In short: A pending EFT is not automatically a lost payment. PASA says EFT credits are batched and typically show later the same day or a day or two later, depending on the service level. Real-time rails are different: RTC is cleared within 60 seconds. Check the transaction type in your own Absa, Capitec or FNB channel before you assume the money vanished.
This page is about reading a pending credit in South Africa. It is not a live tracker and it cannot open your bank account.
First identify the rail
Absa, Capitec and FNB all offer more than one way to send money. The label on the receipt matters:
- EFT credit. PASA says these instructions usually reflect later that day or a day or two later. They are not instantaneous. Settlement follows same-day, one-day or two-day service levels.
- RTC / immediate payment. PASA says an RTC instruction is cleared within 60 seconds and the funds are available in the receiver’s account. That is 60 seconds, not 60 minutes.
- PayShap. PASA describes this as a real-time Rapid Payment. Capitec’s FAQ treats a completed PayShap as already gone.
PASA’s R5 million figure is the low-value versus high-value split, and the weekday daytime RTC maximum until 16:00. It is not a personal “maximum EFT” of R5 million on Absa, Capitec or FNB. Night, weekend and public-holiday RTC, PASA says, tops out at R250 000, and banks may set lower limits. This page does not publish a 12-hour same-bank EFT clock. That number is not on PASA’s credit-payments page.
How to check it yourself
Use the official app, USSD or internet banking of the bank that sent the payment. Look for status, reference, rail type, amount and the beneficiary account. Then ask the recipient to look on their side, in their official channel, not on a forwarded screenshot.
This article does not walk through Absa, Capitec or FNB menu taps. Those screens change. If the in-app status is unclear, use that bank’s published contact route.
Capitec publishes 0860 10 20 43 and WhatsApp 067 418 9565 on its FAQ. Confirm those on Capitec’s site. For Absa and FNB, use the number printed in the official app or on the bank’s own contact page. Do not use a number from a WhatsApp broadcast.
When to treat it as a problem
If the payment was an EFT and fewer than two days have passed, PASA’s own timing still covers “a day or two later”. Wait out that service-level window unless your bank’s status already says failed, reversed or rejected.
If you chose an immediate or RTC product and more than a minute has passed with no credit on the receiving side, ask both banks to trace the reference. Keep the proof from the official channel, not a photoshopped “POP”.
Do not pay a tracer, do not read an OTP to a caller, and do not send a new payment because someone claims the first one is “stuck”.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I wait on an EFT?
PASA says later that day or a day or two later, depending on the service level. That is not a same-bank 12-hour rule.
Is a real-time payment supposed to take an hour?
PASA says RTC clears within 60 seconds. An hour is not the official RTC time.
Is R5 million the EFT limit?
No. PASA uses R5 million as a rail boundary and as the weekday daytime RTC maximum. Your bank’s limit can be lower.
Can this site see my pending payment?
No. Only your bank’s official channel can. Do not share login details with anyone who offers to track it for you.
Sources
- PASA, Credit Payments, accessed 18 August 2026. Credit payments
- Capitec Bank FAQ, PayShap and contact answers, accessed 18 August 2026. www.capitecbank.co.za/were-here-to-help/faqs/
This is general information about pending South African credits. It is not a live payment status. Use the sending bank’s current channel.
See all bank transfer guides.