> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.dropfans.io/developers/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# GET /api/external/balance — The creator’s payout balance

> The creator's payout balance buckets — the same numbers their Payouts page shows.

- Source: https://www.dropfans.io/developers/reference/get-balance
- Section: API reference
- OpenAPI: https://www.dropfans.io/developers/openapi.json

The creator's payout balance buckets — the same numbers their Payouts page shows.

> [!WARNING] Dollars, not cents
> This endpoint returns USD **dollars**. The earnings and check-status endpoints return **cents**. Do not mix the units.

Bucket semantics: `pending` is revenue still inside the chargeback hold window; `available` has cleared the hold and pays out in the next batch; `processing` is inside a payout currently being executed; `paidOut` is the lifetime total already paid. `available` can be negative for agency accounts.

## Authentication

`Authorization: Bearer dpfn_...` — an API key generated in the creator's dashboard (Vault → API Connect). One key = one creator. Missing or invalid keys return 401 `{"error":"Unauthorized","code":"unauthorized"}`.

## Responses

### 200

Balance buckets in USD dollars.

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `currency` | `USD` | yes | Always "USD". |
| `pending` | number | yes | USD **dollars** (not cents — unlike earnings and check-status). Earnings still inside the chargeback hold window; not payable yet. |
| `available` | number | yes | USD dollars. Cleared the hold — payable in the next payout batch. Can be negative for agency accounts. |
| `processing` | number | yes | USD dollars. Included in a payout that is currently PROCESSING. |
| `paidOut` | number | yes | USD dollars. Lifetime total of completed payouts. |

```json
{
  "currency": "USD",
  "pending": 120.5,
  "available": 342.1,
  "processing": 0,
  "paidOut": 1875
}
```

## Errors

| Status | Body | When |
|---|---|---|
| 401 | `{"error":"Unauthorized","code":"unauthorized"}` | Missing or invalid API key. |
| 500 | `{"error":"Failed to fetch balance"}` | Balance computation failed — retry later. |

## Rate limiting

Per-key fixed windows by tier (Personal 60/min · 5,000/day; approved apps 300/min · 50,000/day; Dropfans-operated integrations exempt). Read the live values from X-RateLimit-Tier, X-RateLimit-Limit, X-RateLimit-Remaining, X-RateLimit-Reset and their -Day variants; a 429 carries Retry-After and `{"error":"Rate limit exceeded","code":"rate_limited"}`. See [Rate limits](https://www.dropfans.io/developers/concepts/rate-limits.md).

## Code samples

### curl

```bash
curl "https://www.dropfans.io/api/external/balance" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DROPFANS_API_KEY"
```

### Node

```javascript
const res = await fetch(`https://www.dropfans.io/api/external/balance`, {
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.DROPFANS_API_KEY}`,
  },
});
console.log(await res.json());
```

### Python

```python
import os
import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://www.dropfans.io/api/external/balance",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['DROPFANS_API_KEY']}"},
)
print(res.json())
```

## OpenAPI

```json
{
  "method": "GET",
  "path": "/api/external/balance",
  "operationId": "getBalance",
  "tags": [
    "account"
  ],
  "summary": "The creator’s payout balance",
  "description": "The creator's payout balance buckets — the same numbers their Payouts page shows.\n\n> [!WARNING] Dollars, not cents\n> This endpoint returns USD **dollars**. The earnings and check-status endpoints return **cents**. Do not mix the units.\n\nBucket semantics: `pending` is revenue still inside the chargeback hold window; `available` has cleared the hold and pays out in the next batch; `processing` is inside a payout currently being executed; `paidOut` is the lifetime total already paid. `available` can be negative for agency accounts.",
  "responses": {
    "200": {
      "description": "Balance buckets in USD dollars.",
      "headers": {
        "X-RateLimit-Tier": {
          "description": "Rate-limit tier of the key: personal, app or first_party (first_party is unlimited).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "string",
            "enum": [
              "personal",
              "app",
              "first_party"
            ]
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Limit": {
          "description": "Requests allowed per minute for this key (absent on first_party).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Remaining": {
          "description": "Requests left in the current minute window.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Reset": {
          "description": "Epoch seconds when the minute window resets.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Limit-Day": {
          "description": "Requests allowed per UTC day for this key (absent on first_party).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Remaining-Day": {
          "description": "Requests left in the current UTC day window.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Reset-Day": {
          "description": "Epoch seconds when the day window resets.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        }
      },
      "content": {
        "application/json": {
          "schema": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "currency": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "Always \"USD\".",
                "enum": [
                  "USD"
                ]
              },
              "pending": {
                "type": "number",
                "description": "USD **dollars** (not cents — unlike earnings and check-status). Earnings still inside the chargeback hold window; not payable yet.",
                "example": 120.5
              },
              "available": {
                "type": "number",
                "description": "USD dollars. Cleared the hold — payable in the next payout batch. Can be negative for agency accounts.",
                "example": 342.1
              },
              "processing": {
                "type": "number",
                "description": "USD dollars. Included in a payout that is currently PROCESSING.",
                "example": 0
              },
              "paidOut": {
                "type": "number",
                "description": "USD dollars. Lifetime total of completed payouts.",
                "example": 1875
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "currency",
              "pending",
              "available",
              "processing",
              "paidOut"
            ]
          },
          "example": {
            "currency": "USD",
            "pending": 120.5,
            "available": 342.1,
            "processing": 0,
            "paidOut": 1875
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "401": {
      "description": "Missing or invalid API key.",
      "headers": {
        "X-RateLimit-Tier": {
          "description": "Rate-limit tier of the key: personal, app or first_party (first_party is unlimited).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "string",
            "enum": [
              "personal",
              "app",
              "first_party"
            ]
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Limit": {
          "description": "Requests allowed per minute for this key (absent on first_party).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Remaining": {
          "description": "Requests left in the current minute window.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Reset": {
          "description": "Epoch seconds when the minute window resets.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Limit-Day": {
          "description": "Requests allowed per UTC day for this key (absent on first_party).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Remaining-Day": {
          "description": "Requests left in the current UTC day window.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Reset-Day": {
          "description": "Epoch seconds when the day window resets.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        }
      },
      "content": {
        "application/json": {
          "schema": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "error": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "Human-readable message.",
                "example": "Rate limit exceeded"
              },
              "code": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "Machine-readable code: unauthorized, app_suspended, first_party_only, rate_limited, username_required.",
                "example": "rate_limited"
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "error",
              "code"
            ]
          },
          "example": {
            "error": "Unauthorized",
            "code": "unauthorized"
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "403": {
      "description": "The app this key belongs to has been suspended by Dropfans. Every request fails with this until the app is reinstated — surface it to the creator and contact Dropfans.",
      "headers": {
        "X-RateLimit-Tier": {
          "description": "Rate-limit tier of the key: personal, app or first_party (first_party is unlimited).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "string",
            "enum": [
              "personal",
              "app",
              "first_party"
            ]
          }
        }
      },
      "content": {
        "application/json": {
          "schema": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "error": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "Human-readable message.",
                "example": "Rate limit exceeded"
              },
              "code": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "Machine-readable code: unauthorized, app_suspended, first_party_only, rate_limited, username_required.",
                "example": "rate_limited"
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "error",
              "code"
            ]
          },
          "example": {
            "error": "This integration has been suspended by Dropfans. Contact the app developer.",
            "code": "app_suspended"
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "429": {
      "description": "Rate limit exceeded for the current minute or day window. Wait Retry-After seconds and retry.",
      "headers": {
        "X-RateLimit-Tier": {
          "description": "Rate-limit tier of the key: personal, app or first_party (first_party is unlimited).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "string",
            "enum": [
              "personal",
              "app",
              "first_party"
            ]
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Limit": {
          "description": "Requests allowed per minute for this key (absent on first_party).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Remaining": {
          "description": "Requests left in the current minute window.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Reset": {
          "description": "Epoch seconds when the minute window resets.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Limit-Day": {
          "description": "Requests allowed per UTC day for this key (absent on first_party).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Remaining-Day": {
          "description": "Requests left in the current UTC day window.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Reset-Day": {
          "description": "Epoch seconds when the day window resets.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "Retry-After": {
          "description": "Seconds to wait before retrying (sent with 429s).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        }
      },
      "content": {
        "application/json": {
          "schema": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "error": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "Human-readable message.",
                "example": "Rate limit exceeded"
              },
              "code": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "Machine-readable code: unauthorized, app_suspended, first_party_only, rate_limited, username_required.",
                "example": "rate_limited"
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "error",
              "code"
            ]
          },
          "example": {
            "error": "Rate limit exceeded",
            "code": "rate_limited"
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "500": {
      "description": "Balance computation failed — retry later.",
      "headers": {
        "X-RateLimit-Tier": {
          "description": "Rate-limit tier of the key: personal, app or first_party (first_party is unlimited).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "string",
            "enum": [
              "personal",
              "app",
              "first_party"
            ]
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Limit": {
          "description": "Requests allowed per minute for this key (absent on first_party).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Remaining": {
          "description": "Requests left in the current minute window.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Reset": {
          "description": "Epoch seconds when the minute window resets.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Limit-Day": {
          "description": "Requests allowed per UTC day for this key (absent on first_party).",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Remaining-Day": {
          "description": "Requests left in the current UTC day window.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        },
        "X-RateLimit-Reset-Day": {
          "description": "Epoch seconds when the day window resets.",
          "schema": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        }
      },
      "content": {
        "application/json": {
          "schema": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
              "error": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "Human-readable message describing what went wrong.",
                "example": "Vault item not found"
              }
            },
            "required": [
              "error"
            ]
          },
          "example": {
            "error": "Failed to fetch balance"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "x-codeSamples": [
    {
      "lang": "cURL",
      "label": "curl",
      "source": "curl \"https://www.dropfans.io/api/external/balance\" \\\n  -H \"Authorization: Bearer $DROPFANS_API_KEY\""
    },
    {
      "lang": "JavaScript",
      "label": "Node",
      "source": "const res = await fetch(`https://www.dropfans.io/api/external/balance`, {\n  headers: {\n    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.DROPFANS_API_KEY}`,\n  },\n});\nconsole.log(await res.json());"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Python",
      "source": "import os\nimport requests\n\nres = requests.get(\n    \"https://www.dropfans.io/api/external/balance\",\n    headers={\"Authorization\": f\"Bearer {os.environ['DROPFANS_API_KEY']}\"},\n)\nprint(res.json())"
    }
  ],
  "x-dropfans-docs": "https://www.dropfans.io/developers/reference/get-balance"
}
```

---

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