# Holds and decisions

A payment that is over a merchant's limit, or needs a screening check, is held until someone with the right role releases or declines it. If nobody decides within the workspace's hold expiry, the shopper is refunded automatically.

> Part of the SQRL documentation, section "SQRL Markets".
> Rendered page: https://docs.sqrl.tech/markets/payments/holds

## Why a payment is held

| Hold | When | Decided by |
|---|---|---|
| **Over the merchant's payment limit** | The payout is over the merchant's largest single payment, or would take the day's payouts past its daily limit | Decide limit holds (`PAYMENT_DECIDE`), held by Treasury and Operations |
| **Screening check needed** | The merchant is on the Enhanced screening tier, or its verification is still pending | Decide screening holds (`PAYMENT_SCREEN_DECIDE`), held by Compliance |

## Deciding a hold

1. Open the payment from **Needs a decision** on the Payments page.
2. Review the merchant, the amounts and the reason.
3. Select **Release** to continue the payment, or **Decline** to refund the shopper. A decline needs a reason.

Someone without the permission sees which team must decide instead.

**Maker-checker.** You cannot release a payment you locked yourself. A release is also refused if the merchant has since been paused, rejected or expired, or the corridor has been halted; decline it instead.

## Automatic refunds

Every held payment shows how long is left: "Refunds the shopper automatically in…". When the workspace's **hold expiry** passes (default 24 hours, set in [Policies](/markets/hub/policies-and-limits)), the payment is refunded and the refund is recorded in the audit log. Funds are never left in limbo.

  A hold is a pause for a person, not a dead end. A different person from the one who locked it releases or declines it, and if nobody does, the shopper gets their money back.