Top-up

A top-up moves money from your own bank account into your Stripe balance, so your platform has funds to send onward. It is the reverse of a payout. A payout sends money from Stripe to your bank. A top-up sends money from your bank to Stripe.

Why platforms use top-ups

On a Stripe Connect platform, your platform account sometimes needs to pay connected accounts before incoming payments cover it. A top-up gives you a balance to draw from. You can use topped-up funds to:

• Pay connected accounts with transfers when your balance is too low.
• Cover future refunds and disputes.
• Pay off a negative platform balance.

How it works

When you add funds, Stripe creates a top-up object with an ID like tu_.... For a bank transfer, Stripe creates the top-up only after it receives the money, so the funds are not available right away. You must add funds from a verified bank account. To verify a new account, you confirm microdeposits, which usually arrive within a couple of business days.

Top-up vs transfer

A top-up moves money into your platform balance from your bank. A transfer moves money out of that balance to a connected account. Platforms often do both in sequence: top up, then transfer to sellers.

ChargeBell has read-only access and never moves money. It can post Stripe activity to Slack, but you top up and transfer inside Stripe.