# Fix the negative balance on your account

### A negative balance occurs when the cost of refunds, disputes, and fees exceeds the available balance. Your business won't be able to send refunds to customers until the issue is resolved. To fix a negative balance, Stripe may automatically initiate a withdrawal from the bank account on file within two business days of the account going negative. In most countries, you can also add funds directly to your account from the Dashboard. Transfers from your bank account, whether initiated by Stripe or you, can take several days to become available in your Stripe account.
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If you expect an increase in customer refunds or disputes, you can proactively add money to your Stripe account to avoid a negative balance and prevent business disruptions and chargebacks.
### Add funds directly to your Stripe account
Follow our [detailed instructions on adding funds](https://stripe.com/docs/add-funds) directly to your Stripe account from the Dashboard. Adding funds directly is not supported in India or Brazil. Funds added directly will show as a negative payout in the Dashboard.
If you are in a country where Stripe supports automatic withdrawal for negative balances, check [your balance](https://dashboard.stripe.com/balance/overview) and future payouts before adding additional funds in case your negative balance was already addressed.
If you're in a country where topping up your payments balance directly is not allowed, funds will be credited to a separate balance type called **Future refunds or disputes** (FROD) on your [Balances page](https://dashboard.stripe.com/balance/overview). The funds in this balance are used solely for **future** refunds and disputes. Your existing pending refunds will be released after Stripe automatically sweeps funds from the FROD balance to recover your negative balance.
### **Automatic withdrawal**
Automatic withdrawal, also called auto debit, is when Stripe initiates an account debit from the bank account on file to cover the negative balance. This helps you maintain a funded and operational account without the need for manual intervention.
If your account is eligible for automatic withdrawal, Stripe will attempt to debit your bank account within 2 business days of the negative balance. If the debit is successful, your account will be funded, and can continue processing transactions. However, if the debit fails, funds need to be added to your Stripe balance using an alternative method, such as a manual transfer or a credit card.
If you're concerned about issuing refunds sooner, [add funds to your Stripe account proactively](https://stripe.com/docs/add-funds).
See also:
* Auto Debit FAQ
* [UK instructions to check whether Direct Debit Instructions (DDI) are active](/questions/uk-instructions-to-check-whether-direct-debit-instructions-%28ddi%29-are-active)
### Set up a minimum balance
To prevent your account from going negative we recommend setting a [minimum balance](https://docs.stripe.com/payouts/minimum-balances-for-automatic-payouts) to cover refunds, disputes, and fees.
### Multiple bank accounts with different currencies
If you have multiple different bank accounts in different currencies, the balance for each currency is handled separately. Stripe won't subtract from your balance in one currency to cover the negative balance in another currency.
Follow the steps to [add funds directly](https://docs.stripe.com/get-started/account/add-funds) to top up a non-default currency from the [Dashboard](https://dashboard.stripe.com/balance/overview) .
### Connect platforms
* [Add funds to your platform balance](https://stripe.com/docs/connect/top-ups)