---
title: "Account structure"
description: "Understand the account structure required to use payouts with payments."
url: "https://docs.adyen.com/payouts/payout-service/account-structure-resources"
source_url: "https://docs.adyen.com/payouts/payout-service/account-structure-resources.md"
canonical: "https://docs.adyen.com/payouts/payout-service/account-structure-resources"
last_modified: "2026-06-01T15:33:15+02:00"
language: "en"
---

# Account structure

Understand the account structure required to use payouts with payments.

[View source](/payouts/payout-service/account-structure-resources.md)

To design a solution that suits your use case, start with learning about:

* Your Adyen account.
* The resources needed for payouts.
* The flow of funds.

## Your Adyen account

When you sign up for an Adyen account, you receive a **company account** and one or more **merchant accounts**. The merchant account is where you configure payment methods and processing currencies.

We refer to all your merchant accounts as your **Adyen merchant accounts**.

To use payouts with payments, you use the [Balance platform](#balance-platform) that is linked to your merchant account.

### Resources

The following resources represent your business in Adyen's payment processing platform:

* **Company account**: the account tied to your core business entity, that contains your merchant accounts.
* **Merchant account**: the account where we process payments for your business. You can have multiple merchant accounts.

You can use the [Management API](https://docs.adyen.com/api-explorer/Management/latest/overview) to manage these resources.

For more information about your payment processing account, refer to [Adyen account structure](/account/account-structure).

## Balance platform

In an Adyen Payouts integration, your merchant accounts are connected to your balance platform. The balance platform is an accounting system that manages the flow of funds within your business. You configure and initiate payouts in the balance platform.

### Resources

Your Adyen contact will set up the following resources for you in the balance platform:

* **Balance account**: holds the funds that you can use for payouts. All financial activities, such as initiating payouts, happen through balance accounts. You can have multiple balance accounts, but in most use cases, one balance account is enough.
* **Account holder**: specifies what you can do in your platform, for example, receive fund transfers to their balance account and payouts to their verified transfer instrument (bank account). An account holder must be linked to a single legal entity resource.
* **Transfer instrument**: your verified bank account where you can pay out funds from sales that Adyen processed for you.

Additionally, your Adyen contact will set up a legal entity, that contains information about your business. For example, the legal name, address, and tax information of the organization. Adyen uses this information to perform verification checks as required by payment industry regulations.

## Example account structure

Here is an example scenario of how your accounts in Adyen can be structured to support your Adyen Payouts integration:

* A company account (**OnlineStoreLLC**), that represents your business entity.

* Three merchant accounts, organized by country/region:

  * **OnlineStore\_NL**
  * **OnlineStore\_DE**
  * **OnlineStore\_BE**\
    The merchants accounts are where payment processing happens.

* One balance platform covering the geographic area (**EU**), called **OnlineStore\_BalancePlatform**. The balance platform has:

  * An account holder defining your payout capabilities.
  * A balance account to hold your funds.

* A legal entity, containing the information about your platform and your business. Associated to your legal entity, you can have:
  * A transfer instrument, which is your verified bank account where you pay out your sales funds.

The following diagram shows how these resources are connected:

![](/user/pages/docs/07.payouts/02.payout-service/02.account-structure-resources/account_structure_payouts.svg?decoding=auto\&fetchpriority=auto)

### Flow of funds

When a shopper buys goods or services in your online store:

1. The payment is processed through one of your Adyen merchant accounts, depending on the shopper's location.
2. The processed payment is settled in your balance account, which is linked to your balance platform.
3. The funds remain in your balance account until you make a payout.

The flow of funds in the [previous account structure example](#example) would be the following:

1. A shopper in the Netherlands buys a product from your online store.

2. The payment is processed in the **OnlineStore\_NL** merchant account.

3. The payment funds are settled in your balance account, linked to the the **OnlineStore\_BalancePlatform** balance platform.

4. After the funds are settled, you can make a POST [/transfers](https://docs.adyen.com/api-explorer/transfers/latest/post/transfers) request to:

   * Pay out to a [transfer instrument](/payouts/payout-service/getting-paid).
   * Pay out to a [third-party bank account](/payouts/payout-service/pay-out-to-bank-accounts).
   * Pay out to a [third-party card](/payouts/payout-service/pay-out-to-cards).

## See also

* [Manage access for your team](/payouts/payout-service/manage-access)
