Stripe Connect setup

Stripe Connect is the integration that lets you take card payments directly. Once set up, students can book and pay by card in one flow. The money goes to your Stripe account (not ours), and Stripe pays out to your bank automatically.

This article covers the setup process end-to-end. For an overview of how money moves on the platform, see how payments work.

Why Stripe Connect (not Standard Stripe)

We use Stripe Connect with Direct Charges, which means:

• You have your own Stripe account (created during setup if you do not already have one).
• Charges happen on YOUR account, not on a MoveMentors holding account.
• Money never sits on our side. It flows from the student's card straight to your Stripe balance.
• We do not have access to your funds. You can disconnect your Stripe at any time and we cannot touch your money.
• Taxes, 1099s, and chargebacks are between you and Stripe (with us providing the underlying records).

This is the cleanest payment routing for a marketplace. The alternative ("destination charges") would have us holding funds temporarily, which we explicitly avoid.

Before you start

You need:

• A bank account to receive payouts.
• For US: your SSN (last 4 only, or full if Stripe asks for verification).
• For non-US: an equivalent ID number (national ID, passport, etc).
• A photo ID (drivers license, passport) ready in case Stripe asks for it.
• Business legal name (use your own legal name if you operate as an individual).
• Date of birth.
• Address (residential is fine if you operate from home).

The setup flow

1. 1

   Click 'Connect Stripe'

   On /mentor/settings/payments. The button is at the top of the Stripe section.

   If you are still in onboarding, click "Set up Stripe" on step 6.

2. 2

   Land on Stripe's hosted onboarding

   You are redirected to a Stripe-hosted form. The URL is stripe.com; this is normal. We hand off to Stripe and they handle the form.

3. 3

   Fill in the business info

   Stripe asks:

   • Business type: "Individual" (most solo mentors) or "Company" if you have a registered business.
   • Legal name (matching your government ID).
   • Date of birth.
   • Address.
   • Tax ID (SSN last 4 for US; equivalent for other countries).
   • Phone number.
   • Bank account details for payouts.
4. 4

   Identity verification (often automatic)

   Stripe runs a quick check against public records. Most mentors are auto-approved in seconds.

   Some are asked for additional verification: a photo of an ID and a selfie. Stripe handles this in the hosted flow.

5. 5

   Return to MoveMentors

   After completing Stripe's form, you are redirected back to MoveMentors. The Stripe section now shows "Connected" with the status of your account.

6. 6

   Stripe enables charges

   For most accounts: instant. The "Card (at booking)" badge appears on your profile and students can pay by card.

   For some accounts: a delay while Stripe finishes verification. The dashboard shows "Pending verification" until Stripe approves.

What the status means

In your payments settings, Stripe shows three indicators:

• Charges enabled: yes/no. Whether you can take card payments. Yes = students can pay by card. No = the booking flow falls back to manual methods.
• Payouts enabled: yes/no. Whether Stripe will pay out to your bank. Sometimes charges are enabled but payouts are not (Stripe is holding funds while it finishes a verification). Funds accumulate in your Stripe balance during this period.
• Account connected at: timestamp.

If charges are enabled but payouts are not, you can still take new bookings; the money sits in your Stripe balance until Stripe enables payouts. Stripe will email you with what they need.

Payouts

By default, Stripe pays out automatically:

• US: daily, 2-day rolling delay.
• EU: daily or weekly, 7-day rolling delay (varies by country).
• Other countries: 7-14 day rolling delay.

You can change this in your Stripe Express dashboard (the standalone Stripe account dashboard at dashboard.stripe.com/express). Options include daily, weekly, monthly, or manual.

The rolling delay is Stripe's protection against chargebacks. A payment captured today does not become available for payout until N days later. You cannot remove the delay; it is a Stripe policy.

The Express dashboard

Stripe gives you a standalone dashboard at dashboard.stripe.com/express where you can:

• See your balance and upcoming payouts.
• Change your payout schedule.
• Update your bank account.
• See past payouts.
• See individual transactions (charge, refund, fee).
• Get receipts and invoices.

We do NOT have access to this dashboard. It is yours and Stripe's. You can reset your password if you forget it via the Stripe dashboard login flow.

Fees

Stripe's standard processing fees apply. Approximate figures:

International cards add ~1.5% on top of the domestic rate.

MoveMentors takes nothing on top of these. The "card price" the student pays is what you receive, minus the Stripe fee.

What if I already have a Stripe account

If you already use Stripe for another business, Stripe can either:

• Connect your existing account to MoveMentors.
• Create a new account for MoveMentors.

Stripe handles this automatically; you log in with your existing email during the hosted onboarding.

The advantage of a single Stripe account: all your money lands in one place, easier reconciliation.

The disadvantage: every business is mixed. Some mentors prefer separate accounts to keep MoveMentors revenue clean for accounting.

You can keep them separate by signing up to Stripe Connect with a different email from your existing Stripe; Stripe will create a new account.

Disconnecting Stripe

Go to /mentor/settings/payments and click "Disconnect" next to the Stripe section.

What happens:

• The "Card (at booking)" badge disappears from your profile immediately.
• Future bookings cannot use card payment; only your manual methods remain.
• Past bookings keep their Stripe association (refunds still work for them, you just need the booking record).
• Your Stripe balance and payouts continue as normal in your Stripe dashboard, independent of MoveMentors.

Reconnecting later: same flow as initial connection. Stripe remembers your account.

Common questions

Stripe asked for a photo of my ID. Is this normal? Yes. Stripe does enhanced verification for some accounts, usually based on geographic risk signals or amount thresholds. Upload as instructed in the Stripe hosted flow. Approval typically follows within hours.

Can I take card payments without Stripe? Not through the platform. The "Card (at booking)" badge only appears with Stripe Connect. You can mark "Card (in person)" as accepted; that signals you bring your own reader.

Can I use a Stripe alternative (Square, etc)? Square is great for in-person; MoveMentors does not integrate with Square for online booking. If you only accept Square, mark "Card (in person)" on your profile and students will bring cards on the day.

My bookings have stripeChargeId values; what is that? The unique ID Stripe assigns to each charge. We store it so you (or our admin) can look up the charge in Stripe later. It is also used for refunds: when you click "Refund" on a booking, we call Stripe with that charge ID.

Where do I get tax forms? Stripe issues 1099-K for US accounts above the IRS threshold. Find it in your Stripe Express dashboard under "Tax forms". For non-US, your country has its own equivalent; check with your accountant.

Next steps

• Accepting payments for the broader picture of methods.
• How payments work for the architecture.
• Tax forms and 1099 for tax reporting.