Studio uses Stripe Connect to process payments for your workspace. Each workspace connects its own Stripe account, so donations, event tickets, and invoice payments go directly to your bank — Studio never holds your money.
How to connect
- Go to Settings → Payments.
- Click Connect Stripe. You'll be sent to Stripe to sign in.
- Choose which account to connect. If your Stripe login can reach more than one account, Stripe shows you the list — pick the one that belongs to this organization.
- Approve the connection. You land back in Studio, and the panel names the account it connected so you can check it's the right one.
Don't have a Stripe account yet? Use the Create one link under the button instead. That makes a new Stripe account for this workspace and takes you into Stripe's signup — see Creating a Stripe Account From Scratch. Only use it if the organization genuinely has no Stripe account: if it already has one and you create another, payments collect into an empty account and payouts never arrive.
If Stripe still needs more details before the account can take money, the panel shows Onboarding Incomplete with two options. Which first option you get depends on whose account it is:
- Finish at Stripe — for an account you picked. It's yours, so Stripe won't let Studio drive its verification; you complete it in your own Stripe Dashboard and Studio picks up the change on its own once Stripe approves it.
- Continue Setup — for an account Studio created for you with Create one. This resumes Stripe's hosted signup exactly where you stopped.
Either way, Use a different account is there to go back and pick another one. Once the account can accept payments, the button becomes Disconnect.
Connected the wrong account?
Click Disconnect (or Use a different account), then Connect Stripe again and choose the right one. Studio releases the old account at Stripe as well as forgetting it here. Do this before you take any payments — money already collected settled into whichever account was connected at the time, and reconnecting doesn't move it.
An account that's already connected to another workspace can't be picked twice; Studio tells you which workspace has it. Disconnect it there first if it really should move.
What you'll need
- Legal business name and tax ID (EIN, or SSN for a sole proprietor).
- A bank account for deposits.
- Government-issued ID for identity verification.
- Beneficial-owner details for anyone with 25%+ ownership, or an officer. This is a federal KYC requirement, not a Stripe quirk.
Already use Stripe for other software? Sign in with that same login and pick your existing account from the list — that's the whole point of the picker. Nothing about your existing payments, payouts, or history changes; Studio is simply granted permission to create charges on it. If your login reaches several accounts (common if you manage more than one organization), read the names carefully before you approve: see Multiple accounts.
Two panels you might see instead
- Connected via Studio platform — your workspace routes payments through Studio's own Stripe account, so there's nothing to connect. There's no button, and payouts settle on the platform balance. A Studio admin manages this.
- "Payment processing is managed by your Studio administrator" — Stripe Connect isn't switched on for this installation yet. Contact support to enable invoicing, donations, and event ticketing.
What Stripe Connect does
- Payments from donors, clients, and event attendees land in your own Stripe account.
- Studio's platform fee is deducted per transaction — see Understanding Processing Fees.
- Stripe handles PCI compliance, card storage, and fraud prevention.
- You manage payouts, disputes, and tax reporting from your own Stripe Dashboard.
Most accounts are approved within minutes. Deposits typically reach your bank about two business days after each payment.
Test mode is a platform setting
Whether Studio talks to Stripe in test or live mode is set once for the whole platform by a Studio administrator — it isn't a per-workspace switch, and there's nothing to flip in your own settings. If you're seeing test-mode behavior and expected live payments, contact support.