Bank (ACH) payments take a few business days to clear, so a payment can fail days after it shows Processing. This guide shows where to find the reason, how to fix the most common causes, and how to charge the payment again.
Before you start
Your school needs bank transfers set up. See Accept Bank Account (ACH) Payments.
You need access to Payments and member profiles. See Staff Permissions: What Each Access Control Setting Covers.
If your school uses a payment PIN, NextKick asks for it when you open Transaction Errors. See How to Lock Payment Pages with a 4-Digit PIN.
How a failed bank payment works
A bank payment shows Processing first, then Paid once the bank confirms it. It can still fail while it's Processing.
NextKick doesn't retry a failed bank payment on its own, because each failed attempt can cost a fee. Card payments are retried; bank payments aren't.
The membership stays active.
The family gets an email, a text and a push notification with a payment update link.
NextKick emails your school and sends a push notification about each failed payment. If your bank payments are processed by Bluu, Bluu emails you too.
Step 1: Find the failed payment and the reason
In the left sidebar, click Payments → Transaction Errors.
Use Search Member to find the student.
Check the Error Reason and Error Date.
You can also spot failed payments from the "!" next to a student's name in Accounts → Profiles, or in Home → Overdue Invoices.
Step 2: Match the reason to the fix
For bank payments, the Error Reason is often your payment processor's own wording, so it may not match the examples below exactly. Pick the closest row.
What you see | What it means | What to do |
Invalid bank account information. or Invalid routing number. | The account or routing number on file is wrong. | Ask the family to enter the account again with a payment update link (Step 3). |
The account doesn't have enough money | There weren't enough funds when the bank processed the payment. | Ask the family to add funds, then charge the payment again (Step 4). |
The bank can't find the account, or the account is closed | The numbers are wrong, the account was closed, or the bank blocks automatic withdrawals from it. | Ask the family to check with their bank. They may need to allow withdrawals from your school, or use another account. |
The bank declined or stopped the payment | The family's bank blocked it, or the family asked their bank to stop it. | Ask the family to call their bank and allow payments from your school. |
Payments worked for months, then started failing | The account holder name may contain special characters, such as a hyphen or an apostrophe. | Edit the name in Payment Info: click ⋮ next to the bank account, then Edit. Use letters and spaces only. |
Step 3: Update the bank account
Recommended: send a payment update link. The family enters their own bank details, and their autopay switches to the new account automatically.
Go to Accounts → Profiles and open the student.
Click Payment Info.
Click Share payment update link. Or click Payment Update URL to copy the link and send it yourself, for example by text.
If you add the bank account yourself with Add new bank account, it may need to be verified before it can be charged. Then make it the default and apply it to the student's memberships. See Step 4 of How to Fix a Failed Payment.
If the account number was entered wrong: only the account holder's details can be edited on a saved bank account. Add the correct account first and apply it to the memberships, then delete the wrong one (⋮ → Delete).
Step 4: Charge the payment again
Check with the family that the account is fixed and has enough funds.
Go to Home → Overdue Invoices, or open the student's Invoices tab.
Click the invoice, then click Pay Now.
The payment shows Processing for a few business days, then Paid. If it fails again, it appears in Transaction Errors again.
Let families pay by bank account in the app
If families can't choose a bank account in the student app or on a payment screen, check two settings in Settings → Payments → Payment Settings:
Student payment method registration: turn on ACH. When it's off, families can't add a bank account in the student app.
Payment methods by revenue type: check ACH for each revenue type that families should be able to pay by bank, such as Membership or Event.
FAQ
Can I refund a bank payment that's still Processing?
Yes, starting 24 hours after the payment started. Open the invoice and click Refund in its Transaction History, even while the payment shows Processing. If your bank payments are processed by Stripe, Stripe sends the refund once the original payment goes through. If they're processed by Bluu, only full refunds are possible. The refund usually reaches the family in 5 to 10 business days. See How to Refund or Void an Invoice in NextKick.
Why doesn't NextKick retry failed bank payments like it does cards?
Your payment processor charges a fee for each failed bank payment. Retrying an account that has no funds would add more fees, so you charge it again yourself once the family confirms.
Does a failed bank payment make the membership inactive?
No. The membership stays active, and the next payment is charged on its usual date. Collect the failed one with Pay Now (Step 4).