KBA credits fund knowledge-based identity verification for eSign signers — this article covers viewing your balance, purchasing credits, and recovering credits reserved on incomplete tasks.
Required plan/permissions: Must have e-Signature permissions.
KBA verification adds a required security layer for certain eSign documents, so keeping credits available prevents signature requests from stalling mid–tax season.
Table Of Contents
View Your KBA Credit Balance
Click your profile in the global navigation bar and select Settings.
Select Account Management.
Scroll to the Knowledge-based Authentication section of the Subscription tab to see your balance.
Your balance breaks down into four values:
Purchased Credits — total credits bought but not yet used.
Used Credits — credits consumed by completed eSign requests.
Reserved Credits — credits tied to pending eSign requests, not yet used by recipients.
Available Credits — credits ready to use now, calculated as Purchased − Used − Reserved.
Purchase KBA Credits
KBA credits are $1.25 each, with no volume discounts and no minimum purchase. Each credit covers one signature, so a document requiring two separate signers uses two credits.
From Settings > Account Management > Subscription, click Purchase credits.
You must have a default payment method set before purchasing.
Enter the number of credits in the Additional KBA credits box.
The Total due updates automatically as you enter a quantity.
Click Continue.
Verify the details and click Confirm and pay.
Your default payment method is charged and your balance updates on the Account Management screen.
First-time users: Skip this section if you can already see the Purchase credits button. If you can't, KBA isn't activated on your account yet — contact Canopy Support to enable it. Support will process your first purchase, after which you can buy credits directly from the platform.
Recover Reserved KBA Credits
A KBA credit is reserved the moment KBA is added to an eSign task — not when the task is completed. Completing the task consumes that credit as expected. If the task stays incomplete, however, the credit remains reserved indefinitely, which can make it look like you're short on credits when they're actually just tied up in outstanding tasks.
Archiving or deleting an incomplete eSign task immediately releases its reserved credit back to your available balance.
Open the Global Tasks List.
Right-click the incomplete eSign request and select Archive.
Use the filters (assignee, contact, etc.) to find the request faster.
Click the three-dot menu in the top-right of the Tasks List and choose Archived tasks.
Delete the eSign request from the archived list.
Your reserved credit returns to your available balance immediately.
Troubleshooting
Fewer available credits than expected: Check your Reserved Credits — credits reserved on incomplete eSign tasks aren't available until those tasks are completed or archived. See Recover Reserved KBA Credits above.
Missing purchase option: KBA may not be activated on your account. Contact Canopy Support to enable it.
Recently purchased credits not appearing: Confirm your balance under Settings > Account Management > Subscription, check for reserved credits on pending requests, and verify the payment processed.
KBA signer authentication option missing: This option only appears when credits are available — purchase credits before creating the eSign request.
Summary
KBA credits power identity verification for eSign and are managed entirely from Settings > Account Management. If you appear short on credits, they're most often reserved on incomplete eSign tasks — archive those tasks to release the credits back to your balance immediately.
Need Help?
Contact Support or ask Penny, our AI Support Bot, for assistance.