Last updated: Oct 23, 2025
Scope: This guide reflects TikTok Shop US policy and metrics.
If you’re searching for “tiktok shop 48 points permanent ban,” you’re looking at the wrong enforcement system. The United States TikTok Shop never used that framework. You’re operating under Account Health Rating (AHR) – a 0-1,000 point scale that works completely differently. This section provides TikTok Shop Suspension Rules Explained so US sellers don’t follow the wrong regional playbook.
Why this matters: Following advice from UK or Philippines sellers could destroy your US account. The systems are opposites. In the 48-point regions, you start clean and accumulate penalties. In the US, you start at 200 points and can earn up to 1,000 – but violations deduct points toward zero.
US Reality Check: Your account launched at 200 AHR points. Drop to 150 and you lose listing privileges for 7 days. Hit 100 and restrictions extend to 14 days. Reach 50 and you face 28-day penalties. Touch 0 and your account is permanently deactivated. This is the TikTok Shop Account Termination Policy in practice, with milestone-based enforcement actions.
If the Seller Center shows TikTok Shop Account Warning Received, execute your emergency plan immediately. If you’re already restricted, initiate a Fix TikTok Shop Violation Urgent workflow (appeal + ops corrections).
This guide covers the actual US enforcement mechanics with exact thresholds, business-day math for fulfillment, and recovery scenarios backed by official TikTok Shop Seller Center documentation. Operating outside the US/UK? See the violation-points overview.
The search results aren’t wrong – they’re just not for you. Type “TikTok Shop ban” into Google and you’ll drown in “48-point system” content. Here’s why that dominance exists and why it doesn’t apply to US sellers.
The history: TikTok Shop launched in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand) in February 2021, two and a half years before the US market opened. Those founding markets used – and still use – a 48-point violation system. Start at zero, accumulate penalty points, hit 48 and you’re permanently banned.
The Philippines alone has 25,000+ active sellers. Add UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore. That’s 150,000+ sellers operating under 48-point rules, creating English-language content since 2021. When US sellers search for enforcement info, they find this massive content library first.
US launched differently. September 2023 brought a completely new system: Account Health Rating. No transition period, no 48-point history. The US Seller Center documentation has always referenced AHR exclusively. For US guidance, rely on AHR documentation and your TikTok Shop Performance Evaluation Window, not 48-point content.
⚠️ WARNING: Following 48-point advice is dangerous. Strategies for “managing your remaining points” or “waiting for 180-day reset” don’t exist in the US system. You’re playing by different rules with different math.
Regional System Breakdown:
| System Type | Regions | How It Works | Ban Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48-Point | Philippines 🇵🇭 UK 🇬🇧 Malaysia 🇲🇾 Thailand 🇹🇭 Vietnam 🇻🇳 Singapore 🇸🇬 | Start at 0, ADD points for violations | 48 points = permanent ban |
| AHR (0-1000) | United States 🇺🇸 France 🇫🇷 Germany 🇩🇪 | Start at 200, LOSE points for violations | 0 points = permanent deactivation |
Bottom line: If the content you’re reading mentions “48 points,” check the region tag. No tag? It’s probably not for US sellers.
Every US TikTok Shop seller account begins life at 200 points out of a possible 1,000. This is your health score – not a penalty counter.
Think of it like a credit score for compliance. Higher is better. Perfect sellers can reach 1,000. Problematic accounts slide toward zero. The system recalculates automatically every single day based on a rolling 180-day window. That rolling calculation is your TikTok Shop Violation Accumulation Period and directly affects recovery timing.
You gain points two ways:
Method 1: Successful order fulfillment
Policy quizzes can also reduce enforcement duration. Use quizzes and perfect fulfillment to Save TikTok Shop From Suspension when you’re near a threshold.
Method 2: Policy quizzes
You lose points through violations. The deduction amount scales with severity and frequency. First offense of most policies triggers a warning. Repeat the same violation and the point deduction doubles each time. TikTok doesn’t publish a fixed deduction table – they evaluate case-by-case based on your account history and risk profile.
Violation categories that impact AHR:
Source: TikTok Shop US Seller Center – AHR Categories
TikTok triggers enforcement actions at four critical AHR levels: 150, 100, 50, and 0 points. When your score nears 150, treat it as TikTok Shop Account Health Critical and lock operations to zero late dispatches. You receive email and Seller Center warnings when your score drops to within 10 points of any threshold.
Milestone Actions Table:
| AHR Level | Account Status | Restrictions | Duration | Can Appeal? | Can Take Quiz to Reduce Duration? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200+ | Green Zone – Healthy | None | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 150 | Orange Zone – At Risk | Cannot create new listings; Cannot enroll in new mega campaigns | 7 days | Yes | Yes |
| 100 | Orange Zone – Elevated Risk | Cannot create new listings; Cannot enroll in new mega campaigns | 14 days | Yes | Yes |
| 50 | Red Zone – Critical | Cannot create new listings; Cannot enroll in new mega campaigns | 28 days | Yes | Yes |
| 0 | Deactivated | Account permanently deactivated | Permanent | Limited (TikTok’s sole discretion) | No |
Source: TikTok Shop US Seller Center – Milestones
Additional enforcement actions can trigger at any AHR level depending on violation severity:
This paragraph is your TikTok Shop Suspension Rules Explained, including payment hold durations
TokHQ Watcher Mode prevents the fulfillment violations that destroy accounts. Get T-24/T-12/T-4 alerts before you miss dispatch SLAs, business-day calculations that match TikTok’s enforcement, and compliance logs for appeals.
→ Prevent Your Next Violation
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This section is TikTok Shop Late Dispatch Rate Explained with US-specific mechanics.
Late Dispatch Rate (LDR) violations are the single most common cause of AHR point loss for US sellers. Here’s why:
Business-day math is unforgiving. You have 2 business days (Monday-Friday only, excluding federal holidays) to dispatch orders after they’re placed. Miss this window and your LDR climbs.
LDR threshold: 4%
Once your Late Dispatch Rate exceeds 4%, TikTok begins enforcement actions: Treat 4% as the TikTok Shop Penalty Threshold 4% and add buffers to stay well below it:
Source: TikTok Shop Fulfillment Requirements
TikTok’s dispatch deadline calculation is mechanical and unforgiving. Understanding the exact rules is critical.
Core Rule: Orders must reach “In Transit” status (carrier acceptance scan) within 2 business days of order placement.
What counts as a business day:
This is the TikTok Shop Working Days Definition used for all US dispatch SLA calculations.
Cutoff time: 9:00 PM local time (your account’s registered time zone). These are your TikTok Shop Dispatch Window Rules and TikTok Shop 2 Day Shipping Requirement, anchored to the 9PM cutoff and calculated according to TikTok Shop US Business Days.
Example calculations:
Scenario 1: Friday night order
Missing the scan by 21:00 is effectively TikTok Shop 9PM Cutoff Missed and will raise LDR. Use a TikTok Shop Dispatch Deadline Calculator to forecast risk orders and schedule pickups accordingly.
Scenario 2: Holiday week
Plan for TikTok Shop Federal Holiday Shipping so deadlines shift correctly in your ops calendar. Without this planning, you’ll often see a TikTok Shop Weekend Orders Late Dispatch pattern on the following Tuesday.
Scenario 3: Wednesday order
Ensure the carrier scan meets TikTok Shop Carrier Scan Requirements—label print alone doesn’t count.
Critical: “Dispatch” means carrier acceptance scan showing “In Transit” status. Printing a label or marking “shipped” in your system doesn’t count. The carrier must physically scan the package for TikTok to recognize dispatch.
1. Integration sync failures
ShipStation, Shopify, or other third-party systems may show “Shipped” while TikTok still shows “Awaiting Shipment.” This is the classic TikTok Shop Shows Awaiting But Shipped issue—monitor API posting and acceptance scans. This happens when:
Result: You think you’re compliant, but TikTok’s system registers a late dispatch. Validate payloads against TikTok Shop Tracking Format Requirements (carrier code, number schema, status mapping) to avoid parser rejects that prevent recognition of “In Transit.”
2. Weekend order accumulation
Orders placed Friday night through Sunday all have dispatch deadlines on the same Tuesday. Volume spikes create bottlenecks:
3. Carrier pickup time misalignment
Your carrier picks up at 4:00 PM, but you’re still processing orders at 5:00 PM:
4. Federal holiday blindspots
Missing federal holidays in your countdown math creates invisible deadline violations:
TokHQ Watcher Mode Solution: Automated business-day countdown that accounts for weekends, federal holidays, and your local time zone. Alerts fire at T-24, T-12, and T-4 hours before each deadline – with correct business-day math every time. That’s a TikTok Shop T-24 T-12 T-4 Warning System plus a step-by-step TikTok Shop Countdown Timer Alerts Setup to operationalize alerts for your team.
Every violation that results in AHR point deduction can be appealed. You have two opportunities:
First appeal: 30 calendar days from violation notification date
Second appeal: 15 calendar days from first appeal rejection (if applicable)
Use this window for TikTok Shop Appeal Late Dispatch Penalty with timestamped carrier receipts.
Hard deadlines: These are calendar days, not business days. Miss the window and your appeal rights expire permanently for that violation. No exceptions.
TikTok’s appeal review process is mechanical. Success requires specific, documented evidence – not explanations or promises. Maintain a TikTok Shop Compliance Log Requirements pack: receipts, webhook logs, and Seller Center screenshots.
Strong evidence types:
Weak evidence that usually fails:
1. Act immediately
File appeals within 24-48 hours of violation notice, not at the 30-day deadline. Faster response improves success rates.
2. Be specific about the violation
3. Provide timeline documentation
4. Format for clarity
5. Address root cause if appealing system error
If the violation was caused by integration failure, explain:
TikTok typically responds within:
You’ll receive notification via:
If successful: Points restored immediately, enforcement actions withdrawn, privileges restored
If rejected: 15-day window opens for second appeal with new evidence, and continue TikTok Shop Account Suspended Recovery steps.
Success factors: Appeals with timestamped carrier receipts + webhook logs have significantly higher approval rates than appeals based solely on screenshots or explanations.
Unlike the 48-point system (where points reset after a fixed period), AHR uses a continuous 180-day rolling window. This rolling model is your TikTok Shop Performance Evaluation Window for all gains and losses. Every point earned or lost expires exactly 180 days after the transaction date.
Example:
Your AHR recalculates daily based on all transactions within the trailing 180 days.
Exception: Successfully appealed violations restore points immediately, not after 180 days. This is the fastest recovery path if you have valid grounds for appeal.
Every 200 successfully completed orders earns +4 AHR points, with a maximum of 20 points per week. Use a TikTok Shop SLA Countdown Timer to ensure zero late dispatches during recovery.
Recovery timeline by volume:
| Monthly Order Volume | Points Per Month (Approx) | Time to Recover 20 Points | Time to Recover 50 Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 orders/month | +2 points | 10 months | 25 months |
| 400 orders/month | +8 points | 2.5 months | 6.25 months |
| 800+ orders/month | +16 points (weekly cap) | 1.25 months | 3.1 months |
Critical qualifier: Only successful, completed orders count. Orders that are canceled, refunded, or result in disputes do NOT contribute to point recovery.
TikTok offers policy quizzes that can either:
Combine quizzes with Prevent TikTok Shop Late Dispatch Software to stabilize AHR faster.
Where to find quizzes:
Quiz types and estimated benefits:
Note: TikTok doesn’t publish exact point values for quizzes. The quiz description on your Account Health page will indicate whether it offers point restoration, duration reduction, or both.
The most effective recovery strategy is preventing new violations. Every violation avoided is 5-20+ points preserved.
High-impact prevention tactics:
TokHQ Watcher Mode delivers all five prevention tactics automatically. Monitor your AHR in real-time, catch fulfillment issues before they become violations, and build compliance documentation for appeals – without manual tracking.
Immediate actions (first 2 hours):
Next 24 hours:
During restriction period (7 days):
Critical: You have 7 days of restricted listing access. Use this time to lock down operations. One more violation could drop you to the 100-point threshold (14-day restrictions).
All 150-level actions PLUS:
Critical: You’re 50 points from 28-day restrictions. Every violation now is exponentially more dangerous.
If you reach 0 points:
Source: TikTok Shop Enforcement Actions
Fastest response: In-app Seller Center Chat
For complex violations: Ticket System
Email support:
Knowledge resources:
Source: TikTok Shop Support Contact Methods
TokHQ Watcher Mode monitors your fulfillment operations 24/7 with real-time alerts when orders approach their dispatch deadlines. Stop violations at the source.
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Q: Is the US 48-point system or AHR?
A: The United States uses Account Health Rating (AHR) – a 0-1,000 point scale. The US never used the 48-point system. You start at 200 points, can earn up to 1,000, and violations deduct points. This is the opposite of the 48-point system used in Philippines, UK, and Southeast Asia where you start at 0 and accumulate penalty points.
Q: How long does it take violation points to reset?
A: There is no “reset.” AHR uses a 180-day rolling window. Points earned or lost expire exactly 180 days after they were added/deducted. Your score updates automatically every day based on the last 180 days of activity. Exception: Successfully appealed violations restore points immediately, not after 180 days.
Q: Can I earn back points quickly after violations?
A: Limited. You earn +4 points for every 200 successful orders, maximum 20 points per week. At high volume (400+ orders/month), you can earn +8 points monthly. At low volume (100 orders/month), recovery is very slow. Policy quizzes provide additional point opportunities but amounts vary by quiz.
Q: What happens to my money if I get permanently banned?
A: TikTok can withhold funds for 45, 90, or 365 days depending on violation severity. Seller Terms of Service permit these holds to cover potential customer refunds, chargebacks, or damages. Permanent account deactivation typically triggers the longest hold periods.
Q: Do weekends count for the 2-business-day dispatch requirement?
A: No. Business days = Monday-Friday only, excluding federal holidays. Order placed Friday = dispatch deadline typically Tuesday (skipping Sat/Sun). Order placed Thursday before Friday holiday = dispatch deadline Monday or Tuesday depending on holiday timing.
Q: If my AHR is 175, how many violations until I hit 150?
A: Unknown – TikTok doesn’t publish exact point deduction values. Deductions vary by violation severity and whether it’s a repeat offense. A minor first violation might be -4 points (one violation to threshold). A major violation could be -20+ points (immediate threshold breach). Repeat violations double the deduction amount each time.
Q: Can I appeal after the 30-day window closes?
A: No. Appeals must be filed within 30 calendar days of the violation notification. Late appeals will not be reviewed. This is a hard deadline – monitor your Seller Center Inbox and email daily to catch violations immediately.
Q: How do I know if my appeal was successful?
A: Check Seller Center Inbox and email for TikTok’s response (2-3 business days standard, 5-7 for complex cases). If successful, you’ll see: Points immediately restored on Account Health page, enforcement actions withdrawn, privileges restored. If rejected, you have 15 days to file second appeal.
Q: Does taking a quiz always restore points?
A: Not always. Quizzes can either restore points (amount varies by quiz) OR reduce milestone enforcement duration. Some quizzes only reduce the restriction period (e.g., 14 days shortened to 7-10 days) without immediately adding points. Check quiz description on Account Health page for specific benefits.
Q: What’s the fastest way to improve a low AHR?
A: Three-part strategy: (1) Appeal any incorrect violations immediately for instant point restoration, (2) Take all available policy quizzes, (3) Execute perfect fulfillment operations to earn +4 points per 200 orders. There are no shortcuts – recovery requires time and clean performance.
You’re not operating under the 48-point system. That’s Philippines, UK, and Southeast Asia. The US uses Account Health Rating: 0-1,000 points, start at 200, earn through perfect orders, lose through violations.
Critical thresholds: 150 (7-day restrictions), 100 (14-day), 50 (28-day), 0 (permanent deactivation). Every violation matters more as you approach these levels. Repeat violations double in severity.
Fulfillment drives most violations. Master business-day math: weekends don’t count, holidays don’t count, you have 2 business days to dispatch (carrier acceptance scan → In Transit). Order Friday night = typically Tuesday deadline. Miss dispatch SLA consistently and your LDR climbs above 4% threshold.
Appeals work when you have evidence. You get 2 appeals per violation: first within 30 days, second within 15 days of rejection. Documentation is everything – carrier receipts, product authentication, business records. No Photoshop, no generic templates, no vague explanations.
Recovery is slow but possible. Earn +4 points per 200 orders (max 20/week). Take quizzes. Appeal incorrect violations. Perfect operations over months rebuild your score through the 180-day rolling window.
TokHQ Watcher Mode prevents late dispatch violations—the #1 cause of AHR penalties. Automated dispatch deadline tracking, business-day math that actually works, and exception queue alerts when orders are at risk.
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The enforcement system is mechanical. Understand the rules, operate with precision, document everything, and your account stays healthy. Ignore business-day math or let violations stack, and the milestones hit fast.
Your move.