Stripe payout on hold: what Stripe says

OFFICIAL Stripe may restrict or pause payouts, so that you cannot transfer funds, and may close the account.

OFFICIAL Payouts are typically paused for 120 days, counted from the first email.

OFFICIAL The 120 days are used to re-analyse the account and its risks and to cover refunds, disputes and chargebacks.

OFFICIAL The account balance can reach zero by the end of the 120 days.

OFFICIAL The first email can state the reason category, the actions, deadlines, how to appeal and information about the day-120 review.

OFFICIAL An appeal can typically be made through the Stripe Dashboard, with additional information, for a manual review.

OFFICIAL If a first appeal fails, you may be able to make another appeal in the Dashboard.

OFFICIAL Stripe reviews appeals during the 120 days, not only at the end.

OFFICIAL At the end there is a formal review. The outcomes: release all or part of the balance, keep holding, or cancel the payout.

OFFICIAL Stripe says the review takes place within a reasonable period after day 120. It does not give a number of days.

OFFICIAL The decision may be based on confidential criteria, and Stripe may not be able to tell you everything.

OFFICIAL Stripe can delay the payout date of a specific charge that is likely to be disputed.

OFFICIAL Such a payout is released automatically 14 days from the notification date.

OFFICIAL You do not have to take action on that charge. Cancelling the order can limit your loss.

OFFICIAL If you refund before a dispute, Stripe covers the related dispute fees.

OFFICIAL Stripe is more likely to apply delays to new accounts and to accounts with a sudden rise in volume.

OFFICIAL Stripe may suspend access if you do not respond promptly to its requests for information about you or your business.

OFFICIAL A banner at the top of the Dashboard shows what is needed. "View Account Status" opens the list.

OFFICIAL You can be asked to upload a government photo ID and proof of address.

OFFICIAL Documents are uploaded through the Stripe Dashboard. A review can take up to 24 hours.

OFFICIAL The information in the documents must match the information on your Stripe account.

OFFICIAL ID: full colour, valid, readable, front and back, as .png or .jpg. No black-and-white scans.

OFFICIAL Proof of address must be dated within the past six months.

OFFICIAL In Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand you may be asked for two separate documents: one for identity, one for address.

OFFICIAL For an extra review Stripe lists accepted business documents, uploaded in the Dashboard: a tax or VAT certificate, an EIN letter (US), photos of stock and purchase orders from the last 60 days.

OFFICIAL The business details in those documents should match the information on your Stripe account.

OFFICIAL If a document has several pages, upload one PDF with all pages.

OFFICIAL For physical goods Stripe asks for three non-stock photos that clearly show the products you sell, with a sheet of paper showing the date.

OFFICIAL Stripe publishes a list of acceptable verification documents per country. We opened the page but did not read each country.

OFFICIAL A payout paused for a negative balance shows the banner "A withdrawal from your bank account is pending". That is a different cause from the 120-day policy.