Balance transaction types
Learn more about the different types of balance transactions that represent funds moving through your Stripe account.
Balance transactions are our recommended starting point for reporting on your accountâs balance activity. We create them for every type of transaction that comes into, or flows out of, your Stripe accountâs balance.
You can create reports that make use of balance transactions using the API or Sigma.
When you first receive a payment in your account, we initially reflect it as a pending
balance (less any Stripe fees). This balance becomes available
according to your payout schedule. The status attribute on balance transactions indicates the type of the balance.
To classify transactions for accounting purposes, use the reporting_
field instead of the type
field.
Balance transaction source
Balance transactions include a source field that contains the ID of the related Stripe object.
Use the API to retrieve additional information about the payment activity that caused the creation of the Balance transaction. Using Sigma, you can also join the balance_
table with other tables using the source_
column.
Balance transaction types
You can organize balance transaction types into different groups based on the underlying activity that generated the balance transactions.
If youâre not using the Connect API or Issuing API, your balance transactions belong in the first two groups (ârelated to charges and paymentsâ or ârelated to Stripe balance changesâ).
Balance transaction types related to charges and payments
These balance transaction types are related to creating and refunding charges as part of processing payments.
Type | Description |
---|---|
charge | Created when a credit card charge is created successfully. |
payment | Created when a local payment method charge is created successfully. |
payment_failure_refund | ACH, direct debit, and other delayed notification payment methods remain in a pending state until they either succeed or fail. Youâll see a pending Balance transaction of type |
payment_refund | Created when a local payment method refund is initiated. Additionally, if your customerâs bank or card issuer is unable to correctly process a refund (e.g., due to a closed bank account or a problem with the card) Stripe returns the funds to your balance. The returned funds are represented as a Balance transaction with the type |
payment_reversal | Created when a debit/failure related to a payment is detected from a banking partner. This balance transaction takes funds that were previously credited to the merchant for a payment out of the merchant balance. |
refund | Created when a credit card charge refund is initiated. If you authorize and capture separately and the capture amount is less than the initial authorization, you see a balance transaction of type |
refund_failure | Created when a credit card charge refund fails, and Stripe returns the funds to your balance. This may occur if your customerâs bank or card issuer is unable to correctly process a refund (e.g., due to a closed bank account or a problem with the card). |
Balance transaction types related to Stripe balance changes
These balance transaction types are related to changes that affect your Stripe balance such as payouts, fees and top-ups.
Type | Description |
---|---|
adjustment | Adjustments correspond to additions or deductions from your Stripe balance that are made outside of the normal charge/refund flow. For example, some of the most common reasons for adjustments are:
The |
anticipation_repayment | Repayments made to service an anticipation loan in Brazil. These repayments go to the financial institution to whom you have sold your receivables. |
balance_transfer_inbound | Funds moving into a balance (e.g. Issuing balance) from another balance (e.g. Stripe balance) |
balance_transfer_outbound | Funds moving from your Stripe balance to a different (e.g. Issuing) balance. |
climate_order_purchase | Funds used to purchase carbon removal units from Frontier Climate. |
climate_order_refund | Funds refunded to your balance when a Climate Order is canceled. |
contribution | Funds contributed via Stripe to a cause (currently Stripe Climate). |
obligation_outbound | Obligation for receivable unit received. |
obligation_reversal_inbound | Obligation for receivable unit reversed. |
payment_network_reserve_hold | Funds that a payment network holds in reserve (e.g. to mitigate risk). |
payment_network_reserve_release | Funds that a payment network releases from a reserve. |
payment_unreconciled | Created when a customer has unreconciled funds within Stripe for more than ninety days. This balance transaction transfers those funds to your balance. |
payout | Payouts from your Stripe balance to your bank account. |
payout_cancel | Created when a payout to your bank account is cancelled and the funds are returned to your Stripe balance. |
payout_failure | Created when a payout to your bank account fails and the funds are returned to your Stripe balance. |
payout_minimum_balance_hold | Minimum balance held from a payout. |
payout_minimum_balance_release | Minimum balance released after a payout. |
reserved_funds | When Stripe holds your funds in reserve to mitigate risk, two balance transactions are created: one to debit the funds from your balance, and a second to credit the funds back to your balance at the end of the reserve period. |
stripe_fee | Fees for Stripe software and services (e.g., for Radar, Connect, Billing, and Identity). |
stripe_fx_fee | Stripe currency conversion fee |
tax_fee | Taxes collected by Stripe to be remitted to the appropriate local governments. Typically, this is a tax on Stripe fees. |
topup | Funds you transferred into your Stripe balance from your bank account. Learn more. |
topup_reversal | If an initially successful top-up fails or is cancelled, the credit to your Stripe balance is reversed. Learn more. |
Balance transaction types related to Issuing
These balance transaction types are created as part of using the Issuing API.
Type | Description |
---|---|
issuing_authorization_hold | When an issued card is used to make a purchase, an authorization is created. If the authorization is approved, a balance transaction is created with the type |
issuing_authorization_release | When an authorized purchase, made with an issued card, is captured by the merchant, the funds previously held for the authorization ( |
issuing_dispute | When you dispute an Issuing transaction and funds return to your Stripe balance. |
issuing_transaction | When an authorized purchase, made with an issued card, has been authorized and captured by the merchant, an issuing transaction is created, and the purchase amount is deducted from your Stripe balance with a |
Balance transaction types related to Connect
These balance transaction types are related to using the Connect API and related APIs, such as instant payouts.
Type | Description |
---|---|
advance | Incrementing available funds for instant payouts. This occurs when you create an instant payout and the requested payout amount is greater than your connected accountâs available balance. Funds are added to your available balance and removed from your pending balance to cover the difference. |
advance_funding | Decrementing pending funds for instant payouts. This occurs when you create an instant payout and the requested payout amount is greater than your connected accountâs available balance. Funds are added to your available balance and removed from your pending balance to cover the difference. |
application_fee | Earnings youâve generated by collecting platform fees via Stripe Connect charges. |
application_fee_refund | Platform fees that you have returned to your connected accounts. |
connect_collection_transfer | If one of your connected accounts has a negative balance for 180 days, Stripe transfers a portion of your balance, to zero out that accountâs balance. Learn more. |
reserve_transaction | If one of your connected accountsâ balances becomes negative, Stripe temporarily reserves a portion of your balance to ensure that funds can be covered. If one of your connected accountsâ previously negative balance becomes less negative due to activity on account, another |
transfer | Funds sent from your balance to the balance of your connected accounts. |
transfer_cancel | Transfers to your connected accounts that have been cancelled. |
transfer_failure | Transfers to your connected accounts that failed. Transfer failures add to your platformâs balance and subtract from the connected accountâs balance. |
transfer_refund | Transfers to your connected accounts that you reversed or that were reversed as a result of a failure in payments made through ACH, direct debit, and other delayed notification payment methods. Transfer reversals add to your platformâs balance and subtract from the connected accountâs balance. |