Paystack transfers

Paystack Transfers

The Transfers API lets you send money from your Paystack balance to bank accounts and mobile wallets. Transfers require a pre-created transfer recipient.

Depends on: paystack-setup for the paystackRequest helper.
Related: paystack-transfer-recipients for creating recipients before transfers.

Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/transfer	Initiate a transfer
POST	/transfer/finalize_transfer	Finalize transfer (OTP)
POST	/transfer/bulk	Initiate bulk transfer
GET	/transfer	List transfers
GET	/transfer/:id_or_code	Fetch a transfer
GET	/transfer/verify/:reference	Verify a transfer

Initiate Transfer

POST /transfer

Returns status pending if OTP is disabled on your account, or otp if OTP is required.

Param	Type	Required	Description
source	string	Yes	balance (only option)
amount	integer	Yes	Amount in subunits (kobo/pesewas)
recipient	string	Yes	Recipient code (e.g. RCP_gd9vgag7n5lr5ix)
reference	string	Yes	Unique identifier (16-50 chars, lowercase a-z, 0-9, -, _)
reason	string	No	Reason for transfer (shows in customer's credit notification)
currency	string	No	Currency code (defaults to NGN)
account_reference	string	No	Required in Kenya for MPESA Paybill and Till transfers

const transfer = await paystackRequest<{
  transfer_code: string;
  status: string;
  reference: string;
  amount: number;
}>("/transfer", {
  method: "POST",
  body: JSON.stringify({
    source: "balance",
    amount: 100000,          // ₦1,000
    recipient: "RCP_gd9vgag7n5lr5ix",
    reference: `txf_${crypto.randomUUID()}`,
    reason: "Vendor payment for January",
  }),
});
// transfer.data.status → "pending" or "otp"
// transfer.data.transfer_code → "TRF_v5tip3zx8nna9o78"

Finalize Transfer

POST /transfer/finalize_transfer

Required when transfer status is otp. Submit the OTP sent to your business phone.

Param	Type	Required	Description
transfer_code	string	Yes	Transfer code from initiate response
otp	string	Yes	OTP sent to business phone

await paystackRequest("/transfer/finalize_transfer", {
  method: "POST",
  body: JSON.stringify({
    transfer_code: "TRF_v5tip3zx8nna9o78",
    otp: "928783",
  }),
});

Initiate Bulk Transfer

POST /transfer/bulk

Batch multiple transfers in a single request. OTP must be disabled on your account to use this endpoint.

Param	Type	Required	Description
source	string	Yes	balance
transfers	array	Yes	Array of transfer objects

Each transfer object:

Param	Type	Required	Description
amount	integer	Yes	Amount in subunits
recipient	string	Yes	Recipient code
reference	string	Yes	Unique reference (16-50 chars)
reason	string	No	Transfer reason

const result = await paystackRequest("/transfer/bulk", {
  method: "POST",
  body: JSON.stringify({
    source: "balance",
    currency: "NGN",
    transfers: [
      {
        amount: 20000,
        recipient: "RCP_gd9vgag7n5lr5ix",
        reference: `txf_${crypto.randomUUID()}`,
        reason: "Bonus for the week",
      },
      {
        amount: 35000,
        recipient: "RCP_m7ljkv8leesep7p",
        reference: `txf_${crypto.randomUUID()}`,
        reason: "January salary",
      },
    ],
  }),
});
// result.message → "2 transfers queued."

List Transfers

GET /transfer

Param	Type	Required	Description
perPage	integer	No	Records per page (default: 50)
page	integer	No	Page number (default: 1)
recipient	integer	No	Filter by recipient ID
from	datetime	No	Start date
to	datetime	No	End date

const transfers = await paystackRequest("/transfer?perPage=20&page=1");

Fetch Transfer

GET /transfer/:id_or_code

const transfer = await paystackRequest(
  `/transfer/${encodeURIComponent("TRF_v5tip3zx8nna9o78")}`
);

Verify Transfer

GET /transfer/verify/:reference

Verify the status of a transfer using its reference.

const result = await paystackRequest(
  `/transfer/verify/${encodeURIComponent(reference)}`
);
// result.data.status → "success" | "failed" | "pending" | "reversed"

Transfer Flow

// 1. Create recipient (see paystack-transfer-recipients skill)
// 2. Initiate transfer
const transfer = await paystackRequest("/transfer", {
  method: "POST",
  body: JSON.stringify({
    source: "balance",
    amount: 500000,
    recipient: "RCP_gd9vgag7n5lr5ix",
    reference: `txf_${crypto.randomUUID()}`,
  }),
});

// 3. If OTP required, finalize
if (transfer.data.status === "otp") {
  const otp = await getOTPFromUser();
  await paystackRequest("/transfer/finalize_transfer", {
    method: "POST",
    body: JSON.stringify({
      transfer_code: transfer.data.transfer_code,
      otp,
    }),
  });
}

// 4. Listen for webhooks: transfer.success, transfer.failed, transfer.reversed

Important Notes

• You can only transfer from balance — ensure your Paystack balance has sufficient funds
• Bulk transfers require OTP to be disabled (Dashboard → Settings → Preferences)
• Transfer references must be unique, 16-50 characters, lowercase with - and _ only
• For Kenya MPESA Paybill/Till, include account_reference in the transfer
• Always verify transfer status via webhook (transfer.success, transfer.failed) rather than polling