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Last updated: July 6, 2026
The Settlement report is for merchants and payment processing partners. It provides detailed information about each transaction that affects the settlement of funds to their accounts and summarizes total debits, credits, and beginning and ending balances for each currency that they hold in their accounts.
PayPal generates and delivers the Settlement report to the /ppreports/outgoing directory on the SFTP server daily before 12:00 PM (noon) in the leading time zone of the reporting window. For example, for the A reporting window (America/New York to America/Los Angeles), the report is delivered before 12:00 PM Eastern Time (EST).
PayPal generates this report daily, but the exact time of generation can vary. If you do not see the report on the SFTP server by 12:00 PM in the leading time zone of the reporting window, check for notifications from PayPal about any delays or issues with report generation. After it is generated, the report remains available for 1 year from its generation time. For more information about NotificationPreferences, see Notifications.
The Settlement Report reconciles to the Settlement Withdrawal for any time zone from Pacific Standard Time (PST, which is GMT minus 7 or 8 hours depending on daylight saving time) to any time zones that are up to 9 hours ahead of PST. For example, for the H reporting window (America/Los Angeles to Asia/Hong Kong), the report reconciles to the Settlement Withdrawal for any time zone from PST to GMT+2.
The following additional specifications apply to this report:
Varchar are surrounded with double quotation marks, regardless of the field delimiter. Double quotation marks inside a field are represented as two double quotation marks in succession.Before you can use this report, you meet these requirements:
The Settlement report always includes the gross amount for transactions that are processed in any currency. If no fees are involved, the report does not include the fee fields, and the net amount equals the gross amount.
PayPal monitors the generation and delivery of this report at all times and maintains 2 contact points for notifications:
PayPal notifies you of the following types of events:
PayPal strongly recommends that you create a distribution list or email alias that allows multiple parties to receive communication about reports. To provide the appropriate notification email alias, contact your PayPal account manager or customer support.
When PayPal supports multiple versions of this report, PayPal will notify you of the creation of any new version and of the deprecation of older versions. When multiple versions exist, you can receive 2 versions of the same report concurrently to test and integrate a new version. You can also receive non-consecutive versions of the same report concurrently. To enable different versions or request changes in report distribution, contact your PayPal account manager or customer support.
The file naming convention for this report depends on whether you are using Multiple Account Management (MAM).
For a report for a single account, the file name follows this convention:
STL-yyyymmdd.sequenceNumber.version.format
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
STL | Abbreviation for "Settlement Report" |
yyyymmdd | The date of the data in the report. This date stamp represents the latest, or ending, date of the data. |
sequenceNumber | The sequence number of the file. 2 characters, right-justified, and zero-filled. Begins with 01 and increments until all parts are recorded. Always present, even if there is only 1 file. |
version | The version of the report. 3 characters, right-justified, and zero-filled. |
format | The report format: CSV (comma-separated values) or TAB (tab-delimited) |
When using Multiple Account Management (MAM), the file name follows this convention:
STL-yyyymmdd.reportingWindow.sequenceNumber.totalFiles.version.format
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
STL | Abbreviation for "Settlement Report" |
yyyymmdd | The date of the data in the report. This date stamp represents the latest, or ending, date of the data. |
reportingWindow | The window of time when the report was generated: A (America/New York to America/Los Angeles), H (America/Los Angeles to Asia/Hong Kong), R (Asia/Hong Kong to Europe/London), or X (Europe/London to America/New York) |
sequenceNumber | The sequence number of the file. 2 characters, right-justified, and zero-filled. Begins with 01 and increments until all parts are recorded. Always present, even if there is only 1 file. |
totalFiles | The total number of files for this date. Always 2 digits and zero-padded. For example, 02 for a report that includes 2 files. |
version | The version of the report. 3 characters, right-justified, and zero-filled. |
format | The report format: CSV (comma-separated values) or TAB (tab-delimited) |
Regardless of report format (CSV or TAB), a report file of this type can contain a maximum of 1 million records. If the report contains more records, it is split across multiple files.
The report is also organized by section, where each section represents a single PayPal account. If you are not using Multiple Account Management, the report contains only a single section.
Each row consists of a 2-letter row type code that is followed by the details for that row type.
The FH, SC, RC, and RF rows are not available in Settlement Report
version 001.
The following table lists the valid row type codes for this report. Each row type corresponds to a section of the report that contains specific data, such as header information, body data, or footer totals.
| Code | Description | Section |
|---|---|---|
RH | Report header | Report header data |
FH | File header | File header data |
SH | Section header | Section header data |
CH | Column header | Section body data |
SB | Row data | Section body data |
SF | Section footer | Section footer data |
SC | Section record count | Section record count data |
RF | Report footer | Report footer data |
RC | Report record count | Report record count data |
FF | File footer | File footer data |
When the report contains fewer than 1 million records, it is delivered as a single file with 1 section, organized as follows.
RH Report header
FH File header
SH Section header
CH Column header
SB Row data
... (additional row data)
SF Section footer
SC Section record count
RF Report footer
RC Report record count
FF File footerFor reports that are split across multiple files, only the first file contains the report header, and only the last file contains the report footer and report record count.
The following example shows a 2-section report that splits across 2 files.
| File 1 | File 2 |
|---|---|
RH Report header | FH File header |
FH File header | SB Row data |
SH Section header | ... |
CH Column header | SB Row data |
SB Row data | SF Section footer |
| ... | |
SC Section record count | |
SB Row data | RF Report footer |
SF Section footer | RC Report record count |
SC Section record count | FF File footer |
SH Section header | |
CH Column header | |
SB Row data | |
| ... | |
FF File footer |
This section describes the data that is delivered in the report header, report footer, and report record count rows. If the report splits across multiple files, only the last file contains the report footer and report record count rows.
Money amount fields in this report are unsigned, and they include no currency
symbol, decimal separator, or other punctuation. For example, the report
represents both 100 Yen and $100.00 as 10000. Use the associated credit or
debit field to interpret the direction of an amount. For shipping, tax, and
insurance amounts, the direction always matches the gross transaction amount.
The report header identifies the report and the account that received it. It appears once at the beginning of the first file.
| Position | Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | column_type | Literal | The column type (report header, RH) |
| 2 | report_generation_date | Date/time | The date and time the report file was generated, in this format YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS offset. offset is a 5-character signed offset from GMT, for example +0800. |
| 3 | reporting_window | Varchar | The window of time when the report was generated: A (America/New York to America/Los Angeles), H (America/Los Angeles to Asia/Hong Kong), R (Asia/Hong Kong to Europe/London), or X (Europe/London to America/New York) |
| 4 | account_id | Varchar | Account number that receives the report (Payer ID is the encrypted hash of the PayPal account.) |
| 5 | report_version | Varchar | The version of the report |
The report footer contains summary totals for the entire report, with 1 row for each currency. It appears once at the end of the last file.
| Position | Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | column_type | Literal | The column type (report footer, RF) |
| 2 | currency_of_balance | 3-character currency code; max 3 characters | Currency of the balance. Every currency in the report has its own row. If no transactions in the report include a specific currency, that currency is not in the report. |
| 3 | total_gross_amount_credits | Money; max 26 characters | The sum of all gross amount credits in the section body (SB) rows of the report |
| 4 | total_gross_amount_debits | Money; max 26 characters | The sum of all gross amount debits in the section body (SB) rows of the report |
| 5 | total_transaction_fee_credits | Money; max 26 characters | The sum of all transaction fee credits in the section body (SB) rows of the report |
| 6 | total_transaction_fee_debits | Money; max 26 characters | The sum of all transaction fee debits in the section body (SB) rows of the report |
| 7 | beginning_available_balance_cr_dr | Literal; max 2 characters | The direction of the beginning available balance: CR (credit) or DR (debit). The beginning available balance is the portion of the beginning total balance that was available for withdrawal at the start of the reporting period. |
| 8 | beginning_available_balance | Money; max 26 characters | The beginning available balance amount in the current currency |
| 9 | ending_available_balance_cr_dr | Literal; max 2 characters | The direction of the ending available balance: CR (credit) or DR (debit). The ending available balance is the portion of the ending total balance that was available for withdrawal at the end of the reporting period. |
| 10 | ending_available_balance | Money; max 26 characters | The ending available balance amount in the current currency |
| 11 | beginning_total_balance_cr_dr | Literal; max 2 characters | The direction of the beginning total balance: CR (credit) or DR (debit). The beginning total balance is the total amount in the PayPal account at the start of the reporting period. |
| 12 | beginning_total_balance | Money; max 26 characters | The beginning total balance amount in the current currency |
| 13 | ending_total_balance_cr_dr | Literal; max 2 characters | The direction of the ending total balance: CR (credit) or DR (debit). The ending total balance is the total amount in the PayPal account at the end of the reporting period. |
| 14 | ending_total_balance | Money; max 26 characters | The ending total balance amount in the current currency |
| 15 | beginning_payable_balance_cr_dr | Literal; max 2 characters | The direction of the beginning payable balance: CR (credit) or DR (debit) |
| 16 | beginning_payable_balance | Money; max 26 characters | The amount owed but not yet received into the account at the beginning of the reporting period |
| 17 | ending_payable_balance_cr_dr | Literal; max 2 characters | The direction of the ending payable balance: CR (credit) or DR (debit) |
| 18 | ending_payable_balance | Money; max 26 characters | The amount that is owed but not yet received into the account at the end of the reporting period |
| 19 | report_record_count | Number | Total number of section body (SB) records in the report |
The report record count provides a total row count for the entire report, which you can use to verify that you received all records across all files.
| Position | Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | column_type | Literal | The column type (report count, RC) |
| 2 | row_count | Number | The number of body data rows in the report. You can use this for reconciliation. The report may span multiple files. |
This section describes the data delivered in the file header and file footer rows. Each file in the report has a file header and file footer, even if the report contains only one file.
The file header identifies the sequence number of each file in the report. It appears at the beginning of every file.
| Position | Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | column_type | Literal | The column type (file header, FH) |
| 2 | file_count | Number | The sequence number of the file in the report. You can use this for reconciliation. |
The file footer contains a row count for the individual file, which you can use to verify that all records in that file were received.
| Position | Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | column_type | Literal | The column type (file footer, FF) |
| 2 | row_count | Number | The number of body data rows in the file. You can use this for reconciliation. |
This section describes the data delivered in the section header, section footer, and section record count rows.
If you are not using Multiple Account Management, the report contains only 1 section.
The section header identifies the reporting period and account for the section. It appears once for each section.
| Position | Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | column_type | Literal | The column type (section header, SH) |
| 2 | reporting_period_start_date | Date/time | The beginning of the reporting period, in this format YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS offset. offset is a 5-character signed offset from GMT, for example +0800. |
| 3 | reporting_period_end_date | Date/time | The end of the reporting period, in this format YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS offset. offset is a 5-character signed offset from GMT, for example +0800. |
| 4 | account_id | Varchar | Account number that PayPal generated |
| 5 | partner_account_id | Varchar; blanks allowed; max 127 characters | The partner's account ID for the merchant. This is the value that the partner passes in the <PartnerMerchantExternalID> tag of the Multiple Account Management batch input file. |
The section body contains 1 row for each balance-affecting transaction. Each row represents a single transaction event for the account during the reporting period. Before the body data rows, a column header row (CH) lists the name of each field.
For transactions with associated disputes, claimant information appears only in the dispute report, not in the settlement report or transaction detail report.
The gross amount is always shown for transactions processed in any currency. If no fees are involved, the fee fields are not shown and the net amount equals the gross amount.
| Position | Field name | Data characteristics | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | column_type | Literal | The column type (section body, SB) |
| 2 | transaction_id | Varchar; blanks allowed; max 24 characters | Transaction ID of the money movement event. PayPal generates this ID, and a merchant cannot alter it. |
| 3 | invoice_id | Text; blanks allowed; max 127 characters | Invoice ID that the merchant sets for the transaction. If the capture request includes an invoice ID, that value is reported here. If not, the value of the invoice ID (if any) from the authorizing transaction is reported here. |
| 4 | paypal_reference_id | Varchar; blanks allowed; max 24 characters | A PayPal reference ID that identifies a related, existing transaction or event. For more information, see Reference IDs. |
| 5 | paypal_reference_id_type | Text; blanks allowed; max 3 characters | The type of the PayPal reference ID: ODR (order ID), TXN (transaction ID), SUB (subscription ID), or PAP (preapproved payment ID) |
| 6 | transaction_event_code | Alphanumeric; max 5 characters | Transaction event type (T-code). For a complete list of T-codes, see T-codes. |
| 7 | transaction_initiation_date | Date/time; blanks allowed; max 25 characters | Date and time when the transaction was initiated, in this format YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS offset. offset is a 5-character signed offset from GMT, for example +0800. |
| 8 | transaction_completion_date | Date/time; blanks allowed; max 25 characters | Date and time when the transaction was completed, in this format YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS offset. offset is a 5-character signed offset from GMT, for example +0800. |
| 9 | transaction_debit_or_credit | Literal; max 2 characters | Direction of money movement for the gross amount: CR (credit) or DR (debit) |
| 10 | gross_transaction_amount | Money; max 26 characters | The payment amount before fees. This field contains the gross transaction value for all transactions. Handling fees and other non-transactional fees are reported as gross amounts with no corresponding fee column entry. For more information, see T-codes. |
| 11 | gross_transaction_currency | 3-character currency code; max 3 characters | Currency of the transaction |
| 12 | fee_debit_or_credit | Char; max 2 characters | Direction of money movement for the fee: CR (credit) or DR (debit) |
| 13 | fee_amount | Number; blanks allowed; max 26 characters | The fees that are associated with the settlement. This amount includes all transactional fees. Fees are never amortized across multiple transactions. Handling fees and other non-transactional fees are reported as gross amounts with no corresponding entry in this field. For more information, see T-codes. |
| 14 | fee_currency | Char; blanks allowed; max 3 characters | Currency of the fees |
| 15 | custom_field | Varchar; blanks allowed; max 256 characters | Custom text that the merchant sets for the transaction. Reserved for merchant use. In the Settlement report, this field could include the unique ID of payments that were made with Mass Payment. |
| 16 | consumer_id | Varchar; blanks allowed; max 127 characters | The consumer's PayPal account number, as an encrypted hash |
| 17 | payment_tracking_id | Varchar; blanks allowed; max 127 characters | Unique ID that a partner specifies to obtain information about a payment or to request a refund |
| 18 | store_id | Varchar; blanks allowed; max 50 characters | ID of the store where the offer was used |
| 19 | bank_reference_id | Varchar; blanks allowed; max 16 characters | (For debits only) An alphanumeric value that appears against the transaction in the merchant's bank statement that enables the merchant to cross-reference the report entry with the bank transaction |
| 20 | credit_transactional_fee | Number; blanks allowed; max 26 characters | The credit-related transaction fee amount for a merchant-selected credit offering |
| 21 | credit_promotional_fee | Number; blanks allowed; max 26 characters | The credit-related transaction fee amount for a merchant-selected credit offering that has a promotional APR |
| 22 | credit_term | Number; blanks allowed; max 26 characters | The length of the merchant-selected credit offer, in months |
The section footer contains summary totals scoped to the current section, with one row per currency. It appears once per section at the end of that section's data.
| Position | Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | column_type | Literal | SF |
| 2 | currency_of_balance | Three-character currency code; max 3 characters | Currency of the balance. Every currency that the account has ever held has its own row. For a complete list of currencies that PayPal supports, see PayPal-supported currencies. |
| 3 | total_gross_amount_credits | Money; max 26 characters | The sum of all gross amount credits in the section body (SB) rows of this section |
| 4 | total_gross_amount_debits | Money; max 26 characters | The sum of all gross amount debits in the section body (SB) rows of this section |
| 5 | total_transaction_fee_credits | Money; max 26 characters | The sum of all transaction fee credits in the section body (SB) rows of this section |
| 6 | total_transaction_fee_debits | Money; max 26 characters | The sum of all transaction fee debits in the section body (SB) rows of this section |
| 7 | beginning_available_balance_cr_dr | Literal; max 2 characters | The direction of the beginning available balance: CR (credit) or DR (debit). The beginning available balance is the portion of the beginning total balance that was available for withdrawal at the start of the reporting period. |
| 8 | beginning_available_balance | Money; max 26 characters | The beginning available balance amount in this currency |
| 9 | ending_available_balance_cr_dr | Literal; max 2 characters | The direction of the ending available balance: CR (credit) or DR (debit). The ending available balance is the portion of the ending total balance that was available for withdrawal at the end of the reporting period. |
| 10 | ending_available_balance | Money; max 26 characters | The ending available balance amount in this currency. |
| 11 | beginning_total_balance_cr_dr | Literal; max 2 characters | The direction of the beginning total balance: CR (credit) or DR (debit). The beginning total balance is the total amount in the PayPal account at the start of the reporting period. |
| 12 | beginning_total_balance | Money; max 26 characters | The beginning total balance amount in this currency |
| 13 | ending_total_balance_cr_dr | Literal; max 2 characters | The direction of the ending total balance: CR (credit) or DR (debit). The ending total balance is the total amount in the PayPal account at the end of the reporting period. |
| 14 | ending_total_balance | Money; max 26 characters | The ending total balance amount in this currency |
| 15 | beginning_payable_balance_cr_dr | Literal; max 2 characters | The direction of the beginning payable balance: CR (credit) or DR (debit) |
| 16 | beginning_payable_balance | Money; max 26 characters | The amount owed but not yet received into the account in this currency at the beginning of the reporting period |
| 17 | ending_payable_balance_cr_dr | Literal; max 2 characters | The direction of the ending payable balance: CR (credit) or DR (debit) |
| 18 | ending_payable_balance | Money; max 26 characters | The amount owed but not yet received into the account in this currency at the end of the reporting period |
| 19 | section_record_count | Number | Total number of section body (SB)records in this section |
The section record count provides a row count that is scoped to the current section. You can use this with the section footer to verify the completeness of the section's data.
| Position | Column name | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | column_type | Literal | The column type (section record count SC) |
| 2 | row_count | Number | The number of body data rows in the section. You can use this for reconciliation. |
Some transaction types derive from or relate to an existing transaction or event. PayPal assigns a unique reference ID to identify that originating transaction or event.
Reference IDs follow a one-to-many relationship: a reference transaction can have multiple referring transactions, but each referring transaction has only 1 reference transaction. Reference transactions are limited to events that move money or are related to future money movement, such as orders, authorizations, subscriptions, and preapproved payments.
The following table maps transaction types to their reference ID source.
| Transaction type | Reference ID |
|---|---|
| Settlement on authorization | Original authorization |
| Full refund | Originating settlement |
| Partial refund | Originating settlement |
| Settlement on reauthorization | Originating settlement |
| Completed chargeback (merchant loss) | Disputed sale or settlement |
| Completed buyer complaint (merchant loss) | Disputed sale or settlement |
| Settlement adjustment | Settlement or sale transaction |
| Reimbursement | Settlement or sale transaction |
| Reversal | Original settlement |
| Account correction | Original transaction against which the correction was made |
PayPal updated the settlement functionality to eliminate occasional mismatches between the balance on the Settlement report and the amount that settles into your bank account. This section applies only to merchants who have been onboarded to the updated settlement functionality. For more information, contact your account manager or customer support.
| Issue | Resolution |
|---|---|
| A transaction is missing from the expected settlement report. | Settlement for a given transaction might not occur on the day that you expect. This most commonly happens when the transaction misses the settlement cutoff. When the settlement does occur, it reports the original transaction date and appears in the settlement report for the day it settled. |