v51

latestOpenAPI 3.0.0raw.githubusercontent.com2026-07-313352,3122.9 MB
plaid

Create a payment

After creating a payment recipient, you can use the /payment_initiation/payment/create endpoint to create a payment to that recipient. Payments can be one-time or standing order (recurring) and can be denominated in EUR, GBP, or another chosen currency. If making domestic GBP-denominated payments, your recipient must have been created with Bacs numbers. In general, EUR-denominated payments will be sent via SEPA Credit Transfer, GBP-denominated payments will be sent via the Faster Payments network and for non-Eurozone markets typically via the local payment scheme, but the payment network used will be determined by the institution. Payments sent via Faster Payments will typically arrive immediately, while payments sent via SEPA Credit Transfer or other local payment schemes will typically arrive in one business day.

Standing orders (recurring payments) must be denominated in GBP and can only be sent to recipients in the UK. Once created, standing order payments cannot be modified or canceled via the API. An end user can cancel or modify a standing order directly on their banking application or website, or by contacting the bank. Standing orders will follow the payment rules of the underlying rails (Faster Payments in UK). Payments can be sent Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays. If the pre-arranged date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, the payment is made on the next working day. It is not possible to guarantee the exact time the payment will reach the recipient's account, although at least 90% of standing order payments are sent by 6am.

post/payment_initiation/payment/create

Request body

client_idstring

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.

secretstring

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.

recipient_idstring required

The ID of the recipient the payment is for.

referencestring required

A reference for the payment. This must be an alphanumeric string with at most 18 characters and must not contain any special characters (since not all institutions support them). In order to track settlement via Payment Confirmation, each payment must have a unique reference. If the reference provided through the API is not unique, Plaid will adjust it. Some institutions may limit the reference to less than 18 characters. If necessary, Plaid will adjust the reference by truncating it to fit the institution's requirements. Both the originally provided and automatically adjusted references (if any) can be found in the reference and adjusted_reference fields, respectively.

Response

OK

payment_idstring required

A unique ID identifying the payment

status'PAYMENT_STATUS_INPUT_NEEDED' required

For a payment returned by this endpoint, there is only one possible value:

PAYMENT_STATUS_INPUT_NEEDED: The initial phase of the payment

request_idstring required

A unique identifier for the request, which can be used for troubleshooting. This identifier, like all Plaid identifiers, is case sensitive.