diff --git a/bitcoin-payment-channel.cabal b/bitcoin-payment-channel.cabal
--- a/bitcoin-payment-channel.cabal
+++ b/bitcoin-payment-channel.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                 bitcoin-payment-channel
-version:              0.1.1.3
+version:              0.2.0.0
 synopsis:             Library for working with Bitcoin payment channels
 description:
     A Bitcoin payment channel allows secure and instant transfer of bitcoins from one
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
                         bytestring, text, base16-bytestring, base58string, hexstring,
                         base64-bytestring,
                         time,
+                        errors,
                         cereal, binary, aeson, scientific
   hs-source-dirs:       src
 
diff --git a/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/Serialization.hs b/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/Serialization.hs
--- a/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/Serialization.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/Serialization.hs
@@ -17,9 +17,8 @@
 import qualified  Data.Binary.Get as BinGet
 import qualified  Data.ByteString.Base64.URL as B64
 import qualified Data.ByteString as B
-
-import Debug.Trace
-
+import qualified Data.Text as T
+import           Data.EitherR (fmapL)
 
 
 instance Show Payment where
@@ -29,6 +28,7 @@
 
 -------JSON--------
 
+
 padToMod4 :: B.ByteString -> B.ByteString
 padToMod4 bs =
     let
@@ -40,17 +40,25 @@
 b64Encode :: Bin.Binary a => a -> B.ByteString
 b64Encode = B64.encode . toStrict . Bin.encode
 
+b64Decode :: Bin.Binary a => B.ByteString -> Either String a
+b64Decode b64 =
+    concatErr "failed to deserialize parsed base64 data: " . deserEither =<<
+    (concatErr "failed to parse base64 data: ") (b64Decode b64)
+        where
+            b64Decode = B64.decode . padToMod4
+            concatErr e = fmapL (e ++)
+
+txtB64Encode :: Bin.Binary a => a -> T.Text
+txtB64Encode = decodeLatin1 . b64Encode
+
+txtB64Decode :: Bin.Binary a => T.Text -> Parser a
+txtB64Decode = either fail return . b64Decode . encodeUtf8
+
 instance ToJSON Payment where
-    toJSON = toJSON . decodeLatin1 . b64Encode
+    toJSON = toJSON . txtB64Encode
 
 instance FromJSON Payment where
-    parseJSON = withText "Payment" $
-        \b64 ->
-            failOnLeftWith "failed to deserialize binary data: " . deserEither =<<
-            (failOnLeftWith "failed to parse base64 data: " . b64Decode) b64
-        where
-            b64Decode = B64.decode . padToMod4 . encodeUtf8
-            failOnLeftWith e = either (fail . (e ++)) return
+    parseJSON = withText "Payment" txtB64Decode
 
 instance ToJSON BitcoinAmount where
     toJSON amt = Number $ scientific
@@ -59,6 +67,12 @@
 instance FromJSON BitcoinAmount where
     parseJSON = withScientific "BitcoinAmount" $
         fmap fromIntegral . parseJSONInt
+
+instance ToJSON PaymentChannelState where
+    toJSON = toJSON . txtB64Encode
+
+instance FromJSON PaymentChannelState where
+    parseJSON = withText "PaychanState" txtB64Decode
 
 -- Needed to convert from Scientific
 instance Bounded BitcoinAmount where
diff --git a/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/State.hs b/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/State.hs
--- a/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/State.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/State.hs
@@ -15,10 +15,14 @@
 pcsChannelValueLeft = pcsValueLeft
 pcsClientPubKey = cpSenderPubKey . pcsParameters
 pcsServerPubKey = cpReceiverPubKey . pcsParameters
+pcsExpirationDate = cpLockTime . pcsParameters
 pcsClientChangeAddress = ptcSenderChangeAddress . pcsPaymentConfig
 pcsClientChange = addressToScriptPubKeyBS . pcsClientChangeAddress
 pcsLockTime = cpLockTime . pcsParameters
-pcsChannelID = ftiHash . pcsFundingTxInfo
+
+pcsChannelID :: PaymentChannelState -> HT.OutPoint
+pcsChannelID pcs = HT.OutPoint (ftiHash fti) (ftiOutIndex fti)
+    where fti = pcsFundingTxInfo pcs
 
 -- |Set new client/sender change address.
 -- Use this function if the client wishes to change its change address.
diff --git a/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/Util.hs b/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/Util.hs
--- a/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/Util.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Internal/Util.hs
@@ -136,7 +136,6 @@
 parseBitcoinLocktime i
     | i <   500000000 = LockTimeBlockHeight i
     | i >=  500000000 = LockTimeDate $ posixSecondsToUTCTime (fromIntegral i)
-    | otherwise       = error "BUG (in GHC?)"
 
 -- | Convert to Bitcoin format ('Word32')
 toWord32 :: BitcoinLockTime -> Word32
diff --git a/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Types.hs b/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Types.hs
--- a/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Types.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Bitcoin/PaymentChannel/Types.hs
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 PaymentChannelState,
 
 BitcoinAmount, toWord64,
-BitcoinLockTime, fromDate,
+BitcoinLockTime(..), fromDate,
 
 -- Util
 b64Encode,
@@ -41,13 +41,14 @@
 --     ()
 import Data.Bitcoin.PaymentChannel.Internal.Util
     (BitcoinAmount(..), toWord64,
-    BitcoinLockTime, fromDate)
+    BitcoinLockTime(..), fromDate)
 import qualified Data.Bitcoin.PaymentChannel.Internal.State as S (pcsChannelID, pcsChannelTotalValue,
                                                    setClientChangeAddress,
-                                                   channelValueLeft, channelIsExhausted)
+                                                   channelValueLeft, channelIsExhausted, pcsExpirationDate)
 import Data.Bitcoin.PaymentChannel.Internal.Error (PayChanError(..))
 -- import Data.Bitcoin.PaymentChannel.Internal.Types ()
 import qualified  Data.Binary as Bin
+import            Data.Aeson as JSON -- (FromJSON, ToJSON)
 import qualified  Network.Haskoin.Crypto as HC
 import qualified  Network.Haskoin.Transaction as HT
 import qualified  Network.Haskoin.Script as HS
@@ -58,8 +59,8 @@
     valueToMe           :: a -> BitcoinAmount
     -- |Retrieve internal state object
     getChannelState     :: a -> PaymentChannelState
-    -- |Get channel ID
-    getChannelID        :: a -> HT.TxHash
+    getChannelID        :: a -> HT.OutPoint
+    getExpirationDate   :: a -> BitcoinLockTime
     -- |For internal use
     _setChannelState    :: a -> PaymentChannelState -> a
 
@@ -68,10 +69,12 @@
     channelIsExhausted  :: a -> Bool
 
     getChannelID       = S.pcsChannelID . getChannelState
+    getExpirationDate  = S.pcsExpirationDate . getChannelState
 
     channelValueLeft   = S.channelValueLeft . getChannelState
     channelIsExhausted = S.channelIsExhausted . getChannelState
 
+
 -- |State object for the value sender
 data SenderPaymentChannel = CSenderPaymentChannel {
     -- |Internal state object
@@ -86,7 +89,7 @@
 newtype ReceiverPaymentChannel = CReceiverPaymentChannel {
     -- |Internal state object
     rpcState        ::  PaymentChannelState
-} deriving (Eq, Bin.Binary)
+} deriving (Eq, Bin.Binary, FromJSON, ToJSON)
 
 instance PaymentChannel SenderPaymentChannel where
     valueToMe = channelValueLeft