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Why is my Stripe Payout negative?

A quick guide to negative payouts and your Stripe balance

Why is my Stripe payout negative?

A negative payout can be confusing, but it doesn’t mean that something is wrong with your account. It usually happens when deductions in a given period are higher than the revenue being paid out.

Below we explain the most common reasons and what to do next.



What is a negative payout?

Stripe calculates payouts as: 

  • Money in (transaction charges)

    Mnus

  • Money out (refunds, fees, adjustments)

If the deductions are greater than the charges in that payout period, the result is a negative payout. Stripe will carry this balance forward and offset it against future earnings.

 

No funds are taken from your bank account.

Common reasons for a negative payout;


1. Refunds from earlier orders

Refunds are processed immediately when issued, but the deduction may appear in a later payout.

This means: 

  • You can see a negative payout even if current orders look healthy

  • Refunds may relate to orders from previous days or weeks

 

2. Platform or minimum fees

If your account includes:

  • Monthly platform fees

  • Minimum fees for low-volume locations

  • Other recurring charges

These are deducted regardless of order volume. If order revenue is low in that period, fees can outweigh earnings.

 

3. Courier-related charges (e.g. waiting time)

Some courier charges are:

  • Aggregated

  • Billed separately from individual orders

  • Applied as lump-sum adjustments

These may not appear in order-level reports but are deducted from payouts.



4. Stripe reserves or account adjustments

Stripe may temporarily hold or deduct funds due to:

  • Account verification requirements

  • Risk reviews

  • Disputes or chargebacks

In these cases, Stripe will show the adjustment in your payout activity.

 

5. Timing differences

Payouts are based on when charges and deductions are processed, not necessarily when orders were placed.

This can happen when:

  • Invoices are issued late after the service period has ended

  • Fees are backdated

  • A payout period includes partial data due to processing delays

     

    What happens next?

    • The negative amount is carried forward
    • Future payouts will be used to offset the balance
    • No action is required in most cases
    • If a negative payout fails due to insufficient balance, you may need to add funds to your bank account unless your upcoming payouts are sufficient to cover the amount

     

    How to check the details

    To see exactly what caused the negative payout:

    Log in to your Slerp Space

    Go to Settings → Accounts and Billing → Payouts

    Click into the affected payout

    Review the breakdown of charges, refunds, and adjustments




    When should I contact support?

    Please contact us if:

    • The negative payout persists across multiple periods

    •  You believe a charge has been applied incorrectly

    • Stripe is showing a restriction or paused payout

    We’re happy to help review this with you.