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 account’s balance activity. They are created for every type of transaction that comes into, or flows out of, your Stripe account’s balance.

You can create reports that make use of balance transactions using the API or Sigma.

When a payment is first received, it is initially reflected 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.

If you are looking to classify transactions for accounting purposes, you might want to consider reporting_category instead of the type field.

Balance transaction source

Balance transactions include a source field which contains the ID of the related Stripe object. The API can be used to retrieve additional information about the payment activity that caused the Balance transaction to be created. Using Sigma, you can also join the balance_transactions table with other tables using the source_id column.

Balance transaction types

Balance transaction types can be grouped into different groups based on the underlying activity that generated the balance transactions. If you are not using the Connect or Issuing APIs, your balance transactions will be in the first two groups (“related to charges and payments” or “related to Stripe balance changes”).

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 an alternative payment method charge is created successfully.
payment_failure_refund	ACH, direct debit, and other asynchronous payment methods remain in a pending state until they either succeed or fail. You will see a pending Balance transaction with the type `payment` when the payment is created; a Balance transaction with the type `payment_failure_refund` will appear if the pending payment later fails.
payment_refund	Created when an alternative payment method refund is initiated. Additionally, if your customer’s 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_refund`.
refund	Created when a credit card charge refund is initiated. Note that if you are separately authorizing and capturing and capture an amount less than the initial authorization, you will see a balance transaction with the type `charge` for the full authorization amount, and another balance transaction with the type `refund` for the uncaptured portion.
refund_failure	Created when a credit card charge refund fails, and Stripe returns the funds to your balance. This may occur if your customer’s 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: Refund failures. If your customer’s 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 `adjustment`, where the description indicates the related refund object. Disputes. When a customer disputes a charge, Stripe deducts the disputed amount from your balance. The deduction is represented as a Balance transaction with the type `adjustment`, where the source object is a dispute. Dispute reversals. When you win a dispute, the disputed amount is returned to your balance. The returned funds are represented as a Balance transaction with the type `adjustment`, where the source object is a dispute. In the past, fees for Stripe software and services (e.g., for Radar, Connect and Billing) were represented as adjustments. In the past, Connect platform fee refunds were represented as adjustments. The `description` field on the Balance transaction describes the purpose of each adjustment.
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.
contribution	Funds contributed via Stripe to a cause (currently Stripe Climate).
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.
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_hold` to hold the authorized amount in reserve from your account balance, until the authorization is either captured or voided. Some merchants can also update an authorization to request an additional amount (e.g., to extend a hotel booking or add a tip), and this is also represented as a balance transaction with the type `issuing_authorization_hold`.
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_authorization_hold`) are released with a `issuing_authorization_release` balance transaction. Simultaneously, an issuing transaction is created, and the purchase amount is deducted from your Stripe balance in another balance transaction with the type `issuing_transaction`.
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 `issuing_transaction` balance transaction.
issuing_transfer_inbound	Funds sent between your account’s Issuing balance and your connected accounts’ Issuing balances.
issuing_transfer_outbound	Funds sent between your account’s Issuing balance and your connected accounts’ Issuing balances.
issuing_transfer_reversal_inbound	Funds refunded to your Issuing balance from your connected account’s Issuing balance due to a transfer reversal.
issuing_transfer_reversal_outbound	Funds refunded to your Issuing balance from your connected account’s Issuing balance due to a transfer reversal.

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 account’s 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 account’s available balance. Funds are added to your available balance and removed from your pending balance to cover the difference.
application_fee	Earnings you’ve 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 account’s balance. Learn more.
reserve_transaction	If one of your connected accounts’ balances becomes negative, Stripe temporarily reserves a portion of your balance to ensure that funds can be covered. If one of your connected accounts’ previously negative balance becomes less negative due to activity on account, another `reserve_transaction` is created to release a corresponding portion of the funds held in reserve. Learn more.
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 platform’s balance and subtract from the connected account’s balance.
transfer_refund	Transfers to your connected accounts that you have reversed. Transfer reversals add to your platform’s balance and subtract from the connected account’s balance.

To view a balance transaction that’s no longer available through the API or the Dashboard search, export payment reports through the Reports Dashboard, with the Reporting API, or Stripe Sigma.