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Overview

Your Polar balance represents the funds available for payout after all fees have been accounted for. Understanding your balance helps you plan payouts and track revenue.

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Balance Components

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Gross Amount

The total revenue from all successful transactions:
  • Product purchases
  • Subscription payments
  • One-time payments
  • License key sales

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Transaction Types

Your balance is affected by several transaction types:

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Revenue Transactions

  • Order Payments: Customer purchases
  • Subscription Payments: Recurring subscription charges
  • License Sales: License key purchases

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Fee Transactions

  • Platform Fees: Polar’s platform fees (4% + 40¢)
  • Payment Processor Fees: Stripe’s processing fees
  • Payout Fees: Fees incurred during payout processing

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Adjustment Transactions

  • Refunds: Customer refunds (reverses revenue)
  • Disputes: Chargeback disputes
  • Balance Corrections: Manual adjustments

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Viewing Your Balance

Access your balance through:
  1. Finance Dashboard: Real-time balance display
  2. Account Page: Per-account balance breakdown
  3. API: Programmatic balance queries via /accounts/{id}

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Balance Display

Available Balance: $1,234.56
Credit Balance: $50.00
Total Available: $1,284.56

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Credit Balance

Your account may have credits from:
  • Campaign Credits: Promotional fee credits from referral campaigns
  • Fee Waivers: Temporary fee reductions
  • Compensation Credits: Service credits
Credits automatically apply to platform fees before using your revenue balance.

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Credit Application

When creating a payout:
  1. Platform fees calculated
  2. Credits applied first
  3. Remaining fees deducted from balance
  4. Net amount paid out

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Minimum Balance Requirements

Payouts require a minimum balance that varies by currency:

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Common Currencies

  • USD: $10.00 minimum
  • EUR: €13.00 minimum
  • GBP: £15.00 minimum
  • CHF: CHF 15.00 minimum

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Other Currencies

  • Default: $10.00 equivalent
  • High-value currencies: Higher minimums apply
Refer to ACCOUNT_PAYOUT_MINIMUM_BALANCE_PER_PAYOUT_CURRENCY in the codebase for the complete list.
Minimum balance ensures payout amounts cover processing costs and bank transfer fees.

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Multi-Currency Balances

If you receive payments in multiple currencies:
  • Each currency maintains a separate balance
  • Payouts process in your account’s default currency
  • Currency conversion happens during transfer
  • Exchange rates determined by Stripe at time of transfer

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Balance Holds

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Payout Safety Delay

New revenue has a holding period before becoming available:
  • Default: 1 second (configurable via ACCOUNT_PAYOUT_DELAY)
  • Protects against fraud and disputes
  • Ensures funds are settled

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Under Review Hold

If your account is under review:
  • Balance accumulates normally
  • Payouts temporarily disabled
  • Resume after review completion

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Transaction History

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Viewing Transactions

Access detailed transaction history:
  • Date and time
  • Transaction type
  • Amount and currency
  • Related order or subscription
  • Fee breakdown
  • Running balance

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Filtering Transactions

Filter by:
  • Date range
  • Transaction type
  • Product or subscription
  • Customer
  • Status

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Exporting Data

Export transaction history:
  • CSV Format: Spreadsheet-compatible
  • Payout CSV: Per-payout transaction breakdown
  • API Export: Programmatic data retrieval

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Balance Reconciliation

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Verifying Your Balance

Reconcile your Polar balance with:
  1. Stripe dashboard transactions
  2. Bank account deposits
  3. Payout invoices
  4. Transaction CSV exports

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Discrepancy Resolution

If balances don’t match:
  1. Check for pending transactions
  2. Verify refunds and disputes
  3. Review payout timing
  4. Contact support with transaction IDs

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Balance Monitoring

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Real-Time Updates

Balance updates immediately when:
  • Customer completes payment
  • Refund is processed
  • Payout is created
  • Fees are calculated

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Notifications

Receive notifications for:
  • Balance milestones
  • Payout eligibility
  • Low balance warnings
  • Failed transactions

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API Access

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Checking Balance

const account = await polar.accounts.get(accountId);
console.log(`Balance: ${account.credit_balance}`);

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Calculating Available Payout

const estimate = await polar.payouts.estimate({
  account_id: accountId
});

console.log(`Gross: ${estimate.gross_amount}`);
console.log(`Fees: ${estimate.fees_amount}`);
console.log(`Net: ${estimate.net_amount}`);

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Best Practices

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Monitor Regularly

  • Check balance weekly
  • Review transaction details
  • Track fee accumulation
  • Plan payout timing

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Maintain Reserves

  • Keep buffer for potential refunds
  • Account for dispute reserves
  • Plan for seasonal variations

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Optimize Payout Timing

  • Wait for minimum balance
  • Batch transactions when possible
  • Consider currency exchange timing
  • Account for bank processing time

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Troubleshooting

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Missing Transactions

If transactions are missing:
  • Check date range filters
  • Verify transaction status
  • Review archived payouts
  • Contact support

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Balance Doesn’t Match

Common causes:
  • Pending refunds not yet processed
  • Recent payouts in transit
  • Fee credits applied
  • Currency conversion differences

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Cannot Create Payout

Reasons:
  • Below minimum balance
  • Account under review
  • Payouts not enabled
  • Pending payout exists

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Next Steps

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