You open the app at 7 a.m., ready to grab a Costco batch before the lot fills up, and instead of the batch list you get a notice saying your account is under review. Your stomach drops.
An Instacart account under review means Instacart is checking something about your account before it lets you keep working normally. It might be a document, a background check, your identity, or a flag on your activity. The first move is to read the exact message in the app and your email, then answer whatever it asks for, because the fix often depends on what they're actually checking.
The rest of this post covers what's usually behind a review, the steps in order, the mistakes that stretch the wait, and how to keep some income moving while you sort it out.
Why Instacart puts accounts under review
Instacart doesn't publish a full list of triggers, and the details change over time, so nobody outside the company can tell you exactly why yours got flagged. What shoppers commonly run into falls into a few buckets.
A document problem: an expired driver's license, an insurance card that lapsed, a blurry upload, or a name that doesn't match across documents.
A background check that's still processing or needs more information from you.
An identity or account security check, often after a new phone, a new login location, or changed payment details.
Customer reports or order issues, like missing items, late deliveries, or complaints that piled up.
Activity that looked unusual to their systems.
That last one is the hardest to read, because the notice is often vague. A review is also not the same thing as a deactivation. It's a pause while they look, and some reviews end with you back to work and nothing else changes.
Still, treat it as serious from the first minute. How you respond in the first day matters more than most people expect.
What to do in the first hour
Start by collecting information before you contact anyone. Support goes faster when you can say exactly what you saw and when.
Screenshot the notice in the app, with the date and time visible if you can.
Check your email, including spam and promotions folders, for anything from Instacart or the background check provider.
Open your profile in the app and look at every document: license, insurance, vehicle registration if you drive, and your payment details. Look for anything expired or flagged.
Fix what you can. Re-upload a clear, full-frame photo with all four corners visible and nothing cut off.
Contact shopper support through the app's help section and reference the notice. Keep it short and factual.
Write down the date, what you sent, and any ticket or case number.
Here's a hypothetical example. Say it's a Tuesday and you see the review notice. You screenshot it, then notice in your email a message from last week asking you to update your auto insurance. Your card expired on the first of the month and you never uploaded the new one. You upload the renewed card, open a support ticket saying "I received the review notice today and I've just uploaded my updated insurance, please confirm it's received," and jot down the ticket number. Then you set a reminder to check back in a couple of days.
That's a clean case. Yours may be messier, but the habit is the same: find the specific thing they asked for and answer it fast.
Mistakes that make the wait longer
Most of these come from panic, and they're easy to avoid once you know them.
Spamming support with five tickets a day usually just buries your real case. One clear message, then a calm follow-up after a reasonable gap, works better. How long a review takes varies, and the app is the place to check for current timelines.
Making a second account is the move that tempts people most. Don't. It can create a bigger problem on top of the first one, and it's worth reading Instacart's current shopper terms before you do anything like it.
Sending angry messages feels good for about ten seconds. The person reading your ticket can't fix a flag they can't see, and a hostile tone doesn't speed anything up.
Uploading the wrong thing is another one. If they ask for an updated insurance document and you send a photo of your license, the case sits.
And then there's guessing. Don't tell support something you aren't sure of just to sound confident. If you don't know why it happened, say so and ask what they need from you.
Match what you see to the likely fix
This table won't replace what the app tells you, but it helps you decide where to look first. Save it or screenshot it.
| What you notice | Likely area | What to do first |
|---|---|---|
| Message mentions documents or verification | Expired or unclear upload | Check expiration dates, re-upload clear photos |
| Message mentions a background check | Check still processing or needs info | Look for emails from the check provider, respond to any request |
| Review started after a new phone or new location | Account security check | Follow the verification steps in the app, use a stable connection |
| Review followed a rough week of complaints | Customer or order quality | Contact support, ask what they're reviewing, stay professional |
| No reason given at all | Unknown | Open a ticket, ask what's needed, keep records |
| Payout looks stuck | Payment details or hold | Check your payment info and ask support specifically about earnings |
If your payout is the worry, ask about it directly in your ticket rather than assuming. Whether you can still cash out during a review depends on the situation, so check the app.
Keeping your income steady while you wait
A review can last longer than you'd like, and rent doesn't pause. The smartest thing you can do is stop relying on one platform before you need to.
If you already have other delivery or gig apps set up, now's the time to use them. If you don't, getting one verified takes its own time, so it's worth starting even after your Instacart account is cleared. A backup that's already approved is worth far more than one you start applying for the day something goes wrong.
Next, keep your paperwork current as a habit. Put a calendar reminder two weeks before your insurance, registration, and license expire. It's boring, and it prevents one of the most common reasons shoppers get stuck in review.
Also keep your own records of your work: screenshots of earnings, order history, and any customer feedback. If you ever have to explain your history to support, you'll have something to point to.
One more thing, and use your own judgment here. If you run any third-party tool alongside Instacart, whether that's automation or something else, think about pausing it until you understand why the review started. Instacart decides what's allowed, so read the current shopper terms yourself instead of relying on what a forum says.
Where ShopperBoost fits, and where it doesn't
A review is an account problem, and no tool fixes it. If you're stuck in one, handle the review first.
For the time when you're back to normal, ShopperBoost distributes ShopperX, an iPhone app for shoppers in the US and Canada. You set filters such as minimum pay, maximum distance, and preferred or allowed stores, and it accepts batches that match those rules while it runs in the background. It runs locally on your phone and doesn't ask for your Instacart username or password. You can still accept batches manually in the Instacart app whenever you want.
Be realistic about the risk, though. Any automation tool carries some level of risk to an account, and no tool can guarantee zero. Results also depend on your market, your hours, and your filter settings. New users can try it free for 5 days, with no credit card required.
FAQ
How long does an Instacart account review take?
It varies by the reason and by how fast you respond. A missing document can be resolved quickly once it's uploaded and checked, while other reviews take longer. Check the app and your email for the current status, and follow up politely if it's been a while.
Can I still work while my account is under review?
That depends on the notice. In many cases the batch list is unavailable until the review is done, but the app message is the only reliable source. If you can't see or accept batches, you can't work until it clears.
Does an account review mean I'm being deactivated?
Not necessarily. A review is a check, and some end with your account fully restored. Others may not, which is why a fast, accurate response matters.
Can using an automation tool cause an account review?
Instacart doesn't publish exactly what triggers a review, so nobody can say for sure. Any automation tool carries some risk, and none can promise zero. If you use one and you're under review, consider pausing it and reading Instacart's current terms.
The most useful thing you can do is read the exact notice, find what they're asking for, and answer it once, clearly, with records. Everything else, the backup apps, the calendar reminders, the screenshots, just makes the next review less stressful.
This site is not affiliated with Instacart.
