## Resources at a glance

| Field | Description |
|  --- | --- |
| id | Immutable ID of the payment request |
| paymentRequestNo | Human-readable number |
| totalAmount / currencycode | Declare the total amount and currency (GBP only supported) |
| status | See the guide below on all payment request statuses. |
| workflowType | On demand (card) or Auto Collect |
| Distribution | How the payment link is used or completed |
| associationType | How are they related to invoices or payment requests |
| paymentLink.url | A hosted page where the payment can be completed |
| redirectURI | Where to send the user after the user has completed the payment |


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# Payment Request Lifecycle

Payments requests follow a lifecycle that is represented in the payment.status field of the object.

## On Demand

Lifecycle
## Auto Collect

Lifecycle
Payments that are activated as AUTO_COLLECT follow a linear state path. Auto collect is a abstraction that uses mandate payment methods to pull the payment from the customers account. In the UK this is direct debit.

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# How to send a payment request

## Create a draft payment request

Endpoint: `POST /payment_requests`

It will return the following important information (sample)

* ID of the payment request
* payment link to use with the user



```json Request sample
{
  ...
  "customer": {
    "id": "f492b38c-0de1-4278-9bad-de5fb74961ca "
  },
  "currencyCode": "GBP",
  "distribution": { //Distribution can be specified directly in payment requests or the next step
  "collectionMethod": "ONE_TIME_PAYMENT",
  "customMessage": "Payment for ACME services",
  "templateId": "f2363d28-018a-40de-915d-c0f209b14159 "
  },
  "description": "Payment for ACME service",
  "totalAmount": 100,
  "payByDate": "2025-03-25T11:36:55.243Z"
  ...
}
```


```json Response
  {
  "id": "36c7b2d4-a8f5-43e2-84b1-e9774f187f23",
  "paymentRequestNo": "PR-98",
  	"paymentLink": {
      "url": "https://app.staging.adfin.com/pay/o5J7Id8DSNm4E4EsSJ"
  },
```

## Optional: Activate the payment request

Endpoint: `PUT payment_requests/[id]:activate`

Used to activate the payment request. This will trigger any workflows associated with this, including distribution (via email, WhatsApp, etc).

This will activate the workflow defined in the `distribution.templateId`

## Share or embed the link

* Redirect the payer from your UI.
* Paste into email, chat, or a PDF.


## Best practices

1. Always set a redirectUrl so the payer lands back in your platform after completing the payment.
2. Display amount & description before redirecting—conversion rates improve when payers know the cost.
3. Monitor lastSeenTime and trigger follow-up emails after 48 hours of inactivity.
4. Subscribe to payment_request. Paid to mark invoices paid and release goods or services instantly.