> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nmbr.co/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Payments > Understand how Nmbr moves money after a payroll is approved. When a Payroll is approved, Nmbr automatically generates a set of **payments** that represent every scheduled money movement for that Payroll. Payments give you full visibility into the flow of funds — from the employer's bank account, through Nmbr, and out to employees and tax agencies. ## How payments are generated You do not create payments directly. When you call the [approve endpoint](/api-reference/payrolls/approve-a-payroll), Nmbr calculates the amounts owed and generates a payment for each destination: * **Funding (payroll float)** — A debit from the employer's bank account to fund the entire Payroll. This is always the first payment to be processed. * **Employee payments** — A credit to each employee's or contractor's bank account for their net pay. * **Remittances** — Credits to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), Revenu Québec (RQ), or other remittance accounts for statutory withholdings and employer contributions. Each payment includes a `process_at` date (when Nmbr submits the payment to the banking network) and an `expected_at` date (when the funds are expected to arrive). ## Payment lifecycle Every payment moves through a series of statuses as it is processed: ### pending The payment has been generated but has not yet been submitted to the banking network. ### processing Nmbr has submitted the payment to the banking network. The funds are in transit and the payment can no longer be modified. ### paid The payment has settled successfully. Funds have arrived at their destination. ### failed The payment was returned by the banking network. Common causes include non-sufficient funds (NSF) or an invalid bank account. When a funding payment fails, Nmbr will cancel the associated employee and remittance payments for that Payroll to prevent further issues. > When a payment fails, the parent Payroll's status is updated to reflect the failure. You can monitor payroll-level status changes via [webhooks](/api/overview/webhook-structure) or by polling the [payroll endpoint](/api-reference/payrolls/retrieve-a-payroll). ### overdue A payment that was held past its `process_at` date transitions to `overdue`. Overdue payments cannot be released through the API and must be resolved through Nmbr support. ## Holding and releasing payments Partners can place a **hold** on any payment. What a hold means depends on when it is placed: * **Before processing** (pending payments) — The payment is blocked from being submitted to the banking network. It will not process until released. * **After settlement** (paid payments) — The payment itself is not reversed — it has already settled. However, holding a settled funding payment blocks all downstream payments (employee, CRA, RQ) from being processed. This is useful for verification before releasing funds to employees. ### Placing a hold Any payment can be held regardless of its status or destination. ```bash theme={null} curl --request POST \ --url https://sandbox.nmbr.co/services/payroll/payments//hold \ --header 'Authorization: Bearer ' \ --header 'accept: application/json' ``` ### Releasing a hold Any held payment can be released. Once released, the payment returns to normal processing and pending payments will be submitted in the next processing window. ```bash theme={null} curl --request POST \ --url https://sandbox.nmbr.co/services/payroll/payments//release \ --header 'Authorization: Bearer ' \ --header 'accept: application/json' ``` ### Automatic verification holds Business Entities can be configured with `hold_funding_for_verification` to automatically hold funding payments after they settle. This gives bank partners time for internal monitoring before downstream payments proceed. Downstream payments remain blocked until the hold is released. ## Querying payments Retrieve all payments for a Business Entity using the [list payments endpoint](/api-reference/payments/list-payments). You can filter by `status`, `destination`, `method`, `payroll_id`, and `is_held` to narrow down results. ```bash theme={null} curl --request GET \ --url 'https://sandbox.nmbr.co/services/payroll/payments?business_entity_id=&status=pending' \ --header 'Authorization: Bearer ' \ --header 'accept: application/json' ``` ## Key concepts for integrators * **Payments are read-only.** You cannot create, update, or delete payments directly. They are generated and managed by Nmbr as part of the payroll lifecycle. * **Funding must settle first.** Employee and remittance payments are only processed after the funding payment has settled and is not held. * **Failed funding cascades.** If the employer's funding payment fails, all related employee and remittance payments for that Payroll are automatically canceled. * **Monitor status via webhooks.** Subscribe to payroll status webhooks to be notified when payments move through processing stages, rather than polling the API.