diff --git a/app/models/provider/simplefin.rb b/app/models/provider/simplefin.rb
index 67c540745..39a0d8898 100644
--- a/app/models/provider/simplefin.rb
+++ b/app/models/provider/simplefin.rb
@@ -66,7 +66,11 @@ class Provider::Simplefin
       query_params["end-date"] = end_timestamp.to_s
     end
 
-    query_params["pending"] = pending ? "1" : "0" unless pending.nil?
+    # Per the SimpleFIN protocol, pending transactions are excluded by default
+    # and only included when `pending=1` is present. Bridges presence-check the
+    # param, so sending `pending=0` behaves like `pending=1` — the only
+    # spec-compliant way to exclude pending is to omit the param entirely.
+    query_params["pending"] = "1" if pending
 
     accounts_url = "#{access_url}/accounts"
     accounts_url += "?#{URI.encode_www_form(query_params)}" unless query_params.empty?
diff --git a/test/models/provider/simplefin_test.rb b/test/models/provider/simplefin_test.rb
index a795b7342..194c33037 100644
--- a/test/models/provider/simplefin_test.rb
+++ b/test/models/provider/simplefin_test.rb
@@ -102,6 +102,39 @@ class Provider::SimplefinTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     assert_equal :server_error, error.error_type
   end
 
+  test "get_accounts sends pending=1 when pending is enabled" do
+    mock_response = OpenStruct.new(code: 200, body: '{"accounts": []}')
+
+    Provider::Simplefin.expects(:get)
+      .with { |url| url.include?("pending=1") }
+      .returns(mock_response)
+
+    @provider.get_accounts(@access_url, pending: true)
+  end
+
+  test "get_accounts omits the pending param when pending is disabled" do
+    # The SimpleFIN protocol has no pending=0 — bridges presence-check the
+    # param, so pending=0 behaves like pending=1. Disabling pending must omit
+    # the param entirely.
+    mock_response = OpenStruct.new(code: 200, body: '{"accounts": []}')
+
+    Provider::Simplefin.expects(:get)
+      .with { |url| !url.include?("pending") }
+      .returns(mock_response)
+
+    @provider.get_accounts(@access_url, pending: false)
+  end
+
+  test "get_accounts omits the pending param when pending is nil" do
+    mock_response = OpenStruct.new(code: 200, body: '{"accounts": []}')
+
+    Provider::Simplefin.expects(:get)
+      .with { |url| !url.include?("pending") }
+      .returns(mock_response)
+
+    @provider.get_accounts(@access_url, pending: nil)
+  end
+
   test "claim_access_url retries on network errors" do
     setup_token = Base64.encode64("https://example.com/claim")
     mock_response = OpenStruct.new(code: 200, body: "https://example.com/access")