Connect your Stripe account and start earning ✨
Stripe offers a direct way for supporters to pay you via their bank card without leaving your page. With Stripe, supporters can also pay super fast using their card (including saved cards) Apple Pay or Google Pay. Connect your Stripe account with just a few clicks. ✨
Connect your Stripe account
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Open your page settings, then click on your 'Payment' tab
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Click 'Connect' to start linking your Stripe account to Ko-fi
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A new window will pop up to sign into your Stripe account.
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If you don't have a Stripe account, a new window will pop up, prompting you to sign up for a Stripe account. It’s free to create an account.
During sign-up, Stripe will ask for some details:
- Account details: You'll need to provide your email and set up a password.
- Emergency backup code: You'll be given a code in case your device is lost or stolen. Keep it safe!
- Business or personal details: Stripe will need to know your location, whether you're a business or an individual, and some personal info.
- Professional details: Add information about your business or the content you offer. For the "Your Business" section under business details, typically, it's your Ko-fi page "ko-fi.com/yourusername." You'll also need to link a bank account for Stripe to send payouts.
- Public details: Choose the details your supporters will see when they complete a payment.
- After providing all the necessary information, this will redirect you back to your Ko-fi page. Now successfully connected to Stripe, ready to accept payments. 🎉
Note
Stripe will send a verification email. Check your inbox to access your account.
How do I withdraw my money from Stripe?
Payments from your supporters go straight to your Stripe account. From there, you can transfer your funds to your chosen bank account - right away or automatically at your chosen date, known as a "payout".
Stripe payouts
Payout schedules depend on your location and business type. Usually, your first payout will reach your bank account within 7 days. After that, it's a rolling 2, 4, or 7-day schedule or you can even set it to transfer instantly for an extra fee (learn more here). You can check this out in the 'Payout Settings' of your Stripe Dashboard.
Note
To get your payouts, you need to add a bank account. This is covered when setting up a Stripe account. Learn more about it here.
The supporter experience using Stripe
By adding Stripe as a payment option to your page, supporters will see the option ‘Pay with Card’. With Stripe it's simple and quick for supporters to pay you directly on your page with just their card or a number of other options.
Faster ways for supporters to pay with Stripe:
By adding Stripe as a payment option, your supporters will be offered more ways to pay. They can use Apple Pay, Google Pay, or securely save their card details for quicker checkouts across the web.
Apple Pay and Google Pay
For one-time payments, relevant supporters using an iOS device will see Apple Pay, and supporters using an Android device will see Google Pay.
If your Stripe account is connected and in good standing, but a supporter doesn’t see these fast checkout options, they should check:
- They’re using a compatible device with the payment method activated (iOS for Apple Pay & Android for Google Pay).
- They are making a one-time payment, commission, or shop item purchase. Apple Pay or Google Pay is not available for memberships or recurring donations.
Saved card details
Stripe also offers supporters the option to save their payment details for faster future checkouts. To save their details with Stripe, supporters simply select the option to save their payment details during the card payment process. A phone number is required to receive verification codes for completing payments, and Stripe will use the email used for payment to register the card details.
When the details are saved, each time supporters use the same email to pay you by card/stripe, a verification code will be sent for one-click checkouts.
Supporters can use the same email for faster checkouts if they see the "Link" payment option.
Saved card details apply to one-time payments, commissions, and shop items, just like Apple Pay and Google Pay options.
Supporters' payment details are securely saved by Stripe and can be managed by the supporter through their link account. For more information, click here.
Disconnecting Stripe from Ko-fi
You can do this by heading to your Ko-fi Settings > Payment options, then clicking the "Connected" button to disconnect.
Remember, if you disconnect, you will stop taking on new payments with Stripe. However, recurring payments will remain active until they are cancelled by you or the supporter. (Learn more about cancelling subscriptions here.)
Note
If you toggle off “Accept Payments” anyone with a direct link to your commissions, membership tiers or shop, will still be able to pay you. Disconnecting Stripe is the way to stop accepting Stripe payments across all Ko-fi features.
Learn more about Stripe through their help centre. For any account creation issues, contact Stripe here.
We're here if you need us. Feel free to send any questions our way. 💌
FAQ
Remember, income you receive on Ko-fi is likely subject to income tax. You should familiarize yourself with your country's tax rules regarding income.
You can download 1099-K forms from Stripe following these instructions, and for any tax invoices follow these instructions.
Plus, you can download all your Ko-fi payments as a CSV from Payment History.
After a supporter makes a payment, Ko-fi will send an email confirmation to the supporter, and Stripe will send a receipt. The transaction will also appear in the supporter's bank statement.
Ko-fi's email confirmation will share your display name and email.
You have control over whether your contact number is displayed on Stripe receipts. To manage this, log into your Stripe account, click on the icon for Settings > Public Data > and toggle your Support phone number on or off.
We do not influence the information displayed on supporter's bank statements. This information is provided by third-party payment services like Stripe and may be different depending on the banking institution. For more information, please contact Stripe directly. You can also change the descriptor at any time in your Stripe settings (Settings > Public Details > Descriptors). To learn more about setting up Stripe, check out our guide here.
By adding Stripe as a payment option, supporters who have Apple Pay or Google Pay set up on their device will see the relevant checkout options, with no extra setup required.
If your supporter cannot see the checkout option, check that:
- Your Ko‑fi is connected to Stripe
- Your supporter is using a compatible device (iOS for Apple Pay, Android for Google Pay)
- Your supporter is making a one-time payment, commission, or shop item purchase. Apple Pay or Google Pay is not available for memberships or recurring donations.
If you ever receive a dispute with a Stripe payment, the first step is to take a look at Stripe’s guides on how to handle disputes and their FAQs:
If you have any questions or need further help, feel free to reach out to us or directly contact Stripe.
As a direct payments platform, Ko-fi ensures payments go directly to your account, and while we don't hold funds, we're more than happy to provide advice on how to avoid chargebacks in the future.
We're here if you need us. Feel free to send any questions our way. 💌