Why did Acorns pause my investments?

If we let you know that your investments were paused and you're not sure why, it might be because the bank account you use to fund your investments is low. When we can, we'll automatically pause your investments to try to prevent you from being slapped with an overdraft fee.

Here's how it works and what to do next.

What happens when my investments are paused? 

Does this mean I won't be charged an overdraft fee? 

Troubleshooting issues with paused investments  

What happens when my investments are paused?

We work with a handful of major banks to try to prevent overdraft fees. If you use one of those banks and your primary checking account has a balance below a certain amount (usually about $25), our system will notice it and stop your next Acorns investment automatically.
For example, you have $30 in your primary checking account and try to invest $15. That deposit will be canceled.
A paused investment doesn't mean your account is suspended — it’s just canceled for one time.

Does this mean I won't be charged an overdraft fee?

We do our best to help you avoid overdraft fees, but we can't guarantee it every time. If you use one of the banks we work with, our system will check your account balance when you try to invest. But sometimes, deposits to your account can take a few days to go through. This means if your account doesn't have enough money by the time we try to take out the investment, you might still get hit with an overdraft fee.
For instance, let's say we start an investment on Tuesday, but the money isn't taken from your account until Thursday. If your balance drops too low between Tuesday and Thursday, your bank might still charge you an overdraft fee.

The best way to prevent an overdraft fee is to make sure you keep enough for your Recurring Investments. But if you're still concerned, you could consider turning off automatic investments. One way to keep investing is to manually add One-time Investments instead.

Troubleshooting issues with paused investments

Give it time: It can take anywhere from 24-48 hours for your bank to send us your updated bank account balance data. If you were notified that your transactions were paused and you now have enough money available in your linked primary checking account, you can go ahead and start a One-time Investment for the canceled deposit/transfer.

Clear up Round-Ups® connectivity issues: If your investments were paused and you're sure that you had enough money in your account when your investment started, there may be an issue with the connection with your bank. Here's how to refresh your Round-Ups® connection. 

Refresh the connection with your bank: Remember, your Round-Ups® connections are different from your primary checking account connection. You can also try refreshing the link with your primary checking account if you're having issues. 

First, log in to your bank account using your username and password and make sure that you have the correct login credentials.

Once you’ve confirmed that your login details are correct, relink your bank account with Acorns:

From your Acorns app:

1. Log in to your account

2. From your home screen, tap the avatar in the top left corner

3. Tap "Settings"

4. Tap "Linked Accounts"

5. Tap "Link another account"

6. Search for your bank and connect using your bank credentials

From acorns.com:

1. Log in to your account from acorns.com

2. From your home page, click "Profile & Settings" in the bottom left corner

3. Under "Personal Settings," click "Linked Accounts"

4. Click "Link another account"

5. Search for your bank

6. Enter your bank’s online banking credentials and click on "Submit"