Before you can accept payments, you need to connect your Stripe account. This is a one-time setup that takes about 5 minutes.
Why Stripe?
PoolFlow uses Stripe Connect to handle payments. This means:
- Direct deposits — Money goes straight to your bank account
- You're in control — PoolFlow never holds your funds
- Industry standard — Stripe processes billions in payments for businesses worldwide
- PCI compliant — Customer card data is handled securely by Stripe
Connect your account
Go to Settings → Payments in your dashboard. You'll see a "Connect with Stripe" button.
Click it and you'll be taken to Stripe's onboarding flow. Here's what you'll need:
- Business information — Your legal business name and address
- Tax ID — EIN for businesses, or SSN for sole proprietors
- Bank account — Routing and account number for deposits
- ID verification — Driver's license or passport (for some accounts)
If you already have a Stripe account, you can connect your existing account instead of creating a new one.
What happens after connecting?
Once connected, your booking page goes live. Customers can enter their card information and book your services.
Here's how the money flows:
- Customer books a service and enters their card
- Card is authorized (funds held, not charged yet)
- You approve the job and complete the work
- When you mark the job complete, the card is charged
- Funds arrive in your bank account (typically 2 business days)
Stripe fees
Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. This is the standard rate for online payments.
You can choose to:
- Absorb the fee — You pay it out of your service price
- Pass it to customers — Add it to their total at checkout
Configure this in Settings → Payments.
PoolFlow's platform fee
PoolFlow takes a 1% platform fee on each transaction. This is separate from Stripe's processing fee.
For example, on a $200 job:
- Stripe fee: $6.10 (2.9% + $0.30)
- PoolFlow fee: $2.00 (1%)
- Your payout: $191.90
Viewing payouts
You can see your payout history in two places:
- PoolFlow dashboard — Job list shows payment status and amounts
- Stripe dashboard — Full payout history at dashboard.stripe.com
Troubleshooting
Stripe says my account is "restricted"
This usually means Stripe needs additional verification. Log into your Stripe dashboard and check for any pending requirements. Common issues:
- Business address verification needed
- Bank account verification pending
- Additional identity documents required
Payouts aren't arriving
New Stripe accounts have a 7-14 day initial payout delay. After that, payouts are typically 2 business days. Check your Stripe dashboard for the exact schedule.
Need to change bank accounts?
You can update your bank account directly in Stripe. Go to Stripe → Settings → Payouts.