Connect account types

When using Connect, you create a connected account for each business or individual that signs up to access your platform’s services. You can configure your platform and connected accounts to fit your business model, distributing specific responsibilities between your platform, Stripe, and your connected accounts.

If you’re setting up a new Connect platform, see Design an integration to learn about configuring connected accounts. The information on this page applies only to less flexible connected account types, which are mainly used by existing platforms.

Connect supports the following account types:

• Standard
• Express
• Custom

Choose an account type

You must consider several factors when choosing an account type. Integration effort and connected account user experience are especially important because they can affect engineering resource expenditure and conversion rates. After you create a connected account, you can’t change its type.

Stripe recommends that you use Express or Standard connected accounts, which require less integration effort. If you want more control over your connected accounts, consider using Express or Custom connected accounts. To learn which account type we recommend for your business, refer to your platform profile.

There’s an additional cost for using Express or Custom connected accounts.

With Standard connected accounts, the connected account is responsible for fraud and disputes when using direct charges, but that can vary when using destination charges.

Express connected accounts

With Express connected accounts, Stripe handles the onboarding and identity verification processes. The platform has the ability to specify charge types and set the connected account’s payout settings programmatically. The platform is responsible for handling disputes and refunds, which is similar to a Custom connected account.

Although your connected account has interactions with Stripe, they primarily interact with your platform, particularly for the core payment processing functionality. For Express connected account holders, Stripe provides an Express Dashboard (a lighter version of the Dashboard) that allows them to manage their personal information and see payouts to their bank.

Use Express connected accounts when you:

• Want to get started quickly (letting Stripe handle account onboarding, management, and identity verification)
• Want to use destination charges or separate charges and transfers
• Want significant control over interactions with your connected accounts

Examples of platforms that use Express connected accounts include, but are not limited to: a home-rental marketplace like Airbnb, or a ride-hailing service like Lyft.

Global compliance requirements do evolve and change over time. With Express, Stripe proactively collects information when requirements change. For best practices on how to communicate to your connected accounts when that happens, visit the guide for Express accounts.

Express connected account availability

Select one of the available countries when you create an Express connected account. You can’t change the country later.

Some countries are available only when using cross-border payouts.

To know when Express connected accounts are available in your country, contact Stripe.

Standard connected accounts

A Standard connected account is a conventional Stripe account where the connected account has a direct relationship with Stripe, is able to log in to the Dashboard, and can process charges on their own.

Use Standard connected accounts when you:

• Want to get started quickly and don’t need a lot of control over interactions with your connected accounts
• Want to use direct charges
• Have connected accounts that are familiar with running online businesses or that already have a Stripe account
• Prefer that Stripe handles direct communication with the connected account for account issues (for example, to request more information for identity verification purposes)

Some examples of platforms that use Standard connected accounts are store builders like Shopify, and Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms such as an online invoicing and payment service.

Global compliance requirements do evolve and change over time. With Standard connected accounts, Stripe proactively collects information when requirements change. For best practices on how to communicate to your connected accounts when that happens, visit the guide for Standard accounts.

Custom connected accounts

A Custom connected account is almost completely invisible to the account holder. You—the platform—are responsible for all interactions with your connected accounts, including collecting any information Stripe needs. You have the ability to change all of the account’s settings, including the payout bank or debit card account, programmatically.

Custom connected account holders don’t have access to the Dashboard, and Stripe doesn’t contact them directly.

Use Custom connected accounts when you:

• Want complete control over interactions with your connected accounts
• Can build the significant infrastructure required to collect connected account information, deploy a custom dashboard, and handle support
• Want to handle all communication with your connected accounts, involving no direct contact between them and Stripe

Creating and managing Custom connected accounts requires a larger integration effort than the other account types. To learn more, see Using Connect with Custom accounts.

Global compliance requirements do evolve and change over time. For best practices on how to communicate to your connected accounts when requirements change, see the guide for Custom accounts.

If you decide to use Custom connected accounts, Stripe recommends that you use Connect Onboarding for Custom accounts to collect onboarding and verification information from your connected accounts. That decreases your integration effort and eliminates the need to update your onboarding form when requirements change.

Custom connected account availability

Select one of the available countries when you create a Custom connected account. You can’t change the country later.

Some countries are available only when using cross-border payouts.

To request notification when Custom connected accounts are available in your country, contact Stripe.