Your Square account is deactivated.

• 1. Save the notice. Sign in through a bookmark or the app you already use. Record the date, any case or reference ID, the exact wording, and whether processing, refunds, and transfers still work.
• 2. Confirm eligibility. Use the appeal only if the deactivation email, the dashboard banner, or the Square POS app offers one. If no appeal path is shown, do not invent one.
• 3. Record the money. Note the Square balance, any reserve shown to the account owner, pending transfers, and the bank on file. Redact full account numbers in your own notes.
• 4. Name the restriction from the words on the notice. An eligible deactivation, an information or verification request, a deactivation with no appeal path, a reserve while card processing continues, a missing or delayed transfer, or a chargeback spike. Do not treat them as one upload.
• 5. Stop the extras. Do not treat a new Square account as the fix. Do not send identity or bank records to an unverified address. Do not file another upload while one packet is already in.
• 6. Gather only the files the notice asked for. A plain description of products or services if the appeal form asks. Records that show how you addressed the stated concern. Signed receipts, a bank statement, or other verification if Square asked. A dispute log if chargebacks are the issue.
• 7. Submit once through the appeal link Square shows, or through the information request in the Dashboard. Save the confirmation email. Do not open a second ticket with the same files.
• 8. Rebuild the week from cleared cash only. Rank payroll, taxes, refunds, and vendors without counting the held balance as money you can spend.

The free Square account deactivated and funds held guide walks through appeal eligibility, a copyable control row, and the cash checklist.

If the notice is not clearly Square, classify the hold first with the payment processor payout-hold triage, then come back here once Square is the account that has the money.

The public source for appeal eligibility is Square's help page, Appeal a deactivation of your Square account. It is for sellers whose accounts have been deactivated and who are eligible to submit a self-service appeal. Eligible sellers can submit through the Square Dashboard, the Square POS app, or a link in the deactivation email. You must have received a deactivation notice that indicates eligibility, and you need access to the email on the account. The form may ask for accurate information about products, services, and business practices, relevant documentation, and an explanation of how you addressed the concern in the notice, if that applies. After you submit, Square says you receive a confirmation email. Square says appeals are typically reviewed within 48 hours. Square then emails one of three outcomes: approved, with the account reactivated and any held funds released; denied, with the deactivation still in effect and an explanation of the impact on held funds; or more information needed. Those are Square's published steps, not a decision for your account. Square decides.

For information requests and a hold on upcoming transfers, use Square's business restrictions guidance. It says that if something appears out of the ordinary, Square contacts you to verify additional details and places a hold on upcoming transfers. Notice goes by email to the primary account holder and by a banner when that holder is signed in to the Square Dashboard and Square's Support Center. Square says it is typically looking for signed receipts, bank statements, or other verification. Transfers can stay suspended until Square can verify the account or transaction against the law and Square's terms. Square says that review typically takes less than one business day. That is a published timing note, not a release date. Square decides whether the records you send resolve the request.

For a transfer that is missing, pending, or suspended, use Square's missing transfer troubleshooting. It says common causes include unfinished bank verification, checking the wrong linked account, a minimum or maximum that blocks instant or same-day transfer, a closed bank account, or a pending account review. If a review is open, Square says it suspends all transfers, including instant transfers, until the review is done, and that these reviews are usually completed within one business day. If an information request is incomplete, Square says you cannot transfer funds outside of Square until you submit what was requested. The in-account path is Settings, then Account and settings, then Information requests. Instant transfers are unavailable under $25 or over $10,000 after Square's processing fees, and new sellers start with one instant transfer per day of up to $2,000. Same-day transfers are unavailable under $1 or over $10,000 after those fees. A transfer sent to a closed bank account can take up to 7 business days to return to Square. Manual bank verification can take up to 4 business days. These are Square's published notes, not a deposit date for your account. Square decides.

A reserve is a different notice from a deactivation. Square's payment reserves FAQ says only the account owner can view reserves. Square uses a rolling reserve: a percentage of card payments is set aside and released on a rolling basis. Square says those funds still belong to you and are used only if you cannot cover a chargeback. If no chargebacks occur, you receive the full amount. Reserves apply to card payments, not ACH bank transfers. Square notifies you by email and in the Dashboard before a reserve goes into effect, so you can choose whether to continue processing under those terms. The Reserve Dashboard, in the Balance section, shows current, future, and past terms, including how long funds stay reserved and the upcoming release dates. After release to the available balance, funds transfer on your transfer settings. Accounts with a reserve are reviewed after a minimum of six months. Square says that review is proactive and does not need to be requested. Square may ask for more information and will notify you of any change. Square decides whether a reserve stays, changes, or ends.