Why is Stripe involved?
Flex creates a Stripe payouts account for your business, separate from any Stripe account you may already run yourself. It’s a destination for money: it receives your payouts and passes them to your bank, typically within 24–72 hours. Stripe is the only payout provider Flex supports today. In practice you’ll rarely touch Stripe: once to verify your business, and after that only if your bank details change or Stripe asks you to refresh an expiring document. You start both from the Flex Dashboard.How to set up your payouts account
1
Start setup in the Flex Dashboard
You’ll start setup in onboarding. If skipped during onboarding, complete setup from Settings → Payouts. Have your business details, owner information, and a bank account or debit card ready.
Managing payouts requires an admin role. Invite a team member as an admin if you need help.
2
Create an account, or sign in to Stripe
Create a Stripe payouts account for your HSA/FSA payouts.If you have an existing Stripe account, you can sign in with that login to prefill your business details. Flex creates a separate Stripe payouts account with the information you provide.
This payouts account exists only to receive HSA/FSA payouts from Flex. Your existing account stays separate and unchanged.
3
Fill in your business and owner details
Confirm anything Stripe prefilled and supply the rest.
4
Add a payout destination
Add a bank account or debit card. This is where Stripe deposits your payouts.
5
Review and submit
Check that everything is correct, then confirm.
What verification asks for, and why
Verification is a Know Your Customer (KYC) check, required under US anti-money-laundering rules before funds can move to a business. What you’ll be asked for:- Business details: legal name, EIN, industry, address, phone, and website, plus IRS documentation (a 147c letter or your SS-4) so the EIN matches the legal name
- The account representative: name, date of birth, home address, and the last four digits of their SSN or ITIN
- Anyone owning 25% or more: the same personal details
- A payout destination: a bank account or debit card
All of this is entered directly into Stripe. Flex never sees, receives, or stores your SSN, your ID documents, or your full bank credentials.
What’s blocked until verification finishes?
You can select I’ll do this later during onboarding and come back to it, but integration setup and live HSA/FSA payments stay locked until Stripe finishes verifying your account. Verification is usually quick. Stripe may email you for a document (typically a government ID or proof of address) if it can’t confirm your details automatically. Once Stripe is satisfied, Flex unlocks everything on its own; there’s nothing to re-submit and no need to contact us.More about verification
Does the person completing this have to be a business owner?
Does the person completing this have to be a business owner?
No. The account representative is simply the person authorized to open and maintain the account on behalf of the business, such as someone on your finance or operations team. They don’t need to hold any ownership stake. If they don’t own 25% or more, they should answer the ownership question accordingly.If you aren’t the person holding the bank details or the EIN documentation, invite them to your Flex organization as an admin and have them complete this step. Admin access is required to reach Settings → Payouts.
What does the 25% ownership question mean?
What does the 25% ownership question mean?
US regulations require Stripe to collect beneficial ownership information: every individual owning 25% or more of the company must be listed, with their name, date of birth, address, and (for US persons) SSN.If no single individual owns 25% or more (common for larger or investor-backed companies), no owners need to be listed. Stripe verifies the account representative or another person with significant control instead, such as an executive officer. See Stripe’s article on US beneficial ownership requirements.Your Stripe payouts account is set up as a business, which is why these questions appear. If your business is a sole proprietorship, or the questions don’t fit your entity, email merchanthelp@withflex.com before completing the form.
Does providing my SSN create personal liability or affect my credit?
Does providing my SSN create personal liability or affect my credit?
Stripe uses this information to verify your identity, not to assess credit: it isn’t a credit application and doesn’t involve a credit check on you. What the business and its account representative are each responsible for is set out in your Flex and Stripe agreements. Stripe’s handling of your personal data is governed by its Privacy Policy.
How should I classify my industry?
How should I classify my industry?
Pick the category that most accurately describes what you sell. Stripe uses it to assign a merchant category code and apply the right risk and compliance rules.A mismatch between your stated category and what Stripe later observes in your transactions is a common cause of an account being flagged or restricted after the fact, particularly for regulated categories like CBD or supplements. If you’re unsure which applies, email merchanthelp@withflex.com before submitting.
Can I use a non-US bank account?
Can I use a non-US bank account?
No. Setting up payouts expects a US business entity (US EIN, US address, US phone number) and a US bank account.If your business is based outside the US and sells to US customers, we can sometimes set you up as an exception. Email merchanthelp@withflex.com with your entity’s country and structure before you start onboarding, and we’ll confirm whether we can support you.
What if the person who set up our account has left the company?
What if the person who set up our account has left the company?
You don’t need Flex or Stripe to reassign anything. Have an existing admin invite the new person to your Flex organization as an admin; they can then open Settings → Payouts and update the account representative and payout details themselves.If no one at your company still has admin access to the Flex Dashboard, email merchanthelp@withflex.com from a company domain and we’ll help you re-establish access.
More about payouts
When do payouts arrive?
When do payouts arrive?
After Flex processes a payment, the amount minus Flex fees is deposited into your Stripe payouts account. Stripe then settles the funds into your linked bank account, typically within 24–72 hours.
How do I update my bank account or payout details?
How do I update my bank account or payout details?
Go to Settings → Payouts in the Flex Dashboard. Changes take effect on your next payout; anything already in transit still lands in the previous account. If you don’t see the option, you may not have an admin role; if you run into any other issue, email merchanthelp@withflex.com.
How do I match a payout to specific orders?
How do I match a payout to specific orders?
A single payout usually covers several orders. Use the Payouts & Balance Transactions API to list payouts and drill into the balance transactions behind each one; every charge, refund, and fee links back to the transaction that created it. Shopify merchants can also follow the Shopify reconciliation guide.
What happens with refunds, disputes, and fees?
What happens with refunds, disputes, and fees?
They’re deducted from the same balance your payouts are paid from: refunds you issue, chargebacks, and Flex fees such as letter-of-medical-necessity fees. Each one appears as a balance transaction, so it reconciles through the same API as your payouts.