Direct debit collection capacity is a safeguard that keeps direct debit reliable as volumes grow, and may temporarily limit additional collections in some situations.
In practice, collection capacity is the mechanism that determines whether additional direct debit collections can be processed on top of what you’ve already collected during the current 8 weeks rolling period. This means you can be able to collect your usual volume, but when you add extra collections, the additional amount may not fit within your rolling period capacity.
We use this safeguard to reduce the risk of interruptions when collections increase unusually fast or don’t match the usual activity observed on the account (for example, in case of refunds, reversals, or disputes). Your capacity is designed to increase automatically over time as your account evolves and we observe consistent, healthy activity.
Why does Qonto use a collection capacity?
The goal is to make direct debit reliable at scale and fair across businesses.
Capacity helps support higher volumes for companies with consistent activity aligned with their turnover and account usage, while preventing unusual or inconsistent spikes from creating issues later on.
Why did I receive an email about direct debit collection capacity?
We email you when we detect that your upcoming direct debit volumes could soon get close to your current capacity.
Depending on your situation, the email may confirm that your collections are aligned with your usual activity, suggest actions to reduce the risk of interruption if you expect higher volumes, or inform you that a direct debit was declined due to capacity.
What can I do to reduce the risk of being limited?
You can’t manually set your capacity. However, if you expect higher volumes, the actions below can help reduce the risk of interruption and support capacity growth over time.
- Connecting an external account with transaction history helps us better understand your usual business activity and turnover, which can support higher collection volumes.
- Maintaining a higher balance on Qonto helps reduce the risk linked to potential refunds when collecting higher amounts.
- Diversifying your payment methods when possible can help if you anticipate a one-off peak and want to reduce reliance on direct debit for that period.
What should I do if some of my SDDs got declined due to capacity?
A decline due to capacity often means the additional volume you tried to collect didn’t fit within your rolling 8-week period, not that direct debit is blocked for your account.
Your capacity is calculated based on your last 8 weeks of activity: as time passes, older collections are no longer counted, which can free up capacity day by day. In the meantime, you can collect that specific payment using another payment method agreed with your client, and try again later once capacity becomes available.