Reporting categories and types
Learn more about the reporting_category
field on BalanceTransaction
objects, and how it differs from type
and other categorizations. This topic covers:
Why introduce a new categorization?
The BalanceTransaction
object’s reporting_category
field improves on the type
field by providing a more-useful grouping for most finance and reporting purposes. The following sections highlight the new field’s advantages.
More-granular breakdown of type=adjustment
The reporting_category
attribute separates balance transactions with type=adjustment
into several different categories, including disputes, dispute reversals, and failed refunds. Additionally, several types of fees and Connect platform-fee refunds are now explicitly categorized with reporting_category=fee
.
A separate category for partial-capture reversals
If you are separately authorizing and capturing payments, and you capture an amount less than the initial authorization, you will see two balance transactions: one for the full amount of the authorization, and another reversing the uncaptured portion. (Summing the two balance transactions yields the captured portion of the charge.)
The balance transaction reversing the uncaptured portion has type=refund
, just as if you had refunded a portion of a sale at some later time. To allow separate handling of these objects—perhaps counting them against the initial sale amount, rather than as a separate refund—we label these with the distinct reporting category partial_capture_reversal
.
Consolidate multiple types into common categories
Using the type
field, balance transactions arising from card-based charges are represented with type=charge
, while those made with other payment methods are represented with type=payment
. Similarly, refunds and failures for cards versus alternative payment methods have the distinct types refund
and payment_refund
.
We found that these distinctions made many common reporting tasks unnecessarily awkward, and so reporting_category
simplifies these (and other) groups of types, as follows:
Balance transaction types | Reporting category |
---|---|
charge , payment | charge |
refund , payment_refund | refund |
payout_cancel , payout_failure | payout_reversal |
transfer , recipient_transfer | transfer |
transfer_cancel , transfer_failure , recipient_transfer_cancel , recipient_transfer_failure | transfer_reversal |
More-descriptive category names
We’ve renamed several balance transaction types for greater clarity:
Balance transaction type | Reporting category |
---|---|
application_fee | platform_earning |
application_fee_refund | platform_earning_refund |
stripe_fee | fee |
reserve_transaction | connect_reserved_funds |
reserved_funds | risk_reserved_funds |
Reporting categories reference
This reference covers four groups of reporting categories:
- Payments-related reporting categories
- Balance-related reporting categories
- Issuing-related reporting categories
- Connect-related reporting categories
Payments-related reporting categories
These reporting categories are related to creating and refunding charges as part of processing payments.
charge
Charges include payments from cards and from other payment methods. If you are separately authorizing and capturing payments, only the captured charges will be included here.
- Balance transaction type(s):
charge
,payment
, orvalidation
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Payments (cards), Payments (other)
- Balance transaction type(s):
charge_failure
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 reporting category
charge
appear when the payment is created in a pending state. Acharge_failure
will appear if the pending payment later fails.- Balance transaction type(s):
payment_failure_refund
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
dispute
When a customer disputes a charge, Stripe deducts the disputed amount from your balance.
- Balance transaction type(s):
adjustment
oradjusted_for_overdraft_transaction
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Disputes
- Balance transaction type(s):
dispute_reversal
When you win a dispute, the disputed amount is returned to your balance.
- Balance transaction type(s):
adjustment
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Dispute Reversals
- Balance transaction type(s):
partial_capture_reversal
If you are separately authorizing and capturing payments, and you capture an amount less than the initial authorization, you will see a
charge
for the full authorization amount, and apartial_capture_reversal
for the uncaptured portion.- Balance transaction type(s):
refund
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Payments (cards)
- Balance transaction type(s):
refund
Payments you’ve refunded to your customers. (Does not include charge failures or partial capture reversals, which are listed separately.)
- Balance transaction type(s):
refund
orpayment_refund
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Refunds (cards), Refunds (other)
- Balance transaction type(s):
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 type(s):
refund_failure
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
Balance-related reporting categories
These reporting categories are related to changes that affect your Stripe balance, such as payouts, fees, and top-ups.
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 transaction type(s):
anticipation_repayment
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Anticipation Repayments
- Balance transaction type(s):
contribution
Funds contributed via Stripe to a cause (currently Stripe Climate).
- Balance transaction type(s):
contribution
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
fee
- Balance transaction type(s):
stripe_fee
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
obligation
Obligation for receivable unit received.
- Balance transaction type(s):
obligation_inbound
,obligation_outbound
,obligation_reversal_inbound
,obligation_reversal_outbound
,obligation_payout
, orobligation_payout_failure
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Third party obligations
- Balance transaction type(s):
other_adjustment
Miscellaneous adjustments to your Stripe balance.
- Balance transaction type(s):
adjustment
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
payout
Payouts from your Stripe balance to your bank account.
- Balance transaction type(s):
payout
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Payouts and Transfers
- Balance transaction type(s):
payout_reversal
Funds returned to your balance if a payout fails after it is initially created (e.g., due to an invalid account number or a cancellation). Learn more.
- Balance transaction type(s):
payout_cancel
orpayout_failure
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Payouts and Transfers: Failures and Refunds
- Balance transaction type(s):
risk_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.
- Balance transaction type(s):
reserved_funds
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
tax
Taxes collected by Stripe to be remitted to the appropriate local governments. Typically, this is a tax on Stripe fees.
- Balance transaction type(s):
tax_fee
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
topup
Funds you transferred into your Stripe balance from your bank account. Learn more.
- Balance transaction type(s):
topup
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
topup_reversal
If an initially successful top-up fails or is cancelled, the credit to your Stripe balance is reversed. Learn more.
- Balance transaction type(s):
topup_reversal
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
Issuing-related reporting categories
These reporting categories are created as part of using the Issuing API.
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 typeissuing_authorization_hold
.- Balance transaction type(s):
issuing_authorization_hold
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
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 aissuing_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 typeissuing_transaction
.- Balance transaction type(s):
issuing_authorization_release
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
issuing_disbursement
Credits to your balance for rewards, discounts, and other miscellaneous adjustments.
- Balance transaction type(s):
issuing_disbursement
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
issuing_dispute
When you dispute an Issuing transaction and funds return to your Stripe balance.
- Balance transaction type(s):
issuing_dispute
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
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.- Balance transaction type(s):
issuing_transaction
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
Connect-related reporting categories
These reporting categories are related to using the Connect API and related APIs, such as instant payouts.
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.
- Balance transaction type(s):
advance
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
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.
- Balance transaction type(s):
advance_funding
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction type(s):
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.
- Balance transaction type(s):
connect_collection_transfer
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Reflected in "Reserve" section
- Balance transaction type(s):
connect_reserved_funds
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.- Balance transaction type(s):
reserve_transaction
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Reflected in "Reserve" section
- Balance transaction type(s):
platform_earning
Earnings you’ve generated by collecting platform fees via Stripe Connect charges.
- Balance transaction type(s):
application_fee
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Application Revenue
- Balance transaction type(s):
platform_earning_refund
Platform fees that you have returned to your connected accounts.
- Balance transaction type(s):
application_fee_refund
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Application Revenue Returned
- Balance transaction type(s):
transfer
Funds sent from your balance to the balance of your connected accounts.
- Balance transaction type(s):
transfer
orrecipient_transfer
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Payouts and Transfers
- Balance transaction type(s):
transfer_reversal
Transfers to your connected accounts that have been cancelled.
- Balance transaction type(s):
transfer_cancel
,transfer_refund
,recipient_transfer_cancel
, orrecipient_transfer_failure
- Section(s) in the monthly report: Payouts and Transfers: Failures and Refunds
- Balance transaction type(s):