Reporting categories and types
Understand the categories on BalanceTransaction objects and their distinctions.
Learn more about the reporting_ field on BalanceTransaction objects, and how it differs from type and other categorizations.
The reporting category field
The BalanceTransaction object’s reporting_ field improves the type field by providing a more useful grouping for most finance and reporting purposes. The following sections describe the advantages of the reporting-category field.
A More detailed breakdown of type=adjustment
The reporting_ attribute separates balance transactions with type=adjustment into several different categories, including disputes, dispute reversals, and failed refunds. Additionally, it cateogrizes several types of fees and Connect platform fee refunds with reporting_.
A separate category for partial-capture reversals
If you’re separately authorizing and capturing payments, and you capture an amount less than the initial authorization, you 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_.
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_.
The reporting_ attribute simplifies these (and other) groups of types, as follows:
| Balance transaction types | Reporting category |
|---|---|
charge, payment | charge |
refund, payment_ | refund |
payout_, payout_ | payout_ |
transfer, recipient_ | transfer |
transfer_, transfer_, recipient_, recipient_ | transfer_ |
More descriptive category names
We renamed several balance transaction types for greater clarity:
| Balance transaction type | Reporting category |
|---|---|
application_ | platform_ |
application_ | platform_ |
stripe_ | fee |
reserve_ | connect_ |
reserved_ | risk_ |
Reporting categories reference
This reference covers the following 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.
chargeCharges 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 types:
charge,payment, orvalidation - Sections in the monthly report: Payments (cards), Payments (other)
- Balance transaction types:
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
chargeappear when the payment is created in a pending state. Acharge_will appear if the pending payment later fails.failure - Balance transaction types:
payment_failure_ refund - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
disputeWhen a customer disputes a charge, Stripe deducts the disputed amount from your balance.
- Balance transaction types:
adjustmentoradjusted_for_ overdraft_ transaction - Sections in the monthly report: Disputes
- Balance transaction types:
dispute_reversal When you win a dispute, the disputed amount is returned to your balance.
- Balance transaction types:
adjustment - Sections in the monthly report: Dispute Reversals
- Balance transaction types:
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
chargefor the full authorization amount, and apartial_for the uncaptured portion.capture_ reversal - Balance transaction types:
refund - Sections in the monthly report: Payments (cards)
- Balance transaction types:
refundPayments you’ve refunded to your customers. (Does not include charge failures or partial capture reversals, which are listed separately.)
- Balance transaction types:
refundorpayment_refund - Sections in the monthly report: Refunds (cards), Refunds (other)
- Balance transaction types:
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:
refund_failure - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
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 types:
anticipation_repayment - Sections in the monthly report: Anticipation Repayments
- Balance transaction types:
climate_order_ purchase Funds used to purchase carbon removal units from Frontier Climate.
- Balance transaction types:
climate_ororder_ purchase climate_reservation_ purchase - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
climate_order_ refund Funds refunded to your balance when a Climate Order is canceled.
- Balance transaction types:
climate_ororder_ refund climate_reservation_ refund - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
contributionFunds contributed via Stripe to a cause (currently Stripe Climate).
- Balance transaction types:
contribution - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
currency_conversion Adjustment to your Stripe balance related to currency conversion.
- Balance transaction types:
currency_conversion - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
fee- Balance transaction types:
stripe_fee - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
other_adjustment Miscellaneous adjustments to your Stripe balance.
- Balance transaction types:
adjustment,obligation_, oroutbound obligation_reversal_ inbound - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
payment_network_ reserve_ hold Funds that a payment network holds in reserve (e.g. to mitigate risk).
- Balance transaction types:
payment_network_ reserve_ hold - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
payment_network_ reserve_ release Funds that a payment network releases from a reserve.
- Balance transaction types:
payment_network_ reserve_ release - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
payoutPayouts from your Stripe balance to your bank account.
- Balance transaction types:
payout - Sections in the monthly report: Payouts and Transfers
- Balance transaction types:
payout_minimum_ balance_ hold Minimum balance held from a payout.
- Balance transaction types:
payout_minimum_ balance_ hold - Sections in the monthly report: Payout minimum balance hold
- Balance transaction types:
payout_minimum_ balance_ release Minimum balance released after a payout.
- Balance transaction types:
payout_minimum_ balance_ release - Sections in the monthly report: Payout minimum balance release
- Balance transaction types:
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 types:
payout_orcancel payout_failure - Sections in the monthly report: Payouts and Transfers: Failures and Refunds
- Balance transaction types:
revenue_share Revenue share payments from Stripe to partners.
- Balance transaction types:
revenue_share - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
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 types:
reserved_funds - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
stripe_balance_ payment_ debit Created when a payment initiated by another Stripe account deducts funds from your account balance.
- Balance transaction types:
stripe_balance_ payment_ debit - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
stripe_balance_ payment_ debit_ reversal Created when a payment initiated by another Stripe account is refunded to your account balance.
- Balance transaction types:
stripe_balance_ payment_ debit_ reversal - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
taxTaxes collected by Stripe to be remitted to the appropriate local governments. Typically, this is a tax on Stripe fees.
- Balance transaction types:
tax_fee - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
topupFunds you transferred into your Stripe balance from your bank account. Learn more.
- Balance transaction types:
topup - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
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:
topup_reversal - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
unreconciled_customer_ funds When a customer has unreconciled funds within Stripe for more than ninety days, Stripe transfers those funds to your balance.
- Balance transaction types:
transferred_to_ balance_ transaction - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
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_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 typeauthorization_ hold issuing_.authorization_ hold - Balance transaction types:
issuing_authorization_ hold - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
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_) are released with aauthorization_ hold issuing_balance transaction. Simultaneously, an issuing transaction is created, and the purchase amount is deducted from your Stripe balance in another balance transaction with the typeauthorization_ release issuing_.transaction - Balance transaction types:
issuing_authorization_ release - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
issuing_disbursement Credits to your balance for rewards, discounts, and other miscellaneous adjustments.
- Balance transaction types:
issuing_disbursement - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
issuing_dispute When you dispute an Issuing transaction and funds return to your Stripe balance.
- Balance transaction types:
issuing_dispute - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
issuing_dispute_ fraud_ liability_ debit Funds deducted from your account to cover fraud loss liability
- Balance transaction types:
issuing_dispute_ fraud_ liability_ debit - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
issuing_dispute_ provisional_ credit Provisional Credit granted to Issuing balance
- Balance transaction types:
issuing_dispute_ provisional_ credit - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
issuing_dispute_ provisional_ credit_ reversal Previous Provisional Credit being reversed from Issuing balance
- Balance transaction types:
issuing_dispute_ provisional_ credit_ reversal - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
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_balance transaction.transaction - Balance transaction types:
issuing_transaction - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
Connect-related reporting categories
These reporting categories are related to using the Connect API and related APIs, such as instant payouts.
advanceIncrementing funds as part of an advance operation to change the date that funds settle to your balance. For example, this can occur when you create an instant payout and the requested payout amount is greater than your available balance. Funds are credited to a new
available_date and debited from the originalon available_date to cover the difference.on - Balance transaction types:
advance - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
advance_funding Decrementing funds as part of an advance operation to change the date that funds settle to your balance. For example, this can occur when you create an instant payout and the requested payout amount is greater than your available balance. Funds are credited to a new
available_date and debited from the originalon available_date to cover the difference.on - Balance transaction types:
advance_funding - Sections in the monthly report: Other Adjustments
- Balance transaction types:
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 types:
connect_collection_ transfer - Sections in the monthly report: Reflected in "Reserve" section
- Balance transaction types:
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_is created to release a corresponding portion of the funds held in reserve. Learn more.transaction - Balance transaction types:
reserve_transaction - Sections in the monthly report: Reflected in "Reserve" section
- Balance transaction types:
platform_earning Earnings you’ve generated by collecting platform fees via Stripe Connect charges.
- Balance transaction types:
application_fee - Sections in the monthly report: Application Revenue
- Balance transaction types:
platform_earning_ refund Platform fees that you have returned to your connected accounts.
- Balance transaction types:
application_fee_ refund - Sections in the monthly report: Application Revenue Returned
- Balance transaction types:
transferFunds sent from your balance to the balance of your connected accounts.
- Balance transaction types:
transferorrecipient_transfer - Sections in the monthly report: Payouts and Transfers
- Balance transaction types:
transfer_reversal Transfers to your connected accounts that have been cancelled.
- Balance transaction types:
transfer_,cancel transfer_,refund recipient_, ortransfer_ cancel recipient_transfer_ failure - Sections in the monthly report: Payouts and Transfers: Failures and Refunds
- Balance transaction types: