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

## What's going on

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 fix

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

## How to use this

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.