---
title: "Someone paid you through Cleo Pay: what to do"
description: "A business you work with sent you money through Cleo Pay. Open the email from Cleo Pay, click Claim Your Payment, add your tax details and your bank account. It's free to get paid."
url: https://cleo-pay.com/help/someone-paid-you-through-cleo-pay
category: "Getting paid by a business"
audience: [vendor]
updated: 2026-10-22
support: support@cleo-pay.com
---

# Someone paid you through Cleo Pay: what to do

> A business you work with sent you money through Cleo Pay. Open the email from Cleo Pay, click Claim Your Payment, add your tax details and your bank account. It's free to get paid.

A business you work with sent you a payment through Cleo Pay, and it's waiting for you. To get it, open the email from Cleo Pay, click **Claim Your Payment**, add your tax details and tell us which bank account to pay. It takes a few minutes. You don't need a subscription, and getting paid is free.

## The email you got

The subject line reads "You have a payment of [amount] waiting for you on Cleo Pay". The email names the business that paid you, the amount and the date it was sent. Cleo Pay sends it for that business.

You have 30 days to claim the payment. After that, the money goes back to the business that sent it. We send reminders along the way, and the last one arrives the day before the deadline.

## How to claim your payment

1. Click **Claim Your Payment** in the email.
2. Create your free Cleo Pay account.
3. Add your tax details. This is the same information as a W-9: your name or business name, your tax classification, your address and your Social Security number or EIN, with your signature at the end. The business that paid you needs it on file to send you a 1099 at tax time.
4. Confirm your email address with the code we send you.
5. Add your bank account. Enter the account holder name, the account type, and your routing and account numbers. Check the numbers on the review screen, then click **Save bank account**.
6. On the last screen, click **Connect with [business]**. This is what accepts the payment, so don't close the page before you click it.

After that, the payment is released to you on its own. If you stop partway, sign back in later with the same email and Cleo Pay takes you back to where you left off. See [Your payment is waiting: finish setting up to get it](https://cleo-pay.com/help/finish-setting-up-to-get-your-payment).

## When the money arrives

After you add your bank, the money usually arrives in 1 to 3 business days. Business days are Monday to Friday, not counting bank holidays. We email you when the payment is on its way and again when it reaches your bank.

The next time this business pays you, you don't need to do anything. The money goes to the bank account you saved, and we email you when it's on the way. See [How long do Cleo Pay payments take?](https://cleo-pay.com/help/how-long-do-payments-take)

## Is this email real?

The email comes from Cleo Pay and its links go to cleo-pay.com. We never ask you to send bank details by email, text or phone. You only enter them on the Cleo Pay site after you sign in.

If you weren't expecting a payment, or you're not sure who sent it, don't click anything. Forward the email to support@cleo-pay.com and we'll check it for you.

## If your bank sends the money back

Sometimes a bank returns a payment, for example when the account is closed or a number was typed wrong. If that happens we email you with the subject "Your bank sent back [amount] from [business]". The money is safe. It waits in the paying business's Cleo Pay account until you give us a working account.

Open that email and click **Connect bank account**, or sign in to Cleo Pay and click **Enter bank details**. Enter the routing and account numbers for a different account. The account the money came back from can't be used again. Once the new account is saved, the payment is sent again on its own.