The Pending Transactions report shows every ACH and electronic check transaction that's currently in flight — submitted to the banking network but not yet settled. This article explains what the report tracks, what the status values mean, what happens to invoice reminders and late fees while a payment is pending, and what changes when the transaction settles successfully or rejects.
Where to find the report
From the Biller Genie dashboard, navigate to Reports > Pending Transactions. The report lists every ACH transaction that has been submitted but hasn't yet finished its journey through the ACH network.
What "pending" means for an ACH transaction
Unlike credit cards, ACH payments don't clear in real time. They move through the ACH network operated by NACHA, and a transaction stays "pending" while it's still in transit between banks. Biller Genie tracks two pending statuses:
- Received — the payment has been submitted to Biller Genie and is moving through the system.
- Accepted — the payment has been transmitted to your customer's bank (the RDFI — Receiving Depository Financial Institution) for processing.
A transaction stays on the Pending Transactions report while it's in either of those statuses. It leaves the report when it reaches one of two terminal states:
- Paid — the payment cleared. The transaction is finalized.
- Error (or returned with a NACHA reject code) — the payment did not clear. See ACH and Credit Card Reject Codes for the full reject code reference.
Most ACH transactions complete within 3-5 business days from submission. See Deposit Funding Timeframes by Payment Method for the breakdown of why ACH timing varies.
The details page: status logs and origination history
Clicking a row on the Pending Transactions report opens the transaction's details page, where you can see the full status log for that ACH payment — every status change Biller Genie has recorded since the payment was submitted, with timestamps.
The status log is the source of truth for "where is this payment right now in the origination cycle" — useful when a customer asks "did my payment go through yet?" or when you're investigating why a payment has been pending longer than expected.
What happens to the invoice while the payment is pending
While an ACH transaction is in Received or Accepted status, the associated invoice is treated as in-progress, not as past due. Biller Genie automatically:
- Suppresses automated reminders on the invoice. Even if the invoice would otherwise be due (or past due) based on its terms, Biller Genie won't send the customer a "your invoice is overdue" email while the ACH is still in flight.
- Suppresses late fees. If you have late fees enabled, they won't be added to the invoice while the payment is pending. The customer is acting in good faith and waiting for the bank network to clear the payment — late fees would be unfair in that window.
When the payment settles successfully
When the ACH transaction reaches Paid status, Biller Genie:
- Marks the invoice as closed.
- Pushes the payment to your connected accounting software (QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, or Xero) so your books match.
- Removes the transaction from the Pending Transactions report — it now appears in the All Transactions Report as a finalized payment.
- Reminders and late fees stay off — they don't "catch up" for the time the invoice was pending.
When the payment rejects
If the ACH transaction rejects with a NACHA return code (Error status), Biller Genie:
- Reopens the invoice for collection.
- Resumes automated reminders on the invoice's normal schedule.
- Resumes late fees if you have them enabled.
- Removes the transaction from the Pending Transactions report and adds it to the Rejected Transactions report with the return code.
- For certain return codes (account closed, invalid account, deceased, etc.), Biller Genie also removes the stored ACH and disables Autopay automatically — see the full list in ACH and Credit Card Reject Codes.
Day-to-day uses for the Pending Transactions report
- "Did the customer's ACH go through?" — open the report, find the customer, check the status log on the details page.
- "Why does this invoice look unpaid in QuickBooks but the customer says they paid?" — if the transaction is still on the Pending Transactions report, the ACH hasn't cleared yet. The payment will sync once it reaches Paid.
- "How much money is in flight right now?" — the total amount of all pending ACH transactions is your expected near-term deposit pipeline (within the 3-5 business day window).
- "Is this payment stuck?" — if a transaction has been pending much longer than 5 business days, open the details page. The status log shows when each transition happened and where the payment is currently stalled.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my customer's invoice showing as paid in Biller Genie but not in my accounting software?
If the transaction is still on the Pending Transactions report, the ACH hasn't reached Paid status yet. Biller Genie only syncs the payment to your accounting software once the transaction settles. Wait for the transaction to leave the Pending report.
Can I manually mark a pending transaction as paid?
No. Biller Genie updates the status based on what your gateway reports — manually overriding could push a payment into your books that ultimately fails and rejects. Let the ACH network complete its cycle.
Why didn't my customer get reminders while their payment was pending — they still owe me?
While an ACH is in flight, sending reminders would be confusing to the customer (they already paid; their bank just hasn't finished settling). Reminders resume automatically if the ACH later rejects.
If the ACH ultimately rejects after 5 days, do I get those 5 days' worth of late fees back?
No — late fees and reminders resume going forward from the reject, not retroactively for the pending period. If you need to apply a late fee for that window, you can add a manual line item to the reopened invoice.
Are credit card transactions ever on the Pending Transactions report?
No. Credit card transactions clear synchronously at the moment of payment — they're either approved (and immediately Paid) or declined. There's no in-between state for cards.