A Zelle payment marked “pending review” may be on hold while your bank or credit union reviews it. The exact meaning and next steps depend on the institution handling the transaction: Bank of America, for example, says it cannot remove the hold or cancel an outgoing payment while its review is underway. Check the payment’s exact status and your bank’s alerts, then contact the institution for transaction-specific help.
What “pending review” means
“Pending review” can mean the financial institution has paused a payment for review. Bank of America documents this status for incoming and outgoing Zelle payments. Its published guidance says the hold stays in place during review; after a decision, the payment will either complete or fail. This is Bank of America’s explanation, not a universal definition for every bank or credit union.
The available official guidance does not establish one universal cause, trigger, or timeframe for a pending review. Bank of America does not say why an individual payment is selected or when a particular review will end. Your financial institution is the source for details about your transaction.
What to do next
- Check the exact status. Open the bank or credit union app or website you used to send or receive the payment. Review the transaction in payment activity; Zelle recommends checking there when a recipient has not received a payment. Zelle’s guidance on a recipient not receiving funds.
- Look for bank alerts or secure messages. Check your institution’s alerts and message center for an instruction or request. Bank of America specifically tells customers with a pending-review payment to check Message Center alerts. Bank of America’s Zelle FAQs.
- Contact the institution handling the transaction. Banks and credit unions handle payment-related issues for customers using Zelle through their banking service. Use the support details in your banking app or call the number on your debit card. Zelle support contact guidance.
- If it is pending because the recipient has not enrolled, confirm the contact detail. The recipient must enroll the same email address or U.S. mobile number you used to send the payment. This step applies to a pending-acceptance situation, not necessarily to a review hold.
- Report unauthorized or scam-related payments. If someone made the payment without your permission, report it to your financial institution. If you knowingly sent money after being deceived, report the scam and ask the institution what reimbursement options may apply.
How pending review differs from other Zelle statuses
| Status or situation | What it can mean | What to do | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pending acceptance; recipient not enrolled | The recipient has not enrolled the email address or U.S. mobile number used for the payment. | Ask the recipient to enroll that same contact detail. If the payment remains unaccepted, it expires after 14 days and the funds are returned. | You may cancel while the recipient has not enrolled. Zelle’s cancellation guidance. |
| Pending review | For Bank of America, the bank is holding an incoming or outgoing payment for review. | Check bank alerts and contact the institution for payment-specific information. | Bank of America says the hold cannot be removed during review and an outgoing payment cannot be canceled during review. |
| Marked paid, but recipient has not received it | The recipient’s financial institution may be delaying the payment after it is marked paid. | The recipient should contact their own institution for a status update. Bank of America’s Zelle FAQs. | Not stated in the cited guidance for this situation. |
Can you cancel a payment under review?
Do not assume a payment under review can be canceled. Bank of America says its outgoing payment cannot be canceled during review and that the hold cannot be removed while the review is underway. Cancellation guidance for an unaccepted payment is different: Zelle says cancellation is available only while the recipient has not enrolled. Check your actual status and ask your institution before taking action.
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If the payment involved fraud or a scam
Zelle distinguishes an unauthorized payment—someone accessed your account and sent money without permission—from a scam, where you were deceived into knowingly sending the payment. Report either situation to your financial institution and ask what options apply. Some impostor scams may qualify for reimbursement, but general guidance does not guarantee eligibility. Zelle’s guidance for scam victims.
Zelle says payments to enrolled recipients typically arrive within minutes and generally cannot be canceled or reversed once sent. It recommends sending money only to people you know and trust. Zelle’s guidance on a recipient not receiving funds.
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