# How fee credits appear in balance transactions

[Fee credits](https://docs.stripe.com/stripe-fee-credits) are logged as [balance transactions](https://docs.stripe.com/api/balance_transactions) and appear in selected financial reports, making it easier to track credit usage, reconcile your fees, allocate fees to connected accounts, and see all your balance activity in one place.
This article explains how fee credit transactions appear in your balance, how to reconcile them with your reports, and what to expect when your credit runs out.
**Fee credits issued before April 2, 2026?**
These credits don't generate balance transactions and don't appear in balance transaction tables. You can view and export transactions paid from fee credits from the [Fee Credits Details](https://dashboard.stripe.com/fee-credits) Dashboard page and see itemized details in the [Fees Report](https://dashboard.stripe.com/reports/all-fees).
## How fee credits appear in your balance
When you receive and use fee credits, two primary types of balance transactions are created:
### Credit issuance
When a credit is granted to your account, you see a positive balance transaction with:
- `type`: "fee_credit_funding"
- `balance_type`: "fee_credits"
- `reporting_category`: "fee_credit_funding"
- A positive amount (for example, 300000 for a $3,000 credit)
- A description like "Incentive Fee credit issued"
### Fee deductions
Fees paid from your credit balance appear as aggregated negative balance transactions with:
- `type`: "stripe_fee"
- `balance_type`: "fee_credits"
- `reporting_category`: "fee"
- A negative amount representing fees deducted
- A description showing the date and number of charges (for example, "Aggregated processing fees 2026-01-01")
Fees are aggregated when viewed using the Balance Transaction object. If you want to see individual transactions, see the [Fees Report](https://dashboard.stripe.com/reports/all-fees).
### Filter credit transactions in the API
The Balance Transactions API (`/v1/balance_transactions`) returns fee credit transactions. To filter for credit transactions, use `balance_type=fee_credits`.
## Reconcile fee credits with Dashboard reports
Balance transactions for fee deductions include a `fee_transaction_id` that appears in:
- [Fees Report](https://docs.stripe.com/reports/all-fees)
- [Fee credit details page export](https://dashboard.stripe.com/fee-credits)
- [Balance Summary Report](https://docs.stripe.com/reports/balance)
- [Activity Report](https://docs.stripe.com/reports/activity)
- [Payments Fees Report](https://docs.stripe.com/reports/fees-reporting)
### Match transactions using the fee transaction ID
Use the `fee_transaction_id` to join these reports and:
- Trace aggregated daily deductions to individual charge fees
- Reconcile balance activity with settlement reports
- Allocate fees to connected accounts
- Build custom reporting for your accounting system
### Find fee credit data in Sigma or Stripe Data Pipeline
Fee credit transactions appear as rows in Sigma and Stripe Data Pipeline. Use the `balance_type` column to identify them.
## What happens when your credit balance runs out
If your credit doesn't cover all fees for a given transaction, the fees are split into two balance transactions:
1. One deduction from your credit balance (`balance_type: "fee_credits"`)
1. One deduction from your regular balance (`balance_type: "payments"`)
Both transactions are created on the same day and have similar descriptions. They reference the same `fee_transaction_id`, which helps with reconciliation.
Once your credit is exhausted or expired, fees return to your regular balance as normal.
## FAQ
### Do fee credit balance transactions affect my existing reports?
No. These are additive transactions only. Your existing reports continue to work. Fees paid by fee credits appear under the `type="stripe_fee"` filter. Use the `balance_type: "fee_credits"` field to identify them.
### Do fee credit balance transactions require changes to my integration?
Most integrations work without changes. Fee credit transactions appear with `balance_type: "fee_credits"` in your balance transaction reports.
You may want to update your integration if you:
- Want to track credit activity separately in your accounting system
- Need to exclude credit transactions from your existing workflows
- Want to take advantage of the reconciliation capabilities
### How do I see individual charge fees?
Fee deductions in balance transactions are typically aggregated daily. To see charge-level detail, download the [Fees Report](https://dashboard.stripe.com/reports/all-fees) and join it to your balance transactions using the `fee_transaction_id` field.
## Related articles
- [Stripe Fee Credits](https://docs.stripe.com/stripe-fee-credits)
- [Fees Report](https://docs.stripe.com/reports/all-fees)
- [Balance Transaction Reporting Categories](https://docs.stripe.com/reports/reporting-categories)