Why is my account under review?

We understand it can be worrying when you can’t use your account as normal.

Banks sometimes need to review accounts as part of the checks we carry out to keep customers and their money safe, meet our legal and regulatory responsibilities, and help prevent financial crime.

While we review your account, we may temporarily restrict some features.

Most reviews take a couple of hours, and almost all are done within 2 days.

Some reviews can take longer. We always work to complete your review as quickly as we can.

The accounts involved and the type of review will change what you can and can’t do.

Check the Monzo app for information about your review and any restrictions that apply to you.

Depending on your account, you may still be able to receive some payments (like your salary or benefits), use accounts that aren’t under review and spend some money on your card. If you’re able to spend on your card while your account is under review, we’ll let you know in the app. If applicable, some payments may still decline since there’s a set amount you can spend each day.

Some things may be temporarily unavailable during the review. This could include things like making bank transfers, moving money between accounts or Pots, making or receiving certain types of payments (including card payments) and using other features linked to your account.

All banks carry out checks to protect customers and meet legal and regulatory responsibilities.

There are different reasons why we might need to review an account. For example, we may need to carry out security checks or look more closely at account activity.

We can’t always give you more information about why a particular review is taking place. This is because there are legal and security limits on what banks can share while certain checks are ongoing.

Being under review doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve done anything wrong.

You don’t need to contact us for updates. Our team is already working on your account review and will message you in the app when there’s something you need to know.

If we need information or documents from you, we’ll contact you through the Monzo app. Replying promptly can help us complete the review.

We understand that temporary restrictions can have a significant impact, particularly if you need money for essentials.

Check the Monzo app first to see what you can still do with your account, including whether you can still use your card for some payments.

If the restrictions mean you can’t pay for an urgent essential need, like food or medication, contact us through the Monzo app and tell us about your situation.

If there’s something going on in your life that affects how you manage your money or use your account, you can tell us through Share with us.

This could include a health condition, accessibility needs, money worries, addiction, domestic or financial abuse, or an unexpected life event.

You can share information directly with our wellbeing team. They’ll use what you tell us to understand your circumstances and how we can best support you.

This is a separate team from the one that reviews accounts. They won’t be able to affect the outcome or review process, but can offer extra support if you need it.

We’ll let you know in the Monzo app as soon as our review is complete.

If we no longer need the temporary restrictions, we’ll remove them and you can get back to using your account like you normally would.

If we need to take further action, we’ll share all of the information we can.