> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.trykarat.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Karat Payout API overview

> Send payouts to creators and contractors, manage recipients and tax forms, and react to payment events in real time with the Karat Payout API.

The Karat Payout API lets you programmatically send money to creators,
contractors, and partners, manage recipients and their tax information, and
react to payment activity in real time with webhooks.

## What you can do

* Create and onboard recipients
* Send payouts individually or in batches
* Track payment status from creation to settlement
* Collect and retrieve recipient tax forms (W-9)
* Record payments made outside of Karat for reporting
* Subscribe to webhooks for asynchronous updates

## How it works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Generate an API key">
    Create an API key from your Karat dashboard and store it securely. See
    [Authentication](/developers/authentication).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add recipients">
    Create recipients with [`POST /recipients`](/api-reference/recipients/add-recipients).
    Each recipient receives an onboarding link to complete their profile.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send payouts">
    Send one or more payouts with [`POST /payments`](/api-reference/payments/create-a-payment-batch),
    using an `idempotencyKey` so retries are safe.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Listen for updates">
    Subscribe a callback URL to events like `payout.updated` to receive
    status changes as they happen. See [Webhooks](/developers/webhooks).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Explore the API

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/developers/authentication">
    Generate, use, and rotate your API keys.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Environments" icon="server" href="/developers/environments">
    Base URL and how to get sandbox access.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payments" icon="money-bill-transfer" href="/api-reference/payments/create-a-payment-batch">
    Create, list, retrieve, and cancel payouts.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Recipients" icon="users" href="/api-reference/recipients/add-recipients">
    Add and manage the payees you send to.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Webhooks" icon="bell" href="/developers/webhooks">
    Subscribe to asynchronous event notifications.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sandbox testing" icon="flask" href="/developers/sandbox-testing">
    Simulate payout outcomes before going live.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  All amounts in the Payout API are integers in the smallest currency unit
  (cents). For example, `$250.00` is `25000`.
</Note>