# Handle payment errors and failures

Use this guide when a payment shows an error or failure status in the Payments Direct UI. It covers how to identify the failure type, interpret the error message, and decide whether to retry, correct data, or contact support.

For a description of what failure states look like in the UI, see [Payment errors and failures](/products/payments-direct-2/user-interface/ui-payment-failures).

## Prerequisites

- You have access to the Payments Direct UI.
- A payment has transitioned to an error or failure state.


## Step 1: Identify the failure

1. Open the **Payments** page.
2. Locate the failed payment in the payments list. Failed payments display an error status indicator.
3. Select the payment to open the payment details view.
4. Note the **error code**, **error description**, and **What you can do** text shown in the error message panel.


## Step 2: Understand the failure reason

Use the error description and the table below to understand what caused the failure:

| Failure reason | What it means |
|  --- | --- |
| Insufficient funds | Your available balance is less than the payment amount. |
| Past-due invoice | Your account has an unpaid invoice that must be settled before new payments can proceed. |
| Transaction limit reached | You have hit the maximum number of transactions allowed in a 24-hour period. |
| Transaction amount limit exceeded | The payment amount exceeds your account's per-transaction limit. |
| Inactive beneficiary | The beneficiary specified in the payment is inactive and cannot receive funds. |
| Mismatched identity | The identity ID provided does not match a beneficiary-type identity. |


If you see an error code not listed here, record the code and provide it to [technical support](/products/payments-direct-2/user-interface/support).

## Step 3: Take action

Based on the failure reason, take one of the following actions:

**Insufficient funds:** Deposit additional funds into your account (see [Deposit funds](/products/payments-direct-2/user-interface/guides/deposit-funds)), then submit the payment again with a new quote.

**Past-due invoice:** Settle the outstanding invoice. Once the invoice is cleared, submit the payment again with a new quote.

**Transaction limit reached:** Wait for the current 24-hour period to end, then submit the payment again with a new quote.

**Transaction amount limit exceeded:** Retry the payment with an amount that is within your account's transaction limit. Contact your Ripple representative if you need a higher limit.

**Inactive beneficiary:** Update the payment to reference a different, active beneficiary. If the intended beneficiary should be active, contact your Ripple representative.

**Mismatched identity:** Verify the beneficiary identity ID and resubmit with the correct ID.

**Other or unknown error:** Provide the error code to [technical support](/products/payments-direct-2/user-interface/support) for investigation.

## Notes

- Failed payments release any reserved funds back to your available balance automatically. No manual fund recovery action is required.
- Each retry requires a new quote. Quotes expire after the validity window (typically 15 minutes) and cannot be reused.
- If you are unable to resolve the issue using the information above, contact [technical support](/products/payments-direct-2/user-interface/support) and include the error code from the failed payment.