Stripe.StripeException: 'You cannot specify an `on_behalf_of` value that is different from the `transfer_data[destination]` value when using `card`

[granthoff1107]

I'm attempting to have users pay each other directly. I've created a function which creates destination charges from one user to another. I've created a function which will transfer money from a customer to the seller while collecting a fee:

var paymentIntentService = new PaymentIntentService();
var paymentIntentTransferDataOptions = new PaymentIntentTransferDataOptions();

paymentIntentTransferDataOptions.Destination = sellerAccountId ?? this.GetPlatformAccount();

var options = new PaymentIntentCreateOptions
{
    Amount = amountInCents,
    Currency = currency,
    ApplicationFeeAmount = applicationFeeInCents,
    PaymentMethodTypes = new List<string> { "card" },
    OnBehalfOf = customerAccountId,
    TransferData = paymentIntentTransferDataOptions
};

var requestOptions = new RequestOptions { IdempotencyKey = idem };
return await paymentIntentService.CreateAsync(options, requestOptions);

When I try to send money from one user to another I get an error:

Stripe.StripeException: 'You cannot specify an on_behalf_of value that is different from the transfer_data[destination] value when using card or card_present in payment_method_types. This is because when you are using destination charging, Stripe must settle charges in the country of the destination account. You can learn more about charges and transfers here: https://stripe.com/docs/connect/charges-transfers#on-behalf-of'

This error message is very misleading, How would you be able to take in a charge if you cannot have the values of OnBehalfOf differ from destination. E.g Even if you were to send it directly to the platform, the OnBehalfOf would still differ from the destination.

I'm aware I can transfer money to my platform and then to the seller, However, that opens me up to a risk, where the Customer disputes a charge, and I cannot recoup the cost from the seller. So I would perfer the users pay eachother directly, Whether that is in a single transaction, or 2 (e.g customer creates a transaction to the platform for use of services, and then creates another transaction directly to the seller).

According to the documentation overview:

"businesses like Shopify can use the card_payments capability to enable sellers to accept payments directly from their customers ... Connected accounts with the card_payments capability have their statement descriptor displayed on the customer’s bank statement, not the platform’s."

However there is not many examples to support this claim.

How can I have two users pay eachother?

[remi-stripe]

@granthoff1107 on_behalf_of is used to indicate which account you're creating the charge on behalf of. This means that your Customer John Does pays your recipient CookieStore with the account acct_123 through your platform. So you put on_behalf_of: "acct_123" when you create the Charge to indicate this.

The transfer_data hash lets you control where you want to send the funds. In your case the funds go to the same account that you created the charge on behalf of. So you would pass transfer_data[destination]: "acct_123"

The values have to match. The reason we have two parameters is that they control different behaviors. One decides how we settle the charge with regards to the card network and the other one where to send funds, and there are cases where you send funds to another account but settle as the platform.

Ultimately, your code, in your case, should always have the same value set in both, to the id of the account receiving the funds.

[remi-stripe]

Also to add a bit more details. If you are worried about liability and disputes, you likely should use Standard accounts and Direct charges instead. I would recommend reading https://stripe.com/docs/connect/accounts carefully and following up with our support team if you have any questions: https://support.stripe.com/contact

[granthoff1107]

Thanks for your response but this is still a bit unclear. Who does Acct123 belong to the customer? If so why would the destination be the same account? If the account belongs to the platform, what field is the one which specifies which customer is sending the data. I've discussed with the support team but they're unclear on the issue and keep elevating it to the specialists but I haven't gotten a response

…

On Mon, Jul 15, 2019, 9:35 PM remi-stripe ***@***.***> wrote: @granthoff1107 <https://github.com/granthoff1107> on_behalf_of is used to indicate which account you're creating the charge on behalf of. This means that your Customer John Does pays your recipient CookieStore with the account acct_123 through your platform. So you put on_behalf_of: "acct_123" when you create the Charge to indicate this. The transfer_data hash lets you control where you want to send the funds. In your case the funds go to the same account that you created the charge on behalf of. So you would pass transfer_data[destination]: "acct_123" The values *have to match*. The reason we have two parameters is that they control different behaviors. One decides how we settle the charge with regards to the card network and the other one where to send funds, and there are cases where you send funds to another account but settle as the platform. Ultimately, your code, in your case, should always have the same value set in both, to the id of the account receiving the funds. — You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#1709?email_source=notifications&email_token=ADFQZHLXXNQMAPESGW2QACDP7UQVHA5CNFSM4ID3ZN6KYY3PNVWWK3TUL52HS4DFVREXG43VMVBW63LNMVXHJKTDN5WW2ZLOORPWSZGODZ7NTJQ#issuecomment-511629734>, or mute the thread <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ADFQZHNTDQ6R4LTM4LQVCALP7UQVHANCNFSM4ID3ZN6A> .

[remi-stripe]

In Stripe a Customer object represent someone paying for a service. An Account object represents someone delivering a service and receiving funds.

So acct_123 is owned by the person who will receive the funds in your example and cus_ABCDE the person who will pay funds.

I'll leave the rest to the support team as it's about your business itself and less about the integration so they are better equipped to discuss this with you more actively.

[MaeseppTarvo]

@remi-stripe So the on_behalf_of in the @granthoff1107 case would be the cus_ABCDE or the on_behalf_of can only be acct_123? I've red hours of your documentation with one link leading to other page and the circle of this is infinity since there are multiple ways you can achieve one thing and because parameters like in this case the on_behalf_of are often very briefly described in the api-reference if at all.

EDIT: Wow! I took a while for me to understand that the on_behalf_ofmeans that the Stripe account you created for your platform user is taking the money instead of your Master Stripe account. And yeah, it is perfect if you have company that manages start-up company so you do not have to worry about your customer taxes policy etc..

It depends how complex your application is but IMHO if you have complex structure the easiest way is to start with the custom account type and to use separate charge and transfer method so You can create PaymentIntent using group_id and then whenever wanted you can then make the transfer manually(basically collecting money to group and then paying out to specified the user's account). Like this the charge succeeds perfectly and transfers are easy to make. I myself couldn't get it to work using less steps but I am sure it is possible if creating PaymentIntent object with right parameters.

[vonjourn8519]

but how could I specify the source account Id, i.e. cus_ABCDE who will pay the fund?

[remi-stripe]

@vonjourn8519 this is a 5 years old issue, please work with our support team for 1:1 support help instead: https://support.stripe.com/contact