Balance & Settlement
Balance & Settlement
PayCools uses different account amounts to show whether funds are currently available, being processed, or restricted by margin requirements. After collection is completed, funds move from the in-transit amount to the available balance through settlement.
Account Amounts
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Balance Available | Funds available for payouts, including withdrawable transaction income, top-ups, and transfer income. |
| Balance Withdrawable | The portion of the available balance that can be withdrawn; it includes only merchant transaction collection income. Other funds can be used only for payouts and transfers and are deducted first when making payouts or transfers. |
| Amount In Transit | Funds being processed or awaiting settlement, including top-ups and withdrawals in progress and non-D0 acquiring funds that have not yet settled. |
| Frozen Amount | Merchant funds frozen for risk control or other reasons. Frozen funds cannot be used for transactions and return to the available balance after unfreezing. |
| ADB (Average Daily Balance) | A security deposit the merchant must maintain to cover disputes, chargebacks, and risk. These funds are frozen and cannot be used directly for transactions; they become available after release. |
Settlement Time
Settlement time is the time required for collected funds to move from the in-transit amount to the PayCools available balance. It varies by payment method. For example, if a customer completes a 100 PHP card payment in the Philippines on Monday, the funds first enter the in-transit balance. If that payment method settles on a T+1 business-day basis and there are no public holidays, the funds settle to the PayCools available balance on Tuesday.
Definition of a Day
Two definitions of a day affect settlement and withdrawal timing:
- Calendar day: Includes all dates, including weekends and holidays.
- Business day: Includes only business days, usually Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.
For example, a transaction created on Saturday may have different settlement cycles depending on the definition:
- With calendar days, Saturday is day 0.
- With business days, the following Monday is day 0.
Settlement Time by Payment Method
Because of underlying bank processing mechanisms and refund or void risk, some bank debit payments may settle more slowly than card payments. The following are general examples only; the actual settlement time depends on the payment methods enabled for your account and the applicable settlement arrangements.
| Payment Method | Settlement Cycle |
|---|---|
| GCash | T+1 |
| GrabPay | T+1 |
| InstaPay | Real time |
You can configure a balance alert threshold in the Merchant Dashboard. When the available balance falls below the threshold, PayCools sends an email alert so you can top up in time and manage cash flow.
Balance Management Recommendations
- Regularly review the available balance, withdrawable balance, in-transit amount, frozen amount, and ADB under Financials → Balance.
- Keep sufficient available balance for refunds, disputes, payouts, and fee deductions to avoid restrictions on fund operations.
- Before scheduling a withdrawal or payout, confirm that funds have settled and consider the impact of holidays on arrival time.
- If you need faster access to acquiring funds, contact PayCools to ask whether the relevant payment method supports D0 settlement.