Troubleshooting

Find your symptom and work the steps in order. Start with the Gateway Log — it almost always names the cause.

Check the Gateway Log first

Utilities → Logs → Gateway Log → look for the most recent PhonePe entries around the failed payment. It records what PhonePe returned and why the gateway stopped.

Payments are failing

1. Check the Gateway Log for the specific failure on that attempt.
2. Verify credentials. In Setup → Payment Gateways → PhonePe, confirm Client ID and Client Secret match your PhonePe Merchant (Business) dashboard exactly — no trailing spaces, correct account.
3. Confirm the account is live. Your PhonePe Business account must be active and KYC-verified; a pending or restricted account can't take live payments.
4. Check Sandbox Mode. Sandbox Mode = Yes tests against the sandbox, not real payments — set it to No for live.
5. Confirm the webhook is registered (below); without it, a successful payment may never be recorded as Paid.

The webhook isn't working

The webhook is how PhonePe tells your site a payment succeeded. If invoices stay unpaid though customers paid:

1. Reach it over HTTPS. The Webhook URL registered in the PhonePe dashboard must be exactly https://yourdomain.com/modules/gateways/phonepe/webhook.php, served over a valid SSL certificate and not blocked by a firewall or WAF.
2. Match the credentials. The Webhook Username and Webhook Password in Setup → Payment Gateways → PhonePe must be identical to the dashboard's webhook settings — a mismatch is the most common cause of a rejected webhook.

The endpoint returns a fixed set of responses — match yours to the table:

HTTP status	Response body	Meaning	Fix
401	"Unauthorized Access"	The SHA256 auth check (hash_equals) failed — the webhook username/password don't match on both sides	Re-enter matching values in the PhonePe dashboard and WHMCS, then Save Changes
500	"API Error"	Authenticated, but the secondary PhonePe status confirmation failed — often a stale license or bad Client ID/Secret	Check the Gateway Log entry, verify credentials, and confirm outbound HTTPS to PhonePe is allowed
200	—	The webhook was accepted and processed	No action

Secondary verification requirement

The gateway double-checks transactions before updating invoice status:

• API confirmation: Following SHA256 auth, the gateway queries PhonePe to confirm payment status.
• Troubleshooting: If outbound HTTPS is blocked or API credentials fail, invoices remain unpaid despite webhook delivery.

The license won't activate

Payments are disabled while the license is inactive.

1. Re-check the key. In Setup → Payment Gateways → PhonePe, confirm the License Key matches your relyweb.co client area exactly, then Save Changes.
2. Allow outbound HTTPS. Your server must reach relyweb.co over HTTPS to validate the key. Firewalled outbound requests will fail activation.
3. Confirm the license is current. A Leased license must still be active; a lapsed one disables payments until renewed. See Licensing.

Related pages

• Errors — webhook auth failures and license-inactive behaviour
• Configuration — the fields referenced above
• Licensing — how the license gates payments
• FAQ — quick answers to common questions