> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.podplay.app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.podplay.app/memberships/managing-memberships/pause-membership.md).
# Pause Membership
### Pausing a Customer's Membership
The Pause Membership feature lets staff temporarily suspend a Customer's Membership while preserving their Membership status. Billing stops and benefits are suspended during the pause, then resume automatically when the pause ends.
#### Effects of a pause
* Billing stops during the pause period
* Membership benefits are suspended (for example, booking privileges and discounts)
* The Membership is not cancelled — it resumes automatically at the end of the pause
* The next billing date is extended to account for the pause duration
#### Pause statuses
* **PAUSED** — currently paused
* **PENDING\_PAUSE** — pause scheduled to start soon
#### Enabling pause for a Membership plan
Before staff can pause a Membership, the pause feature must be enabled for that Membership plan.
1. Navigate to Memberships in the Dashboard
2. Open the Membership plan you want to configure
3. Expand the Pause Management section
4. Configure the Monthly Subscription Settings and the Yearly/6-Month Subscription Settings
{% hint style="info" %}
Pause settings are configured separately for monthly vs. yearly subscriptions, so you can set different policies for each billing cycle type.
{% endhint %}
#### How to pause a Membership
1. Go to the Customer page and search for the Customer
2. Open the Customer's Profile drawer
3. Click the Membership tab
4. Click the Manage Membership button
5. Select the Pause Membership option
6. Click Continue
Then, on the pause configuration screen, select the pause duration from the dropdown (it shows the available weeks based on the Membership's settings), then review the preview:
* The Pause start date (typically begins at the next billing cycle)
* The Pause end date (calculated from the selected duration)
* The Pause fee if applicable (shows the fee that will be charged immediately).
Click Pause Membership to confirm.
#### What happens when a Membership is paused
* The pause fee (if configured) is charged immediately via Stripe
* A pause record is created with start and end dates
* The next charge date is extended to after the pause period
* The Customer gets an email notification
* A Slack notification goes to the staff activity channel
* If the Membership was pending cancellation, the cancellation is automatically cleared
#### How to unpause a Membership early
If a Customer wants to resume their Membership before the scheduled pause end date:
1. Go to the Customer page and find the Customer
2. Open the Customer's Profile drawer
3. Click the Membership tab
4. Click the Manage Membership button
5. Select the Unpause Membership option
6. Click Continue Review the unpause details — the actual pause duration and the next charge date — then click Unpause Membership to confirm.
#### What happens when unpaused early
* The pause ends immediately
* The next charge date is recalculated based on the actual pause duration
* Membership benefits resume right away
* The Customer gets an email notification
#### How to cancel a scheduled pause
If a pause has been scheduled but hasn't started yet (status: PENDING\_PAUSE), you can cancel it:
1. Go to the Customer page and find the Customer
2. Open the Customer's Profile drawer
3. Click the Membership tab
4. Click the Manage Membership button
5. Select the Cancel Scheduled Pause option
6. Confirm the cancellation
{% hint style="warning" %}
This option only appears when the Membership status is in a "pending Pause" state.
{% endhint %}
#### Pause and cancellation interactions
When a Membership is in a pending-cancellation state (scheduled to cancel at the end of the billing cycle), staff can choose:
* **Pause Instead** — converts the pending cancellation to a pause
* **Reactivate** — clears the cancellation and returns the Membership to active status
* **Cancel Immediately** — ends the Membership right away Selecting Pause Instead automatically clears the pending cancellation and schedules the pause.
#### Pause eligibility
A Membership can only be paused if:
* Pause is enabled for the Membership plan, for the relevant Charge Type
* The subscription is recurring (monthly or yearly) — not FREE or NON\_RECURRING
* No existing pause is active or pending
* The Membership is not already cancelled
* The selected duration is within the min/max weeks configured for the plan
#### Charge Type behavior
For monthly subscriptions, the pause typically starts at the beginning of the next billing cycle — the system calculates the optimal start date to align with billing periods.
#### Identifying paused Customers
In the Customer List, paused Customers show a status badge: PAUSED for a currently paused Membership, PENDING\_PAUSE for a pause scheduled to start soon. In the Customer's Profile, the Membership tab shows the current pause status, the pause start/end dates (if applicable), and the option to unpause or cancel a scheduled pause.
#### Troubleshooting
* **"This membership does not support pausing"** — Pause isn't enabled for this Membership plan's Charge Type. Go to the Membership plan settings and enable pause in the Pause Management section.
* **"Membership is already paused or has a pending pause"** — You can't create a new pause when one is already active or scheduled. Wait for the current pause to complete, or unpause/cancel the existing pause first.
* **"Pause duration must be between X and Y weeks"** — The selected duration is outside the configured range. Choose a duration within the min/max weeks configured for the Membership plan.
* **"Cannot pause a cancelled membership subscription"** — The Membership has already been cancelled (end date in the past). Pause isn't available for cancelled Memberships — consider creating a new Membership instead.
* **Pause fee failed to charge** — The Customer's payment method on file failed. Update the Customer's payment method in Stripe and retry the pause operation.
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