Resolve a payment with an unknown outcome

Outpost never charges twice to find out whether a payment worked. When a processor does not answer, the attempt stays in progress and Outpost keeps asking the processor about it. This page covers what to do when an attempt stays unconfirmed, and how to check the updates processors send.

A payment shows No answer from the processor yet

What it means. Outpost sent the charge and the processor’s answer did not arrive, for example because the connection dropped. The money may or may not have moved. Outpost asks the processor about the attempt again every 15 minutes, and most attempts settle on their own.

What to do.

1. Wait at least 15 minutes after the attempt started.
2. Look the payment up in the processor’s dashboard.
3. If it is still unconfirmed in Outpost, select Resolve on the attempt.
4. Under What the processor shows, choose It was paid. Record the payment on this invoice. or It did not go through. Mark this attempt failed.
5. In Note, say what you checked. The note is kept in the audit log.
6. Select Resolve.

Outpost asks the processor once more before taking your word. If the processor now gives a definite answer, that answer is applied instead of yours, and the console shows what was applied.

Resolving needs psa:payments.

Note

QuickBooks Payments cannot be asked about a payment by its reference. An attempt that timed out on a QuickBooks provider always needs resolving by hand.

A provider shows No webhook secret is stored

What it means. The processor’s updates are refused, because Outpost cannot check their signature. Payments still settle when Outpost asks the processor on its own, but later than they would otherwise.

What to do. Copy the signing secret from the processor’s webhook settings into the provider. See Send payment updates to Outpost.

Check the updates a processor sent

Client billing > Payment events lists the updates processors have sent to Outpost. Narrow it by Provider and State. A failed event shows its last error. Reading it needs psa:payments.

Every update’s signature is checked before anything is recorded. An update only tells Outpost to ask the processor for the payment’s current state, so a repeated or replayed update changes nothing.

A client paid twice

What it means. Money arrived after the invoice was already settled, for example a pay link payment and a payment recorded by hand. Outpost records money that arrives and never refuses it. The extra shows on the attempt as an amount over the balance, refund it.

What to do. Refund the overpayment. See Refund a payment.

Related

• Client payments
• Send pay links and charge saved methods