Sample - Plaid API
POST/transfer/authorization/create

Create a transfer authorization

Creates an authorization for a proposed transfer after evaluating its risk. Call this endpoint before /transfer/create; the authorization expires if it is not used within one hour. If the decision requires user action, complete the required Link update flow before retrying authorization.

  • RetriesRetries up to 2×, 500ms backoff, 30s timeout.

26 body fields

Transfer details to evaluate and authorize before creating the transfer.

client_idstringoptional
Your Plaid API `client_id`. The `client_id` is required and may be provided either in the `PLAID-CLIENT-ID` header or as part of a request body.
secretstringoptional
Your Plaid API `secret`. The `secret` is required and may be provided either in the `PLAID-SECRET` header or as part of a request body.
access_tokenstringrequired
The Plaid `access_token` for the account that will be debited or credited.
account_idstringrequired
The Plaid `account_id` corresponding to the end-user account that will be debited or credited.
funding_account_idstringoptional
Specify the account used to fund the transfer. Should be specified if using legacy funding methods only. If using Plaid Ledger, leave this field blank. Customers can find a list of `funding_account_id`s in the Accounts page of your Plaid Dashboard, under the "Account ID" column. If this field is left blank and you are using legacy funding methods, this will default to the default `funding_account_id` specified during onboarding. Otherwise, Plaid Ledger will be used.
ledger_idstringoptional
Specify which ledger balance should be used to fund the transfer. You can find a list of `ledger_id`s in the Accounts page of your Plaid Dashboard. If this field is left blank, this will default to the id of the default ledger balance.
payment_profile_tokenstringoptional
The payment profile token associated with the Payment Profile that will be debited or credited. Required if not using `access_token`.
typestringrequired
The type of transfer. This will be either `debit` or `credit`. A `debit` indicates a transfer of money into the origination account; a `credit` indicates a transfer of money out of the origination account.
Allowed:debitcredit
networkstringrequired
The network or rails used for the transfer. For transfers submitted as `ach` or `same-day-ach`, the Standard ACH cutoff is 8:30 PM Eastern Time. For transfers submitted as `same-day-ach`, the Same Day ACH cutoff is 3:00 PM Eastern Time. It is recommended to send the request 15 minutes prior to the cutoff to ensure that it will be processed in time for submission before the cutoff. If the transfer is processed after this cutoff but before the Standard ACH cutoff, it will be sent over Standard ACH rails and will not incur same-day charges; this will apply to both legs of the transfer if applicable. The transaction limit for a Same Day ACH transfer is $1,000,000. Authorization requests sent with an amount greater than $1,000,000 will fail. For transfers submitted as `rtp`, Plaid will automatically route between the Real-Time Payments (RTP) rail by TCH or FedNow rails as necessary. If a transfer is submitted as `rtp` and the counterparty account is not eligible for RTP, the `/transfer/authorization/create` request will fail with an `INVALID_FIELD` error code. To pre-check to determine whether a counterparty account can support RTP, call `/transfer/capabilities/get` before calling `/transfer/authorization/create`. Wire transfers are currently in early availability. To request access to `wire` as a payment network, contact your account manager. For transfers submitted as `wire`, the `type` must be `credit`; wire debits are not supported. The cutoff to submit a wire payment is 6:30 PM Eastern Time on a business day; wires submitted after that time will be processed on the next business day. The transaction limit for a wire is $999,999.99. Authorization requests sent with an amount greater than $999,999.99 will fail. Support for `rfp` (request for payment) is currently in closed beta. To learn more, contact your Plaid account manager. For transfers submitted as `rfp`, the `type` must be `debit`.
Allowed:achsame-day-achrtpwirerfp
amountstringrequired
The amount of the transfer (decimal string with two digits of precision e.g. "10.00"). When calling `/transfer/authorization/create`, specify the maximum amount to authorize. When calling `/transfer/create`, specify the exact amount of the transfer, up to a maximum of the amount authorized. If this field is left blank when calling `/transfer/create`, the maximum amount authorized in the `authorization_id` will be sent.
ach_classstringoptional
Specifies the use case of the transfer. Required for transfers on an ACH network. For more details, see [ACH SEC codes](https://plaid.com/docs/transfer/creating-transfers/#ach-sec-codes). Codes supported for credits: `ccd`, `ppd` Codes supported for debits: `ccd`, `ppd`, `tel`, `web` `"ccd"` - Corporate Credit or Debit - fund transfer between two corporate bank accounts `"ppd"` - Prearranged Payment or Deposit - The transfer is part of a pre-existing relationship with a consumer. Authorization was obtained in writing either in person or via an electronic document signing, e.g. Docusign, by the consumer. Can be used for credits or debits. `"web"` - Internet-Initiated Entry. The transfer debits a consumer's bank account. Authorization from the consumer is obtained over the Internet (e.g. a web or mobile application). Can be used for single debits or recurring debits. `"tel"` - Telephone-Initiated Entry. The transfer debits a consumer. Debit authorization has been received orally over the telephone via a recorded call.
Allowed:ccdppdtelweb
wire_detailsobjectoptional
Information specific to wire transfers.
userobjectrequired
The legal name and other information for the account holder. If the account has multiple account holders, provide the information for the account holder on whose behalf the authorization is being requested. The `user.legal_name` field is required. Other fields are not currently used and are present to support planned future functionality.
deviceobjectoptional
Information about the device being used to initiate the authorization. These fields are not currently incorporated into the risk check.
origination_account_idstringdeprecatedoptional
Plaid's unique identifier for the origination account for this authorization. If not specified, the default account will be used.
iso_currency_codestringoptional
The currency of the transfer amount. The default value is "USD".
idempotency_keystringoptional
A random key provided by the client, per unique authorization, which expires after 48 hours. Maximum of 50 characters. The API supports idempotency for safely retrying requests without accidentally performing the same operation twice. For example, if a request to create an authorization fails due to a network connection error, you can retry the request with the same idempotency key to guarantee that only a single authorization is created. Idempotency does not apply to authorizations whose decisions are `user_action_required`. Therefore you may re-attempt the authorization after completing the required user action without changing `idempotency_key`. This idempotency key expires after 48 hours, after which the same key can be reused. Failure to provide this key may result in duplicate charges.
user_presentbooleanoptional
If the end user is initiating the specific transfer themselves via an interactive UI, this should be `true`; for automatic recurring payments where the end user is not actually initiating each individual transfer, it should be `false`. This field is not currently used and is present to support planned future functionality.
with_guaranteebooleandeprecatedoptional
If set to `false`, Plaid will not offer a `guarantee_decision` for this request (Guarantee customers only). This field is deprecated in favor of `guarantee`.
Default:true
request_guaranteebooleanoptional
Indicates whether the transfer should be evaluated for guarantee coverage. When set to `true`, Plaid assesses the transfer for guarantee coverage and returns a decision in the authorization response. When omitted or set to `false`, the authorization is evaluated without guarantee coverage.
beacon_session_idstringdeprecatedoptional
The unique identifier returned by Plaid's [beacon](https://plaid.com/docs/transfer/guarantee/#using-a-beacon) when it is run on your webpage.
originator_client_idstringoptional
The Plaid client ID that is the originator of this transfer. Only needed if creating transfers on behalf of another client as a [Platform customer](https://plaid.com/docs/transfer/application/#originators-vs-platforms).
credit_funds_sourceobjectdeprecatedoptional
test_clock_idstringoptional
Plaid's unique identifier for a test clock. This field may only be used when using `sandbox` environment. If provided, the `authorization` is created at the `virtual_time` on the provided test clock.
ruleset_keystringoptional
The key of the Ruleset for the transaction. If not provided, Signal will use the `default` ruleset.
custom_attributesobjectoptional
A free-form map of client-supplied risk-relevant context for this authorization. Plaid may use these attributes to inform future versions of our risk models. The following limitations apply: Keys must match the regular expression `^[A-Za-z0-9_.-]{1,40}$` Values must be strings (no nested objects, arrays, numbers, or booleans allowed; stringify non-string values client-side) Maximum of 50 key/value pairs Maximum value length of 500 characters Do not include personally identifiable information or other sensitive data.

2 status codes
200Returns the authorization decision, rationale, guarantee decision and rationale, proposed transfer, payment risk details, authorization identifier, creation time, and a request identifier.
authorizationobjectrequired
Contains the authorization decision for a proposed transfer.
request_idstringrequired
A unique identifier for the request, which can be used for troubleshooting. This identifier, like all Plaid identifiers, is case sensitive.
defaultError response
error_typestringrequired
A broad categorization of the error. Safe for programmatic use.
Allowed:INVALID_REQUESTINVALID_RESULTINVALID_INPUTINSTITUTION_ERRORRATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDEDAPI_ERRORITEM_ERRORASSET_REPORT_ERRORBASE_REPORT_ERRORRECAPTCHA_ERROROAUTH_ERRORPAYMENT_ERROR
error_codestringrequired
The particular error code. Safe for programmatic use.
error_code_reasonstringoptional
The specific reason for the error code. Currently, reasons are only supported for OAuth-based item errors; `null` will be returned otherwise. Safe for programmatic use. Possible values: `OAUTH_INVALID_TOKEN`: The user's OAuth connection to this institution has been invalidated. `OAUTH_CONSENT_EXPIRED`: The user's access consent for this OAuth connection to this institution has expired. `OAUTH_USER_REVOKED`: The user's OAuth connection to this institution is invalid because the user revoked their connection.
error_messagestringrequired
A developer-friendly representation of the error code. This may change over time and is not safe for programmatic use.
display_messagestringrequired
A user-friendly representation of the error code. `null` if the error is not related to user action. This may change over time and is not safe for programmatic use.
request_idstringoptional
A unique ID identifying the request, to be used for troubleshooting purposes. This field will be omitted in errors provided by webhooks.
causesarrayoptional
In this product, a request can pertain to more than one Item. If an error is returned for such a request, `causes` will return an array of errors containing a breakdown of these errors on the individual Item level, if any can be identified. `causes` will be provided for the `error_type` `ASSET_REPORT_ERROR` or `CHECK_REPORT_ERROR`. `causes` will also not be populated inside an error nested within a `warning` object.
statusintegeroptional
The HTTP status code associated with the error. This will only be returned in the response body when the error information is provided via a webhook.
documentation_urlstringoptional
The URL of a Plaid documentation page with more information about the error
suggested_actionstringoptional
Suggested steps for resolving the error
required_account_subtypesarray<string>optional
A list of the account subtypes that were requested via the `account_filters` parameter in `/link/token/create`. Currently only populated for `NO_ACCOUNTS` errors from Items with `investments_auth` as an enabled product.
provided_account_subtypesarray<string>optional
A list of the account subtypes that were extracted but did not match the requested subtypes via the `account_filters` parameter in `/link/token/create`. Currently only populated for `NO_ACCOUNTS` errors from Items with `investments_auth` as an enabled product.

Error handling

type, network, amount, user, access_token, and account_id are required. type must be debit or credit, network must be ach, same-day-ach, rtp, wire, or rfp, and user.legal_name is required. ach_class is required for ACH transfers and must be one of ccd, ppd, tel, or web.