A payout for a merchant is the movement of funds via a payment processor into the merchant’s own account. A payment processor could instruct a customer’s bank to move a sum into the merchant’s account, based on the size of the sale. From there, the merchant might keep the money in their merchant account or transfer funds to an external bank account. The merchant does not always receive the full amount of the sale when getting a payout. Net income depends on factors such as credit card processing fees.