Skip to main content

​
Transfers

The Transfers resource in the Dwolla API enables you to programmatically move funds between accounts. Transfers represent the movement of money from a source (such as a bank or Dwolla balance/wallet) to a destination, and support a variety of use cases—including: pay-ins, pay-outs, facilitating payments between users and enabling transfers between a user’s own accounts (me-to-me). With the Transfers resource, you can initiate, track, and manage payments, handle cancellations, and view detailed transfer statuses and metadata. This resource is central to orchestrating payments, providing transparency and control over the flow of funds in your application.
LinkDescription
selfURL of the transfer.
sourceGET this link to retrieve the Customer that was the source of the transfer.
destinationGET this link to retrieve the Customer that was the destination of the transfer.
source-funding-sourceGET this link to retrieve the funding source that was the source of the transfer.
destination-funding-sourceGET this link to retrieve the funding source that was the destination of the transfer.
cancelPOST to this link to cancel the transfer (A bank transfer is cancellable up until 4pm CT on that same business day if the transfer was initiated prior to 4pm CT. If a transfer was initiated after 4pm CT, it can be cancelled before 4pm CT on the following business day.)
feesGET this link to retrieve the facilitator fees associated with the transfer.

​
Transfer resource

ParameterDescription
idTransfer unique identifier.
statusEither processed, pending, cancelled, or failed.
amountAn amount JSON object. See below.
createdISO-8601 timestamp.
metadataA metadata JSON object
clearingA clearing JSON object.
achDetailsAn achDetails JSON object. See below.
rtpDetailsAn rtpDetails JSON object. Included when the transfer was sent via RTP Network. See below.
fedNowDetailsA fedNowDetails JSON object. Included when the transfer was sent via FedNow Service. See below.
correlationIdA string value attached to a transfer resource which can be used for traceability between Dwolla and your application.
individualAchIdA unique string value matching the value on bank line related to the transfer. Appears when the debit entry clears out of the bank. The individual identifier for that ACH entry.
processingChannelA processingChannel JSON object that contains a key-value pair with a string key and string value of destination and real-time-payments.
{
  "_links": {},
  "_embedded": {},
  "id": "string",
  "status": "string",
  "amount": {
    "value": "string",
    "currency": "string"
  },
  "created": "string",
  "metadata": {
    "key": "value"
  },
  "clearing": {
    "source": "standard",
    "destination": "next-available"
  },
  "achDetails": {
    "source": {
      "addenda": {
          "values": [
              "string"
          ]
      },
      "traceId": "string"
    },
    "destination": {
      "addenda": {
          "values": [
              "string"
          ]
      },
      "traceId": "string"
    }
  },
  "rtpDetails": {
    "destination": {
      "remittanceData": "string",
      "networkId": "string",
      "endToEndReferenceId": "string"
    }
  },
  "fedNowDetails": {
    "destination": {
      "remittanceData": "string",
      "networkId": "string",
      "endToEndReferenceId": "string"
    }
  },
  "correlationId": "string",
  "individualAchId": "string",
  "processingChannel": {
    "destination": "real-time-payments"
  }
}

​
Source and destination types

Source types
Source TypeURIDescription
Funding sourcehttps://api.dwolla.com/funding-sources/{id}A bank or balance funding source.
Destination types
Destination TypeURIDescription
Funding sourcehttps://api.dwolla.com/funding-sources/{id}Destination of an Account or verified Customer’s own bank or balance funding source. OR A Customer’s bank funding source.

​
amount JSON object

ParameterRequiredTypeDescription
valueyesstringAmount of money. If the entered amount has more than two decimal places, Dwolla will automatically round it to the nearest even integer using Banker’s Rounding.
Maximum limit: Default transaction limits based on Customer type or custom transaction limits as defined in the services agreement with Dwolla.
Minimum limit: $0.01.
currencyyesstringPossible values: USD

​
Facilitator fee JSON object

The facilitator fee is a feature allowing for a flat rate amount to be removed from a payment as a fee, and sent to the creator of the Dwolla application. The fee does not affect the original payment amount, and exists as a separate Transfer resource with a unique transfer ID. Within a transfer request you can specify an optional fees request parameter, which is an array of fee objects that can represent many unique fee transfers.

Facilitator Fee Overview

For more information on collecting fees on payments, reference the facilitator fee resource article.
ParameterDescription
_linksContains a charge-to JSON object with a link to the associated source or destination Customer resource.
amountAmount of fee to charge. An amount JSON object. See above

​
Facilitator fee example:

"fees": [
  {
    "_links": {
      "charge-to": {
        "href": "https://api-sandbox.dwolla.com/customers/d795f696-2cac-4662-8f16-95f1db9bddd8"
      }
    },
    "amount": {
      "value": "4.00",
      "currency": "USD"
    }
  }
]

​
clearing JSON object

The clearing object is used in tandem with our expedited transfer feature. This object does not need to be included if not using expedited transfers. Source specifies the clearing time for the source funding source involved in the transfer, and can be used to downgrade the clearing time from the default of Next-day ACH or to upgrade it to Same-day ACH debit. Destination specifies the clearing time for the destination funding source involved in the transfer, and can be used to upgrade the clearing time from the default of Standard ACH to Same-day ACH.
The clearing request parameter is a premium feature available for Dwolla customers in the Scale pricing tier. Enabling Next-day ACH and Same-day ACH requires additional Dwolla approvals before getting started. Please contact sales or your account manager for more information on enabling this feature.
ParameterRequiredTypeDescription
sourcenostringRepresents a clearing object for debits into the Dwolla network.
Possible values: standard, next-available
standard - Used to downgrade the clearing time of debits from the default of Next-day ACH (if enabled) to Standard ACH.
next-available - Used to upgrade the clearing time of debits to Same-day ACH.
destinationnostringRepresents a clearing object for credits out of the Dwolla network to a bank funding source.
Possible values: next-available
next-available - Used to upgrade the clearing time of credits to Same-day ACH.

​
Clearing examples:

Standard debit and Same-day credit (when Next-day is enabled)
"clearing": {
  "source": "standard",
  "destination": "next-available"
}
Next-day debit and Same-day credit (when Next-day is enabled)
"clearing": {
  "destination": "next-available"
}
Same-day debit and Same-day credit
"clearing": {
  "source": "next-available",
  "destination": "next-available"
}
Same-day debit and Standard credit
"clearing": {
  "source": "next-available"
}

​
achDetails and addenda object

Note: This feature is only supported for business Customer records.
The addendum record is used to provide additional information to the payment recipient about the payment. This value will be passed in on a transfer request and can be exposed on a Customer’s bank statement. Addenda records provide a unique opportunity to supply your customers with more information about their transactions. Allowing businesses to include additional details about the transaction—such as invoice numbers—provides their end users with more information about the transaction in the comfort of their own banking application.
achDetails object
ParameterRequiredTypeDescription
sourcenoobjectRepresents information that is sent to a source/originating bank account along with a transfer. Include information within this JSON object for customizing details on ACH debit transfers. Can include an addenda JSON object.
destinationnoobjectRepresents information that is sent to a destination/receiving bank account along with a transfer. Include information within this JSON object for customizing details on ACH credit transfers. Can include an addenda JSON object.
addenda object
ParameterRequiredTypeDescription
addendanoobjectAn addenda object contains a values key where its value is an array containing a single string addenda value. Addenda record information is used for the purpose of transmitting transfer-related information from a business.
Addenda value must be less than or equal to 80 characters and can include spaces.
Acceptable characters are: a-Z, 0-9, and special characters - _ . ~ ! * ' ( ) ; : @ & = + $ , / ? % # [ ].
Transfers must be sent to/from a business entity’s bank to guarantee addenda delivery.

​
achDetails with addenda example:

"achDetails": {
  "source": {
    "addenda": {
      "values": ["ABC123_AddendaValue"]
    }
  },
  "destination": {
    "addenda": {
      "values": ["ZYX987_AddendaValue"]
    }
  }
}

​
rtpDetails and fedNowDetails objects

Note: Instant Payments (RTP and FedNow) is a premium feature available for Dwolla customers. Enabling Instant Payments requires additional Dwolla approvals before getting started. Please contact Sales or your account manager for more information on enabling this account feature.
When retrieving a transfer from the API, the response will contain either an rtpDetails object or a fedNowDetails object depending on which payment network was used:
  • rtpDetails - Included when the transfer was sent via TCH’s RTP Network
  • fedNowDetails - Included when the transfer was sent via FRB’s FedNow Service
Both objects have an identical structure and contain network-specific identifiers that appear once the credit entry clears into the destination bank account. Refer to our Instant Payments developer concept article to learn more about initiating Instant Payment credit transfers.
When creating a transfer, use instantDetails (recommended) or rtpDetails in your request payload to pass remittance data. The fedNowDetails object only appears in API responses and cannot be used in transfer creation requests.
rtpDetails / fedNowDetails object
ParameterRequiredTypeDescription
destinationnoobjectRepresents information that is sent to a destination/receiving bank account along with an Instant Payment credit transfer. Contains network-specific identifiers and optional remittance data.
destination object
ParameterTypeDescription
remittanceDatastringContains a string value. Used for the purpose of transmitting Instant Payment transfer-related information to the recipient’s bank account.
Remittance data value must be less than or equal to 140 characters and can include spaces.
networkIdstringA unique identifier for the transfer within the payment network (RTP or FedNow). Appears when the credit entry clears into the destination bank account.
endToEndReferenceIdstringAn end-to-end reference identifier for the transfer. Appears when the credit entry clears into the destination bank account.

​
rtpDetails example (RTP Network response):

"rtpDetails": {
  "destination": {
    "remittanceData": "ABC_123 Remittance Data",
    "networkId": "20210617021214273T1BG27487110796028",
    "endToEndReferenceId": "E2E-RTP-20210617-001"
  }
}

​
fedNowDetails example (FedNow Service response):

"fedNowDetails": {
  "destination": {
    "remittanceData": "ABC_123 Remittance Data",
    "networkId": "20240115123456789FEDNOW123456",
    "endToEndReferenceId": "E2E-FEDNOW-20240115-001"
  }
}

​
instantDetails object (request only)

The instantDetails object is the recommended way to provide remittance data when initiating an Instant Payment transfer. This object can be used in transfer creation requests regardless of whether the payment ultimately routes via RTP or FedNow.
For backward compatibility, you can also use rtpDetails in transfer creation requests. Both instantDetails and rtpDetails are functionally equivalent for request payloads. However, we recommend using instantDetails.
instantDetails object
ParameterRequiredTypeDescription
destinationnoobjectRepresents information that is sent to a destination/receiving bank account along with an Instant Payment credit transfer. Contains a key-value pair for remittanceData.
destination object
ParameterRequiredTypeDescription
remittanceDatanostringContains a string value. Used for the purpose of transmitting Instant Payment transfer-related information to the recipient’s bank account.
Remittance data value must be less than or equal to 140 characters and can include spaces.

​
instantDetails example:

"instantDetails": {
  "destination": {
    "remittanceData": "ABC_123 Remittance Data"
  }
}