Tidy
A reserve changes available cash
Amazon describes account-level reserves as funds held against possible obligations such as refunds, claims and chargebacks. Its guidance points sellers to Payments statement details to investigate held amounts. A balance held back is not, by itself, an additional selling fee.
Follow the movement across statements
Record the opening reserve, funds newly held, funds released and closing reserve for the same currency and reporting period. Keep fees separate. Check account-level information rather than assuming every seller follows the same release schedule.
A fictional reserve roll-forward
Opening reserve: $200. Newly held: $150. Released: $100. Closing reserve: $250. The reserve increased by $50, reducing cash available for payout by $50 relative to the same activity with no reserve change. The $250 balance is not a $250 fee.
Investigate a payout gap in order
- Identify the statement and payout ID that correspond to the bank credit.
- Separate sales, refunds and actual fees from reserve movements.
- Check the opening balance and releases from earlier periods.
- Read the hold explanation in your seller account and retain the supporting records.
- If the movement remains unexplained, contact seller support with the statement reference and ask your bookkeeper about its accounting treatment.
Forecast cautiously
Keep held funds separate from cash already available to spend. Use your own account’s information for release assumptions, and allow for bank clearing time after disbursement. A calculator can illustrate timing; it cannot promise when Amazon will release a particular hold.
Sources and review date
Reviewed October 25, 2026 against the provider guidance below. Examples are fictional; confirm account mappings and tax treatment with your bookkeeper.