I've received payment for an entry but it hasn't been marked as \"Submitted\" by the entrant?

This usually happens when the payment processor's notification to EntryThingy is delayed or misconfigured. EntryThingy relies on a webhook (from Square) or IPN (from legacy PayPal button-code calls) to automatically update entry status after payment. If that signal doesn't arrive, the entry stays in "Not Submitted" even though you've received the money.

It can also happen when you accept payments outside the call's configured processor — for example, a Venmo transfer for a Square call, or cash/check for any call — since EntryThingy has no way to detect those payments automatically.

How to Manually Mark an Entry as Submitted

1. Log in as an Administrator and navigate to your call
2. Click "Entries" to view all entries
3. Find the entry in question (you can filter by "Not Submitted" status)
4. Click the Entry ID to open the entry detail page
5. Use the status dropdown to change the status from "Not Submitted" to "Submitted"

The status change takes effect immediately. One token will be deducted from your platform's token balance when you change an entry to "Submitted."

If this happens often (PayPal calls)

For PayPal calls, if this happens frequently you may be on the legacy button-code flow with a misconfigured IPN. When IPN is set up correctly — or, better, when you connect your PayPal account so calls use the new connected-PayPal flow — EntryThingy receives automatic payment confirmations without any manual work.

For help, see How do I integrate payment options such as PayPal? or Connect your PayPal account.

If this happens often (Square calls)

For Square calls, automatic status updates use Square's webhooks — there's no IPN to configure. Webhooks are reliable and typically arrive within seconds. If a Square call is regularly missing status updates, the most likely cause is a payment that arrived from outside the EntryThingy checkout (a Square POS sale, online storefront, or invoice). See Square in-person and POS payments — that flow only flips entry status when the payment includes a synced catalog item from EntryThingy.

If automatic updates are still missing for in-app Square checkouts, email us at hello@entrythingy.com with the call ID, the artist's name, and the Square order ID.

Using Off-Platform Payments

If you collect payments outside of PayPal (by check, cash, or another method), you can enable off-platform payments in your call settings. This lets artists mark their entry as submitted without paying through the EntryThingy checkout flow, and gives you the flexibility to track payments however you prefer.