Amazon Payout Schedule for UK Sellers: When You Get Paid in 2026

In brief: The Amazon payout schedule in the UK depends on delivery, not on the order date. Standard orders are typically held until 7 days after delivery (Amazon calls this DD+7), then join your next payout. Orders from Amazon Business buyers who pay by invoice wait until the buyer pays, which Amazon says typically takes 30 to 45 days from the order date. Once Amazon sends a payout, the money can need up to five business days to land in your bank.

The Amazon payout schedule step by step

Stage	What happens	Timing from Amazon's help pages
Posted	The order and its fees appear in the Transaction Report	Posted date, close to dispatch
Deferred	Sale and its order fees are held	Until delivery plus the reserve period
Released	Money joins your available balance	Standard: delivery date + 7 days
Payout	Amazon starts a bank transfer	On your settlement date
In your bank	Funds arrive	Up to 5 business days later

Amazon's own example: an item sold on 1 January and delivered on 6 January becomes available for payout from 14 January. If you dispatch it yourself with an integrated carrier, Amazon uses the real delivery date. Without valid tracking it uses the latest estimated delivery date, which is usually later.

Amazon can lengthen the reserve period after reviewing your risk and past performance. New sellers, and sellers who have just had the policy applied, can see their whole balance held at first.

On timing, Amazon's Sell on Amazon FAQ says your balance is first settled 14 days after you register. The cycle then repeats every 7 days. Your own payout dates, and the option to request a payout, sit under Manage Payouts in Seller Central.

What Amazon defers and what it charges straight away

Fees that belong to an order, such as referral and FBA fulfilment fees, are held back with the sale and charged when it is released. Other charges don't wait. Advertising costs, inbound shipping charges and postage bought through Amazon come off your balance when they are billed.

So a quiet week after a busy one can still produce a payout, and a busy week can pay out less than you expect.

Account level reserves: the second hold

On top of deferred sales, Amazon can keep an account level reserve. Its help page lists these common reasons:

• a buyer's A-to-z Guarantee claim that is still open, held until it is resolved, which can take 14 days or more
• a chargeback on an order from the last 90 days
• performance metrics below Amazon's benchmarks
• an account review, for example after a sudden change in sales
• income tax withholding required in some stores
• money set aside for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) charges if you use Amazon's Pay on Behalf model, with the figures on the EPR Pay on Behalf dashboard

Several reasons can apply at once. A £40 chargeback plus a £20 open claim means £60 held.

A worked example

Illustrative figures. In one settlement period Amazon releases £5,000 of sales whose delivery dates have passed DD+7. Their referral and FBA fees, £1,400, are charged as they release. Sponsored Products costs of £600, paid from the Amazon balance, come off when billed. A £40 chargeback and a £20 open claim add a £60 reserve.

• Payout: £5,000 − £1,400 − £600 − £60 = £2,940.
• A further £2,000 of orders delivered in the last few days of the period are still deferred. They are in the Transaction Report for the period but not in this statement or payout.

The £60 and the deferred £2,000 are not lost. They reach a later payout once the claim closes and the orders release.

What it means for your bookkeeping

• Sales belong to the period you made them. For accrual accounts, take sales from the Transaction Report, which lists deferred and released items by posted date. Statements only show what was paid. Agree the approach with your accountant.
• Deferred money is still yours. It is usually shown as an amount due from Amazon until released, not as income lost. The release then clears it.
• Reserves aren't costs. An account level reserve is money held, not a fee. Post the movement to a balance sheet account so each settlement still matches the deposit. Reserve lines are one of the causes in our payout and Xero mismatch guide.
• Some charges land before the sales. Advertising and postage leave the balance as soon as they are billed, so a payout can shrink, and a balance can even turn negative. See negative Amazon settlements.
• Bank changes pause payouts. Updating your bank details starts a three-day security hold. Avoid changes close to a payout date.

Do you need to do anything?

Open Manage Transactions in Seller Central and filter for deferred items to see each expected release date. If your balance is unexpectedly held, check Performance notifications for a message from Amazon. Our month-end settlement reconciliation guide shows the next step.

How TrueBooks helps

TrueBooks imports every settlement and posts each line to Xero, reserves included, so each settlement matches the deposit that reaches your bank. See how settlements post to Xero.