Stripe Payments: Setup and Fee Options
Before you begin
You do not need an existing Stripe account. CooplyHQ creates a Stripe Express account for you as part of the setup process. If you already have a personal or business Stripe account, a separate Express account will still be created specifically for your co-op.
To start, go to Admin → Payouts & Billing → Stripe Connect and click Start Stripe Onboarding.
What Stripe will ask for
Stripe is required by law to verify the identity of anyone who collects payments. This process is called KYC (Know Your Customer). You will be asked to provide:
- Legal name and date of birth — for the account owner
- SSN (last 4 digits or full) — for individual verification; use your EIN if your co-op is a non-profit or LLC
- US bank account — for payouts (routing number and account number)
- Contact information — email and phone number for your Stripe account
Stripe's onboarding form walks you through each step. Most co-op admins complete it in about 10 minutes. Your information goes directly to Stripe — CooplyHQ never sees or stores it.
Where your money goes
When a family pays through CooplyHQ, the funds go directly into your connected Stripe Express account. From there, Stripe automatically sends payouts to your linked bank account on a rolling basis (typically 2–7 business days after each payment).
CooplyHQ never holds your funds. Every dollar collected goes to Stripe and then to your bank.
Once connected, you can manage your balance, view individual payouts, and handle any disputes through the Stripe Express dashboard — accessible directly from the Stripe Connect page in your CooplyHQ admin panel.
How fees are handled
Stripe charges a processing fee on each card payment (typically 2.9% + 30¢). CooplyHQ gives you two options for how those fees are handled. You choose the mode per priced item when you set it up.
Absorb (default)
The co-op covers the Stripe fee. Families pay exactly the price you set. If you list a class at $50, the family pays $50 and your co-op receives the remainder after Stripe's fee.
This is the default for new priced items. Choose Absorb when you want the simplest experience for families and are comfortable building the fee into your pricing.
Gross-up
The displayed price is adjusted upward so that after Stripe deducts its fee, your co-op receives the full amount you intended. Families see one all-in price — there is no separate fee line. The fee is baked into what they pay.
Example: If you want to net $50, CooplyHQ calculates the grossed-up price (approximately $52.06) so that after the Stripe fee is deducted, you receive exactly $50.
Choose Gross-up when you want your co-op to net a specific amount on every transaction.
Why payment goes to checkout.stripe.com
When a family clicks to pay, they are redirected to a page at checkout.stripe.com. This is expected and intentional.
Stripe hosts the payment page directly so that card numbers and payment details never touch CooplyHQ's servers. This keeps your co-op completely out of PCI compliance scope — a significant benefit that removes a large category of data security requirements from your organization.
The checkout page is co-branded with your co-op name and returns the family to your site after payment is complete.
Next steps
Connect your Stripe account to start accepting payments: go to Admin → Payouts & Billing → Stripe Connect and click Start Stripe Onboarding.
Once connected, you can add prices to your membership plans, events, and classes — and families can pay online at checkout.