About Credit Account Journal Entries
A credit account journal entry is a record of an entry made on a credit account journal, such as a purchase transaction, fee, adjustment, and more.
Journal entries originate when a journal entry event occurs, such as a cardholder making a purchase, which creates purchase journal entry, or an account holder making a payment past due, which creates a late payment fee journal entry. For more on journal entry events, see Credit journal entry events.
On Marqeta’s credit platform, you can retrieve journal entries on a credit account by using the /credit/accounts/{account_token}/journalentries endpoint.
For the complete endpoint reference, see Journal Entries.
At the end of this guide, you should understand:
-
What journal entries are and how they originate.
-
What the journal entry groups.
-
Each journal entry group’s details and event types.
Journal entry statuses
Copy section link
Journal entries can have one of two statuses.
-
PENDING— The journal entry affects the account’s pending balance. The account’s available credit is temporarily decreased in the journal entry amount, unless the journal entry is an initiated dispute or initiated payment. -
POSTED— The journal entry is posted to the account and the account balance is increased in the journal entry amount. In the case of a dispute resolved in the account holder’s favor or a completed payment, the hold on available credit is released.
Journal entry groups
Copy section link
Every journal entry belongs to a group, which is represented by the group field and useful for categorizing journal entries.
Journal entries can belong to one of the following groups:
-
PURCHASE -
REFUND -
DISPUTE -
FEE -
REWARD -
INTEREST -
PAYMENT -
ADJUSTMENT -
BALANCE_REFUND -
ORIGINAL_CREDIT
For more on each group, see their respective sections in this guide.
Differences between the state and status fields
Copy section link
Although the status and state fields may appear similar at first, they are not related to each other.
status is passed directly to, or returned directly from, the /credit/accounts/{account_token}/journalentries endpoint and indicates how the journal entry impacts the present or future account balance.
Every journal entry type maps to an immutable status value.
For example, status fields for journal entries of the type authorization are always PENDING, those of type authorization.clearing are always POSTED, and so on.
Every time a journal entry of a given type is retrieved, it includes the original status value with which it was created, and that value is the same as every other journal entry of that type.
state is a field of the detail_object that is returned with a journal entry when it is requested from the endpoint.
It represents the state of the journal entry at a point in time, such as whether a purchase is PENDING or DECLINED or whether a dispute is ACTIVE or REVERSED.
Unlike the value of the status field, the value of the state field can change over time for many types of journal entries.
For example, a journal entry with a type of authorization might have a detail_object.state value of PENDING when initially retrieved, but that value might change to CLEARED when the journal entry is retrieved again.
Journal entry details
Copy section link
Each journal entry contains a detail object, which is represented by detail_object and contains fields specific to the journal entry’s group.
These fields vary based on the group.
For example, a journal entry belonging to the purchase group returns purchase details, which are fields that come from the card network and are relevant to purchase transactions. A journal entry belonging to the reward group will not return purchase details but rather, reward details, which are fields relevant to rewards.
Each journal entry also contains the detail_token field, which identifies a journal entry’s details and populates fields in detail_object with values specific to that journal entry.
Time fields
Copy section link
The meanings of the created_time, request_time, and impact_time fields on a journal entry depend on the journal entry’s group.
These fields are not present for journal entries with certain status values.
In this section, you will learn:
-
What these fields mean for different journal entry groups
-
For which
statusvalues these fields are returned empty.
Different meanings of impact_time by transaction type
Copy section link
The meaning of impact_time differs between purchases and purchase authorization clearings.
In purchases, the impact_time field represents the time when the purchase was authorized.
In purchase authorization clearings, impact_time refers to the settlement time.
In both cases, the impact time is the time at which an account balance is affected.
For a purchase, the impact time is typically the time at which the available credit changes.
For a purchase authorization clearing, the impact time is the time at which the credit balance changes.
Conditions where blank fields are returned
Copy section link
The three fields discussed in this section, created_time, request_time, and impact_time, as well as two others, token and id, are returned empty when status is CLEARED, DECLINED, or ERROR.
Purchases
Copy section link
When a cardholder makes a purchase, a journal entry belonging to the PURCHASE group is created on the credit account.
Merchants may send purchases as single-message or dual-message transactions.
For more, see Transactions in the payments ecosystem in the About Transactions guide.
Purchase details
Copy section link
When retrieving a purchase journal entry, purchase details are the fields returned in the detail_object.
These fields come from the card network and are conditionally returned based on the journal entry’s type.
For more on these fields, see Transactions.
The following code sample shows a journal entry’s detail_object containing purchase details for an authorization clearing:
Purchase events
Copy section link
Marqeta’s credit platform sends webhook notifications when purchase authorizations and purchase authorization clearings occur. You can configure a webhook to capture the following purchase events:
-
authorization -
authorization.incremental -
authorization.clearing -
authorization.reversal -
authorization.advice -
authorization.reversal.issuerexpiration -
pindebit -
pindebit.authorization.clearing
For more on events, including event descriptions, see Credit journal entry events. For more on subscribing to webhook notifications, see the About Webhooks tutorial.
Purchase refunds
Copy section link
When a merchant initiates a purchase refund, a journal entry belonging to the REFUND group is created on the credit account.
Merchants may send refunds as single-message or dual-message transactions.
For more, see Transactions in the payments ecosystem in the About Transactions guide.
Purchase refund details
Copy section link
When retrieving a purchase refund journal entry, refund details are the fields returned in the detail_object. These fields come from the card network and are conditionally returned based on the journal entry’s type.
For more on these fields, see Transactions.
The following code sample shows a journal entry’s detail_object containing purchase details for a refund:
Purchase refund events
Copy section link
Marqeta’s credit platform sends webhook notifications when purchase refunds occur. You can configure a webhook to capture the following refund events:
-
pindebit.refund -
refund -
refund.authorization -
refund.authorization.reversal -
refund.authorization.clearing -
refund.authorization.reversal.issuerexpiration
For more on events, including event descriptions, see Credit journal entry events. For more on subscribing to webhook notifications, see the About Webhooks tutorial.
Interest
Copy section link
When the conditions that cause an interest charge to be applied on a credit account are met, such as a cardholder carrying a balance from the previous month at the end of a billing period, a journal entry belonging to the INTEREST group is created on the account.
You can configure interest calculation during the creation of a credit product policy. For more, see Creating a credit product policy in the Managing Credit Programs in the Marqeta Dashboard guide.
Interest details
Copy section link
When retrieving an interest journal entry, interest details are the fields that are returned in the detail_object, including interest charge calculation data.
For field descriptions, see the Retrieve account journal entry response fields.
The following code sample shows a journal entry’s detail_object containing interest details:
Interest event
Copy section link
Marqeta’s credit platform sends webhook notifications when interest charges are applied on a credit account. You can configure a webhook to capture this interest event:
-
account.interest
For more on events, including event descriptions, see Credit journal entry events. For more on subscribing to webhook notifications, see the About Webhooks tutorial.
Fees
Copy section link
When the conditions that cause a fee to be applied on a credit account are met, a journal entry belonging to the FEES group is created on the account.
-
A late payment fee is applied when a payment is made past the payment due date.
-
A returned payment fee is applied when a completed payment is returned.
-
A minimum interest fee is applied when an account is charged interest that is lower than the minimum interest amount.
When creating a fee policy, you can select the fees that you want to include in the bundle that contains the fee policy. Then, when creating a credit account based on that bundle, you can define the selected fee’s schedule, method, value, and effective date. You cannot define fees that you did not select during fee policy creation, and only defined fees can be entries on the credit account journal, provided the conditions to apply the fee are met. For more on including fees when creating a fee policy, see Creating a fee policy in the Managing Credit Programs in the Marqeta Dashboard guide.
Fee details
Copy section link
When retrieving a fee journal entry, fee details are the fields that are returned in the detail_object.
For field descriptions, see the Retrieve account journal entry response fields.
The following code sample shows a journal entry’s detail_object containing fee details:
Fee events
Copy section link
Marqeta’s credit platform sends webhook notifications when late payment, returned payment, and minimum interest fees are applied on a credit account. You can configure a webhook to capture the following fee events:
-
account.fee.payment.late -
account.fee.payment.returned -
account.fee.interest.minimum
For more on events, including event descriptions, see Credit journal entry events. For more on subscribing to webhook notifications, see the About Webhooks tutorial.
Rewards
Copy section link
When the conditions that cause a reward to be applied on a credit account are met, a journal entry belonging to the REWARD group is created on the account.
-
A cash back reward is applied as cash back statement credits when a card holder makes a qualifying purchase that results in cash back.
You can create a reward using the /credit/accounts/{account_token}/rewards endpoint.
For the complete endpoint reference, see Account Rewards.
Reward details
Copy section link
When retrieving a reward journal entry, reward details are the fields that are returned in the detail_object.
For field descriptions, see the Create account reward response fields.
The following code sample shows a journal entry’s detail_object containing reward details:
Reward events
Copy section link
Marqeta’s credit platform sends webhook notifications when rewards are applied on a credit account. You can configure a webhook to capture the following reward events:
-
account.reward.cashback
For more on events, including event descriptions, see Credit journal entry events. For more on subscribing to webhook notifications, see the About Webhooks tutorial.
Payments
Copy section link
When an account holder makes a payment toward their credit account balance, a journal entry belonging to the PAYMENT group is created on the account.
You can create a payment using the /credit/accounts/{account_token}/payments endpoint.
For the complete endpoint reference, see Payments.
For more on payments, see About Credit Account Payments.
Payment details
Copy section link
When retrieving a payment journal entry, payment details are the fields that are returned in the detail_object.
For field descriptions, see the Retrieve account payment response fields.
The following code sample shows a journal entry’s detail_object containing payment details:
Payment events
Copy section link
Marqeta’s credit platform sends webhook notifications when payment activity occurs on a credit account. You can configure a webhook to capture the following payment events:
-
account.payment.pending -
account.payment.completed -
account.payment.returned -
account.payment.canceled -
account.payment.refunded
For more on events, including event descriptions, see Credit journal entry events. For more on subscribing to webhook notifications, see the About Webhooks tutorial. For more on payments, see About Credit Account Payments.
Disputes
Copy section link
When a purchase is disputed, a journal entry belonging to the DISPUTE group is created on the credit account.
You can create a dispute using the /credit/accounts/{account_token}/disputes endpoint.
For the complete endpoint reference, see Credit Disputes.
For more on disputes, see About Credit Account Disputes.
Dispute details
Copy section link
When retrieving a dispute journal entry, dispute details are the fields that are returned in the detail_object.
For field descriptions, see the Retrieve account dispute response fields.
The following code sample shows a journal entry’s detail_object containing dispute details:
Dispute events
Copy section link
Marqeta’s credit platform sends webhook notifications when dispute events occur on a credit account. You can configure a webhook to capture the following dispute events:
-
account.dispute
-
account.dispute.reversed
-
account.dispute.won
-
account.adjustment.lost
-
account.adjustment.lost.graceperiod
For more on events, including event descriptions, see Credit journal entry events. For more on subscribing to webhook notifications, see the About Webhooks tutorial.
Adjustments
Copy section link
When the amount of an existing journal entry or the account balance is adjusted, a journal entry belonging to the ADJUSTMENT group is created on the credit account.
There are many reasons to adjust a journal entry or account balance, including interest adjustments due to returned or canceled payments, waived fees, account write-offs, and more.
You can adjust the amount of a journal entry or account balance by creating an adjustment using the /credit/accounts/{account_token}/adjustments endpoint.
To adjust a journal entry amount, pass the journal entry’s token in the original_journal_entry_token field.
To adjust an account balance, which creates a general credit adjustment that does not affect a journal entry, do not pass original_journal_entry_token and pass a negative value in amount, which is the adjustment amount.
For the complete endpoint reference, see Adjustments.
Adjustment details
Copy section link
When retrieving an adjustment journal entry, adjustment details are the fields that are returned in the detail_object.
For field descriptions, see the Retrieve account adjustment response fields.
The following code sample shows a journal entry’s detail_object containing adjustment details:
Adjustment events
Copy section link
Marqeta’s credit platform sends webhook notifications when adjustments are applied on a credit account. You can configure a webhook to capture the following adjustment events:
-
account.adjustment -
account.adjustment.purchase -
account.adjustment.purchase.graceperiod -
account.adjustment.fee -
account.adjustment.interest -
account.adjustment.reward
For more on events, including event descriptions, see Credit journal entry events. For more on subscribing to webhook notifications, see the About Webhooks tutorial.
Credit balance refunds
Copy section link
When an account holder’s credit account balance is negative and a balance refund is issued to bring the balance closer to 0.00, a journal entry belonging to the BALANCE_REFUND group is created on the credit account.
You can create a balance refund using the /credit/accounts/{account_token}/creditbalancerefunds endpoint.
For the complete endpoint reference, see Balance Refunds.
Balance refund details
Copy section link
When retrieving a balance refund journal entry, balance refund details are the fields that are returned in the detail_object.
For field descriptions, see the Create balance refund response fields.
The following code sample shows a journal entry’s detail_object containing balance refund details:
Balance refund event
Copy section link
Marqeta’s credit platform sends webhook notifications when balance refunds are issued on a credit account. You can configure a webhook to capture the following balance refund event:
-
account.balancerefund
For more on events, including event descriptions, see Credit journal entry events. For more on subscribing to webhook notifications, see the About Webhooks tutorial.
Original credit transactions (OCT)
Copy section link
When the card network pushes an OCT payment that disburses funds to a credit card, a journal entry belonging to the ORIGINAL_CREDIT group is created on the credit account.
OCT details
Copy section link
When retrieving an OCT journal entry, OCT details are the fields returned in the detail_object.
These fields come from the card network and are conditionally returned based on the journal entry’s type.
For more, see the original_credit object in Transactions.
The following code sample shows a journal entry’s detail_object containing OCT details:
OCT events
Copy section link
Marqeta’s credit platform sends webhook notifications when OCT events occur. You can configure a webhook to capture the following OCT events:
-
original.credit.authorization -
original.credit.authorization.reversal -
original.credit.authorization.clearing -
original.credit.authpluscapture -
original.credit.authpluscapture.reversal
For more on events, including event descriptions, see Credit journal entry events. For more on subscribing to webhook notifications, see the About Webhooks tutorial.