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SetupIntermediate15 minutes

Setting up Stripe Connect for Payouts

4 min read

Before you start

  • You must be a School Admin or District Owner on PickupRoster.
  • Have your school's EIN (Employer Identification Number) or SSN ready — Stripe requires it to verify your identity before payouts can be enabled.
  • Confirm your school's bank account and routing numbers are available.
  • Only one Stripe Connect account can be linked per school. If your district has multiple schools, each school requires its own connection.

Why Stripe Connect?

PickupRoster uses Stripe Connect to route optional parent fees (e.g., late-pickup charges, extended-care enrollment) directly to your school's bank account. Funds are held by Stripe and released on a rolling 2-day payout schedule after you complete onboarding.

Steps

1. Open the Billing settings

  1. Log in to PickupRoster and navigate to Settings → Billing & Payments.
  2. In the Payout Account section, click Connect with Stripe.

You will be redirected to Stripe's hosted onboarding flow. PickupRoster does not see or store your bank credentials.

Billing & Payments screen

2. Create or sign in to a Stripe account

  1. On the Stripe page, choose Create account if your school has no existing Stripe account, or Sign in if one already exists.
  2. Enter the email address associated with your school's finance office — this is where Stripe will send payout notifications.
  3. Click Continue.

Note: If your district already uses Stripe for another purpose, use a different email or create a separate Stripe account for PickupRoster payouts to keep accounting clean.

3. Complete business verification

Stripe requires identity and business information to comply with financial regulations.

  1. Select Non-profit or Government entity depending on your school's legal status. Most public K-12 schools choose Government entity.
  2. Enter your school's Legal business name exactly as it appears on your EIN letter.
  3. Enter your EIN in the Tax ID field.
  4. Provide your school's business address (the mailing address on file with the IRS).
  5. Add a representative — this is typically the principal or finance director. Stripe requires their legal name, date of birth, and last four digits of their SSN for identity verification.
  6. Click Continue.

Stripe business verification form

4. Add your bank account

  1. On the Payout details screen, click Add bank account.
  2. Enter your school's routing number and account number.
  3. Re-enter the account number to confirm.
  4. Click Save.

Stripe may make a small test deposit (typically $0.01) within 1–2 business days to verify the account. Payouts will not begin until verification is complete.

5. Set statement descriptor and support contact

  1. In the Business details section, set a Statement descriptor — this appears on parent bank statements. Use something recognizable like LAKEVIEW SCHOOL.
  2. Add a Support phone number or email that parents can contact with billing questions.
  3. Click Continue.

6. Review and submit

  1. Review all entered information on the summary screen.
  2. Agree to Stripe's Connected Account Agreement.
  3. Click Agree and submit.

Stripe will review your application. Initial verification typically takes a few minutes; in some cases it can take up to 2 business days.

7. Confirm connection in PickupRoster

  1. After submitting, Stripe redirects you back to PickupRoster.
  2. In Settings → Billing & Payments, the Payout Account section should now show a green Connected badge and your Stripe account ID.
  3. Click Enable fee collection to start accepting parent payments.

Connected badge in PickupRoster

Troubleshooting

"Stripe verification pending" badge won't clear Stripe occasionally requests additional documentation for certain entity types. Log in directly at dashboard.stripe.com, navigate to Settings → Account details, and check for any outstanding verification requests. Resolving them there will automatically update your status in PickupRoster within a few hours.

Bank account verification failed Double-check that you entered the routing number first, then the account number (not reversed). If the test deposit never arrived after 3 business days, the account number may be incorrect — remove the account under Settings → Billing & Payments → Payout Account → Manage and re-add it.

"Connect with Stripe" button is grayed out Your user role may not have billing permissions. Ask your District Owner to grant you the Billing Manager role under Settings → Staff → Roles.

Parent payments are accepted but no payout has arrived Stripe holds the first payout for 7 days as a fraud-prevention measure. Subsequent payouts follow a 2-day rolling schedule. Verify your payout schedule under dashboard.stripe.com → Payouts.

Error: "Your platform requires additional information" This appears when Stripe's requirements change (e.g., new KYC regulations). Visit dashboard.stripe.com → Settings → Account details and complete any new information requests.

Last reviewed: 2026-06-09