Stripe Connect lets you collect client payments on your Stripe account while Elevale runs subscriptions and AI wallet top-ups through the platform. Use this guide alongside Reselling → Stripe in the reseller admin.
What Stripe Connect does in Elevale
Client seat subscriptions: when a workspace uses Stripe Connect (Automated) billing, clients subscribe through your Stripe account. Elevale deducts a platform application fee equal to the base seat price per user.
AI wallet card top-ups: clients can add a card and top up their workspace AI wallet. Payments go to your Stripe account. The wallet credits the USD amount the client chose; their card is charged that amount plus local tax in their billing currency (for example GBP for UK addresses).
Hybrid setup: many resellers keep Self-Billing for seats and connect Stripe only for AI wallet payments. See Billing models: licenses vs AI wallet.
When you need to connect
Required for automated client seat subscriptions (Stripe Connect workspaces).
Required for client self-serve AI wallet card top-ups (recommended even on Self-Billing workspaces).
Optional if you invoice clients entirely offline and approve AI credits manually.
Not required for buying your own license pool from Elevale. That bills on Elevale's platform account under Billing.
Before you connect
Create or sign in to a Stripe account for your agency (standard or Express Connect via OAuth).
Have your business legal name, address, and bank account ready. Stripe will ask for identity verification (KYC).
Decide your billing approach: hybrid (AI only), full Connect (seats + AI), or manual billing without Connect.
Review Reselling pricing and fees so you understand base prices, your markup, and application fees.
Step 1: Connect your Stripe account (OAuth)
Open Reselling → Stripe.
Click Connect with Stripe. You are redirected to Stripe's secure login.
Log in to an existing Stripe account or create one, then authorize Elevale.
When you return to Elevale, the page should show your connected account ID.
Elevale never stores your Stripe secret keys. Authentication uses Stripe OAuth only.
Step 2: Finish Stripe account onboarding
In the Stripe Dashboard, complete any outstanding onboarding steps (business details, directors, bank account).
Charges may fail until Stripe marks your account as able to accept payments.
Use the same Stripe account you want client subscription and wallet revenue to land in.
If onboarding is incomplete, Stripe may show a restricted or pending status until resolved.
Step 3: Enable Stripe Tax on your connected account
Elevale enables automatic tax on new client subscriptions, wallet top-ups, and checkouts created by the platform.
You must also turn on Stripe Tax in your Stripe Dashboard for your connected account.
Add every tax registration where you are registered to collect tax (for example UK VAT, EU VAT, US state sales tax, Canadian GST/HST, Australian GST, or other local schemes).
Catalogue prices synced from Elevale are before local tax. Stripe Tax adds the correct local sales tax at checkout based on the customer's billing address.
Collect valid business tax IDs at checkout where supported (for example VAT numbers) so reverse-charge or exempt B2B sales are handled correctly.
Enable customer invoice and payment emails in your Stripe Dashboard so clients receive itemized invoices with tax lines for subscriptions and wallet top-ups.
Wallet top-ups are charged in the customer's local Stripe currency (for example GBP for UK billing addresses) while the workspace wallet still credits the USD amount shown in Elevale.
Client self-serve wallet top-ups are blocked until Stripe Tax is active on your connected account with at least one active tax registration.
Download tax filing reports from your Stripe Dashboard → Tax → Reports. Elevale does not provide a separate in-app tax export.
You are responsible for tax compliance on charges to your clients in every jurisdiction where you sell. See Reseller Terms of Service section 5.
If you edit subscriptions or invoices manually in the Stripe Dashboard, tax and amounts are your responsibility.
Step 4: Set markup and sync prices
Under Reselling → Pricing, set your seat markup % per tier (Foundation, Business, Professional). Minimum save is 10% seat markup and 5% AI wallet markup.
Client price must stay at or above Elevale's base wholesale floor.
Click Save & Sync to Stripe to create or update products and prices on your Connect account.
When seat markup increases, choose a notify clients date and an effective date at least 30 days apart. New signups use the new price immediately; existing clients keep their price until renewal on or after the effective date. See Existing client price protection.
Use Schedule AI pricing for AI wallet markup changes with the same notify and effective dates. See Reselling pricing and fees.
Re-sync after Elevale publishes wholesale changes even if you are not raising client retail, this keeps pending platform migrations enrolled.
Public signup links and automated subscriptions use these synced Stripe prices.
Step 5: Choose billing per workspace
Self-Billing: you assign licenses from your pool and invoice clients yourself. Stripe Connect can still power AI wallet top-ups.
Stripe Connect (Automated): client seats bill through subscriptions on your Stripe account. Requires Connect and synced prices.
Set the billing model when creating a workspace in Workspaces or when editing workspace settings.
Full walkthrough: Onboarding your first client.
Client subscriptions and application fees
When a client subscribes, the checkout runs on your connected account.
The client pays your full marked-up seat price (monthly or annual, before local tax; Stripe adds tax at checkout).
Elevale's application fee (equal to the base seat price per user) is deducted automatically on each paid charge.
You keep the markup portion minus Stripe processing fees, refunds, and disputes.
Each month, Billing → Invoices lists a documentation invoice summarising application fees collected that month (amounts already deducted via Stripe, not a separate charge).
Failed payments, dunning, and refunds on client subscriptions are primarily your responsibility as the merchant of record.
Scheduled price changes on Connect subscriptions
After a scheduled retail increase is saved and synced, each active Connect client subscription is enrolled to move at renewal.
Existing clients keep their current Stripe price until the first renewal on or after the effective date.
Application fees on renewals and seat adds use wholesale metadata refreshed at renewal.
You can verify subscription schedules in your Stripe Dashboard on the connected account.
Prefer plan, seat, and billing-period changes inside the client Billing tab, manual Stripe Dashboard edits can desync Elevale.
Full timing and client notices: Existing client price protection.
AI wallet payments
Once Connect is active and Stripe Tax is configured, clients on your workspaces see Top Up Wallet on Workspace Settings → Billing → AI Wallet.
If Stripe Tax is not ready on your connected account, client top-ups are blocked until you enable Tax and add registrations in your Stripe Dashboard.
Manual top-ups always use Stripe Checkout. The client reviews the USD credit amount plus local tax before paying (there is no instant off-session charge for manual top-ups).
The workspace wallet always credits the USD amount shown in Elevale (for example a $100 top-up adds $100.00 USD to the wallet). The card is charged in the customer's local Stripe currency based on billing address, plus local tax.
Auto-recharge charges the saved card via a Stripe Invoice with automatic tax. Each recharge credits the USD amount configured in auto-recharge settings.
Itemized invoices with tax lines are created on your Connect account. Enable paid invoice emails in your Stripe Dashboard if clients should receive them automatically.
You still fund your agency AI wallet separately on Elevale's platform account so provider costs are covered. See Billing → Agency AI Wallet.
Without Connect, clients use Request credits and you approve top-ups manually from Workspaces.
Public signup links (optional)
When Connect is active and public signup is enabled under Reselling → Stripe, referral links can onboard new clients directly.
Manage links from Reselling → Overview or your agency marketing settings.
New signups use your synced Stripe prices and standard Elevale trial rules where applicable.
Stripe Dashboard: manual edits
You can open the Stripe Dashboard for your connected account at any time.
Manual changes to subscriptions, prices, tax settings, or invoices may diverge from what Elevale shows in-app.
Elevale is not responsible for billing state you change directly in Stripe.
Prefer plan changes, seat updates, and billing period switches inside the client workspace Billing tab when possible.
Disconnecting and troubleshooting
Disconnecting in Elevale stops new Connect checkouts. Existing Stripe subscriptions are not automatically cancelled.
If Connect shows connected but checkouts fail, check Stripe onboarding status and whether charges are enabled.
If tax does not appear on invoices, confirm Stripe Tax is enabled and registrations are active on your account.
If clients cannot top up their wallet, confirm Stripe Tax is active with at least one registration on your connected account.
If synced prices look wrong, re-run Save & Sync to Stripe from Reselling → Pricing.
For platform issues, contact Elevale reseller support with your organization name and connected account ID.