Initiate a transfer #

This section details how to initiate a transfer between your main Dwolla Account and external-parties.

Prevent duplicate transfers with idempotency key #

To prevent an operation from being performed more than once, Dwolla supports passing in an Idempotency Key header with a unique key as the value. Multiple POSTs with the same idempotency key won't result in multiple resources being created.

For example, if a request to initiate a transfer fails due to a network connection issue, you can reattempt the request with the same idempotency key to ensure that only a single transfer is created.

Refer to our idempotency key section to learn more.

Simulate transfer statuses in Sandbox #

The Sandbox environment does not replicate any bank transfer processes, so a pending transfer will not clear or fail automatically after a few business days as it would in production. The transfer will simply remain in the pending state indefinitely. In the Sandbox environment, transfer statuses can be simulated by passing in a sentinel value in the amount field as referenced in the table below.

amount	Desired Transfer Status	Description
1.01	created	Triggers `account.transfer:created` event as the transfer is placed in a `created` status.
1.02	pending	Triggers `account.transfer:created` and `account.transfer:pending` events as the transfer updates from a `created` to `pending` status.
2.01	processed	Triggers `account.transfer:created` and `account.transfer:processed` events as the transfer updates from a `created` to `processed` status.
9.99	failed	Triggers `account.transfer:created` and `account.transfer:failed` events as the transfer updates from a `created` to `failed` status.

HTTP request #

POST https://api.dwolla.com/transfers

Request parameters #

Property	Required	Type	Description
_links	yes	object	HAL-JSON links that represent resource relationships required for initiating a transfer.
amount	yes	object	An amount JSON object.
correlationId	no	string	A unique string value attached to a transfer which can be used for traceability between Dwolla and your application. Note: A correlationId is not a replacement for an idempotency-key. Must be less than or equal to 255 characters and contain no spaces. Acceptable characters are: `a-Z, 0-9, -, . and _`. Note: Sensitive Personal Identifying Information (PII) should not be used in this field and it is recommended to use a random value for correlationId, like a UUID.

HTTP status and error codes #

HTTP Status	Error Message	Description
201	Created.	A transfer was created.
400	Funding source not found.	Double check the funding source Id, and make sure you are using the correct funding source Id.
400	Invalid amount	The supplied amount must be a positive number.
401	Invalid access token	Access token not valid. Generate a new one and try again.
403	Forbidden	Not authorized to create a transfer.

Request and response #

The reference example below shows what a request looks like when initiating a transfer over the ACH network.

Raw

POST https://api.dwolla.com/transfers
Accept: application/vnd.dwolla.v1.hal+json
Content-Type: application/vnd.dwolla.v1.hal+json
Authorization: Bearer connect.eyJraWQiOiJPNVVOUVR0VHdDSXBcL0lsYnNlWldtdUFVZHJaVjFuU3lIYlVubkpwYW54WT0iLCJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiJ9.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.GxCWTNTih35m-ZZX6rjCVr3CAg_Y3u5n_xz4K3yZRPAmemvSniy5k0moBK-Dq534TyjGOIbi0iQyKKPoEip3YRpQLVrk7Bq5HwYZTgjwdxDbhIUe9LkgWXaVKDOVG-ufrMo7vwsDsfNYhLj70OpBZ2fS3Wnuog3875SeVPN2qlLGa6_vU_WsRCcRJw8Y8eWEttZeLZWm7j30s41ssJL8-Epwq7-__bDM3sFLcfQIADAxSHNPYqq9pACA3qrpCOlo17F8EVqSIT2MJrIrhsi8sT8Y9i1cScaoRZf7MWLJzbtnzOP2M7YDfoXxH9MqsABvcoRJaQoSMjDCgheu1h0clQ
Idempotency-Key: 19051a62-3403-11e6-ac61-9e71128cae77

{
    "_links": {
        "source": {
            "href": "https://api.dwolla.com/funding-sources/e03b3de8-56d1-41e5-b8bc-c219c8b3fc36"
        },
        "destination": {
            "href": "https://api.dwolla.com/funding-sources/9062c625-2094-47ed-9d1f-f40315e4bea7"
        }
    },
    "amount": {
        "value": "4.28",
        "currency": "USD"
    }
}

...

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Location: https://api.dwolla.com/transfers/74c9129b-d14a-e511-80da-0aa34a9b2388

Overview

Retrieve a transfer

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Financial institutions play an important role in our network.

All funds transfers made using the Dwolla Platform are performed by a financial institution partner, and any funds held in a Dwolla Balance are held by a financial institution partner. Learn more about our financial institution partners.