How Stripe Capital works
Learn how Stripe Capital provides financing for eligible businesses.
Stripe Capital works differently by country. Capital is currently available in the United States (US), United Kingdom (GB), France (FR), Germany (DE), and Australia (AU).
Select your country to learn how Capital works:
Stripe Capital offers financing for eligible users processing payments through Stripe. Under the Stripe Capital program, business financing doesn’t have late fees, early payment fees, or origination fees. Instead, the total amount you pay is your advance amount plus a flat fee. Your payments are withheld directly from your sales on Stripe.
Financing types
Stripe, with our financial partner, uses a combination of eligibility criteria (including overall processing volume and history on Stripe) to extend a financing offer. If your US business is eligible, and has at least 3 months of processing history, Stripe might send you an email and Dashboard notification to advise you of an available offer.
Each offer specifies the type of financing being offered, which might be a loan or merchant cash advance. You can’t request a particular financing type under the Stripe Capital program.
| Merchant cash advance | A merchant cash advance is YouLend’s purchase of your business’s future receivables; it isn’t a loan or a credit transaction. Stripe withholds the purchased receivables from your payment processing volume at the percentage stated in your YouLend Advance Agreement. Unlike a loan, you don’t have a fixed payment schedule or periodic debits. Your payments vary with your payment processing volume. |
| Loans | Celtic Bank issues business-purpose term loans to eligible businesses. These loans have a maximum term and periodic payments. If withholdings from your payment processing receivables don’t meet the minimum amount (typically on a 30- or 60-day basis), Stripe debits the shortfall from your linked bank account or account balance. |
Eligibility
Stripe, together with our financing partner, determines your eligibility for an offer based on a variety of factors related to your Stripe accounts, including your processing volume and the size of your customer base. We regularly review your business for offer eligibility. If you become eligible, you receive an email, and can view your offer in the Dashboard under the Capital tab. To receive emails regarding new offers, update your email settings to opt into receiving Stripe Capital emails.
You might see a banner in the Stripe Dashboard that indicates that you’re on track for a future offer. This isn’t a guarantee of a future offer or of specific terms and doesn’t reflect a credit decision or evaluation.
If your business has multiple Stripe accounts, a financing offer might be generated based on the combined information from those accounts. Changes to one account without corresponding updates to others might affect your financing eligibility. This includes changes to your business name, Employee Identification Number (EIN), and business address.
Minimum eligibility requirements
To qualify for a financing offer through Stripe Capital, your business must:
- Have processed payments on Stripe for 3 months or more.
- Have a processing volume of 5,000 USD minimum per year and an average processing volume of USD 1,000 for the last 3 months.
- Be in good standing with Stripe Capital. If your business previously applied for a Capital offer and was rejected, you’re not eligible to receive a new offer for 30 days.
- Be based in the US. The Stripe Capital program only supports businesses located or incorporated in the US. Business representatives must also provide a physical US home address. Certain geographic limitations might apply. Funding might not be available in certain states because of local rules and regulations.
Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements doesn’t guarantee that your business qualifies for a Stripe Capital offer.
Important underwriting considerations
In addition to the minimum requirements, Capital’s underwriting models might evaluate other characteristics of your business to determine eligibility. We’ve highlighted some key considerations:
- A growing business: How much you process through Stripe influences the size of your financing offer. Businesses with positive growth trajectories are more likely to be eligible for an offer.
- A steady processing record: A consistent processing record with few periods of low or zero volume shows stability and increases your chance to qualify.
- A large customer base: Businesses with more customers are more likely to be eligible for an offer.
- A low dispute rate: Businesses with low rates of unresolved chargebacks are more likely to qualify for funding.
Additional steps you can take
The more information we can see about the health of your business, the better we can evaluate your eligibility for a Capital offer.
- Connect your business bank account: Securely linking your bank account lets Stripe view your bank balances and transactions to better determine your eligibility for an offer.
- Bring more processing volume onto Stripe: Our underwriting model is based on the payment volume that you process on Stripe. Shifting transaction volume from other payment sources onto Stripe increases your overall Stripe processing volume and improves your likelihood of receiving an offer.
Future eligibility terms
We base future eligibility and offer terms on your current processing activity on Stripe. Many factors influence this decision, including your Stripe activity, risk assessments, industry standards, and evolving market conditions. We evaluate these elements continuously.
We don’t:
- Offer account-specific insights regarding future eligibility.
- Have emergency or on-demand access to Capital.
- Offer a manual review process for account eligibility.
Get feedback on your eligibility
If you have any questions regarding your offer eligibility, contact us directly at capital@stripe.com. See our Privacy Center for more information. Stripe determines your eligibility for a financing offer based on a variety of factors related to your Stripe accounts, including your processing volume and the size of your customer base.
Review your offer
Your offer is typically valid for 30 days, after which we re-evaluate your business to see if you’re eligible for an additional offer. Go to the Capital tab in the Stripe Dashboard to customize the amount of your offer up to the maximum offer amount. The offer terms adjust based on the amount you choose. If you’re seeking financing at a later time, continue checking your email and the Capital tab of the Dashboard to make sure you’re reviewing your most current offer. In some cases, we extend additional offers to you while you’re actively paying your current financing.
After you select an offer, we review your application. There might be requests for additional information related to your business to complete the review of your application. If you’re approved, we transfer the funds to your Stripe account, typically in as few as 1-2 business days. To make sure funds successfully disburse from your Stripe account, you must set a valid bank account as your primary payout method.
No impact to your personal credit
Applying for financing through Stripe Capital might require a personal credit check under some circumstances, but this credit check doesn’t affect your personal credit score.
Build your business credit history
When you apply for financing through Stripe Capital, Stripe might obtain your business’s credit history through the Small Business Financial Exchange. Additionally, Stripe Capital may report performance or payment history to the Small Business Financial Exchange, who uses this information to build a financial profile for your business, which can help your business get access to financing from other providers.
Linked accounts
You always have control over the bank accounts that you share with Stripe and can update or disconnect your linked accounts at any time.
Pay down your financing
The total cost of your financing is your loan or advance amount plus a flat fee. Payment of your financing occurs automatically by deducting a percentage of your Stripe sales, known as the repayment rate. This means you pay more when your business has higher sales and less if business slows down. The single flat fee isn’t charged upfront—it’s paid over the length of the financing.
There’s no prepayment penalty, and you can make additional payments or pay the total amount you owe in full at any point in the Capital tab of your Dashboard.
Stripe automatically evaluates you for a new offer as you pay down your financing, regardless of whether you make additional payments or pay it off early.
Financing payments
Stripe Capital financing is generally paid through withholding from payment processing receivables at a rate specified in your financing agreement. Depending on your financing type, there may be periodic minimum payment requirements and a finite term.
Specifically, if you took out a loan, you must repay a minimum amount toward your loan every payment period. Amounts withheld as a percentage of your sales at the payment rate count toward your minimum. However, if the total amount you repay through sales doesn’t meet the minimum, you must pay the remaining amount at the end of the period. If you haven’t met the minimum by the end of each payment period, Stripe automatically debits the balance needed to meet your minimum from your bank account or account balance. You can also make manual payments toward your minimum through your Dashboard. You can view your minimum in the Capital tab of your Dashboard or in your loan agreement.
If you’re unable to meet your minimum for one or more periods, reach out to support and we’ll work with you to get back on track and meet your loan obligations. If you continue to miss your minimums, we might take additional action, as detailed in your loan agreement.
Fixed payment loans
If your loan has a fixed payment instead of a minimum payment, Stripe stops withholding from your Stripe sales when you meet the fixed payment amount. If your sales withholdings don’t meet the fixed payment by the end of the payment period, Stripe automatically debits the balance. You can also make manual payments at any time through your Dashboard using the Make payment option. Your financing agreement will specify whether there is a fixed payment amount.
Examples
The following example scenarios demonstrate how the minimum payment process works for loans.
| Scenario | Minimum payment process |
|---|---|
| You successfully meet your minimum through daily sales deductions |
|
| You don’t meet your minimum through daily sales deductions |
|
Security interests
Stripe Capital loan agreements typically include security interests taken as collateral for your loan. A UCC-1 financing statement might be filed in connection with your loan based on several factors, including the size of your loan, facts and circumstances about your business, and so on. After you finish paying off your loan, you can contact us with a request to terminate a UCC-1 filing. For merchant cash advances, a security interest may be taken under certain circumstances, as specified in the Stripe Capital advance agreement.
Unknown secured party
Creditors sometimes use a third party to file and maintain lien positions as the registered agent of the creditor. Wolters Kluwer is Stripe Capital’s third-party representative. If you’re unsure of what creditor the third party is acting on behalf of, we recommend that you contact the third party directly.
Taxes
Tax reporting often depends on your specific situation, so we encourage you to talk with a tax advisor. In general, funds through Stripe Capital wouldn’t be considered taxable income at the time of receipt, and the amounts withheld to satisfy your obligations aren’t tax deductible.
Stripe Capital loans are issued by Celtic Bank, powered by Stripe. Stripe Capital merchant cash advances are provided by YouLend.