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TroubleshootingReviewed 2026-09-29

Payout run cannot be approved, cleared or cancelled: nothing pending, partly cleared, or the wrong books

A payout run moves Draft to Approved to Cleared and can be cancelled only while some payout is still pending; a run whose payouts were handled one by one, or a run drafted against books that do not promote the project, refuses the action with the messages listed here.

Messages this explains

  • “The run holds no pending payout to approve.”
  • “Some payouts of this run are already cleared; bounce them individually instead.”
  • “Only a Draft run can be approved (this one is <status>)”
  • “Only an Approved run can be cleared (this one is <status>)”
  • “A <status> run cannot be cancelled”
  • “That project is not promoted by the company these books belong to.”
  • “Cancelled on <time>. The refund payouts stay pending for a later run.”
  • “Cancelled on <time>. Its pending payouts were cancelled.”

Payout run cannot be approved, cleared or cancelled: nothing pending, partly cleared, or the wrong books

You pressed Approve, Clear <n> payouts or Cancel run on a payout run and the app refused, or Draft <n> payouts in the New payout run dialog refused the project you chose.

What you see

On the Payout run page, in the dialog you confirmed (or in the red alert under the header):

  • Approve the run?: "The run holds no pending payout to approve." when every payout of the run was cleared, cancelled or bounced on its own after you opened the page (once the page is refreshed, Approve is no longer offered); or "Only a Draft run can be approved (this one is <status>)" when someone else has moved the run on since you opened the page.
  • Clear the run: "Only an Approved run can be cleared (this one is <status>)".
  • Cancel the run?: "Some payouts of this run are already cleared; bounce them individually instead." when at least one payout of the run is Cleared; or "A <status> run cannot be cancelled" when the run is already Cleared or Cancelled (again, only on a page opened before that happened, since Cancel run is offered only on Draft and Approved runs).
  • Once a run is cancelled, an amber alert stays on the page: "Cancelled on <time>. The refund payouts stay pending for a later run." for a Refunds run, or "Cancelled on <time>. Its pending payouts were cancelled." for Member Benefits and Commissions runs.

In the New payout run dialog on Payout runs: "That project is not promoted by the company these books belong to." when the Project you picked is not promoted by the company that keeps the chosen Books.

Why it happens

A payout run is a batch of ordinary payouts. It moves Draft (drafted, nothing paid) to Approved (a user with the approve right has signed it off, the bank file can be exported) to Cleared (every payout cleared, one payment voucher posted per payout). Each action fits one status only, so a run that has moved on refuses the earlier action.

The payouts inside the run are still individual payments. Anyone with the Edit permission on Payments can open one from the run's Payouts in this run table and clear, cancel or bounce it on the Payment page (Mark cleared, Cancel, Bounce), without the run being approved. That is how a run ends up in the two states that block it:

  • Nothing pending. Approving needs at least one Pending payout, because approval exists to release payouts to the bank. When every payout was already cleared or cancelled one by one there is nothing left to release, so Approve is hidden and the request is refused. The run simply stays Draft; the payouts themselves are done.
  • Partly cleared. Cancelling a run cancels its pending payouts. A payout that has cleared has already posted a payment voucher and moved money, so it cannot be cancelled in bulk; it must be bounced on its own page, which posts the reversing entry. The run refuses to cancel while any payout is Cleared.

Cancelling a Member Benefits or Commissions run cancels its Pending payouts, and the benefits or commissions become payable again for a later run. A Refunds run does not own its payouts; they were recorded by the cancellation wizard, so cancelling the run only detaches them and they stay Pending for another run.

The Books and Project checks keep the batch inside one set of books: payouts post to the books of the company that promotes the project. Books belong to one promoter company, so a project promoted by another company cannot be paid from them.

How to fix it

  1. Refresh the page when the message names a status you did not expect ("this one is Approved", "this one is Cleared"). Someone else has acted on the run; the buttons now match its real status.
  2. "The run holds no pending payout to approve.": nothing is wrong. Open Payouts in this run and check each payout's clearing status. If they were cleared by hand, the money is paid and the run can be left as it is. To pay anyone still due, draft a new run with New payout run (the Create permission on Payments).
  3. "Some payouts of this run are already cleared; bounce them individually instead.": decide per payout. Open each Cleared payout from the run and use Bounce on the Payment page if the bank returned it (the Edit permission on Payments). If a cleared payout really was paid, do not bounce it: leave the run, and Cancel each payout that is still pending on its own page instead. Once no payout is Cleared, Cancel run goes through.
  4. "A Cleared run cannot be cancelled" / "A Cancelled run cannot be cancelled": the run is final. Correct a cleared payout by bouncing it on its own page; a cancelled run needs no action.
  5. "That project is not promoted by the company these books belong to.": in the New payout run dialog, pick the Books of the company that promotes the project (the promoter entity shown on the project's overview), or leave Project on "Every project of the books". If the promoter has no books yet, set them up first (see "No books yet" or "has no books").
  6. Approving a run needs the Approve permission on Payments; in the default roles that is the Administrator and the Finance Lead. Without it the button is hidden and a blue note on a Draft run says a Finance Lead approves the run before the bank file is exported. Clearing and cancelling need the Edit permission on Payments (Administrator, Finance Lead, Accountant).

Related

  • Payout runScreen

    One payout run: its payouts, skipped payees and failures, and the steps to approve it, export the bank file, clear it with the bank's UTRs or cancel it.

  • Payout runsScreen

    Every payout run of the chosen books, the dialog that drafts a new run of member benefits, commissions or refunds, and the scheduled rules that draft runs automatically.

  • PaymentScreen

    One receipt or payout: its details, amounts and allocations, and the actions to clear it, bounce it, cancel it, edit it or delete it.

  • Books overviewScreen

    The home page of one set of books: its company and settings, counts, fiscal years, and shortcuts to the chart of accounts, vouchers, reports and opening balances, with the actions to rename, deactivate or delete the books.

  • Payee skipped from the payout run: no active bank account on fileTroubleshooting

    A NEFT, RTGS or other bank-mode payout run drafts nothing for a member or channel partner who has no active bank account, lists them under Skipped payees, and picks them up in a later run once an account is added.

  • Payment saved but clearing failed, or payouts in a run could not be clearedTroubleshooting

    The payment was recorded as Pending but its voucher could not be posted, most often because the books have no bank ledger for the account the money went through; fix the cause and clear it again.

  • "No books yet" or "has no books": set up books for the promoter company firstTroubleshooting

    Every posting follows the project's promoter company into its set of books; until that Promoter Entity company has books, the accounting screens show an empty state and demands, receipts, commissions and cancellations cannot post.

  • "No access" or "You do not have permission": your role lacks a permissionTroubleshooting

    Every screen, button and picker is gated by a permission on a module; your role decides which you hold, so a missing one shows as a No access card, a refused action, a greyed-out button with a hover reason, or a picker that explains which permission it needs.