Understanding your payments, balance accounts, and payouts
At Tapa Pay, payments are designed to move cleanly across in-person and online channels. This guide explains how funds move from the moment a customer pays through to the payout reaching your bank account.
Key concepts
1. Omni-channel payments
Whether you take payments through POS terminals, online orders and bookings, or gift voucher sales, all payments flow through the unified Tapa Pay system.
2. Balance accounts
Payments do not go directly to your bank account. They first settle into balance accounts, which are internal holding accounts inside Tapa Pay.
- Funds usually arrive in the balance account almost instantly after the customer pays.
- Balance accounts are not your bank account. They are internal accounts managed inside Tapa Pay for your business.
3. Payouts to your bank account
Tapa Pay transfers funds from your balance account to your linked bank account on a T+2 business day cycle.
- T+2 means two business days after the funds settle into the balance account.
- Weekends and bank holidays do not count as business days.
How business structure affects fund routing
Company and branch setup
- Company is your legal entity. Gift vouchers and online services are processed at company level, and a company can have multiple balance accounts depending on how many bank accounts you link.
- Branch is an individual location or outlet. Each branch can route its payments to a different balance account depending on how you configure it.
Custom routing
- You can configure routing per branch or company in Tapa Office.
- Funds are always routed to a balance account, not directly to your bank.
- If you operate multiple balance accounts, separate payout invoices are issued per balance account so it is clear which payments are included.
Transparency in Tapa Office
In the Payment Detail View you can see which balance account and bank account a payment was routed to, along with the Value Date showing when the funds cleared into the balance account.
Common misunderstandings
| Misconception | Reality |
|---|---|
| Payments go directly to my bank account | All payments settle into a balance account first. |
| The balance account is the same as my bank | Balance accounts sit inside Tapa Pay and payout happens on the T+2 cycle. |
| T+2 includes weekends | Only business days count, so weekends and bank holidays extend the timeline. |
| Changing routing updates old transactions | Routing changes only affect new transactions going forward. |
| Gift vouchers are branch-specific | Gift vouchers are always company-level and can be redeemed in any branch. |
Example payout timeline
| Day | Event |
|---|---|
| Monday | Customer pays via POS. |
| Monday | Funds appear in the balance account. Value Date is Monday. |
| Wednesday | Funds arrive in your bank on T+2 business days after Monday. |
You can always check the Payment Detail View in Tapa Office to see where the payment was routed and when the payout should be expected.
FAQ
Why do payments not go straight to my bank account?
Tapa Pay settles funds into balance accounts first, then pays them out to your linked bank account on the payout cycle.
Do routing changes update previous transactions?
No. Routing changes only affect new transactions processed after the change is made.
Where can I see which account a payment was routed to?
Use the Payment Detail View in Tapa Office to check the balance account, linked bank account and value date for the transaction.