Connecting Stripe

Connecting Stripe is what turns an invoice into something your client can pay from the invoice itself, by card. Money goes to your own Stripe account — XOWE never holds it.

1. Start the connection in the app

1. Open XOWE and go to Settings → Payments → Accepting Payments.
2. Tap Connect with Stripe. A secure Stripe page opens.

2. Sign in or create a Stripe account

If you already use Stripe, sign in and pick the account you want to connect. If you don't, you create one on the same screen — it is free, and it becomes yours: you get a full Stripe Dashboard at dashboard.stripe.com, independent of XOWE.

3. Tell Stripe about your business

Stripe is legally required to verify who is receiving the money, so this part is theirs, not ours — XOWE never sees these details. Exactly what is asked depends on your country and business type, but for most people it is:

• Business type — individual/sole proprietor, or a registered company
• Your legal name, date of birth and home address as the person opening the account
• A tax ID — in the US that is your SSN (often just the last 4 digits) if you are an individual, or your EIN if you are a company
• Business address and phone, and for a company its legal name and registration details
• What you sell — an industry category and a short description, or a website
• A bank account in your own name for payouts
• Anyone who owns 25% or more of a registered company

Stripe may also ask for a photo of a government ID, or for a document proving the bank account is yours. That normally happens only if the details you entered cannot be verified automatically.

Have the bank account number and your tax ID at hand before you start — those are the two things people usually have to stop and go find.

4. Come back to the app

When Stripe is done it sends you back to XOWE automatically. The Accepting Payments screen then shows the account as connected. If it does not, leave the screen and open it again — and if it still does not, write to us.

5. Send an invoice

From then on, every invoice you send carries a Pay button on its web page. Your client pays by card, and the money lands in your Stripe account.

Fees

Two fees apply to an online payment: Stripe's own processing fee, which Stripe sets and takes, and a 1% XOWE fee on the amount paid. On the Accepting Payments screen the Client pays fee switch decides who carries them — leave it off and the fees come out of what you receive; turn it on and they are added on top of the total at checkout, so you receive the full invoice amount.

Neither fee is printed on the invoice or the PDF. They exist only at the moment of payment.

When do I actually get the money?

Stripe pays out to your bank account, not to XOWE. The first payout typically arrives 7–14 days after your first successful payment — Stripe holds it longer while a new account settles. After that, payouts follow the schedule on your Stripe Dashboard.

If something goes wrong

• Stripe says your account needs more information. Sign in to dashboard.stripe.com and finish what it asks for. Until it is done, Stripe can accept payments but will hold your payouts.
• You want to disconnect. Settings → Payments → Accepting Payments → Disconnect Account. Your Stripe account itself stays yours; new invoices simply stop carrying a Pay button.
• A question about a specific payment, refund or payout. That is between you and Stripe — support.stripe.com can see the transaction, and we cannot.