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# Batches overview
> Understand how a batch and its funds move from open to funded, and what each exception status means
A batch is a group of transactions processed and funded together. Every batch carries two separate status tracks: a batch status and a transfer status. The **batch status** reflects where the batch itself is in its lifecycle, and the **transfer status** reflects the movement of funds to your bank account. Use both together to tell whether a batch is progressing or needs your attention.
This page covers batch and transfer status only. For how these relate to the individual transaction and settlement statuses tracked on each payment, see [Pay in transaction lifecycle](/guides/pay-in-transactions-lifecycle-overview).
## Batch statuses
Batches, also called payment groups, are collections of transactions gathered together to be processed at one time. Transactions can be captured or canceled in a batch while the status is Open. When the status moves to Closed, the batch begins processing, and transactions can't be canceled or added to the batch.
Batch status is returned as `BatchStatus` when you query a batch. For example, the value `"BatchStatus": 3` means that the batch has been funded.
| Value | Key | Description |
| ---------------------- | --- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Open | 0 | Batch is open and can still be modified. |
| Closed | 1 | Batch has been closed and can't be modified further. It's been transmitted for processing. |
| Held | -5 | Batch funding is on hold because of fraud or risk concerns. |
| Transferred | 2 | The funds are being transferred to the merchant's bank account. |
| Funded (batch settled) | 3 | Batch funds are available in the merchant bank account. |
| Resolved | 4 | The batch has been manually resolved. |
A batch starts **Open** and collects transactions until it closes automatically at your paypoint's daily cutoff, either 5:00 PM ET by default or a custom time. See [Custom batch times](/guides/pay-in-batches-custom-times-overview) to set a different cutoff for your paypoint. Once **Closed**, transactions can no longer be added or canceled.
**Held** is the status worth understanding in more depth: Payabli places a batch on hold when its risk systems flag it for potential fraud or unusual activity, pending review.
There's no self-service way to release a held batch — Payabli reviews and releases it, and review time varies by case. Contact support if a batch stays held longer than you expect.
## Transfer statuses
Transfer status is the status of a payment to the merchant. Successful transactions are batched, and when those funds have been collected, Payabli transfers that amount to the merchant's bank account.
This status is returned as `TransferStatus` when you query a batch. For example, the value `"TransferStatus":1` means the transfer is in transit.
| Value | Key | Description |
| ----------------------------- | --- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Pending | 0 | Funds have been collected and the transfer to the merchant's bank account is pending. This can be due to weekends or bank holidays. The batch is still open. |
| In Transit | 1 | The batch is closed and the funds and transactions are being verified. At this point, transactions can still be returned or ACH transactions can get NSF responses. |
| Transferred | 2 | The final batch detail is complete and the funds are being transferred to the merchant's account. |
| Funded (transfer settled) | 3 | The funds have been deposited in the merchant's bank account. |
| Resolved | 4 | The transfer has been manually resolved. |
| Exception | -1 | There was an error in the transfer. |
| Pending by balance | -2 | The merchant doesn't have enough funds in their paypoint balance to transfer to the merchant's bank account. The transfer remains pending until the merchant has a sufficient balance to execute. |
| ACH Return (Merchant Deposit) | -4 | There was an issue depositing the funds in the merchant's account. |
Three transfer statuses indicate an exception rather than normal progress:
* **Exception** — the transfer failed, most often because of an invalid bank account on file, an amount that exceeds the merchant's limit, or insufficient funds.
* **Pending by Balance** — your paypoint balance doesn't have enough funds to cover the transfer. It resolves once the balance is sufficient, typically as new transactions build your available balance.
* **ACH Return (Merchant Deposit)** — the deposit into your bank account was returned, commonly because of a closed account or an incorrect account or routing number.
In rare cases a transfer can show as **Suspended**, a related state that isn't part of the standard status list above. Treat it the same as the other exceptions here.
Depending on the type of return, you may be able to resolve the problem automatically. If you need additional help, contact your support team to investigate further.
## How a batch moves through statuses
Most batches move through the same sequence:
Diagram: Batch status progression
A batch moves through five states in order, from open to funded:
1. Open
2. Closed
3. In Transit
4. Transferred
5. Funded
Timing can vary for the progression. A transfer that initiates over a weekend or bank holiday won't show as **Funded** until the next business day, so a batch that's still **In Transit** isn't necessarily delayed.
## Batch tagging by payment method
Each batch shows a tag indicating which payment method its transactions belong to: **Card**, **ACH**, **Cloud**, or **Multiple**. This tag reflects your paypoint's batch configuration, not an error state.
* **Card / ACH / Cloud** — the paypoint batches transactions separately by payment method.
* **Multiple** — the paypoint combines all payment methods into a single batch.
If you expect one behavior and see the other, your paypoint's batch configuration may not match your expectation. Contact your account team to review the setting.
## Related resources
See these related resources to help you get the most out of Payabli.
* **[Manage Pay In batches and funding (Portal)](/guides/pay-in-portal-batches-funding-manage)** - Report on and manage your batches in the Payabli Portal
- **[Pay in transaction lifecycle](/guides/pay-in-transactions-lifecycle-overview)** - Learn about the Pay In transaction lifecycle and its stages and statuses
- **[Custom batch times](/guides/pay-in-batches-custom-times-overview)** - Learn how to set a preferred batch cutoff time with the Custom Batch Time feature
- **[Manage Pay In transactions (Portal)](/guides/pay-in-portal-transactions-reports)** - Filter and export transaction data, and void, refund, and manage individual transactions in the Payabli Portal