> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.methodfi.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Account Lifecycle

> Account statuses, available products, and state transitions.

## Account Lifecycle and Status

Accounts move through a defined set of statuses that reflect their current state:

| Status | Description |
| - | - |
| **Active** | The account is fully connected, verified (if applicable), and ready for use. All supported products are available. This is the normal operating state for most accounts. |
| **Processing** | The account is being set up or verified. For liability accounts, this may be a brief transitional state during discovery. For funding accounts, this typically means verification is in progress (e.g., waiting for micro-deposit confirmation). |
| **Pending Exchange** | Account ownership is waiting for an account-consent exchange. Products remain unavailable until the exchange completes. |
| **Disabled** | The account has been deactivated within Method. The account may still be active at the financial institution, but Method will not perform new operations on it. This can happen when consent is withdrawn or the account is flagged for an issue. |
| **Closed** | Method has detected that the account is closed at the financial institution. The debt may have been paid off, the card may have been canceled, or the loan may have been settled. No new operations are available, but historical data remains accessible. |

<Warning>
  **Common causes of Disabled status:** the Entity's [consent](/reference/accounts/consent/withdraw) was withdrawn, the Entity's verification expired or was revoked, the account was flagged by Method's risk monitoring, or your team explicitly disabled it via the API. Check the account's `error` field for the specific reason.
</Warning>

## State Transitions

* **Processing → Active**: Account setup or verification completes successfully
* **Active → Disabled**: Account is flagged for an issue or disabled after consent is withdrawn. May be reversible — listen for `account.update` webhooks and retrieve the Account
* **Active → Closed**: Method detects the account is closed at the financial institution (debt paid off, card canceled, loan settled)
* **Disabled → Active**: The issue is resolved and the account is re-enabled
* **Closed** is terminal — closed accounts do not reopen

<Note>
  **Webhook tip:** Subscribe to `account.update` and `account.closed` [webhook events](/reference/webhooks/overview) to handle transitions in real time rather than polling. Retrieve the Account after `account.update` to inspect its current status.
</Note>

### Key Webhooks

* `account.update`: Account status or data changed
* `account.closed`: Account was closed
* `update.update`: An [Update](/guides/updates/overview) changed status; retrieve it to check for completion or failure

## Subscriptions: Automatic Data Refresh

Instead of manually requesting [Updates](/guides/updates/overview) or [Balances](/reference/accounts/balances/overview), you can subscribe an account to automatic refresh. When subscribed, Method periodically fetches fresh data and notifies you via webhook. See [Update Subscriptions](/guides/updates/subscriptions) for details.

The `subscriptions` and `available_subscriptions` arrays on each Account show what's currently active and what can be enabled.

## Products and the Lifecycle

Each account carries a `products` array — the list of Method capabilities currently available for that account. Products include: `update` (refresh balances/data), `balance` (real-time balance), `payment` (send funds to creditor), `card_brand` (card art and product name), `payoff` (eligible auto-loan and mortgage payoff quotes), `sensitive` (full account numbers), `attribute` (credit health metrics), and the typed Payment Instrument products `payment_instrument.card`, `payment_instrument.network_token`, and `payment_instrument.inbound_achwire_payment`.

Product availability depends on three factors:

1. **Account type**: `card_brand` applies to supported card networks, while `payoff` applies to eligible auto loans and mortgages (see [Liability Types](/guides/accounts/liability-types))
2. **Account status**: Disabled and Closed accounts lose most products
3. **Team configuration**: Some products require team-level enablement (check `restricted_products`)

Always check the `products` array before attempting an operation. Attempting an operation not in `products` will return an error. See the [Products reference](/reference/accounts/products/overview) for the full list.


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