Payment link states

Last updated: May 27, 2026

A payment link can be in one of three states: Draft, Active, or Expired. This article describes what each state means and when a link moves between them.

Payment link states

State	What it means
Draft	The link has been either saved but not yet published or it was published and moved back to draft status. It does not accept payments and is not shareable with customers.
Active	The link is live and can be shared with customers. Anyone with the URL can complete a payment.
Expired	The link is no longer available. Customers visiting the URL will not be able to pay. Expired links cannot be reactivated.

When a link becomes Active

A link moves from Draft to Active as soon as you publish it from the dashboard. From that moment, the URL is shareable and ready to accept payments.

Also, It can go back from Active to Draft. In Draft status it is not shareable with customers or available to receive payments.

When a link becomes Expired

A link moves from Active to Expired in two scenarios:

1. The configured expiration date passes

If you set an expiration date when creating the link, the link automatically moves to Expired once that date is reached.

2. A payment is received on a single-use link

Single-use payment links (the default for instant payment links) automatically move to Expired as soon as the first successful payment is received. This prevents the same link from being paid more than once.

Multi-use links stay Active after each payment and only expire when the configured expiration date passes.

Single-use vs multi-use links

Type	Behavior
Single-use (Instant-Payment-Links)	Expires automatically after the first successful payment. Default for one-time / instant payment links.
Multi-use	Stays Active after each payment. Only expires when the configured expiration date passes.

The type of link is chosen whenever creating a payment link from the Dashboard or from the API.

Need help?

If a link is in an unexpected state, please contact us at support@rebill.com.