How to troubleshoot option exercise errors
For optionholders
Learn what common error codes related to exercising your options mean, how to fix them, and when to reach out to support or your company admin.
How to tell if you need to contact support
If you've fixed an ACH issue
If the error is grey and the Certificate field says “N/A,” no certificate was created. →
You can just start a new exercise after resolving the error. There’s nothing Carta or your company needs to do.
If the error is red and the status says Pending or a certificate is listed, a certificate exists and the transaction can’t be fixed manually. →
Contact Carta Support to retry the transaction.
Errors related to ACH payments
Error code | Description | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
R01 | Insufficient Funds | Not enough funds in your bank account to cover the transaction. The exercise has failed and is permanently canceled. The system does not automatically retry the withdrawal or re-process the exercise. You must submit a brand new exercise request. | 1. Confirm Funds: Check your bank account balance and ensure sufficient funds are available to cover the exercise cost. 2. Restart Exercise: You must fully restart the exercise process from the beginning, as the exercise window has closed. The new request will require re-approval by the company. |
R02 | Account Closed | The linked bank account is closed. | Add a new, active bank account in Carta. |
R03 | No Account/Unable to Locate Account | Account number is invalid or not open, or the account name doesn’t match Carta’s records. | Review and confirm your account name, account number, and ACH routing number. |
R04 | Invalid Account Number | The bank account number is incorrect. | Double-check and update your account details. |
R05 | Unauthorized debit to consumer account using Corporate SEC code | Account type mismatch (business vs. personal). | Confirm and update your bank account type in Carta. |
R07 | Authorization Revoked by Customer | You previously authorized the payment but have now revoked it. | Contact your bank to understand why the payment was rejected. |
R08 | Payment Stopped or Stop Payment on Item | You placed a stop payment on this transaction at your bank. | Contact your bank for more information. |
R09 | Uncollected Funds | Not enough available funds at the time of transaction. | Ensure your bank account has sufficient cleared funds. |
R10 | Customer Advises Not Authorized | You told your bank you do not recognize or authorize this transaction. | Contact your bank for clarification. |
R11 | Entry Not in Accordance with Authorization | You recognize the transaction, but details (amount, date) are incorrect. | Contact your bank for clarification. |
R16 | Account Frozen | Your bank account is frozen. | Contact your bank to resolve the freeze. |
R20 | Non-Transaction Account | Your account has transaction restrictions (e.g., savings account). | Contact your bank for more information. |
R23/R29 | Corporate Customer Advises Not Authorized | ACH block or fraud filter is active; Carta’s ACH ID needs to be added. | Add Carta’s ACH Company IDs to your bank’s pre-authorization list. |
Errors related to wire exercises
Error | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Cancellation requested | The exercise was canceled by Carta staff with company approval. | Contact your company for more information. Carta cannot provide further details. |
30 Day Expiry | Funds were not received in full within 30 days of exercise approval. | If your grant is active:
If your grant is expired:
If the refund task option is unavailable:
|
Insufficient Funds | Only part of the required funds were received. | Send the remaining funds. *If you intended to fund only a specific exercise, contact your company for next steps. |
Platform Error | A platform validation error occurred (e.g., grant expired, over-exercise). | The company may need to cancel the exercise or amend grant details. Carta cannot facilitate money movement in these cases. |
Payment Error | Payout to the company failed (see ACH error list above for details). | Contact support for assistance. |
Other errors
Message | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Company has not provided an updated FMV | Your company hasn’t provided a current Fair Market Value (FMV), which is required to complete your exercise. You’ll see this message in the following situations:
| Contact your company for more information. |
Online exercising is currently disabled | May appear if your company hasn’t signed the terms needed to support online exercises for international (non-US) holders. | Contact your company. They need to enable international online exercises in Carta’s settings. |