Stripe Payment Setup

• Credit & Debit Cards - Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover
• ACH Bank Transfers - Direct bank payments (US only, lowest fees)
• Apple Pay & Google Pay - One-tap mobile payments
• International Cards - Accept payments from 135+ countries

• Get Paid Faster - Customers pay invoices online in 30 seconds
• Lower Fees on ACH - Only 0.8% (capped at $5) vs 2.9% for cards
• Automatic Reconciliation - Payments auto-mark invoices as paid
• Secure & PCI Compliant - Stripe handles all security, you store nothing
• Instant Payout Option - Get funds in minutes (1% fee) for emergencies

1. Go to Settings → Payments in Sergio
2. Click Connect Stripe
3. You'll be redirected to Stripe (secure OAuth connection)
4. Choose Create a new account or Sign in to existing account
5. If creating new:
   • Enter business name (as it appears on bank statements)
   • Provide business address
   • Enter EIN/SSN for tax reporting
   • Add bank account for payouts
6. Click Authorize to connect Stripe to Sergio
7. You'll be redirected back to Sergio with confirmation

Stripe requires identity verification to prevent fraud (required by law):

1. Check your email for "Verify your Stripe account"
2. Click link to complete verification
3. Upload one of:
   • Driver's license (front/back photos)
   • Passport
   • Government-issued ID
4. Verification usually completes in 1-2 business days
5. During verification: You can still accept payments, but payouts are held until verified

Choose which payment methods to offer customers:

1. In Sergio: Settings → Payments → Payment Methods
2. Toggle on/off:
   • Credit Cards (2.9% + 30¢) - Default on, recommended
   • ACH Bank Transfers (0.8%, max $5) - Recommended for large invoices ($600+)
   • Apple Pay / Google Pay (same as card fees) - Great for mobile
3. Click Save Payment Settings

You have two options:

1. You absorb the fee (default)
   • Invoice shows $250, customer pays $250, you receive $242.45
   • Simpler for customers, most common approach
2. Pass fee to customer
   • Invoice shows $250 + $7.55 processing fee = $257.55 total
   • Customer pays $257.55, you receive $250
   • Enable in: Settings → Payments → Pass processing fees to customers
   • Caution: Some states regulate surcharges (legal in most states)

Recommendation: Encourage ACH for invoices over $200. Save thousands annually on fees.

• Card Payments: Deposited to your bank in 2 business days
• ACH Payments: Deposited in 5-7 business days (ACH processing time)
• Rolling Payouts: Funds transfer automatically as they clear (no manual action needed)

1. Log in to Stripe Dashboard
2. Go to Settings → Payouts
3. Choose frequency:
   • Automatic (default) - As funds clear
   • Daily - One payout per day
   • Weekly - Every Monday (or day of choice)
   • Monthly - First of the month
   • Manual - You initiate payouts yourself
4. Click Save

Need cash immediately? Instant payouts arrive in 30 minutes:

1. Available for debit cards only (not regular bank accounts)
2. Fee: 1% of payout amount (minimum 50¢)
3. Enable in Stripe Dashboard: Settings → Payouts → Instant Payouts
4. Add eligible debit card
5. When needed, click Pay out funds and select instant option

Use case: Emergency equipment repair, need $500 immediately → pay $5 fee, get funds in 30 min

Sergio automatically uses Stripe Test Mode until you're ready to go live:

• Test Mode: Practice sending invoices without real charges
• Live Mode: Real payments from real customers

1. In Sergio, create a test invoice for a fake customer
2. Send invoice (it will say "TEST MODE" in header)
3. Open invoice payment page
4. Use Stripe test card numbers:

   Success: 4242 4242 4242 4242

   Exp: Any future date (e.g., 12/26)

   CVV: Any 3 digits (e.g., 123)

   ZIP: Any 5 digits (e.g., 12345)

5. Click Pay Invoice
6. Verify invoice is marked "Paid" in Sergio
7. Check Stripe Dashboard to see test payment

1. Complete Stripe account verification (identity upload)
2. In Sergio: Settings → Payments
3. Toggle Live Mode to ON
4. Confirmation dialog: "Are you sure? Real payments will be charged."
5. Click Activate Live Payments
6. All future invoices will charge real cards

Tip: You can switch back to test mode anytime to try new features safely

Good news: You are automatically PCI compliant when using Stripe through Sergio.

• Sergio never stores card numbers - Only Stripe sees full card details
• Encrypted transmission - All payment data uses TLS 1.2+ encryption
• Stripe is PCI Level 1 certified - Highest security standard
• You store tokens, not cards - Sergio only saves reference IDs (safe to store)

Stripe includes built-in fraud detection (Stripe Radar):

• Machine learning - Blocks suspicious cards automatically
• CVV & ZIP verification - Reduces fraud by 70%
• 3D Secure - Extra verification for high-risk transactions
• Chargeback protection - Dispute resolution support included

• Customer payment data stored in Stripe (not Sergio servers)
• GDPR compliant - customers can request data deletion
• SOC 2 Type II certified infrastructure
• Regular third-party security audits

• Sergio Support: [email protected] (integration issues)
• Stripe Support: support.stripe.com (payment/payout issues)
• Stripe Dashboard: View transaction details, disputes, payouts
• Live Chat: Available in Stripe Dashboard (24/7)