing before you consult Account Health Support.

List the dates that start running from the suspension date

After a suspension, several deadlines run in parallel. The starting points and number of days can differ from notification to notification, so replace them with the dates in your own notification when tracking them.

Starting point	Approximate timeframe	What happens	Source
Date you are notified that removal is required	Within 30 days	Inventory may be disposed of if you give no instructions	Agreement
Date you send your payment request email	About 2 weeks	If there is no reply, contact Account Health Support	Staff guidance
Date your sales proceeds were held	After 60 days	You can file a separate appeal with disbursement-appeals	Help
Start of the hold	90 days as a rule	Extended if the risk or investigation continues; if fraud or similar is determined, held until confirmed	Help
Last sale date	90 days	Passing this date, along with a zero balance and other conditions, is required to close the account	Help

Sample payment request email

Below is a sample email for requesting payment after 60 days have passed since the hold date. It is a hypothetical example, not a real case, so adjust the dates, amounts, and store name to match your own notification and screens, and if your notification specifies a different procedure, follow that instead.

Subject: Regarding payment of held sales proceeds (Store name: XXXX)
My name is XXXX, and I sell on Amazon.co.jp. I am sending this email from the email address registered in Seller Central.
I was informed of a hold on my sales proceeds in a Performance Notification dated [Month Day, Year], and the balance shown in my Payments report is XX yen. As 60 days have passed since the hold date, I am filing an appeal to receive payment of my sales proceeds under the "Policy on the release of held sales proceeds." If any documents are needed for verification, I will submit them as instructed.

Keep a record of the date and time you sent it and its content, and if you receive a reply, continue in the same thread. Do not include information that hasn't been requested, such as your full bank account number.

Preparing for the video interview or video call (virtual identity verification)

There are many posts on the forums from sellers who, after requesting payment of their sales proceeds following a suspension, were asked to book a video review (virtual identity verification). However, we have not found any official Help page explaining the steps for this interview, so the following is based on sellers' reports and replies from Amazon staff.

The process as reported

1. Go to the identity verification URL given in your latest Performance Notification
2. Upload images of your ID and a statement showing transactions on your registered credit card (as reported)
3. Choose the interview language and book a date and time

We also cover cases where virtual identity verification is requested before a suspension in Preparing for additional virtual identity verification.

When you can't find a Japanese-language interview slot

There are repeated posts saying that selecting Japanese brings up the message "There are currently no available appointments to schedule." Amazon staff have suggested the following.

Situation	What Amazon staff suggest
No open Japanese-language slots appear	Check again at different times of day or on different days of the week (staff explain that Japanese slots are added regularly)
The booking page doesn't work properly	Clear your browser cache or try a different browser
You want to discuss your situation	(Professional sellers) Use "Call me now" on the Account Health dashboard
You haven't been able to book for a long time	Open a case to contact Seller Support or Technical Support, and share the case ID

Some posts say booking in English worked, but for the interview, choose a language in which you can describe your business accurately. Also keep a record of the dates and times you tried to book and the screens that appeared.

A "match check" before the interview

Document requirements are described in Help for identity verification at registration and for "Seller performance review" (出品者パフォーマンスの審査). We have not been able to confirm whether the same standards are used for post-suspension interviews, so while giving priority to what your notification specifies, cross-check the following points.

The questions asked in the interview are not officially explained. As general preparation, have the originals of the documents you submitted on hand, be ready to explain your address, name, business activities, and suppliers without any discrepancy with your documents, and check your camera, microphone, and internet connection. We explain how to cross-check additional documents in Preparing additional documents for identity verification.

What to check if the amount paid doesn't match or payment is declined

When less is paid than was held: how to read the difference

In response to sellers asking why only part of their held amount was paid, Amazon staff have explained that adjustments for guarantee claims, chargebacks, refunds, fees, and so on are applied to the balance held at the time of suspension and can account for the difference, and they note that even while suspended, you may be able to request a breakdown through Contact us.

Main causes of a difference	How to check
Returns and refunds, chargebacks	Check the refund amounts and adjustments for the relevant orders
A-to-z Guarantee claims	Match the claim results against the adjustments
Costs of inventory removal/disposal	See whether fees for removing or disposing of FBA inventory have been charged
Unpaid fees	Check the lines for referral fees and service fees

If your balance goes negative and isn't cleared by the next settlement, your registered credit card may be charged. In the example given in Help, refunding a 1,000-yen item in a category with a 15% referral fee results in a charge of 865 yen (1,000 yen + a 15-yen refund administration fee − the 150-yen referral fee). The Help page "Making payments" (支払いの実行) explains how to pay via "Pay negative balance" (マイナス残高を支払う) > "Pay Amazon" (Amazonへ支払う) on the Payments summary (partial payment is also possible), but a note at the top of the same page says the "page for repaying your balance is currently unavailable" and advises keeping your registered credit card information up to date so that unpaid balances can be charged automatically. Confirm the payment method on your screens and in your notifications.

When you're notified that payment will not be disbursed

In one notification reposted by a seller, Amazon states that it determined the account had been used for deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity or to violate its policies, gives the unpaid balance and the possibility of contacting disbursement-appeals@amazon.co.jp, and then closes with "we will not be disbursing payment." We have not been able to officially confirm whether declining to disburse is a final decision, or how the undisbursed sales proceeds are ultimately handled. If you receive a notification that payment will not be disbursed, check the following points.

• Whether your latest Performance Notification still offers any next steps, such as an identity verification link or an appeal
• Which policy or conduct is cited as the reason for not disbursing payment
• Whether the unpaid balance in the notification matches the balance in your Payments report
• Whether you have recorded the date, reason, and balance in the notification, along with the case IDs of your inquiries

When to consider consulting a professional: advisory services, the agreement, and taxes

Outside advisory services and what the agreement provides

The enforcement regulations of Japan's Act on Improving Transparency and Fairness of Specified Digital Platforms (the Transparency Act) designate "withholding of payment" to sellers as an action whose content and reasons must be disclosed by general online marketplaces for goods, a category that includes Amazon.co.jp. Whether a particular notification satisfies this requirement is a legal question. If your notification does not state a specific reason for the hold, save it and use it as material when you consult the advisory service below or a lawyer.

One public advisory service is the "Digital Platform Transaction Consultation Desk (for businesses using online marketplaces)" (デジタルプラットフォーム取引相談窓口（オンラインモール利用事業者向け）), operated by the Japan Direct Marketing Association (a public interest incorporated association) under contract with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. According to the desk's information, consultations are free and are accepted by phone (0120-088-004, weekdays 9:30–16:30) and through a web form (open 24 hours). It does not provide mediation or conciliation, and information about lawyers and fee subsidies is limited to one time, up to one hour, per business. Hours and other details may change, so check the desk's official website for the latest information before contacting it.

The BSA provides that it is governed by Japanese law and that disputes fall under the exclusive agreed jurisdiction of the Tokyo District Court or the Tokyo Summary Court, depending on the amount in dispute. Consult a lawyer to decide whether to pursue court proceedings or other action and what your prospects might be.

Consider tax treatment separately from whether you've been paid

For sole proprietors, Basic Circular on Income Tax 36-8(1) provides that revenue from the sale of inventory assets (excluding sales on approval and consignment sales) within business income is recognized on the date of delivery. For corporations, the treatment follows the rules for corporate tax. Even if payments have stopped, when to recognize sales can be a separate issue. Check with a tax accountant about how to treat amounts that have been held or not disbursed. We explain how to organize your records during a suspension in Handling accounting and organizing records during a suspension.

Other money to check during a suspension: FBA inventory, subscription fees, and account closure

Removing or disposing of FBA inventory

The FBA Service Terms provide that if you do not give instructions for return or disposal within 30 days (or within the period set by program policies) after Amazon notifies you that removal is required due to a suspension or other reason, Amazon may dispose of the inventory in question (referred to in the agreement as "unfulfillable units"). In some cases, such as when Amazon determines there is a risk of liability to third parties, it may dispose of the inventory immediately. From April 1, 2026, removal/disposal fees are charged for each item at the time it is removed. We have not been able to confirm whether you can create a removal order while suspended, and there are reports of storage fees continuing to accrue while sellers were unable to take action, so check your removal notification and screens early, and if you can't take action, contact Amazon through a case.

Professional plan monthly subscription fee

According to the FAQs in Help, the monthly subscription fee (4,900 yen according to Help) is not charged for any month in which the account is blocked or suspended. On the other hand, it is charged while the account is in vacation mode (休止モード). If a monthly subscription fee has been charged during your suspension, select the transaction type "Service Fees" (サービス料金) in Transactions and compare the date of the "Subscription Fee" (月額登録料) with the suspension period.

When and how to think about closing your account

According to Help, you cannot close your account within 90 days of your last sale (the guarantee claim period), or if your balance is not zero. After closure, you cannot log in, respond to refunds or guarantee claims, or reactivate the account. The steps before closure also include confirming in Performance Notifications that all suspension reasons have been resolved and that the account has been restored. How held balances are handled if you close your account while suspended has not been officially confirmed. If you are considering closure, confirm through a case how your balance will be handled before taking any action, record the answer, and then decide. Even after the agreement ends, the seller remains responsible for the obligations and liabilities from prior transactions. We walk through the steps in Preparing to close your seller account.

What not to do

Actions taken out of a desire to get paid quickly can end up delaying the process.

• Changing your bank account repeatedly: Under the agreement, registering or changing a bank account can defer disbursements by up to 14 days, and Help also advises avoiding updates just before a payment date because transfers cannot be initiated until 3 days have passed since the account information was updated. In one case, staff replied that frequent changes were the reason payments had stopped. Corrections are necessary if the account is closed or invalid, but make the change once, accurately.
• Changing your registered information one thing after another during a review: Help on "Seller performance review" states that changes to your address, bank account, or phone number, or deactivating a credit card, can trigger a review. If a change is necessary, first gather documents that match the updated information.
• Submitting requests from an unregistered email address, or opening multiple cases with the same content (see above)
• Submitting documents repeatedly in a short period: Help on reviews cautions against resubmitting before enough time has passed and against repeatedly sending inaccurate documents.
• Editing or altering documents: Reviews require genuine, unaltered documents, and under the policy, false information can itself be a reason for a hold to continue. If you don't have a document on hand, ask the issuer to reissue it.
• Closing your account without confirming how your balance will be handled (see above)
• Opening a new account and continuing to sell: The Seller Code of Conduct states that you may maintain only one account for each region where you sell, unless you have a legitimate business need to open a second account and all of your accounts are in good standing. Continuing to sell on a different account while you have a suspended account violates this code.
• Pursuing loans secured by held sales proceeds, or selling those receivables: From August 24, 2026, the BSA explicitly states that receivables such as sales proceeds cannot be assigned or pledged as collateral. Consult a professional about your cash flow.

Frequently asked questions

Q. My notification says my funds are "held." Does that mean I'll never get my sales proceeds back?

A. "Held" describes a state in which payment has been stopped, and how the funds are handled depends on the outcome of the review and the procedures you follow. However, there are cases where sellers were notified that payment would not be disbursed, so check the wording of your notification and your balance, and work through the steps you are asked to take.

Q. Why haven't I been paid even though 90 days have passed since the hold?

A. Under the policy, the hold is extended if the risk or investigation continues, and if fraud or similar is determined, funds are held "until it is confirmed that no such conduct took place." Because the passage of time alone won't necessarily change your situation, check the steps in your notification and the appeal available 60 days after the hold date.

Q. If I pass the video interview, will my sales proceeds be paid?

A. According to Amazon staff, identity verification and payment review are separate processes, and passing does not automatically release held funds. Keep checking your notifications and balance after the interview.

Q. Can I withdraw my sales proceeds with the usual "Request payment" even while suspended?

A. On-demand disbursement under normal circumstances (which lets you submit a request once every 24 hours) and an appeal requesting payment of held sales proceeds are separate procedures. We have not been able to confirm whether the request button can be used while suspended, so check the steps in your notification and the appeal available 60 days after the hold date, described above.

Summary

After a suspension, payment of your sales proceeds is first stopped as a "hold," and how the funds are handled then depends on the content of your notification and the outcome of the review.

• Split held money into three groups and confirm the reason from your notification
• Record the reason, balance, breakdown, and status using your Performance Notifications and the finance, transaction, and disbursement screens
• Reinstatement, identity verification, and payment review are separate procedures. Pursue the steps in your notification and the appeal available 60 days after the hold date, sending from your registered email address
• For the video interview, cross-check your documents against your registered information, and don't leave the booking unattended
• Check the settlement breakdown to understand any difference in the amount paid, and review the conditions for FBA inventory, subscription fees, and account closure as well

The wording of notifications differs from seller to seller. Work through each procedure one at a time, taking the instructions in the notification you received as your guide, and consult a professional if you need to consider legal or tax issues.

*This article provides a general explanation. The appropriate response in individual cases depends on the circumstances.

Further reading

Responding to Amazon misconduct warnings: preparing for additional virtual identity verification Read article → An Amazon seller account verification email: steps for identity verification Read article → Preparing additional documents for Amazon identity verification: matching evidence to the request Read article →