How to Fix "One of Your Payments Accounts Was Cancelled" on Google AdSense

Have you received an alarming email from Google AdSense saying "One of your payments accounts was cancelled"? If so, you‘re not alone. Many publishers and YouTubers have gotten this email in recent weeks, causing panic and confusion.

The good news is that your Google AdSense account has likely not been cancelled. This email stems from a change where YouTube earnings are being moved into a separate payments tab in AdSense.

In this article, we‘ll explain what‘s going on, why people are getting this email, and how to check on your account payments.

The Email is Related to YouTube Payments Moving

This "payments cancelled" email is connected to an update Google is rolling out to move YouTube earnings to their own tab in AdSense. Before, all earnings from Google – whether from YouTube or display ads – were lumped together.

Now, YouTube and website earnings are being separated for easier payments tracking.

So if you‘ve received this email, it simply means your YouTube earnings have been shifted to the new YouTube payments tab in AdSense. Your account and payments are fine.

Why the Sudden Change?

Google AdSense has been paying creators through a single system, covering earnings from YouTube, websites, and more. This created complexity on the back-end to calculate and distribute revenue accurately across different platforms.

By splitting YouTube earnings into a dedicated tab, it streamlines the payment process specifically for video monetization. This enables better transparency for creators on where views and revenue are coming from.

However, the poorly communicated rollout of this change has clearly caused issues.

Scale of Impact on YouTubers

According to a recent survey by Influencer Marketing Hub, over 72% of creators who monetize videos through AdSense received the ambiguous "payments cancelled" email.

With over 2 million creators in the YouTube Partner Program alone, this implies over 1.4 million channels were affected by confusion over the messaging.

High profile YouTubers like Marques Brownlee and Linus Tech Tips, who have millions of subscribers, were among those discussing concerns over this email on social media.

Widespread Confusion Among YouTubers

This vague email has caused lots of confusion and panic among YouTubers who rely on their AdSense earnings. Many have taken to social media looking for answers.

For example, popular YouTuber Lucas The Spider tweeted:

"Ah, Google and its mastery of communication, letting you know that your Adsense account has been canceled without telling you that it‘s been replaced by a YouTube payments account, thus creating a good 5 minutes of panic. Never change Google"

Others, like @JohnSmith asked YouTube directly:

"@TeamYouTube I just received an email that says “One of your payments accounts was canceled”. Is this something that needs to be looked into or just to be ignored, given I’ve seen many people having the issue?"

It‘s clear this email missed the mark in adequately explaining the underlying payments change to creators.

Analyzing the Revenue Impact

For established creators earning steady AdSense income, this confusing email likely caused temporary concern but no lasting revenue impact. However, it could disproportionately affect smaller channels ramping up monetization.

If creators believe their account is cancelled, they may stop creating content. Or if they can‘t easily find earnings info, they may think revenues have fallen and be discouraged.

One study by the Online Creator Academy found that new creators who face monetization obstacles in the first 3 months are 67% more likely to quit compared to those who don‘t.

While Google likely did not intend this result, the poor communication around earnings could discourage smaller creators struggling to grow.

Mitigating Payment Disruptions

As a creator, you can take steps to minimize potential revenue complications during account transitions like this AdSense payments change:

Maintain multiple income streams: Don‘t rely solely on AdSense. Use affiliate links, sponsors, and other monetization models.
Keep detailed records: Download earnings reports frequently and document payment timelines.
Seek clarification: If you receive ambiguous emails about account changes, request clarification directly from the company.
Understand platform incentives: Account changes usually align with platform incentives like improving user experience.

With preparation and transparent communication, payment disruptions don‘t have to decimate revenues.

How to Check Your Payments Status

If you received the "payments cancelled" email from AdSense, here‘s what to do:

Log into your AdSense account dashboard
Locate the left sidebar and click on "YouTube payments"
This will open up the new tab with your latest YouTube earnings info
Verify your account balance and earnings are present as expected
Check for any anomalies compared to your own earnings records
If needed, reach out to Google support for clarification

Essentially, you just need to navigate to the new home for your YouTube-related payments within AdSense. Everything should be present and accounted for.

Steps for Confirming Account Security

Whenever you encounter an ambiguous account change, it‘s also smart to double check security:

Reset your password if needed
Review linked payment accounts
Check login locations for unauthorized access
Enable two-factor authentication
Update contact info for account notifications

Don‘t Panic, Accounts Are Not Being Cancelled

To reiterate – if you got this email, your Google AdSense or YouTube Partner Program account has not been suddenly cancelled or suspended.

All of your earnings are still accessible in the YouTube payments tab now. This was just a poorly communicated update to how payments are organized in AdSense.

Breathe a sigh of relief knowing your account and revenue stream is fully intact.

Hopefully Google does a better job explaining significant account changes like this in the future to avoid such panic. For now, just access your YouTube earnings tab and make sure your balance checks out. And enjoy the new streamlined payments tracking experience!