An Amazon account level reserve is money from your seller balance that Amazon holds back to cover what it calls “financial obligations, such as refunds, claims, or chargebacks not covered by Delivery date-based reserve policies.” Amazon’s help page lists five common reasons for it: open A-to-z Guarantee claims, chargebacks, seller performance below benchmarks, an account under review, and income tax withholding. Claim and chargeback reserves are released after they are processed; Amazon publishes no release timeline for the other three reasons and no percentage or formula for how much it holds (checked 2026-09-15).
The part most sellers miss: the routine DD+7 hold on every order is no longer labeled an account level reserve. Amazon now shows it as Deferred transactions, so a balance you cannot withdraw can sit in either of two places for different reasons.
Source note: every rule below comes from public Seller Central help pages for the United States store, read on 2026-09-15: What is account level reserve?, Payments based on delivery date, Deferred transactions, When will I be paid?, Why didn’t I get paid?, Funds disbursement eligibility policy and Close your seller account. Other stores may differ. Nothing here describes a logged-in Seller Central screen beyond what those help pages state.
Account Level Reserve vs. Deferred Transactions (DD+7)
Amazon’s account level reserve page answers this in its FAQ: “Delivery-date based reserves are now shown as deferred transactions.” Its deferred transactions page explains the history: “Previously, sales proceeds withheld through delivery date-based reserves appeared as a lump sum amount Account-Level Reserves on your Payments Dashboard.” So any older material that calls the routine delivery hold an account level reserve is using the previous label.
| Deferred transactions (delivery date-based reserve) | Account level reserve | |
|---|---|---|
| Applies to | Standard customer orders, which Amazon says are “typically subject to” the policy | Specific account conditions only |
| Trigger | Each order is held until delivery plus the reserve period | Claims, chargebacks, performance, review, tax |
| Standard length | Delivery date + 7 days (“DD+7”) | Not published; tied to the reason |
| Where Amazon says it appears | Transaction view, filtered by Deferred transactions | Account level reserve section of the Statement View tab |
Amazon defines the first bucket this way: “A deferred transaction is one where you have earned the amount, but it is not yet available for payout.” Order-linked fees move with it. Amazon states that “Fees that are part of a customer order (such as Referral Fees and FBA Fulfillment Fees) are deferred along with the order payment and will be charged when the payment for the transaction is released” (checked 2026-09-15).
One more name collision: FBA reserved inventory is a stock status for units held out of your Available quantity. It has nothing to do with money. An account level reserve is a cash hold; Reserved is an inventory bucket.
The Five Reasons Amazon Lists for an Account Level Reserve
Amazon opens its help page by calling the reserve “a normal part of selling on Amazon” and then lists five common reasons. Each one below uses Amazon’s own heading.
1. You have open A-to-z Guarantee claims
“When an A-to-z Guarantee claim is filed, the claim amount will be reserved until the claim is resolved. Some claims can take up to 14 days or longer to resolve, but the reserve will be released after the claims are processed.” The amount held is the claim amount, not a share of your balance. How to respond to a claim, and what each claim type needs as evidence, is covered in the A-to-z Guarantee claims response framework.
2. One or more of your orders has received a chargeback
“Money might be reserved if your account has any chargebacks from transactions in the last 90 days. The reserve will be released after the chargebacks are processed.” Amazon links its chargebacks help page as one of the ways to release funds faster (checked 2026-09-15).
3. Your seller performance has fallen below our benchmarks
Amazon’s reasoning is stated directly: “Lower metrics frequently indicate a higher likelihood of claims, chargebacks, and returns.” The page points sellers to the Account Health dashboard. The metrics and score bands behind that dashboard are explained in the Account Health Rating guide. Amazon does not publish which metric level triggers a reserve or how long this type lasts.
4. Your account is under review
Amazon says it might reserve funds “if we notice an unexpected change in your sales or account activity, or if you are a new seller with estimated delivery times that are longer than your settlement period.” An unexpected change in sales and a new account with long delivery estimates are therefore both named triggers. No release timeline is published for this reason.
5. Local regulations require us to withhold income tax from you (varies by store)
Amazon states that money might be reserved depending on your tax registration status and its own obligation to withhold and pay income tax on your sales. The page gives no rates or thresholds.
These reasons can stack. Amazon’s worked example: a $40 order with a chargeback plus a $20 order with an open A-to-z claim gives a total account level reserve of $60 (checked 2026-09-15).
How the Reserve Amount Is Set: What Amazon Publishes and What It Doesn’t
For the two claim-based reasons, the amount is visible in Amazon’s own example: the reserve equals the amounts of the affected orders, added together. For performance, account review and tax, Amazon has not published a calculation formula. None of the seven Seller Central help pages read for this guide (checked 2026-09-15) gives a percentage of sales, a minimum or maximum amount, or a fixed number of days for those three reasons.
Percentages and day ranges that appear in search snippets and third-party articles are not on Amazon’s help pages. Treat any such figure as someone else’s estimate, not a rule.
The delivery date-based reserve is the one with a published default. Amazon states: “Funds are reserved until a shipment is delivered, plus a reserve period.” The standard period is 7 days after the delivery date. Amazon adds: “Your reserve period may be extended following an assessment of your overall risk and historical performance.” No maximum extension is published.
The delivery date itself depends on tracking. Amazon’s wording: “When you use an integrated shipping carrier, we will use the actual delivery date of the order. In the absence of valid tracking data, we will use the latest estimated delivery date (EDD).” Missing tracking therefore pushes the release date to the latest estimate rather than the real delivery (checked 2026-09-15).
Where to See It in Your Payments Reports
Amazon’s help pages point to four places. Each shows a different slice, which explains why the numbers rarely match.
- Statement View tab. The account level reserve page says reserved funds appear “in the Account level reserve section of the Statement View tab on your Payments report.”
- Transaction view. Filter by Deferred transactions to see each order held under the delivery date policy, its deferral reason and its estimated release date. Amazon’s deferred transactions page says the Deferred transactions entry on the Payments dashboard opens the same list.
- Transaction Report (Reports Repository). Includes both deferred and released transactions by posted date, with Transaction Status and Transaction Release Date columns. Amazon says you “no longer need to download a separate Deferred Transactions report.”
- All Statements. Cash actually paid out. Amazon states: “Statements only reflects transactions that were released and included in payout during a settlement period. Deferred transactions are not included.”
That split is why a strong sales week can produce a small payout. Amazon warns that for any settlement period under a delivery date-based reserve, “Actual sales for the period may be significantly higher than what is shown.” If your bookkeeping tool reads settlements only, deferred orders will look missing until they release; the Amazon accounting software comparison covers how tools handle settlement data.
When the Money Is Released
Release depends entirely on which hold you are under. The table below uses only what Amazon’s help pages state (checked 2026-09-15).
| Hold | What Amazon says releases it |
|---|---|
| Delivery date-based reserve (DD+7) | Delivery date plus the reserve period; standard is 7 days. Amazon’s example: sold January 1, delivered January 6, funds “available for disbursement starting on January 14” |
| Open A-to-z Guarantee claim | After the claim is processed; some claims take “up to 14 days or longer” |
| Chargeback | After the chargebacks are processed |
| Performance below benchmarks | Not published |
| Account under review | Not published |
| Income tax withholding | Not published |
| Amazon Business invoiced order (deferred) | After the buyer pays the invoice, which “typically occurs within 30-45 days after the order date” |
Two timing facts sit after the release itself. Amazon says “It can take up to five business days for your money to appear in your bank account after we initiate payment.” And when you add or update bank account details, “a mandatory three-day security hold takes effect before we can initiate a funds transfer.”
New sellers should expect the full balance to look held at first. Amazon’s delivery date page says that if the policy was just applied or you have just started selling, “it is normal for all of your funds to be held in reserve.”
What Amazon Says Speeds Up Payment
Amazon’s help pages list these actions, and nothing more specific. None of the pages read for this guide describes a way to opt out of either reserve.
- Respond to A-to-z Guarantee claim notifications and handle chargebacks quickly, since both reserves release only after processing.
- Ship promptly and confirm shipment in Manage Orders.
- Provide valid tracking numbers and use an integrated carrier. Amazon notes the actual delivery date is typically earlier than the latest estimated delivery date.
- Choose faster delivery.
- Keep bank account and credit card details current in Account Settings.
- Maintain performance standards under the Account Health Rating program.
- Check Express Payout eligibility. Amazon’s page says to “See if you are eligible for Express payout to receive transfers within twenty-four hours.”
That line is about transfer speed. None of the pages read here says Express Payout releases deferred or reserved funds early.
When It Is Not a Reserve: Funds Withheld After Deactivation
Money held after an account is deactivated falls under a different policy, the Funds disbursement eligibility policy. Amazon states that if it deactivates an account under Section 3 of the Business Solutions Agreement and finds risk, it “may withhold any funds that may be in your account.” If the appeal succeeds, funds are released on the normal schedule. Otherwise, a seller can appeal for withheld funds by emailing [email protected] “at any point after 60 days from the date when your account was deactivated” (checked 2026-09-15).
That process is part of the suspension appeal Plan of Action, not the reserve system. Proposed legislation that would cap how long platforms can hold seller funds is tracked in the Online Sellers’ Bill of Rights guide; it is a bill, not current policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an account level reserve a penalty?
Not by itself. Amazon describes it as “a normal part of selling on Amazon” and ties most reasons to specific open items such as claims and chargebacks. A reserve under the performance reason does signal that your metrics need attention (checked 2026-09-15).
How long does an Amazon account level reserve last?
It depends on the reason. Claim and chargeback reserves release after processing, and Amazon says some claims take up to 14 days or longer. Amazon publishes no duration for performance, account review or tax reserves. The routine DD+7 hold is a separate deferred transaction (checked 2026-09-15).
What percentage of my balance can Amazon reserve?
Amazon’s help pages do not publish a percentage or formula. The only worked example is additive: the reserve equals the affected order amounts combined. Any specific percentage range you see online is a third-party estimate (checked 2026-09-15).
Can I close my account to get the reserved money out?
Not immediately. Amazon states: “Accounts cannot be closed within 90 days of your last sale.” It also requires open A-to-z claims to be settled and says “Your account balance must be zero before your account can be closed” (checked 2026-09-15).
Conclusion
An unwithdrawable balance on Amazon is usually one of two things. If it shows as Deferred transactions, it is the DD+7 delivery date reserve and will release order by order. If it shows as an account level reserve, find which of Amazon’s five reasons applies, since each has its own release trigger. Clear claims and chargebacks first. Keep tracking valid, and read your Account Health dashboard if neither explains the hold.