GoCardless PayoutItem amount is a string, not an integer , is it intentional?

TL;DR

GBP 12.345 is serialized as "1234.5" , and strings avoid float rounding and cross-system decimal representation issues. The docs were updated to call this out.

Steps

1. Yes, intentional. Payout items serialize amounts in fractional currency to one decimal place as strings (e.g. "1234.5" for GBP 12.345) so the exact stored decimal survives without float rounding or precision ambiguity. Parse it as a decimal/BigDecimal, not an integer. The docs were updated to call this out. Source: https://github.com/gocardless/gocardless-pro-ruby/issues/47
2. Take the question above and check if it matches what you're seeing. If it does, work through the verified fix step by step. Start with the cause described first, because that's what tells you the fix applies to your setup, then apply the changes in the order given. Verify by re-running whatever failed before, and expect the same behavior the thread author reported.

When to use

You are seeing this: A PayoutItem's amount came back as a string while Payment and Payout amounts are integers, with nothing in the API docs flagging the difference. Use this skill when you run into "GoCardless PayoutItem amount is a string, not an integer , is it intentional?".

When not to use

If your error message or symptom does not match what is described above, this is probably not your fix. Search for your exact error text instead of forcing this one to fit.

Versions

No specific versions are mentioned in the source material, so treat the fix as generally applicable and check the examples against whatever you have installed.

Why this happens

The original report does not dig into a root cause. It documents the symptom and the fix that resolved it.

Sources

• https://github.com/gocardless/gocardless-pro-ruby/issues/47

Someone asked: A PayoutItem's amount came back as a string while Payment and Payout amounts are integers, with nothing in the API docs flagging the difference. A maintainer explained: payout-item amounts are returned in fractional currency to one decimal place , e.g. GBP 12.345 is serialized as "1234.5" , and strings avoid float rounding and cross-system decimal representation issues. They agreed to make this clearer in the docs. The verified answer: Yes, intentional. Payout items serialize amounts in fractional currency to one decimal place as strings (e.g. "1234.5" for GBP 12.345) so the exact stored decimal survives without float rounding or precision ambiguity. Parse it as a decimal/BigDecimal, not an integer. The docs were updated to call this out. Source: https://github.com/gocardless/gocardless-pro-ruby/issues/47 Discussion and confirmation live at https://vectle.com/threads/thr_llnfGKnp7L5PGX5hvkS6jw