Payments

The Payments settings section manages your Stripe Connect integration for accepting customer payments. Use this section to connect your Stripe account, monitor verification status, and configure billing preferences once your account is active.

Stripe Connect

The Stripe Connect section shows your payment processing status and provides controls to manage your connection. All payment processing happens through your own Stripe account, and funds deposit directly to your bank account after Stripe's standard processing time.

Connection Status

Your Stripe connection status appears as a badge at the top of the section:

• No Stripe account connected — You haven't connected a Stripe account yet. Click Connect Stripe Account to begin.

• Onboarding in progress — You've started the connection process but haven't completed all required steps.

• Pending verification — Stripe is reviewing your business information and documentation.

• Active — Your account is fully verified and can accept payments and receive payouts.

When active, additional status badges show:

• Charges enabled — You can accept customer payments.

• Payouts enabled — Stripe can transfer funds to your bank account.

Account Information

Once connected, the section displays your Account ID — your Stripe connected account identifier. Use this ID when referencing your account with Stripe support or Chisel Tide support.

Actions

Available actions depend on your connection status:

• Connect Stripe Account — Start the Stripe onboarding process. Available when no account is connected.

• Continue onboarding — Resume an incomplete setup. Use this if you closed the onboarding form before finishing, or if Stripe requires additional information.

• Open Stripe Dashboard — Access your full Stripe account directly. Available when your account is active.

• Refresh status — Sync the latest status from Stripe. Use this after making changes in your Stripe Dashboard to update the connection state in Chisel Tide.

Payment Settings

The Payment Settings subsection appears after you connect a Stripe account. These settings control how and when Chisel Tide generates invoices for your customers.

Billing Cycle Day

Select which day of the month Chisel Tide generates and sends invoices for monthly service plans. The dropdown offers values from 1st of the month through 28th of the month.

For example, if you select the 15th, Chisel Tide generates invoices for all active monthly service plans on the 15th of each month. Customers then receive invoices and can pay through the customer portal.

Billing Model

Choose when invoices are issued relative to the service period:

• Prepaid (bill in advance) — Invoices are generated before the service period begins. Customers pay upfront for the upcoming month's services. This is the default model.

• Arrears (bill after services) — Invoices are generated after the service period ends. Customers pay for services already performed.

How to choose: Prepaid billing improves cash flow by collecting payment before delivering services. Arrears billing may appeal to customers who prefer to pay after seeing completed work, but can delay your revenue collection.

Automatic Billing Status

For new organizations, automatic billing is off by default. This means Tide will not automatically generate invoices for recurring service plans until you explicitly enable it. A warning banner appears in this section when automatic billing is disabled, with the message: "Automated billing of recurring service plans is disabled by default. No invoices will be generated or emailed to customers until you go live."

This default-off state gives you time to configure your service plans, pricing, and billing preferences before Tide begins creating invoices. You can connect Stripe, set up your account, and prepare your data without worrying about unexpected invoices going out to customers.

Going Live

Once your Stripe account is active and you're ready to switch to Tide for automatic invoicing, click the Go Live button in the warning banner. A confirmation dialog explains that this enables automated billing for recurring service plans.

After you confirm:

• Tide starts generating invoices automatically for active recurring service plans

• Invoices are sent to customers according to your billing cycle settings

• The warning banner is removed from both this page and the Billing Dashboard

Accepted Payment Methods

When your Stripe account shows both Charges enabled and Payouts enabled status, the Accepted payment methods section displays the payment options available to your customers:

• Credit & debit cards — Customers can pay using Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and other major card brands.

• Bank transfer (ACH) — Customers can pay directly from their bank account using ACH transfer.

This section is informational and shows which payment methods Stripe has enabled for your account. Customers see these options when paying invoices through the customer portal.

Managing Incomplete Onboarding

If your Stripe setup is incomplete, you'll see a warning message:

• "Complete your Stripe onboarding to accept payments." — Click Continue onboarding to finish setup.

• "Your Stripe account is pending verification." — Stripe is reviewing your information. Verification typically takes 1-3 business days.

During pending verification, you cannot send invoices or accept payments until your account is fully verified. Stripe may request additional documentation via email — check your inbox and the Stripe Dashboard for pending requirements.

Troubleshooting

Next steps

• For complete Stripe onboarding instructions, see Setting up billing.

• To manage invoices and track payment activity, use the Billing Dashboard.