When a client's payment doesn't go through, Ignition shows a short message explaining why. Most of these are quick to resolve. Often your client just needs to make a small change on their side, and then you can try the payment again.
This article lists the messages you might see, what each one means, and what to do.
Pro-tip: Use your browser's search function (Cmd/Ctrl + F) to jump to the exact wording you're seeing on this page!
How to read a payment error message
When a payment doesn't succeed, you'll usually see a message that begins with "Payment collection rejected", followed by the reason. Some messages also include a short code in the background (for example do_not_honor or insufficient_funds) — we've noted these next to each message below so you can match them up.
Note: The message sometimes uses the word "card" even when your client paid from a bank account. If your client used a bank account, just read "card" as "payment method".
How to try a payment again
For most of the fixes below, once the issue is sorted you'll retry the payment the same way:
Open the client and find the affected invoice or payment.
Select 3 Dots → Cancel payment.
Select Reschedule payment and choose a new date
Let your client know a new attempt is coming, so they can make sure their payment method is ready.
Card payment declines
Most card declines come directly from your client's bank, not from Ignition. When a bank declines a card, it sends back a reason, and we show it to you along with a code. In almost every case, the fastest fix is for your client to contact their bank or try a different card.
"Insufficient funds" (insufficient_funds)
What it means: There wasn't enough money on the card or in the account when the payment ran.
What to do: Ask your client to make sure funds are available, then reschedule the payment. This is the most common reason a payment fails, and it usually succeeds on the next attempt.
"Your card was declined" with no further detail (do_not_honor)
What it means: The bank declined the payment but didn't tell us why. This is one of the most common card declines, and unfortunately it's also the vaguest — only the client's bank knows the specific reason.
What to do: Ask your client to contact their bank to find out why the card was declined, or to try a different card. There's nothing that can be changed in Ignition to resolve this one.
Card details look wrong (expired_card, invalid_cvc, invalid_expiry_month, invalid_expiry_year)
What it means: The card has expired, or the expiry date or security code (CVC) entered doesn't match the card.
What to do: Ask your client to re-enter their card details carefully, or add a current card, then reschedule the payment.
Card can't be used for this payment (restricted_card, not_permitted, invalid_authorization)
What it means: The bank won't allow this particular card to be used for this type of payment — for example, some cards are restricted from recurring or online payments.
What to do: Ask your client to use a different card, or to contact their bank to allow the payment. Then reschedule.
Payment flagged as fraudulent (fraudulent)
What it means: The bank flagged the payment as suspicious and blocked it. This doesn't mean anything is wrong on your side.
What to do: Ask your client to contact their bank to confirm the payment is legitimate, then try again — or use a different card.
Extra verification needed (authentication_required)
What it means: The bank wants the cardholder to confirm the payment (for example, with a one-time code or banking-app approval) before it will go through.
What to do: Ask your client to complete the verification with their bank, then reschedule the payment.
One exception — Apple Pay cards: If the card was added through Apple Pay, you may see a message that 3D Secure verification is required but can't be completed. Cards added via Apple Pay can't complete this step, so your client will need to add a standard card instead.
Other card messages
If you see a card message that isn't listed above, it likely it has come straight from the bank. The wording usually explains the issue, and the fix is almost always one of: ask your client to contact their bank, or try a different card.
Stripe (our payments partner) keeps a full reference of card decline codes here: Stripe decline codes.
Bank account & Direct Debit rejections
These apply when your client pays from a bank account. Most are resolved by a small change on your client's side, after which you can try the payment again.
Not enough funds
What it means: There wasn't enough money in the account when the payment ran.
What to do: Ask your client to make sure the funds are available, then reschedule the payment.
"Direct Debit has been cancelled by the account holder" (payment_intent_mandate_invalid)
What it means: The Direct Debit authorization (the permission your client gave to debit their account) was cancelled — either by your client or by their bank.
What to do: Your client will need to re-authorize the Direct Debit. Ask them to add their bank account as a payment method again so a fresh authorization is set up, then reschedule the payment.
Bank account details rejected (invalid_routing_number)
What it means: The bank rejected the routing or branch number entered for the account.
What to do: Ask your client to double-check their bank account details against a recent statement and re-enter them. See Entering bank account details correctly below for the most common slip-ups.
Bank account is restricted or can't be used (bank_account_restricted, bank_account_unusable)
What it means: The bank has flagged the account as not usable for Direct Debit, or it can no longer be used for automatic payments.
What to do: Ask your client to use a different bank account or payment method, then reschedule.
"A temporary error occurred whilst trying to collect this payment" (lock_timeout)
What it means: A temporary hiccup happened while the payment was being collected. Nothing is wrong with the account.
What to do: Simply reschedule the payment collection — it should go through on the next attempt.
Payment blocked/not authorized by the client's bank (common with business accounts)
What it means: Many business bank accounts automatically block payments from companies they haven't pre-approved.
What to do: Your client can ask their bank to approve our payments partner's IDs so future payments are allowed through.
Please note: If you are based in the US and use ACH (bank payments), see this article here for the ID's you'll need to ask your clients to share with their bank.
"You've exceeded your weekly ACH volume limit."
What it means: This is a limit on our side, not a problem with your client's bank account.
What to do: There's nothing your client needs to do. Contact us and we'll sort the limit out and you can try to collect the affected payments again.
Account verification not complete
What it means: Some bank accounts are verified with a small test deposit and a short code. Until that's done, payments can't be collected.
What to do: Ask your client to complete verification using the most recent deposit and enter the code exactly as shown. If it still won't verify, delete and re-add the payment method to start verification again.
Entering bank account details correctly
A surprising number of bank payment failures come down to a small typo when the account is added. A few things to check:
The routing number and account number must be digits only — no spaces, letters or symbols.
For New Zealand accounts,
If you've written a 15 digit number, you're generally fine.
If you've written a 16 digit number, make sure the third-to-last digit is zero (e.g.XX-XXXX-XXXXXXX-0XX). If there is not a zero there, then the number was likely entered incorrectly.
For a full walkthrough of the NZ format, see our New Zealand Direct Debit article.
If the details look correct but the payment still won't go through, ask your client to confirm the numbers against their bank statement, then re-enter them.
Messages about your Ignition Payments setup
A few messages point to your own Ignition Payments setup rather than your client's account:
"Unable to collect payment. Finish setting up payments then try again." (insufficient_capabilities_for_transfer)
What it means: Your Ignition Payments setup isn't fully complete, so payments can't be collected yet.
What to do: Finish your payments onboarding in Settings → Payments, then reschedule the payment. If you're not sure what's outstanding, contact us and we'll point you to the remaining step.
Quick reference
The message you see | What it usually means | What to do |
Insufficient funds | Not enough money in the account | Ask client to add funds, then reschedule |
"Card declined" with no detail (do_not_honor) | Bank declined without a reason | Client contacts their bank or tries another card |
Expired card / invalid CVC / invalid expiry | Card details are wrong or out of date | Re-enter details or add a current card |
Restricted / not permitted card | Card not allowed for this payment | Use a different card or ask the bank to allow it |
Fraudulent | Bank flagged the payment as suspicious | Client confirms with their bank, then retry |
Authentication required | Bank needs the cardholder to verify | Client completes verification, then reschedule |
Direct Debit cancelled by account holder | Direct Debit authorization was cancelled | Client re-adds their bank account, then reschedule |
Bank account details rejected | Routing/account details couldn't be accepted | Re-check and re-enter the details |
Bank account restricted / unusable | Account can't be used for Direct Debit | Use a different bank account or method |
Temporary error during collection | A temporary processing hiccup | Reschedule the payment |
Blocked by the client's bank (ACH) | Business bank blocks unapproved payments | See the ACH block article for the IDs to share |
Weekly ACH volume limit | A limit on our side | No client action. Contact us and we can help resolve. |
"Finish setting up payments" | Your payments setup is incomplete | Complete setup in Settings → Payments |
Still need a hand?
If you've followed the steps above and the payment still won't go through, email us at help@ignitionapp.com with the client's name, the invoice, and the exact message you're seeing. That message tells us what's going on and we can provide more specific assistance.