Disburse API - Fees

[jeremi]

Would it be possible to add to the object DisburseResponse a field containing the fees that occurred? The program management needs to be able to follow the budget. Sometimes the fees can be calculated in advance, but in some cases, it is not possible.

[vvujjini]

@jeremi, Usually aren't these fees agreed in advance? Should the DisburseResponse be overloaded with balance information vs keeping it simple with status of disbursement?

[jeremi]

It's true that fees are usually agreed upon in advance, but there are cases where we might not know the fees beforehand. For instance, when we use integrations with banks that act as payment hubs, we might not have visibility into all the fees. @kneckinator can elaborate.

Regarding adding the balance in the DisburseResponse, it could potentially create issues with race conditions if multiple requests are made at the same time. A separate API for checking the balance might be a better solution.

In the OpenSPP project, we maintain a ledger of the project budget and the amount disbursed, which allows us to alert program managers early if the funds are running low. Knowing the fees charged is essential to accurately track the budget.