Seedling collects tuition through Stripe, the same payments platform used by millions of businesses. You connect a Stripe account once, and from then on tuition is charged automatically and paid out to your bank.
Collect tuition another way? Billing is optional. If you handle tuition outside Seedling, turn Use Seedling to collect tuition off on the Billing → Settings tab (or during the setup wizard) and Seedling won't prompt you to connect Stripe. You can turn it back on anytime.
What "connecting Stripe" means
When you connect, Stripe creates a real Stripe account that belongs to your center. Your center is the merchant of record: payouts go straight to your bank, you get your own full Stripe Dashboard, and Seedling never holds your money.
You own your payments
This is different from platforms that route tuition through their own merchant account. Because your center owns the Stripe account:
- Your money is yours. Payouts settle directly to your bank on Stripe's normal schedule. Seedling cannot hold, freeze, or delay your funds.
- No middleman on your cash flow. You're never waiting on a platform's payout timing or account decisions to get paid.
- Honest, visible fees. Stripe charges its standard processing rate; Seedling adds a small platform fee of 0.5% (ACH capped at $2). You decide whether your center or the family covers it in Billing settings.
You get all of this through a simple billing screen inside Seedling, so you rarely need to open Stripe at all.
Connect your account (one time)
In Billing, choose Connect Stripe. Stripe's secure, guided setup opens and asks for the information US payment regulations require:
- Business details — legal business name, your EIN (federal tax ID), and business address.
- About you — the owner or responsible person's name, date of birth, home address, and Social Security number (or its last 4). This identity check is required of every business that accepts card payments; Seedling never sees it.
- Bank account — where your payouts land.
Stripe occasionally asks for a document (a photo ID, or an IRS letter confirming your EIN) if it can't verify something automatically. You upload it right in the same flow.
You can start building tuition plans before this is fully finished, but charges only begin once Stripe has verified your details.
When can you accept payments?
Stripe turns on card payments once your address and identity check out, and payouts once your bank account and EIN are verified (Stripe asks for the EIN within 30 days). The Billing page shows a green Connected badge when you're fully ready.
After you're connected
- Payments and refunds live right here in Seedling — see Tuition plans & autopay and Failed payments & refunds.
- The Billing → Payments tab lists every payment across all families. Expand any payment to see the full breakdown — tuition, any service fee, processing costs, and the exact net to your center — and use Export CSV to hand your bookkeeper a complete record.
- Payouts show in Billing → Payments → Deposits — every deposit to your bank with its status and arrival date, so you rarely need to leave Seedling to see where your money is.
- For statements or to update your bank, open your Stripe Dashboard anytime with Open Stripe Dashboard on the Billing page. You sign in with the email and password you set during setup.