# Balance configurations overview
Balance configurations are a flexible set of rules that define how the Pismo platform impacts account balances and limits based on transaction activity. You can create balance configurations to manage account balances for your card and banking transactions. This robust functionality allows you to configure different scenarios to meet your business needs.
You can create, edit, and list balance configurations via Control Center or API.
* Use [Control Center](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/docs/balance-configurations-in-control-center) to manage balance configurations at the program level.
* Use the [balance configurations](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/reference/post-v1-balances-config-1) API to manage balance configurations at the organization, program, or account level. Refer to [balance configuration use cases](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/docs/balance-configuration-use-cases) for configuration examples via API.
Balance configurations consist of the following concepts.
* The `level` field in the API allows you to apply a balance configuration to an organization, program, or account. This is not available in Control Center because there you can define configurations only at the program level.
* Each configuration has a **name**. In the API, you define each configuration in the `config` field and set its name in the `name` field.
* Each configuration can be set as **active** (activated when created) or **inactive** (created but not activated). In the API, you manage this in the `is_active` field.
* Each configuration contains **filters** and **scenarios**.
* A **filter** defines how to apply a configuration using [processing codes](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/docs/processing-codes-and-transaction-types) (required), currency codes, Merchant Category Codes (MCCs), or number of installments. In the API, you manage this in the `filter` object.
For card network authorizations, you must configure the appropriate processing code for the correct network brand. This is necessary because the platform receives the processing code externally during the authorization workflow and uses it to correctly match the transaction against the balance configuration.
* A **scenario** defines an evaluated **condition**, specifies which account balances and limits to **consider**, and which balances and limits to **impact**. In the API, you can manage this in the `scenario` object, which contains the `condition` and `result` objects.
* The **condition** can be of either a **default** or **custom** type. You define one **default** condition. You can have many **custom** conditions and define in which order the platform should check them. The platform checks conditions in the priority order you set, with the default condition always checked and applied last. In the API, you manage the condition type and order inside the `condition` object in the `type` and `order` fields.
* When a transaction is processed, the platform evaluates (or **considers**) defined balances and limits to determine whether to apply the debit. In the API, the `result.consider` field tells the platform which balances or limits should be checked as part of this evaluation.
* Each scenario defines which account balances and limits to **impact** when the conditions meet the criteria defined in this configuration. In the API, you define this in the `result.impact` field.
# Related topics
* [Balance configurations in Control Center](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/docs/balance-configurations-in-control-center)
* [Balance configurations API](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/reference/post-v1-balances-config)
* [Balance configuration use cases](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/docs/balance-configuration-use-cases)