Amazon DD+7 means Amazon holds the money from each order until the order is delivered, then for 7 more days, before it becomes available for disbursement. Amazon calls this the standard delivery date reserve, and the funds appear on your Payments Dashboard as deferred transactions. Separately, an account level reserve holds money against specific risks Amazon can see on your account. Examples are open A-to-z Guarantee claims, chargebacks from the last 90 days, performance below Amazon’s benchmarks, an account review, or tax withholding. The two together explain most of the gap between what you sold and what reached your bank. DD+7 shortens when deliveries are confirmed quickly with valid tracking. The account level reserve falls as claims, chargebacks and reviews close, and a seller who can match every reserved dollar to an open claim or chargeback has the evidence to ask for the rest back.

What Amazon Means by DD+7

Amazon’s help page “Payments based on delivery date” sets out the rule. Amazon typically reserves your funds until a specific number of days after your shipments are delivered. Funds are reserved until a shipment is delivered, plus a reserve period, and the standard reserve period is 7 days after the delivery date. Amazon calls this the “DD + 7” reserve policy.

The stated purpose is to make sure you have enough funds to meet financial obligations such as refunds, claims or chargebacks. A buyer who receives an item and finds a problem usually reports it in the first days after delivery, so a short reserve after delivery covers the period when most problems surface.

Where you see it

Transactions held under the delivery date policy appear on your Payments Dashboard as Deferred transactions. Their total is included in the Deferred transactions line of the Total Balance tile. To see the detail, Amazon’s page says to open Payments, then Transaction view, filter Transaction status for Deferred transactions and select Update. The list shows every transaction currently held and the expected release date for each. You can also request a Deferred transactions report from the Payments Reports Repository.

When a transaction’s release date arrives, its status changes to released and the funds become available for transfer to your bank account.

New sellers and newly applied reserves

Amazon states that if you have just started selling, or the delivery date reserve was recently applied to your account, it is normal for all of your funds to be held. The reserve is calculated on funds from shipments delivered within your reserve period, and on a new account almost every order sits inside that window. As the account builds a pipeline of delivered orders, a growing share of sales passes the 7 day mark and releases each cycle.

The reserve period can be longer

Seven days is the standard, and Amazon can lengthen it. Amazon’s page says your reserve period may be extended following an assessment of your overall risk and historical performance. A longer period does not mean a violation. It means Amazon’s risk view of the account has changed, and it usually comes back to the same drivers as the account level reserve, claims, chargebacks and performance.

How Delivery Dates Set Your Release Date

The clock starts at delivery, so the delivery date Amazon records decides when you are paid. Amazon’s page explains how that date is determined. When you use an integrated shipping carrier, Amazon uses the actual delivery date of the order. In the absence of valid tracking data, Amazon uses the latest estimated delivery date.

That rule is where most avoidable delay comes from. The latest estimated delivery date is the end of the window promised to the buyer, which is often several days after the parcel arrives. Without valid tracking from an integrated carrier, every order waits for the end of its delivery window before the 7 day period even starts.

How to get paid faster under DD+7

Amazon lists four actions on the same page, and each one moves the release date earlier.

Dispatch quickly and confirm it. Ship as soon as possible and confirm dispatch in Manage Orders.
Provide valid tracking. Add valid tracking numbers when you confirm shipment.
Use an integrated carrier. Amazon notes that the actual delivery date is typically earlier than the latest estimated delivery date.
Choose faster delivery. A shorter transit time means an earlier delivery date and an earlier release.

For merchant-fulfilled sellers, valid tracking is also a performance metric in its own right. Our guides on the valid tracking rate warning and on late shipment rate fixes cover those targets, and the same habits shorten your reserve.

Amazon’s own DD+7 example from sale to release, plus what happens without valid tracking. Step through each stage to see where days are lost.

Worked example of a DD+7 release date

In Amazon’s own example, you sell an item on January 1 and it is delivered on January 6. Under the DD+7 policy, the funds become available for disbursement starting January 14.

Now take the same order without valid tracking from an integrated carrier, and suppose the latest estimated delivery date shown to the buyer was January 9. Amazon uses that date instead of the actual arrival on January 6. The 7 day period then runs from January 9, so the funds become available about three days later than in Amazon’s example, on or around January 17.

Available for disbursement is not the same as in your bank. Funds that release then wait for your next transfer, and the bank transfer takes its own processing time. Add those steps when you forecast cash.

Business models that feel DD+7 most

Merchant-fulfilled sellers with slow or unconfirmed delivery. Every day between dispatch and a recorded delivery is a day the clock has not started. Sellers who ship with non-integrated carriers, or who confirm shipment without valid tracking, wait for the latest estimated delivery date on every order. To run it compliantly, use carriers whose tracking integrates with Amazon, upload tracking at confirmation, and fix late confirmations at the source.

Sellers of slow-to-deliver goods. Freight, made-to-order and international shipments have long delivery windows. Amazon’s account level reserve page also notes that a new seller with estimated delivery times longer than the settlement period can see funds reserved. To run it compliantly, set handling times and delivery promises that reflect reality, and plan working capital for the full window plus 7 days.

Fast-growing sellers. Growth increases the volume of orders inside the reserve window at any moment, so the deferred balance grows with sales even when nothing is wrong. To run it compliantly, model DD+7 into every sales forecast and keep account health clean, because a growing account with rising claims is the profile most likely to see the reserve period extended.

Related guides are Amazon Funds After a Permanent Deactivation and Amazon FBA Inventory Reconciliation Routine for Reimbursements.

If deferred funds keep growing while deliveries are tracked and claims are closed, our Amazon account specialists can audit the Deferred transactions report against your shipment data and find the orders still waiting on a delivery scan.

What the Account Level Reserve Covers

The account level reserve is a second, separate hold. Amazon’s help page “What is account level reserve?” describes it as a normal part of selling, shown in the Account level reserve section of the Statement View tab on your Payments report. It is money reserved so you have enough to meet financial obligations such as refunds, claims or chargebacks that are not covered by delivery date reserves.

Amazon lists the common reasons, and each one points to something you can act on.

Reason Amazon gives	What it holds	When it releases
Open A-to-z Guarantee claims	The claim amount	When the claim is resolved. Amazon says some claims take up to 14 days or longer.
Chargebacks	Amounts linked to chargebacks from transactions in the last 90 days	After the chargebacks are processed
Performance below benchmarks	An amount reflecting the higher likelihood of claims, chargebacks and returns	As metrics recover
Account under review	Funds held after an unexpected change in sales or account activity, or for new sellers with long delivery estimates	When the review closes
Tax withholding (varies by store)	Amounts Amazon must withhold for income tax under local rules	Under the tax rules that apply

Amazon also notes that several reasons can apply at once and the amounts add up. In its example, a $40 order with a chargeback and a $20 order with an open A-to-z claim make a $60 account level reserve.

How the two reserves interact

Amazon’s FAQ on the account level reserve page draws the line between the two. Delivery date based reserves are shown as deferred transactions. The account level reserve covers obligations those deferred amounts do not cover. Invoiced orders from Amazon Business customers are also deferred while Amazon waits for the buyer to pay, which is a third reason money can sit in the deferred line.

In practice the two layers stack. Every order passes through the DD+7 window. On top of that, a fixed amount sits in the account level reserve for whatever claims, chargebacks or review risk Amazon sees. A seller with a healthy account may see only the first layer. A seller in the middle of a review sees both, and the second layer is the one that moves with the review. When you read the Payments Dashboard, separate the two before you draw any conclusion. A rising deferred total on a growing account is expected. A rising account level reserve with no new claims is the line worth questioning.

Why the reserve grows during a review

The fourth reason is the one owners notice most. Amazon says it might reserve funds if it notices an unexpected change in your sales or account activity. A sudden sales spike, a new category, a change of bank details or a policy review can each lead Amazon to hold more. The reserve tends to grow at the moment a seller is dealing with a performance or policy issue. If you are working through an Account Health problem at the same time, our guide to an unhealthy Account Health Rating is the place to start, because the reserve usually follows the account’s status.

What the agreement allows

The Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement gives Amazon wide discretion here. Amazon may withhold any payments to you for as long as it determines any related risks persist. That applies if it determines your actions or performance may result in returns, chargebacks, claims, disputes, violations of its terms or policies, violations of law or other risks to Amazon or third parties. The agreement also lets Amazon require other amounts to secure your obligations or to mitigate those risks, refundable or nonrefundable as it determines. The Selling on Amazon Service Terms add that Amazon may establish a reserve based on its assessment of risks posed by your actions or performance, and may modify the amount from time to time. The same terms list payments withheld under Section 2 of the General Terms among the amounts you can be required to keep in your balance. The reserve help pages describe how that discretion is applied day to day.

Ways to Reduce Your Reserve

Amazon frames a reserve as risk cover, so the question is what liability it covers today. Requests that cite only cash flow hardship fail. Requests that quantify actual exposure get traction. Our method has two parts, removing the risk Amazon can see, then showing the numbers.

Remove the risk first

Close open A-to-z claims. Respond to every claim notification promptly with tracking, delivery confirmation and your communication with the buyer. The claim amount stays reserved until the claim is resolved.
Answer chargebacks. Amazon’s reserve page links its chargeback guidance as a way to get funds released faster. Provide the order and delivery evidence requested, on time.
Repair performance metrics. If order defect rate, late shipment or cancellation metrics are below benchmark, fix the cause. Our guides on the order defect rate warning and the on-time delivery rate cover the usual fixes.
Close the review. If the reserve followed a policy or performance review, resolve that review. The reserve normally tracks it.
Confirm deliveries. Valid tracking from integrated carriers moves deferred transactions out of the DD+7 window sooner.

Then quantify the exposure

Where the reserve stays high after the underlying issue is resolved, a written reduction request can help. We build it on one position, that the reserve is disproportionate to genuine risk and should be reduced to a level tied to realistic chargebacks and refunds. The structure follows our standard method.

Root cause. Connect the reserve to the specific open claims, chargebacks or review that justified it, and show that those items are now closed.
Corrective actions. List the claims resolved, chargebacks answered and metrics restored, with dates.
Current exposure. Show your refund rate, claim rate and chargeback rate over a recent period, and the amount of open liability today. Compare that to the reserve held.
Preventive measures. Weekly monitoring of claim and chargeback rates and delivery confirmation, owned by a named person.
Evidence. Settlement reports, the claims and chargeback history, current Account Health metrics and the Deferred transactions report.
Request. Reduce the reserve to a level proportionate to genuine risk, release the excess, and provide a written accounting of what remains held.

Keep the tone factual. Treat a reserve request as a reconciliation exercise and leave any view of Amazon’s discretion out of it.

Standing rule compared with an increased reserve

DD+7 is the standing rule for accounts on the delivery date policy, and it does not escalate. It follows your deliveries. The account level reserve is different. It rises with current risk and should fall as claims and reviews close. Amazon publishes no tiers or schedule for increases. A reserve that rises once during a review and falls afterward is the normal pattern. A reserve that keeps rising, or stays high long after claims are closed, usually means Amazon still sees an open risk, and the reduction request above is how we surface what that risk is.

What Never to Do About a Reserve

Do not change bank details to “speed things up.” Amazon’s bank account help page applies a three-day security hold on transfers every time bank information is added or changed, and the Business Solutions Agreement lets Amazon defer the Remittance Calculation Date by up to 14 days after a bank change. Verification of the new account can take another 48 to 72 hours, and the change itself can prompt a review.
Do not refund or cancel orders to clear claims you could win. Refunding a valid order reduces one reserve line and raises your refund and cancellation numbers.
Do not confirm shipment without valid tracking. It pushes every release to the latest estimated delivery date and hurts your valid tracking rate.
Do not ignore A-to-z claims or chargeback requests. Unanswered items stay reserved and count against performance.
Do not open a second account to access cash. A second account without a legitimate business need breaks Amazon’s rules and puts both accounts at risk.
Do not send hardship letters. Amazon’s reserve rests on risk. A request built on cash needs alone gives the reviewer nothing to approve.

The moves sellers make to free reserved Amazon funds and what each one actually sets off. Open a move to see what the reviewer sees.

Cash Flow Planning Around Reserves

Reserved money is delayed money, and the business that plans for the delay rarely feels it. The prevention lesson is to keep A-to-z claims and chargebacks low and track delivery dates so reserves stay at the standard level.

Build DD+7 into every forecast

For each order, the cash arrives after transit time, plus 7 days, plus the wait for the next transfer, plus bank processing. For a merchant-fulfilled order with a five day transit, that is roughly two weeks or more from sale to bank before you count settlement timing. Model it per channel and per fulfillment method, and keep enough working capital to cover inventory purchases through that lag.

Plan for peaks

Sales spikes increase the deferred balance at the moment you are spending most on inventory and advertising. A spike can also look like an “unexpected change in sales” and lead to an account level reserve. Raise inventory and ad budgets in steps, and keep a cash buffer for the weeks before and during a peak.

A weekly routine that prevents reserve surprises

Deferred transactions total and the earliest release dates.
Account level reserve amount on the Statement View.
Open A-to-z claims and chargebacks, by age.
Valid tracking rate and on-time delivery rate.
Account Health metrics against Amazon’s targets.

A weekly snapshot of these lines lets you see a reserve change the week it happens and tie it to a cause. It is also the evidence base for any reduction request.

Reading your Payments reports

Three places in Seller Central give you everything you need. The Payments Dashboard Total Balance tile shows the deferred transactions line. The Transaction view, filtered to Deferred transactions, lists each held transaction and its expected release date. The Statement View shows the account level reserve for the current settlement period. Download the Deferred transactions report from the Payments Reports Repository at the end of each settlement period and keep it with your bookkeeping.

Use those reports to answer three questions each week. How much is deferred, and when does the earliest batch release. How much is in the account level reserve, and did it change. Which open claims or chargebacks explain the reserve today. If you can answer all three from your own records, your bookkeeper can forecast cash with confidence, and any reduction request you ever send will rest on numbers Amazon can check against its own.

A common bookkeeping error is to treat the deferred total as income that has failed to arrive. It is income on its way, with a known release date for each line. Booking it that way keeps the business from overreacting to a normal DD+7 balance, and makes the abnormal movements in the account level reserve stand out.

Planning for an account closure or deactivation

Amazon’s page on closing a seller account lists steps to take before closing, including fulfilling outstanding orders, waiting 90 days after your last sale so the A-to-z Guarantee claims period is honored, and waiting until the balance is zero. That 90 day window is a useful planning figure for the tail of any account. If the account is deactivated rather than closed, our guide on funds held on a deactivated Amazon account covers what happens to the balance. If the money you are waiting for is an FBA reimbursement, see FBA reimbursement denied.

The law behind the reserve

The reserve is a contractual right under the Business Solutions Agreement, and the agreement includes a binding arbitration clause for disputes. The law in your region frames how that right should be used. This is general information for sellers. Take advice on your own case.

Region	Law	How it frames a reserve
United States	The Business Solutions Agreement, the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing (Restatement (Second) of Contracts 205, UCC 1-304), and the doctrine of conversion	A reserve should reflect genuine, anticipated risk and be used in good faith. Funds held with no tie to any risk can support a conversion claim. This is used to frame a request, and is not raised in a first request.
European Union	Regulation (EU) 2019/1150, Article 4 and Article 11, in force since 12 July 2020, and the Digital Services Act, Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, applicable since 17 February 2024	A statement of reasons on a durable medium when Amazon restricts or suspends a business user, at least 30 days’ notice before a full termination, internal complaint handling and mediation. Article 17 of the Digital Services Act lists a restriction of monetary payments among the decisions that need a statement of reasons, and Article 20 and Article 21 open the internal complaint and certified out-of-court routes.
United Kingdom	Regulation (EU) 2019/1150 as retained in UK law, Article 4, amended by S.I. 2020/796 with effect from 31 December 2020	UK business users keep the statement of reasons duty and the 30 day termination notice. Sellers on amazon.co.uk get no DSA payment-restriction route, so the retained platform-to-business rules and the agreement are what a UK reserve request leans on.

A standard DD+7 reserve applied to all sellers on the policy is not, on its own, a restriction of your account. An account level reserve that Amazon raises after deciding your listings or conduct break its terms is closer to the Article 17 trigger, so an EU seller in that position should ask for the statement of reasons in writing before drafting a reduction request. These rules matter most when a reserve increase comes with a review, a restriction or a deactivation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Amazon DD+7?

Amazon holds funds until 7 days after the delivery date. Funds are reserved until the shipment is delivered, plus the standard 7 day reserve period, and they show as deferred transactions on the Payments Dashboard. Amazon may extend the period after assessing your overall risk and historical performance.

What is an Amazon account level reserve?

A reserve that covers A-to-z claims, chargebacks and similar obligations not covered by delivery date reserves. Amazon lists open A-to-z claims, chargebacks from the last 90 days, performance below benchmarks, an account review and tax withholding as common reasons. It appears in the Account level reserve section of the Statement View.

Can Amazon increase my reserve?

Yes, Amazon can increase the reserve for risk, claims or chargebacks. The Business Solutions Agreement lets it withhold payments for as long as it determines related risks persist. The reserve should fall again as those risks close.

Why is my reserve larger during a review?

Reserves can grow during performance or policy reviews. Amazon says it might reserve funds when it notices an unexpected change in sales or account activity, and when performance falls below its benchmarks. Resolving the review is usually what brings the reserve back down.

How do I get reserve funds released sooner?

Reduce claims and chargebacks and confirm deliveries with valid tracking. Use integrated carriers, confirm dispatch promptly, respond to every A-to-z claim and chargeback, and keep performance metrics above Amazon’s targets. If the reserve stays high after risks close, send a quantified reduction request.

Get Help With an Amazon Reserve

Most reserves come down on their own once deliveries are tracked properly and claims are closed. The cases that need more are the ones where the reserve stays high after the review has closed, or keeps climbing with no open claims to explain it. A quantified reduction request with an accounting demand is the step where we usually take over.

Start with our Amazon suspension and reinstatement service, submit your case for a free assessment, or book a consultation to review your reserve and cash position.

Sellers holding reserves on Walmart, eBay or TikTok Shop at the same time can find each platform’s desk on our multi-marketplace reinstatement hub.

How Amazon DD+7 and Account Level Reserves Hold Your Funds