---
title: "Retrieve a Custom Balance Check Session"
method: GET
path: "/api/balance_sessions/{session_ref}/"
tags: ["Custom Sessions"]
---

# Retrieve a Custom Balance Check Session

`GET /api/balance_sessions/{session_ref}/`

> ⚠️ Check EBT Card Balance
>
> This endpoint does not return a customer's EBT Card balance. If you’re looking for a customer's EBT Card balance, then send a `GET` to [`/api/payment_methods/{payment_method_ref}`](https://docs.joinforage.app/reference/get-payment-method), and inspect the `balance` response field.

A `GET` request to `/balance_sessions/` retrieves the properties of a Custom Balance Check Session.

Use this endpoint to inspect a `Session`'s `success_redirect_url` and `cancel_redirect_url` values.

See these guides for additional information:

- [Create a Custom Balance Check `Session`](https://docs.joinforage.app/reference/create-custom-balance-check-session)
- [Custom Balance Check `Session` payload](https://docs.joinforage.app/reference/forage-sessions#custom-balance-check-session)
- [How Custom integrations work (Check the balance of an EBT account)](https://docs.joinforage.app/docs/custom#check-the-balance-of-an-ebt-account)
- [Custom Quickstart](https://docs.joinforage.app/docs/custom-quickstart)

## Response `200`

__OK__ - Success

- BalanceSessionResponse — This object starts a Custom Balance Check Forage `Session`, used to check the balance of an already-stored Forage `PaymentMethod`.
  - `payment_method` string, required — The unique, hashed reference ID to the Forage [`PaymentMethod`](https://docs.joinforage.app/reference/payment-methods) instance that represents the EBT Card. The `type` of the `PaymentMethod` must be `ebt`, otherwise the API returns an error. Send a `POST` to [`/payment_methods/`](https://docs.joinforage.app/reference/create-payment-method) to create a `PaymentMethod`.
  - `success_redirect_url` string, required — The URL that Forage redirects your customer to if the balance inquiry is successful.
  - `cancel_redirect_url` string, required — The URL that Forage redirects your customer to if the balance inquiry is canceled.
  - `ref` string — A unique identifier for the Custom Balance Check `Session`. Pass this `ref` in a `GET` to [`/balance_sessions/{session_ref}/`](https://docs.joinforage.app/reference/get-custom-balance-check-session) to inspect the `Session` properties.
  - `redirect_url` string, url — The URL that launches the Forage Session UI. Point a customer to this URL when they are ready to enter their EBT Card PIN to perform a secure balance inquiry.
  - `previous_errors` object[] — An array with information about the error.
    - `code` string — A short string that represents the error.
    - `message` string — A developer-facing message with more details about the error, not to be displayed to customers.
    - `source` object
      - `resource` string — The type of the Forage resource involved in the error.
      - `ref` string — If applicable, the ten character reference hash of the Forage resource that caused the error. An empty string if no specific individual resource was involved.
    - `details` object — Additional details about the error, if applicable.

## Other responses

- `400` — __Bad request__ - The request was not accepted because of an error in the request body or path.
- `401` — Unauthorized
- `404` — __Not Found__ - The requested resource was not found.
- `429` — Too Many Requests
- `500` — Internal Server Error

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/joinforage/apis/forage-payments-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/joinforage/apis/forage-payments-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc-service-production.skmtc.workers.dev/v1/apis/joinforage/forage-payments-api/revisions/4b7212706fae/schema)