Servicio uses Stripe Connect Express. You (the shop) are the merchant of record; Stripe handles KYC, card processing, and payouts to your bank. Servicio takes a platform fee (configured per plan tier, usually 0–2%) and nothing else.
Connecting your account
- Owner → Settings → Payments → "Connect Stripe."
- You are redirected to Stripe's hosted onboarding flow.
- Stripe collects: business type (sole prop / LLC / corp), tax ID (EIN or SSN), bank account, personal info for the account holder.
- Submit. Stripe does an instant KYC check; most accounts are approved in seconds.
- You are redirected back to Servicio. Your tenant's
stripe_account_statusflips to "enabled."
Have your EIN, business bank account numbers, and the owner's date-of-birth ready before you start. Stripe's flow is 2-3 minutes if you have those; 15-20 if you have to go digging.
What "enabled" means
charges_enabled=true— you can accept cards.payouts_enabled=true— Stripe will send money to your bank account on their standard schedule (typically 2-3 business days after the charge).
Card on file and auto-pay
Once Stripe Connect is live, each client can store a card for future charges:
- On the client detail page, click "Invite to add card."
- Client receives an email with a secure one-time link.
- Client enters card via Stripe Elements (card number never touches Servicio).
- Card is stored on Stripe, keyed to the client record.
- Client can then toggle "Auto-pay" in their portal.
With card on file + auto-pay enabled, invoices are charged the moment they are issued. The client gets a payment receipt instead of a pay-link email.
Failed payments
When Stripe declines a charge (insufficient funds, expired card, fraud block), the invoice reverts to unpaid and Stripe's Smart Retries kick in (up to 3 additional attempts over 7 days). If all retries fail, the invoice enters normal dunning.
Common snags
Stripe rejected my account. Most often this is a tax ID mismatch. Re-enter the EIN, ensuring it matches the legal business name exactly as filed with the IRS.
Charges enabled but payouts not. Stripe needs a verified bank account to send you money. Check Settings → Payments → "Verify bank" and follow the micro-deposit flow.
My clients' cards are being declined at a high rate. Check your Stripe dashboard's "risk score" for flagged transactions. Sometimes a newly-onboarded Connect account has tighter fraud rules; they loosen after 30 days of clean transaction history.