Decline Buffers

Note: Decline buffer settings are visible to Admins only. Employees see only the base fund limit — not the buffer percentage or amount.

Overview

When a card transaction slightly exceeds a fund's spending limit, it normally gets declined — even if the overage is just a few dollars. Decline buffers add a configurable percentage-based cushion on top of your fund limits, so small, low-risk overages are approved instead of blocked.

Decline buffers are opt-in and configured by Admins.

How decline buffers work

A decline buffer adds a percentage-based cushion on top of a fund's spending limit, creating a single expanded ceiling for each spend period. The employee still sees their original limit — the buffer works behind the scenes.

Example: A fund has a $500 limit with a 10% buffer. The expanded ceiling becomes $550. A $520 purchase is approved instead of declined, and the $20 above $500 is recorded as an overage. Purchases that would push the fund's total spend above $550 are still declined.

Percentage-based: The buffer is set as a percentage (0–100%) of the fund's limit. The default suggested buffer is 10%.
A single cushion per spend period — not additive, not per-transaction: The buffer is one shared cushion for the whole spend period, not a fresh cushion granted for each transaction, and not a permanent increase to the limit. Transactions are approved as long as the fund's cumulative spend for the period stays at or below the expanded ceiling (limit + buffer). Once cumulative spend reaches the ceiling, further transactions are declined until the fund resets. The buffer does not roll over — it resets when the next spend period begins. Example: A weekly fund has a $100 limit with a 10% buffer ($10), so the ceiling is $110 for the week. Cumulative spend up to $100 is approved with no overage. Between $100.01 and $110, transactions are still approved and the amount above $100 is flagged as an overage. Several transactions can draw from the same $10 buffer until cumulative spend reaches $110 — at that point further transactions are declined. The full $10 buffer becomes available again the following week.
Max buffer amount (dollar cap): A dollar cap can be set at the business level to limit the buffer on high-limit funds. Ramp uses the lesser of the buffer percentage amount and the dollar cap. If no custom cap is configured, the default cap is $10,000.
Precedence: Fund > Spend Program > business-wide. The most specific setting wins. Setting a buffer to 0% at any level explicitly disables the buffer and prevents fallback to a higher-level default; leaving it unset lets the fund inherit the next level up.
Card transactions only: Decline buffers apply to card transactions (physical and virtual). They do not apply to reimbursements.
Shared funds: Decline buffers apply to shared funds. On a shared fund, overage amounts are hidden from members but visible to the fund's owner and co-owners.
Invisible to employees: Employees see only the base fund limit. They do not see the buffer or any indication that one is active.

For Admins

You can configure decline buffers at three levels: business-wide, per Spend Program, or per individual fund. When more than one level is set, the most specific one applies (fund > Spend Program > business-wide).

Set up a business-wide decline buffer

A business-wide setting applies a default buffer to funds across your business.

Go to your submission policies settings.
In the Decline buffers section, choose Set an amount and enter the default buffer percentage.
Optionally, set a Max amount (dollar cap) to limit the buffer on high-limit funds.
Choose whether the buffer applies to all funds or only to funds created going forward. Existing funds are unaffected when you apply it only to new funds.
Save your changes.

Set up a Spend Program decline buffer

A buffer set on a Spend Program applies to all funds issued through that program, overriding the business-wide default.

Go to your Spend Programs page and open a program, or create a new one.
In the program's Advanced settings, find the Decline buffer (%) control.
Choose Custom amount and enter a percentage, or keep the business default.
Save the program.

Set up a fund-level decline buffer

A fund-level buffer applies to a single fund, overriding both program-level and business-wide settings.

Go to Cards and open a fund, or create a new one.
In the fund's Advanced settings, find the Decline buffer (%) control.
Choose Custom amount and enter a percentage, or select None to disable the buffer for this fund.
Save the fund.

Keep the business default to inherit the buffer from the Spend Program or business-wide setting.

Edit a decline buffer

To change an existing buffer, return to where it was configured:

Business-wide: the Decline buffers section of your submission policies settings.
Spend Program: the Advanced settings of the Spend Program.
Fund: the Advanced settings of the fund.

Monitor overages

When decline buffers are enabled, overage amounts appear in your funds view, so you can see where buffers are being used and whether limits need adjusting. The Spend Programs table shows an Allowed buffer column with the effective buffer percentage for each program.

For Employees

What you see

Your fund limits appear as normal — the base limit your Admin set. You will not see any indication that a decline buffer is active on your fund.

If a transaction goes through that would normally have been declined — because it exceeded your base limit but fell within the buffer — Ramp shows a message that your finance team let it through this time.

If a transaction is still declined

Even with a buffer, transactions are declined once the fund's cumulative spend for the period reaches the expanded ceiling. If this happens:

Check your remaining fund balance in the Ramp app.
Request a limit increase from your Admin. See Spend requests and spending limit increases.

Frequently asked questions

Can employees see decline buffers on their funds?

No. Employees see only the base fund limit. The buffer percentage and amount are visible only to Admins.

How does the max buffer amount (dollar cap) work?

The dollar cap is set at the business level and acts as a ceiling. Ramp uses the lesser of the buffer percentage amount and the dollar cap. For example, if a fund has a $10,000 limit with a 10% buffer ($1,000) but the dollar cap is $200, the effective buffer is $200. If no custom cap is configured, the default cap is $10,000.

Can I set different buffers for different funds?

Yes. You can set a business-wide default and override it on individual Spend Programs or funds. You can also leave the business-wide setting off and configure buffers selectively on specific programs or funds.

Do decline buffers apply to shared funds?

Yes. On a shared fund, the buffer still applies. Overage amounts are hidden from members but visible to the fund's owner and co-owners.

Do decline buffers apply to all transaction types?

Decline buffers apply to card transactions (physical and virtual). They do not apply to reimbursements.

What does setting a buffer to 0% do?

Setting a buffer to 0% at any level explicitly disables the buffer and prevents fallback to a higher-level default. This differs from leaving the buffer unset, which lets the fund inherit the buffer from the Spend Program or business-wide setting.

What happens when a fund's limit resets?

The buffer is recalculated based on the new limit, and the full buffer becomes available again. For example, if a monthly fund resets to $500 with a 10% buffer, the ceiling is $550 again — the buffer does not carry over from the prior period.