How to close a kid-run business

Closing a kid-run business in KiddyCash is a permanent action. Once a business is deactivated and closed, it cannot be reactivated. Before you proceed, make sure all pending transactions are settled, any remaining balance is withdrawn, and your child understands the decision. This guide walks you through the full closure process, including edge cases you may encounter along the way.

Before you start

Review the business’s current state from KiddyCash Business Settings. Check for:

  • Pending transaction codes — any codes that have been issued but not yet redeemed must be cancelled manually before closure is allowed.
  • Open subscription charges — if the business is enrolled in a KiddyCash subscription plan, you must cancel the subscription first or the closure request will be blocked.
  • Unsettled campaign balances — if the business ran a campaign with a reward pool, disbursed and undisbursed amounts must both be resolved.
  • KYB status — if the business completed Know Your Business (KYB) verification, note that the verified profile is permanently deleted on closure and cannot be recovered.

Step-by-step: closing the business

  1. Withdraw remaining funds. Navigate to the business wallet and initiate a full withdrawal before closing. Funds can be transferred to the parent wallet, a linked M-Pesa number, or a registered bank account. If the balance is in KES and above the minimum payout threshold (KES 50), the withdrawal must complete and reflect before you can proceed. See how to withdraw from a kid business account for detailed instructions, including how to handle failed M-Pesa reversals.

  2. Cancel open transaction codes. Go to Business Settings → Transaction Codes. Any code with a pending or issued status must be individually cancelled. Bulk cancellation is available if you have more than five open codes — select all and choose Cancel selected. Redeemed codes do not need action.

  3. Remove active subscribers. If the business has subscribers (e.g., a weekly snack subscription in a school in Nairobi), go to Business Settings → Subscriptions and end each active subscription. Subscribers are notified automatically via the KiddyCash app. Refunds for partially used subscription periods are not automatic — you must issue them manually from the business wallet before withdrawing.

  4. Resolve campaign balances. Under Business Settings → Campaigns, close any active campaigns. Undisbursed reward funds are returned to the business wallet automatically within a few minutes. If they do not appear after 10 minutes, refresh the wallet page before contacting support.

  5. Initiate business closure. Once all balances are zero and no open items remain, go to Business Settings and scroll to the Danger Zone section. Tap Close Business. You will be asked to confirm with your KiddyCash PIN. The system runs a final pre-closure check — if any blocker is detected, a specific error message will tell you exactly what is unresolved.

  6. Confirm closure and review the summary. After PIN confirmation, KiddyCash generates a closure summary showing final transaction history, total lifetime earnings, and any badges the business earned. Save or screenshot this — it is the last time this data is accessible in full detail. As a parent, you can still monitor historical activity for a limited period post-closure.

If closure is blocked

If the Close Business button is greyed out or returns an error, the most common causes are a non-zero wallet balance, an unresolved transaction code, or a pending KYB document review. Address the flagged item and retry. If the business is stuck in a KYB review for more than 48 hours, contact KiddyCash support directly from the app with the business ID.