- Short answer
- US only: rules set aside sales tax and split Shopify Payments payouts by percentage; moving your payout account off main Balance deactivates them.
- Destinations
- Up to 5 Balance accounts, instant; unlimited external banks by ACH, which can take 1–3 business days.
- Which payouts
- Only Shopify Payments payouts trigger rules; payouts from other payment providers don't.
- Editing a rule
- Change the destination or percentage any time; edits apply to your next Shopify Payments payout.
- Canceling
- Pending external-bank transfers can be canceled; transfers to Balance accounts are instant and can't be.
What happens to each payout?
Each Shopify Payments payout moves in this order:
- Collected sales tax moves to your sales tax account, if Set aside sales tax is on.
- Each distribution rule takes its percentage of the remaining payout.
- Unclaimed funds stay in your main Balance account.
Up to 5 Shopify Balance accounts can be destinations, paid instantly; unlimited external banks can take 1–3 business days by ACH, depending on the receiving bank (transfer timing).
The help pages we read on October 5, 2026 (auto-transfers, payout accounts, sales tax) state no maximum number of rules and no order among distribution rules.
What limits or switches off the rules?
You need a US-based business and an active Balance account, with the main one as your Shopify Payments payout account. Distribution rules use percentages only, not fixed-dollar amounts or time-based schedules, and active distribution rules can't total over 100%.
Shop Pay Installments payouts are included with Shopify Payments payouts, and the Balance sales tax page says sales tax is set aside from both (pages read October 5, 2026).
Switching your payout account away from your main Balance account makes active rules inactive; the help pages we read on October 5, 2026 (auto-transfers, payout accounts) don't say they reactivate. Re-check your rules after switching back (payout account changes).
How do you set up, change or stop a rule?
Go to Finance > Balance > Auto-transfer rules:
- Tax: activate Set aside sales tax, pick its Balance account, optionally Regions, save.
- Split: choose Distribute remaining funds across accounts, pick an account under To, set a percentage, save; banks connect through Plaid.
- Edit any time: destination or percentage changes apply to your next Shopify Payments payout.
- Stop: turn the rule's option off.
Pending external-bank transfers can be canceled in their transaction details; instant transfers to Balance accounts can't.
A failed auto-transfer leaves the rest of your payout in your main Balance account; other rules still run (failed transfers).
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