# Distributions

Distributions in Violet are the lowest level payout details about an Order. For each Order that comes in, including multi-merchant Orders, we generate a record that shows you the per-entity breakdown of funds that will be transferred. These include the commission amounts from the Order specific to each merchant involved, any payment gateway fees, and payout information to tie it back to your bank statements.

## Distribution Types

| Type           | Description                                          | Amount               |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| **PAYMENT**    | Created when payment is captured for an order        | Positive (+)         |
| **REFUND**     | Created when a refund is issued                      | Negative (-)         |
| **ADJUSTMENT** | Created for corrections (shipping, commission, etc.) | Positive or Negative |

## Distribution Statuses

| Status    | Description                                                |
| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| `PENDING` | Ready for transfer, waiting to be processed                |
| `QUEUED`  | Waiting for fulfillment requirement and/or time-based hold |
| `SENT`    | Successfully transferred to the merchant                   |
| `FAILED`  | Transfer attempt failed                                    |

## Settlement Timing

When distributions are transferred to merchants depends on your app's [transfer schedule configuration](https://docs.violet.io/prism/payments/payment-settings/scheduled-transfers):

* **Immediate transfers**: Distributions are processed right after payment capture
* **Scheduled transfers**: Distributions are held until fulfillment and/or a time-based hold period is met

{% hint style="info" %}
With scheduled transfers, multiple distributions (payments, refunds, adjustments) are combined into a single **net transfer** per merchant. Learn more in [Scheduled Transfers](https://docs.violet.io/prism/payments/payment-settings/scheduled-transfers).
{% endhint %}

## Viewing Distributions

You can access distributions in the Channel or Merchant Dashboard by navigating [here](https://channel.violet.io/payouts?tab=distributions).

![](https://res.cloudinary.com/ddhjp8mca/image/upload/v1709654470/mintlify/distributions-export/distribuions_landing_page_nhqbsr.png)

As seen above, you can view the date a Distribution is created, the account associated to it (Channel or Merchant), the associated Violet Order Id, the associated Violet Bag Id, Merchant Name, Type of Distribution (Payment or Refund), and the amount you received. You can access more information by exporting Distributions across a certain time range.

## Learn More

* [Accessing Distributions via API](https://docs.violet.io/prism/payments/payouts/distributions/distributions-apis) - Query distribution data programmatically
* [Distribution Examples](https://docs.violet.io/prism/payments/payouts/distributions/distributions-examples) - See how distributions are calculated for different scenarios
* [Scheduled Transfers](https://docs.violet.io/prism/payments/payment-settings/scheduled-transfers) - Configure when distributions are transferred to merchants
* [Export Distributions](https://docs.violet.io/prism/reporting/distributions) - Export distribution reports
* [Distribution Columns](https://docs.violet.io/prism/reporting/distributions/columns) - Full list of available data fields