Payload Developer Documentation

Embedded finance for modern platforms & businesses

Payload provides a unified API for accepting payments, managing billing, and orchestrating financial workflows. Build payment experiences that scale from startup to enterprise with a platform designed for developers who need flexibility, control, and reliability.

Using API v1? These docs cover the latest v2.0 API. If you're using API v1, you can still access the v1 documentation (opens in a new tab) for reference. We recommend migrating to v2.0 to take advantage of new features and improvements.

process-payment.py

import payload
pl = payload.Session('secret_key_3bW9...', api_version='v2')
 
# Process a payment with saved payment method
payment = pl.Transaction.create({
    'type': 'payment',
    'amount': 99.99,
    'sender': {
        'account_id': 'acct_customer_abc123',
        'method_id': 'pm_card_xyz789'
    },
    'receiver': {
        'account_id': 'acct_merchant_xyz789'
    }
})
 
print(payment.status)  # 'processed'

checkout-embed.html

checkout-embed.js

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <script src="https://payload.com/Payload.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
  <button id="checkout-button">Pay $49.99</button>
 
  <script src="checkout-embed.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

document.getElementById('checkout-button').addEventListener('click', async () => {
  const data = await fetch('/checkout_intent').then((r) => r.json())
  Payload(data.token)
  new Payload.Checkout()
    .on('success', (evt) => {
      console.log('Payment successful:', evt.transaction_id)
    })
    .on('declined', (evt) => {
      console.error('Payment declined:', evt.transaction_id)
    })
})

send-payout.py

import payload
 
pl = payload.Session('secret_key_3bW9...', api_version='v2')
 
# Send an instant payout
payout = pl.Transaction.create(
    {
        'type': 'payout',
        'amount': 250.0,
        'sender': {'account_id': 'acct_processing_xyz789'},
        'receiver': {
            'account_id': 'acct_vendor_abc123',
            'method_id': 'pm_bank_xyz789',
        },
        'clearing_timing': 'instant',
    }
)

webhook.py

import payload
 
pl = payload.Session('secret_key_3bW9...', api_version='v2')
 
# Subscribe to transaction events
webhook = pl.Webhook.create(
    trigger='processed',
    url='https://api.example.com/webhooks/handler',
)

Pay

Process inbound & outbound payments through any channel

Explore payloads inbound & outbound APIs, hosted pages, or embedded forms. Receive inbound payments via cards, pay by bank, google pay, apple pay, digital wire and send outbound funds securely & instantly with full control over the payment lifecycle.

Payment APIs

Process payments programmatically with full control over the payment lifecycle and business logic.

Hosted Solutions

No-code checkout links and embedded forms for branded payment experiences.

Payouts

Send money instantly or via standard transfers to vendors, affiliates, or customer bank accounts.

Payment Methods

Store and tokenize cards, bank accounts, and wallets for recurring payments and autopay.

Explore Payment Processing →

Bill

Automate invoice generation and recurring billing

Create one-time invoices or set up billing schedules for subscriptions, contracts, and periodic charges. Enable autopay for hands-free payment collection.

Creating Invoices

Generate flexible invoices with line items, custom fields, and customer details for one-time billing.

Billing Schedules

Automate recurring billing with flexible subscription schedules and automatic invoice generation.

Autopay

Enable hands-free payment collection by automatically charging invoices on their due date.

Invoice Branding

Customize invoice templates, PDFs, and payment pages to match your brand identity.

Explore Invoicing & Billing →

Orchestrate

Manage accounts, compliance, and event-driven workflows

Create and manage customer accounts, configure webhooks for real-time notifications, and set up funding strategies for your platform.

Account Management

Create customer, processing, and generic accounts with default payment methods and preferences.

Webhooks & Events

Subscribe to real-time event notifications for payments, invoices, and account changes.

Entities & KYC

Verify business and individual identities with automated KYC checks and compliance workflows.

Funding Strategies

Configure automated or dynamic funding to control how processing accounts receive funds.

Explore Account Management →

Reconcile

Track transactions, reconcile payments, and generate reports

Monitor transaction flows, match bank deposits, and build custom reports for financial reconciliation and analytics.

Reporting & Analytics

Build custom reports with flexible queries for transactions, invoices, payouts, and balances.

Bank Reconciliation

Match payment transactions to bank deposits and handle batched clearing settlements.

Custom Attributes

Enrich transactions and invoices with custom metadata for advanced reporting and filtering.

Report Examples

Pre-built report queries for common use cases like revenue tracking and payment reconciliation.

Explore Reporting →

Getting Started

Choose your integration path based on what you want to build:

Accept Payments Start with the Payment API to process transactions programmatically, or use hosted checkout for a no-code payment page.

Automate Billing Create one-time invoices or set up billing schedules for recurring subscription charges.

Manage Accounts Create customer accounts to store payment methods and enable autopay for recurring payments.

Build Event-Driven Workflows Configure webhooks to receive real-time notifications for payment events, invoice updates, and account changes.

API Reference & Support

The API Reference includes complete documentation for all Payload resources with request/response schemas, authentication guides, and code examples in multiple languages. Every endpoint includes working code samples you can copy and customize for your integration.