--- title: "Authorized and settled transactions" slug: "authorized-and-settled-transactions" description: "Understand how authorized and settled card transactions appear in the Payhawk spend management platform and why only settled transactions are exported." updated: 2026-10-27T14:16:48Z published: 2026-10-27T14:16:48Z canonical: "payhawk.com/authorized-and-settled-transactions" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://payhawk.com/help/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Authorized and settled transactions Payhawk exports only settled transactions in the reports you can generate in the system as well as when the system pushes data to integrated ERP systems, such as [Oracle NetSuite](/help/overview-of-shared-data-with-oracle-netsuite), [Xero](/help/overview-of-shared-data-with-xero), [DUO (DATEV)](/help/overview-of-shared-data-with-duo), and [QuickBooks Online](/help/overview-of-shared-data-with-quickbooks-online). ## Authorized card transactions Sometimes, you might see a card expense in your account labeled as **Authorized** and its payment status as **Pending settlement**. This means the transaction has been approved by your bank or card issuer but hasn't been fully processed by the merchant yet. ![Card expense in Payhawk Spend with the Authorized status next to the amount and Pending settlement as the status in the Payment section.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261008_ai/authorized-and-settled-transactions-01_20261008_ai.png) When you use your credit or debit card to make a purchase, the merchant asks your bank to confirm if there are enough funds or credit available. At this point, the transaction is marked as **Authorized**. Although the money hasn't been transferred to the merchant yet, a temporary hold is placed on the amount. This reduces your available balance until the transaction is finalized. The merchant then submits the transaction for settlement to receive the funds. Some merchants may take longer to complete this process, keeping the payment in a **Pending settlement** state until it's settled. For more information, see the [Why is my card transaction pending?](/help/why-is-my-card-transaction-pending) article. ## Specifics of authorized card transactions Card networks use a "just-in-time" system to share transaction details with the merchant within a specific timeframe. If the merchant doesn't process the information in time, the authorization will remain visible to you but may not appear to the merchant. In such cases, the hold on your funds will automatically expire within a maximum of 7 days (depending on the card network's policy), and the funds will return to your account. This process is managed by the card network and cannot be sped up or influenced by Payhawk. ## Settled card transactions Settled card transactions are the final stage of the payment process, where the money for a purchase has been successfully transferred from the cardholder's account to the merchant's account. This means the transaction is no longer pending, and the payment is complete. ## Accounting implications for uncleared transactions Sometimes, an authorization might not be [cleared](https://payhawk.com/blog/the-ultimate-fintech-glossary-for-europe), which means the transaction wasn't settled and no money was deducted. As a result, the payment can't be reconciled right away. If it was already reconciled by mistake, some manual adjustments may be needed. To save you time and simplify the process, Payhawk only includes settled card transactions in reports and ERP exports. ## Viewing settled transactions in Payhawk To verify the stage of a card transaction: 1. In the [Payhawk web portal](https://portal.payhawk.com), go to **Spend**. 2. Select the expense you want to verify. Next to the amount, you will see the **Paid** status for settled card transactions. ![Card expense opened in Payhawk Spend, showing the Paid status next to the amount in the header, with the receipt on the right.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261008_ai/authorized-and-settled-transactions-02_20261008_ai.png) Also, you can view the status of the expense in its **Payment** details section. ![Card expense in Payhawk Spend with the Payment section expanded, showing the card, date, amounts, and the Settled status.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261008_ai/authorized-and-settled-transactions-03_20261008_ai.png) > [!TIP] > - For settled card payments, the system uses the **Settled** label in the **Payment** section of the expense. > - For settled bill payments, the system uses the **Success** label in the **Payment** section of the expense. ## Useful resources - [Exporting expense data on demand](/help/exporting-expenses-and-payments-on-demand) - [Downloading expenses](/help/downloading-expenses) - [Viewing expense history](/help/viewing-expense-activity) - [Filtering expenses](/help/searching-and-filtering-expenses-and-payments) - [Splitting expenses into multiple line items](/help/splitting-expenses-into-line-items-in-the-portal)