---
title: "Why won't my bank connect?"
description: "The most common reasons are that your business isn't verified yet, the authorization box isn't ticked, or the bank window closed before an account was picked. The message on screen tells you which one it is."
url: https://cleo-pay.com/help/why-wont-my-bank-connect
category: "Bank accounts and balance"
audience: [business]
updated: 2026-10-22
support: support@cleo-pay.com
---

# Why won't my bank connect?

> The most common reasons are that your business isn't verified yet, the authorization box isn't ticked, or the bank window closed before an account was picked. The message on screen tells you which one it is.

Most of the time a bank won't connect because your business isn't verified yet, the authorization box wasn't ticked, or the bank window closed before you picked an account. Cleo Pay shows a message when a connection fails. Find yours below, try the fix, and email us if it keeps happening.

## Messages you might see

| Message | What it means and what to do |
|---|---|
| "Bank connections switch on once your business is verified. Finish the outstanding items under Settings, then Verification." | Your business isn't verified yet. Go to **Settings**, then **Verification**, and finish what's listed. Then try again. |
| "Accept the ACH debit authorization before connecting your bank." | Tick **I authorize the debits described above.** and click the button again. |
| "Stripe closed the bank connection without returning an account. Please try connecting again." | The bank window closed before an account was picked. Try again and pick an account before you close it. |
| "Stripe finished the bank connection without attaching an account. Please connect your bank again." | Same as above. Start again and pick the account in the bank window. |
| "Bank connected, but Cleo could not save it. Please try again." | The bank sign-in worked but the last step didn't. Try again. |
| "A previous attempt for this account is still being processed. Please wait a few minutes and try again." | You clicked twice, or an earlier try is still running. Wait a few minutes. |
| "We could not record your ACH authorisation because your network address was unavailable. Please try again." | Try again. If it keeps happening, try another network or browser. |
| "The bank you selected does not match the account ending in [last four]. Please reconnect the same bank account." | You're reconnecting a bank and picked a different account. Pick the account with those last four digits. |
| "Something went wrong connecting your bank" or "Bank connection failed" | Something failed that we didn't expect. Try once more, then email us. |

If the message starts with "Could not link the selected bank account" or "Could not read the selected bank account from Stripe", Stripe turned the request down. Try again in a few minutes, and email us with the full message if it fails again.

## The button is greyed out

- You're not an admin. Only admins can connect the bank you pay from, and you'll see "An account admin on your team can connect the bank you pay from."
- The authorization box isn't ticked.
- In setup, a business that isn't verified yet sees "Bank connections open up once you're verified" instead of the button. Click **Skip for now** and connect from Settings later.

## If you typed in the numbers

Banks added with **Enter bank details** can show "That routing number was not accepted. Please check it and try again." or "That account number was not accepted. Please check it and try again." Check the numbers against a check or your bank's website. Routing numbers are 9 digits and account numbers are 4 to 17 digits.

## Still not working

Email support@cleo-pay.com with:

- Your business name
- Your bank's name
- The exact message you saw, or a screenshot of it

If a bank you already connected stopped working, see [How to reconnect your bank account](https://cleo-pay.com/help/reconnect-your-bank-account) instead.