Connected Account

A connected account is a Stripe account that a Stripe Connect platform onboards to sell through it. Each one represents a distinct business or individual — a marketplace seller, a service provider, a creator — with its own balance, payout schedule, and payment history, all created and managed through the platform's integration.

Account types

Connect offers different account types that trade control against responsibility:

• Standard — a full Stripe account the user owns and manages; the platform has limited access and the user handles their own dashboard and support.
• Express — a lightweight, Stripe-hosted onboarding and dashboard; the platform takes on more, the user sees less.
• Custom — the platform controls nearly everything and the connected account is largely invisible to the end user, requiring the platform to handle onboarding UI and support.

The type sets who is liable for disputes and refunds, who covers negative balances, and how much of Stripe's dashboard the seller sees.

How money reaches a connected account

Depending on the platform's charge model, funds arrive on a connected account either directly (the charge is created on it) or via a transfer from the platform account. Once on the account's balance, the money follows that account's payout schedule to its bank.

The platform typically takes an application fee on each transaction before the rest settles to the connected account. Because each account has its own balance and payout timing, reporting for a marketplace means tracking money per connected account, not just the platform total — which seller earned what, and when it paid out.