Quick answer. When an Amazon seller account is deactivated or restricted while order defect rate, late shipment and cancellation numbers look fine, the cause is usually in the account itself, not in performance. Amazon’s Business Solutions Agreement requires a valid credit card and bank account, information that stays “accurate, complete, and valid,” and identity verification whenever Amazon asks. Its Seller Code of Conduct requires you to update your information when it changes, and the Account Health Rating can turn red from unaddressed policy warnings that have nothing to do with metrics. Confirm the cause on the Account Health page, in Performance Notifications and in your account information settings, correct the record with genuine documents that match each other exactly, then follow the reactivation steps Amazon shows.
Most sellers know the famous causes of a suspension, such as a high order defect rate, late shipments and counterfeit complaints. Fewer realize that an account can be stopped by an expired credit card, an unfinished tax form, a lapsed passport, an address changed in one place and not another, or an unread warning on the Account Health page. Nothing went wrong with customers, so these feel unfair. To Amazon, they are breaches of the agreement every seller accepted.
An honest seller with genuine records can usually fix these problems, but sellers often make them worse by uploading documents that do not match, changing three settings at once, or arguing instead of correcting. Below are the less obvious reasons Amazon itself documents, how each shows up, how to confirm it and how to resolve it. If your notice names a verification failure, our guide to a business verification suspension covers that case.
Why an account can be stopped when the metrics look healthy
The Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement (the BSA) sets obligations that sit outside the metrics dashboard. Amazon may suspend or terminate an account immediately if, among other things, the seller materially breached the agreement and failed to cure within 7 days of a cure notice, the Account Health Rating falls below Amazon’s published deactivation threshold, or the law requires it. Amazon will notify the seller by email or through Seller Central with the reason and any options to appeal, unless that would hinder an investigation.
Three BSA obligations explain most quiet deactivations.
- Payment instruments. You must provide valid credit card and bank account information acceptable to Amazon, and you authorize Amazon to charge your card or debit your bank account for sums you owe.
- Accurate information. You must update your information “as necessary to make sure it at all times remains accurate, complete, and valid,” and Amazon may verify it, “including any updated information.”
- Verification on request. Amazon may at any time require financial, business or personal information to verify your identity, and accurate verification is a condition for further disbursements after a suspension.
The Seller Code of Conduct adds that you must provide accurate information to Amazon and update it if it changes, using a business name that accurately identifies your business. Violations may lead to canceled listings, suspension or forfeiture of payments, and removal of selling privileges. Your account information pages are part of your compliance record.
The charge method that stopped working
Amazon’s seller registration guide lists an internationally chargeable credit card among the registration requirements, along with a government-issued ID, a bank account and routing number, and tax information. Under the BSA, Amazon may collect amounts you owe by charging your card or another payment instrument, offsetting against payments it owes you, or invoicing you.
How it shows up
Cards expire, get replaced after a fraud alert, or close when a business changes banks. Nothing breaks on the storefront, so the first sign is often a message in Performance Notifications or an email about payment information. The BSA requires information that stays valid at all times, and an expired card has stopped being valid.
How to confirm it
- Read the card’s expiration date and status in the payment section of your account settings.
- Check Performance Notifications for messages about payment information or fees owed.
- Compare the cardholder name and billing address with the account’s legal name and address.
- Ask your card issuer whether any Amazon authorization attempts were declined.
How to resolve it
Add a valid card you are authorized to use, remove the dead one only after the new one is accepted, and settle any amount owed. Then follow the steps in the notice or the reactivation flow on Account Health. Keep the issuer’s confirmation and the date of the update.
Related guides. What Is an Inauthentic Suspension on Amazon and How Do You Fix It? and Amazon Related Account Suspension.
For a closely related case, read Amazon Late Shipment Rate.
Tax information that was never finished or no longer matches
Tax information is a registration requirement in Amazon’s registration guide, and under the BSA you will comply with Amazon’s Tax policies, which make you responsible for identifying, calculating, remitting and reporting your taxes. Sellers provide tax details through a Seller Central questionnaire most people call the tax interview.
Why the IRS side matters
The IRS explains that Form 1099-K reports payments for goods or services from payment card companies, payment apps and online marketplaces, which it calls third party settlement organizations. It gives the reporting threshold for apps and marketplaces as payments exceeding $20,000 in more than 200 transactions. Form W-9 exists to provide your correct Taxpayer Identification Number to the person required to file an information return. Under the IRS backup withholding rules, payers may be required to withhold at a current rate of 24 percent where a payee failed to provide a correct TIN, and this can apply to payments reported on Form 1099-K. That is a government rule, not an Amazon penalty, but it is why the tax record must be correct.
How it shows up
A banner or notification asks you to complete or update tax information, often after a business converted from a sole proprietorship to an LLC or corporation and kept the old number on file.
How to confirm it
- Read the legal name, entity type and taxpayer number in the tax section of your account settings.
- Compare them with your IRS paperwork, such as the EIN confirmation letter. The name must match the IRS record for that number exactly.
- Check the entity against your state registry, found through the National Association of Secretaries of State directory.
How to resolve it
Retake the tax questionnaire with the exact legal name and number the IRS holds, for the entity that owns the account. If ownership is layered or the entity recently changed, involve your accountant first, because the fix may be a correction with the IRS or the state. Never enter another person’s or business’s number. This is educational information, not legal or tax advice.
Identity documents that expired or do not match the account
Amazon’s registration guide lists what verification involves, which is a government-issued ID, proof of residential address from the last 180 days, a business license or registration where relevant, and either a photo of your face and ID or a video call with an Amazon associate. It says the process usually takes three business days or less.
How it shows up
You see a request to upload documents, a failed verification message, or a scheduled video call. Documents that passed at registration can fail now, such as an expired passport, a license with an old address, a bill older than 180 days, or a registration with a different legal name.
How to confirm it
Lay every identity data point side by side. Most failures we see are honest mismatches in genuine documents. Check the exact legal name including the entity ending, the address including suite numbers, the expiration date, the date of the proof of address, and whether the primary contact is the account holder.
How to resolve it
Renew the expired document, or obtain a genuinely current proof of address in the account’s name and address. Amazon asks for high-quality color scans or photos showing all four corners with legible text, no screenshots or blurry images, and signatures where required. For a video call, the genuine account holder attends with their ID and proof of address. If a genuine document cannot be obtained, say so and explain what you can provide. Never edit a PDF or change a date. Verification is built to catch that, and it turns a fixable mismatch into a permanent loss.
The quiet account that has to prove itself again
Sellers who pause for a season or a year are sometimes asked to verify again when they return. The BSA lets Amazon require verification at any time, and it has a dormant accounts provision. If there is no activity, as Amazon determines it, for the period set by unclaimed property laws while Amazon holds your sales proceeds, Amazon will notify you and offer to keep the account open. If you do not respond within the period Amazon specifies, the proceeds go to your state of residency.
Amazon’s page on information required to sell in its Brazil store says account information is re-verified periodically or when updated, a notification appears on the account information page, and sellers complete each section highlighted in red. That page sets a window for that store, so use the deadline in your own notice.
How it shows up, and how to confirm it
You get an email about inactivity or held funds, see highlighted sections on the account information page, or receive a verification request when you first try to list again. Search the account’s email, including spam, for messages from the quiet period. Then list everything that changed while you were away, including address, phone, card, bank, entity status and document expiration dates. A returning seller rarely has only one problem.
How to resolve it
Answer any inactivity notice in time, update every item with genuine current documents before relisting, then complete verification. Confirm the emergency contact phone number, which Amazon’s Account Health Rating policy asks sellers to keep current.
Changing your account information can start a review
The Code of Conduct and the BSA both require you to update information when it changes, and the BSA lets Amazon verify “any updated information.” A change to the legal name, address, bank account, primary contact or ownership can prompt a fresh look at who runs the account.
Why the Code of Conduct gets involved
The code’s first requirement is accurate information at all times. A new bank account in another company’s name, or an address change with no document showing the new address, leaves the account telling two stories. The code also allows one Seller Central account per region without a legitimate business need, so a change that links you to another account raises a separate question. See our guides on multiple seller accounts and Code of Conduct suspensions.
How it shows up, and how to confirm it
A verification request or restriction arrives days or weeks after an edit. List every recent change, who made it and why, and check whether a genuine document shows each new fact exactly as the account now shows it. Where the operator is not the owner, Amazon’s Brazil help page notes a letter of authorization from a legal representative may be requested, so check what your own notice asks.
How to resolve it
Make the account and documents agree with the true current facts and submit genuine evidence, with a short explanation where the change is unusual, such as a dated LLC conversion with the state filing. Change one thing at a time and keep a dated log. If the change raises a real question about who controls the account, such as after a sale or a partner dispute, you need proof of the true owner’s identity and control, and help before you respond.
Policy warnings that were never answered
Amazon’s Account Health Rating program policy describes a score from 0 to 1,000 based on the last 180 days. 200 to 1,000 is green (“Healthy”), 100 to 199 is yellow (“At Risk”), and 99 or lower is red (“Unhealthy”), meaning the account is eligible for deactivation or already deactivated. New sellers start at 200, lose points for new violations and regain them when violations are addressed.
How warnings turn into a deactivation
The Account Health Rating FAQ sets four severities, critical, high, medium and low. One critical violation qualifies the account for deactivation. Repeat violations cost more points each time, and reaching the maximum for one policy in 180 days (five for infringement-related policies, two for restricted products) can put the account at immediate risk. After a critical violation, Amazon notifies you on Account Health and by email, the score drops to zero, and you have a three-day grace period before deactivation, during which a specialist may call. If you are “At Risk,” do not address violations, and cannot be reached, Amazon says the account will most likely be deactivated.
How to confirm it
Read every open violation on Account Health, its severity, any repeat label in the Impact column and the Next steps guidance. Check Product Policy Compliance, then confirm the emergency contact number in Notifications preferences.
How to resolve it
Work by severity. The FAQ describes disputing a violation detected in error, appealing one you did not intend, acknowledging certain types where you will not reactivate the listing, or taking the corrective action. The rating updates within a few hours once Amazon confirms the fix. One trap remains. A violation removed on appeal, where you did not dispute that it happened, may still count toward the repeat threshold.
Where to verify each cause
Collect the facts before you change anything. This table lists the questions to answer and where Amazon and the government let you answer them.
| Question | Where to check | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Why was the account restricted? | Account Health page, Performance Notifications, the email address on the account | The stated reason, any options to appeal, and any deadline |
| Is the charge method valid? | Payment information in account settings. Your card issuer | Expiration date, declined authorizations, cardholder name |
| Is the tax record correct? | Tax information in account settings. Your IRS records | Exact legal name, entity type and taxpayer identification number |
| Does the business name match the state record? | Your state business registry via the NASS directory | Exact entity name, status and registered address |
| Are identity documents current? | The documents themselves. Account information page | Expiration dates, proof of address within 180 days, matching name and address |
| Are policy warnings open? | Account Health page and Product Policy Compliance | Severity, repeat labels, Next steps, any critical deadline |
| Can Amazon reach you? | Notifications preferences | A correct emergency contact phone number |
The document standard Amazon expects
Every cause here is resolved with documents, and three tests decide whether a document helps. Genuine. It comes from the issuer as issued, whether the government, bank, utility, state or IRS. An edited document is worse than a missing one. Current. The ID is not expired and the proof of address falls within the window Amazon states. Consistent. It agrees with the account and every other document on name, address, entity and dates. Where a name genuinely appears in two forms, such as a former entity name, include proof of both and one line of explanation.
How to respond when the account is already restricted
Amazon’s page on how to appeal an account deactivation or listing removal says to go to Account Health, click Reactivate your account and follow the instructions, which may ask for a questionnaire, an acknowledgment, a quiz or supporting documents. If Amazon asks for more, click View Appeal. Amazon says to expect a reply within two days, which is not a promise of an outcome. Build the response in four parts before you submit.
- Diagnosis. Identify which obligation is in question. Check all five causes, because many accounts have more than one.
- Root cause. The specific fact that failed and why, such as a card that expired because nobody owned the account settings.
- Corrective action. What you already fixed, with proof attached.
- Preventive control. Who owns the check now and when it runs.
Account stopped and you cannot see why?
Send us the notice and we will help you find every mismatch before anything is submitted.
A worked example
Take a hypothetical kitchen goods seller with strong metrics. In one year the owner converts to an LLC but leaves the old tax information, keeps an old card on file after a fraud replacement, moves offices before any bill arrives at the new address, and leaves two listing warnings unanswered. A verification request arrives. The seller uploads an old bill and a license with the old address and fails, then edits the account address back to match the documents, creating a second change and a second question.
The right sequence reverses this. List every open issue first. Then fix the facts at the source with an LLC bank statement at the new address, the state conversion filing, a corrected tax questionnaire with the LLC’s name and EIN, the new card, and a current proof of address. Answer the two warnings by correcting the listings. Then submit with a short explanation of the conversion and the move. Every fact is true and every document genuine, so the case is fixable. The sequence made it hard, not the substance.
Common mistakes that turn a small problem into a long one
- Arguing instead of correcting. Calling a deactivation unfair does not renew an expired document.
- Uploading whatever is at hand. Screenshots, crops and old bills fail Amazon’s stated standard.
- Editing documents. Changing a date or address to force a match is fabrication.
- Changing several settings at once. Each change can prompt verification.
- Letting someone else attend the video call. Only the genuine account holder can.
- Opening a new account. The Code of Conduct allows one per region without a legitimate need, and Amazon may deactivate all accounts if any are not in good standing. See what never to do after a suspension.
A routine that keeps these causes from coming back
The cheapest case is the one you never have to answer. Read Account Health and Performance Notifications monthly. Each quarter, check ID, card and registration expiration dates, confirm the emergency contact and email, and compare the account information page with your state, tax and bank records. Whenever something changes, get the genuine document first, update one item at a time, log it, and involve your accountant or lawyer for ownership, entity or tax changes.
| Cause | Amazon or government basis | Owner of the control | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lapsed charge method | BSA payment terms | Finance lead | Monthly, and on any card change |
| Tax information | Amazon Tax policies. IRS W-9 and backup withholding rules | Owner with accountant | Once a year, and on any entity change |
| Identity documents | BSA verification clause. Registration guide | Account holder | Quarterly expiration check |
| Dormant account | BSA dormant accounts provision | Account holder | Before and after any break |
| Account information changes | Code of Conduct. BSA update duty | Owner | Every change, logged |
| Policy warnings | Account Health Rating policy and FAQ | Operations lead | Weekly review |
If you are unsure which cause applies, our guide to deciphering Amazon suspension notices explains how to read the wording, and our Amazon suspension service page explains how we review a case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Amazon deactivate my account if my performance metrics are fine?
Yes. The Business Solutions Agreement lets Amazon suspend an account for an uncured material breach, an Account Health Rating below its threshold, or where the law requires it, and none of those depend on order metrics.
Can an expired credit card get my Amazon seller account restricted?
It can. The BSA requires valid credit card information and information that stays valid at all times, so update the card as soon as it changes and settle any amount owed.
Why is Amazon asking me to verify my identity again?
The BSA lets Amazon require identity verification at any time and verify updated information. Common triggers are a change to account details, an expired document or a return after a long inactive period.
What documents does Amazon usually ask for in verification?
Amazon’s registration guide lists a government-issued ID and proof of residential address, with a business registration where relevant, and either a face and ID photo or a video call. Proof of address should be from the last 180 days.
Does a wrong taxpayer identification number cause problems?
Yes. The IRS says backup withholding at a current rate of 24 percent can apply when a payee fails to provide a correct TIN, including on payments reported on Form 1099-K. Complete Amazon’s tax information with the exact name and number the IRS holds.
How long do I have after a critical violation?
Amazon’s Account Health Rating FAQ says you have a three-day grace period to address a critical violation before deactivation. Use the deadline in your own notice if it differs.
How do I appeal a deactivation caused by account information?
Correct the information first, then go to Account Health, click Reactivate your account and follow the instructions, which may include a questionnaire or supporting documents. Amazon says to expect a reply within two days.
Get Help With a Hidden-Cause Deactivation
If your account was restricted and you cannot see why, or you have found several overlapping problems and are not sure which to fix first, we can review the notice and your records with you before anything is submitted. You can submit your case for review or book a consultation.
This article is educational information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Amazon’s policies and IRS rules change, so confirm the current version of each rule before you act. No outcome, timeline or amount is guaranteed.
For the account health side of the case, see our Amazon account health maintenance service. You can also see all our marketplace suspension services.
Sources
- Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement
- Selling policies and seller code of conduct
- Account Health Rating program policy
- Account Health Rating: Frequently Asked Questions
- Appeal an account deactivation or listing removal
- Tax policies
- Information required to sell on Amazon (Brazil store)
- Amazon seller registration guide
- IRS: Understanding your Form 1099-K
- IRS: About Form W-9
- IRS: Backup withholding
- NASS: Business registration by state
