Overview

Positive Pay helps protect accounts from fraudulent or unexpected payments by giving account holders proactive control. Customers pre-approve the ACH originators, check payments, and wire drawdowns they want to allow. When a payment is received, Unit automatically evaluates it against the configured Positive Pay rules to deterministically allow it to proceed or block it at the Positive Pay layer. For wire drawdowns specifically, after passing Positive Pay checks based on the configured rules and any uploaded authorization documentation, the drawdown may still be subject to the bank's manual review and potential return under the bank's standard processes.

You can also opt in to Positive Pay by payment type at the account level or deposit product level. When a payment type is opted in, payments of that type are processed only if they match an active Positive Pay rule.

More details in the positive pay guide.

Configure Positive Pay Policy

Configure Positive Pay policy to control which payment types require matching Positive Pay rules before they can be processed.

Account-level Opt-In

Configures Positive Pay opt-in for a specific account.

Verb	`POST`
URL	`https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay-policy`
Required Scope	`payments-write`
Data Type	`positivePayPolicy`
Timeout (Seconds)	`5`

Attributes

optInTypesRequired

array of strings

Required. Payment types to opt in. Supported values: CheckPayment, ReceivedAchDebit, ReceivedAchCredit.

Relationships

accountRequired

JSON:API Relationship

Required. The account this Positive Pay policy applies to.

Example Request:

curl -X POST 'https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay-policy'
-H 'Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json'
-H 'Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}'
--data-raw '{
  "data": {
    "type": "positivePayPolicy",
    "attributes": {
      "optInTypes": [
        "CheckPayment",
        "ReceivedAchDebit",
        "ReceivedAchCredit"
      ]
    },
    "relationships": {
      "account": {
        "data": {
          "type": "account",
          "id": "{{accountId}}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}'

Deposit Product-level Opt-In

Configures Positive Pay opt-in defaults for all accounts on a deposit product.

Verb	`PATCH`
URL	`https://api.s.unit.sh/deposit-products/{depositProductId}`
Data Type	`updateDepositProduct`
Timeout (Seconds)	`5`

Attributes

positivePayOptInRequired

array of strings

Required. Payment types to opt in by default. Supported values: CheckPayment, ReceivedAchDebit, ReceivedAchCredit.

Example Request:

curl -X PATCH 'https://api.s.unit.sh/deposit-products/{depositProductId}'
-H 'Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json'
-H 'Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}'
--data-raw '{
  "data": {
    "type": "updateDepositProduct",
    "attributes": {
      "positivePayOptIn": [
        "CheckPayment",
        "ReceivedAchDebit",
        "ReceivedAchCredit"
      ]
    }
  }
}'

Note

Account-level opt-in can be used for per-account overrides, while deposit product-level opt-in can be used as a shared default for accounts on the same deposit product.

Create Received ACH Debit Positive Pay

Creates a Positive Pay rule for incoming ACH debits.

Verb	`POST`
URL	`https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay`
Required Scope	`payments-write`
Data Type	`receivedAchDebitPositivePay`
Timeout (Seconds)	`5`

Attributes

originatorNameRequired

string

Name of the ACH Received Payment originator. Required if originatorEntityId is not provided.

originatorEntityIdRequired

string

Entity ID of the ACH Received Payment originator. Required if originatorName is not provided.

amountOptional

integer

Optional. Maximum allowed debit amount in cents. Decisioning uses this as a maximum.

expirationDateOptional

RFC3339 Date

Optional. When the authorization expires.

tagsOptional

object

Optional. See Tags. Tags that will be copied to any transaction that this payment creates (see Tag Inheritance).

Note

At least one of originatorName or originatorEntityId must be provided.

Relationships

accountRequired

JSON:API Relationship

Required. The account this Positive Pay rule applies to.

Example Request:

curl -X POST 'https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay'
-H 'Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json'
-H 'Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}'
--data-raw '{
  "data": {
    "type": "receivedAchDebitPositivePay",
    "attributes": {
      "originatorName": "Payroll Company Inc",
      "originatorEntityId": "1234567",
      "amount": 500000,
      "expirationDate": "2026-12-31",
      "tags": {
        "purpose": "payroll"
      }
    },
    "relationships": {
      "account": {
        "data": {
          "type": "account",
          "id": "123"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}'

Response

Response is a JSON:API document.

201 Created

data

receivedAchDebitPositivePay

The requested resource after the operation was completed.

Example Response:
{
  "data": {
    "type": "receivedAchDebitPositivePay",
    "id": "1",
    "attributes": {
      "createdAt": "2026-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
      "status": "Active",
      "originatorName": "Payroll Company Inc",
      "originatorEntityId": "1234567",
      "amount": 500000,
      "expirationDate": "2026-12-31",
      "tags": {
        "purpose": "payroll"
      }
    },
    "relationships": {
      "account": {
        "data": {
          "type": "depositAccount",
          "id": "123"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Create Received ACH Credit Positive Pay

Creates a Positive Pay rule for incoming ACH credits.

Verb	`POST`
URL	`https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay`
Required Scope	`payments-write`
Data Type	`receivedAchCreditPositivePay`
Timeout (Seconds)	`5`

Attributes

originatorNameRequired

string

Name of the ACH credit originator. Required if originatorEntityId is not provided.

originatorEntityIdRequired

string

Entity ID of the ACH credit originator. Required if originatorName is not provided.

amountOptional

integer

Optional. Maximum allowed credit amount in cents. Decisioning uses this as a maximum.

expirationDateOptional

RFC3339 Date

Optional. When the authorization expires.

tagsOptional

object

Optional. See Tags. Tags that will be copied to any transaction that this payment creates (see Tag Inheritance).

Note

At least one of originatorName or originatorEntityId must be provided.

Relationships

accountRequired

JSON:API Relationship

Required. The account this Positive Pay rule applies to.

Example Request:

curl -X POST 'https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay'
-H 'Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json'
-H 'Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}'
--data-raw '{
  "data": {
    "type": "receivedAchCreditPositivePay",
    "attributes": {
      "originatorName": "ACME Payouts",
      "originatorEntityId": "9988776",
      "amount": 1000000,
      "expirationDate": "2026-12-31",
      "tags": {
        "purpose": "refund"
      }
    },
    "relationships": {
      "account": {
        "data": {
          "type": "account",
          "id": "123"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}'

Response

Response is a JSON:API document.

201 Created

data

receivedAchCreditPositivePay

The requested resource after the operation was completed.

Example Response:
{
  "data": {
    "type": "receivedAchCreditPositivePay",
    "id": "2",
    "attributes": {
      "createdAt": "2026-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
      "status": "Active",
      "originatorName": "ACME Payouts",
      "originatorEntityId": "9988776",
      "amount": 1000000,
      "expirationDate": "2026-12-31",
      "tags": {
        "purpose": "refund"
      }
    },
    "relationships": {
      "account": {
        "data": {
          "type": "depositAccount",
          "id": "123"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Create Check Payment Positive Pay

Creates a Positive Pay rule for check payments.

Verb	`POST`
URL	`https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay`
Required Scope	`payments-write`
Data Type	`checkPaymentPositivePay`
Timeout (Seconds)	`5`

Attributes

checkNumberRequired

string

Required. Check number to authorize.

amountRequired

integer

Required. Expected amount in cents. Must match within 1$ tolerance.

payeeNameOptional

string

Optional. Payee name to add specificity.

expirationDateOptional

RFC3339 Date

Optional. When the authorization expires.

tagsOptional

object

Optional. See Tags. Tags that will be copied to any transaction that this payment creates (see Tag Inheritance).

Relationships

accountRequired

relationship

Required. The account this Positive Pay rule applies to.

Example Request:

curl -X POST 'https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay'
-H 'Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json'
-H 'Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}'
--data-raw '{
  "data": {
    "type": "checkPaymentPositivePay",
    "attributes": {
      "checkNumber": "10045",
      "payeeName": "ACME Corp",
      "amount": 250000,
      "expirationDate": "2026-12-31",
      "tags": {
        "category": "vendor"
      }
    },
    "relationships": {
      "account": {
        "data": {
          "type": "account",
          "id": "123"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}'

Response

Response is a JSON:API document.

201 Created

data

checkPaymentPositivePay

The requested resource after the operation was completed.

Example Response:
{
  "data": {
    "type": "checkPaymentPositivePay",
    "id": "3",
    "attributes": {
      "createdAt": "2026-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
      "status": "Active",
      "checkNumber": "10045",
      "payeeName": "ACME Corp",
      "amount": 250000,
      "expirationDate": "2026-12-31",
      "tags": {
        "category": "vendor"
      }
    },
    "relationships": {
      "account": {
        "data": {
          "type": "depositAccount",
          "id": "123"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Create Wire Drawdown Positive Pay

Positive Pay wire-drawdown rules aren't enforced when created; creation only records the rule and sets it to AwaitingDocuments. After you upload an authorization document, the rule becomes Active, and incoming drawdowns can be processed. Once those conditions are met, drawdowns referencing that rule are routed to the bank for manual review against the uploaded document. Each wire drawdown must include the Positive Pay Rule ID; if the referenced rule is not Active (for example, AwaitingDocuments, Expired, or Cancelled), the drawdown is rejected.

Verb	`POST`
URL	`https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay`
Required Scope	`payments-write`
Data Type	`drawdownPositivePay`
Timeout (Seconds)	`5`

Attributes

expirationDateOptional

RFC3339 Date

Optional. When the authorization expires.

tagsOptional

object

Optional. Internal labels for your own use.

Relationships

accountRequired

relationship

Required. The account this Positive Pay rule applies to.

Example Request:

curl -X POST 'https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay'
-H 'Content-Type: application/vnd.api+json'
-H 'Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}'
--data-raw '{
  "data": {
    "type": "drawdownPositivePay",
    "attributes": {
      "expirationDate": "2026-12-31",
      "tags": {
        "purpose": "vendor-payment"
      }
    },
    "relationships": {
      "account": {
        "data": {
          "type": "account",
          "id": "123"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}'

Response

Response is a JSON:API document.

201 Created

data

drawdownPositivePay

The requested resource after the operation was completed.

Example Response:
{
  "data": {
    "type": "drawdownPositivePay",
    "id": "4",
    "attributes": {
      "createdAt": "2026-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
      "status": "AwaitingDocuments",
      "expirationDate": "2026-12-31",
      "tags": {
        "purpose": "vendor-payment"
      }
    },
    "relationships": {
      "account": {
        "data": {
          "type": "depositAccount",
          "id": "123"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Upload Document

Upload the authorization document required to activate a drawdown rule (Wire Drawdown Only).

Note

Maximum size for a document is 20 MB.

Verb	`PUT`
URL	`https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay/{id}/documents`
Required Scope	`payments-write`
Timeout (Seconds)	`5`

Headers

Name	Description
Content-Type	One of image/png, image/jpeg, or application/pdf.

Once uploaded, the rule transitions from AwaitingDocuments to Active.

curl -X PUT "https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay/1/documents" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/pdf" \
  --data-binary @authorization.pdf

Get by ID

Get a Positive Pay rule by ID.

Verb	`GET`
URL	`https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay/{positivePayId}`
Required Scope	`payments`
Timeout (Seconds)	`5`

curl -X GET "https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay/1" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}"

Response

Response is a JSON:API document.

200 OK

data

One of receivedAchDebitPositivePay, receivedAchCreditPositivePay, checkPaymentPositivePay, or drawdownPositivePay

The Positive Pay rule.

Example Response:
{
  "data": {
    "type": "receivedAchDebitPositivePay",
    "id": "1",
    "attributes": {
      "createdAt": "2026-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
      "status": "Active",
      "originatorName": "Payroll Company Inc",
      "originatorEntityId": "1234567",
      "amount": 500000,
      "expirationDate": "2026-12-31",
      "tags": {
        "purpose": "payroll"
      }
    },
    "relationships": {
      "account": {
        "data": {
          "type": "depositAccount",
          "id": "123"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

List

List Positive Pay rules. Filtering, paging, and sorting can be applied.

Verb	`GET`
URL	`https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay`
Required Scope	`payments`
Timeout (Seconds)	`5`

Query Parameters

Name	Type	Default	Description
page[limit]	integer	100	Optional. Maximum number of resources that will be returned. Maximum is 1000 resources. See Pagination.
page[offset]	integer	0	Optional. Number of resources to skip. See Pagination.
filter[accountId]	string	(empty)	Optional. Filters the results by the specified account id.
filter[status]	string	(empty)	Optional. Filters by rule status. One of: `AwaitingDocuments`, `Active`, `Expired`, `Cancelled`.
filter[type]	string	(empty)	Optional. Filters by rule type. One of: `receivedAchDebitPositivePay`, `receivedAchCreditPositivePay`, `checkPaymentPositivePay`, `drawdownPositivePay`.
sort	string	`sort=-createdAt`	Optional. Leave empty or provide `sort=createdAt` for ascending order. Provide `sort=-createdAt` (leading minus sign) for descending order.

curl -X GET "https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay?filter[accountId]=123&filter[status]=Active&page[limit]=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}"

Response

Response is a JSON:API document.

200 OK

data

Array of receivedAchDebitPositivePay, receivedAchCreditPositivePay, checkPaymentPositivePay, or drawdownPositivePay

Array of positive pay rule resources. Each resource can be any of the listed rule types, as indicated by the type field.

Cancel

Cancel a Positive Pay rule by ID. Cancelled rules stop authorizing payments.

The positivePay.cancelled webhook event is fired.

Verb	`POST`
URL	`https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay/{positivePayId}/cancel`
Required Scope	`payments-write`
Timeout (Seconds)	`5`

curl -X POST "https://api.s.unit.sh/positive-pay/1/cancel" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}"

Response

Response is a JSON:API document.

200 OK

data

One of receivedAchDebitPositivePay, receivedAchCreditPositivePay, checkPaymentPositivePay, or drawdownPositivePay

The cancelled Positive Pay rule.

Example Response:
{
  "data": {
    "type": "receivedAchDebitPositivePay",
    "id": "1",
    "attributes": {
      "createdAt": "2026-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
      "status": "Cancelled",
      "originatorName": "Payroll Company Inc",
      "originatorEntityId": "1234567",
      "amount": 500000,
      "expirationDate": "2026-12-31",
      "tags": {
        "purpose": "payroll"
      }
    },
    "relationships": {
      "account": {
        "data": {
          "type": "depositAccount",
          "id": "123"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Overview

Configure Positive Pay Policy​

Account-level Opt-In​

Attributes​

Relationships​

Deposit Product-level Opt-In​

Attributes​

Create Received ACH Debit Positive Pay​

Attributes​

Relationships​

Response​

201 Created​

Create Received ACH Credit Positive Pay​

Attributes​

Relationships​

Response​

201 Created​

Create Check Payment Positive Pay​

Attributes​

Relationships​

Response​

201 Created​

Create Wire Drawdown Positive Pay​

Attributes​

Relationships​

Response​

201 Created​

Upload Document​

Headers​

Get by ID​

Response​

200 OK​

List​

Query Parameters​

Response​

200 OK​

Cancel​

Response​

200 OK​

Configure Positive Pay Policy

Account-level Opt-In

Attributes

Relationships

Deposit Product-level Opt-In

Attributes

Create Received ACH Debit Positive Pay

Attributes

Relationships

Response

201 Created

Create Received ACH Credit Positive Pay

Attributes

Relationships

Response

201 Created

Create Check Payment Positive Pay

Attributes

Relationships

Response

201 Created

Create Wire Drawdown Positive Pay

Attributes

Relationships

Response

201 Created

Upload Document

Headers

Get by ID

Response

200 OK

List

Query Parameters

Response

200 OK

Cancel

Response

200 OK