destinationAccountId

destinationAccountId is a field used in payment and transfer systems to specify the recipient's account. It uniquely identifies the target account within a payment processor, financial network, or ledger. The value may represent an internal user or ledger account or an external banking reference such as an IBAN, account number, or other routing identifier. The exact format varies by system, but it should be treated as a sensitive identifier and handled accordingly.

In typical use, destinationAccountId is provided alongside other transfer details such as sourceAccountId, amount, currency, and optional metadata. The processor or gateway uses this identifier to route funds or messages to the correct recipient and to validate that the destination is eligible to receive the transfer.

Validation and security considerations are important. Destination account identifiers should be validated for format and existence according to system rules. Access to this field should be restricted, and transmission should be protected in transit and at rest. Systems may require ownership verification or authorization checks before allowing a transfer to a given destination.

Design considerations include choosing a data type capable of representing diverse identifier formats (often a string), ensuring consistency across systems, and supporting mappings between internal identifiers and external account references. Error handling should clearly indicate when a destinationAccountId is missing, invalid, or unauthorized.

See also: account identifiers, payment processing, API design, idempotency.