---
title: Send payouts
description: Pay people from your MoMo disbursement account, with checks and limits so money only goes where you intend.
---

A payout sends money from your **disbursement account** to any MoMo wallet: commissions, salaries, winnings, supplier payments. Your disbursement account must be [connected](/docs/providers/mtn-momo) and hold enough balance.

## Before you start

- Use an API key with the [`payout` permission](/docs/concepts/authentication#permissions). Keys don't have it by default.
- Set limits on the project (**Payment settings** in the dashboard):
  - **Maximum single payout:** any payout above it is rejected.
  - **Daily payout limit:** the total of pending and successful payouts per UTC day. A payout that would go over it is rejected.

## Send one

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.razpay.razonetix.com/v1/payouts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $RAZPAY_PAYOUT_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "external_reference": "commission-2026-10-sipho",
    "provider": "momo",
    "amount": 250.00,
    "currency": "SZL",
    "phone_number": "78123456",
    "description": "October commission"
  }'
```

Before sending, RazPay:

1. Checks the project's limits.
2. Checks the number is an active MoMo wallet, and rejects it if not.
3. Looks up the wallet owner's name and records it as `party_name`, so the ledger shows who was paid.

The payout comes back `pending` and resolves like any transaction. You get `payout.successful` or `payout.failed`.

:::warning
A payout can't be reversed once MTN accepts it. Confirm the recipient first with a [wallet check](/docs/guides/wallet-checks), which returns the owner's name.
:::

## Transfer or deposit

MTN offers two payout operations, **transfer** and **deposit**. Which one your account may use (and how it's charged) depends on your MTN contract. RazPay uses your configured default; pass `"method": "deposit"` or `"method": "transfer"` to choose per payout.

## Retries

As with every write, retrying with the same `external_reference` returns the original payout and never pays twice. Use a reference that's unique per intended payment, like `commission-2026-10-sipho`, not per attempt.

## From the dashboard

Admins can send a payout from **Payouts** or a project's page. The form checks the recipient, shows their name and asks for confirmation before anything is sent. Dashboard payouts are recorded in the ledger with who started them, and in the audit log.