Setting up Stripe

How SolarAPP+ Permit Fee Payments Work 

SolarAPP+ utilizes the payment service provider Stripe to facilitate payment of permit fees to jurisdictions. Stripe is a merchant payment processor that specializes in web and app based payments. When using the permit fee payment functionality with SolarAPP+ your jurisdiction will create your own independent Stripe account that will facilitate payments directly from contractors to the jurisdiction via Stripe. 

Funds won't be handled or held by SolarAPP+ or any party other than Stripe in this setup method. Your jurisdiction will own this Stripe account and all financial reporting for your payments will be accessible through the Stripe account. Fee payments will go directly from the contractor to the jurisdiction’s Stripe merchant account and then on to the bank account that you choose to link to your Stripe account.

Getting started with Stripe online payments

How to create a Stripe account and configure your API keys

Dashboard:

1. Create a Stripe account for your jurisdiction at  https://dashboard.stripe.com/register.
2. Verify your email address. Click on the email verification link that was sent to the email used to sign up for the account. 
3. Select ‘One-off Payments’ then ‘Go to Dashboard’: 

4. In the bottom right corner of your dashboard, navigate to the Setup Guide and select verify your business > complete your profile: 

Activate Your Account: 

Once you select ‘Complete your profile’ as prompted in the above step, you will enter the account activation set-up. 

Verify Business:

1. Business Type: Here you will select your business type, which would be a nonprofit organization:

2. Tax Details: Enter your Employer Identification Number and Legal Name: 

3. Business Details: Make sure to select ‘Government Services’ as your industry: 

4. Business Representative: This step will verify your personal identity to ensure you are authorized to represent the account. 

Important to note: This section will prompt you to input your Social Security Number. This is collected only for means of confirming your identity. This will not impact or run any information pertaining to your credit. Read more on this here:  DOB and Social Security Number requirement for US accounts.

Uncomfortable sharing this information? Click here for an alternative!

5. Public Details: Here you will detail the information that will be visible on receipts and invoices: 

(This should be the name of your jurisdiction - "City of Cupertino Building Department")

Add Your Bank

Bank Details: Here you will detail the bank account information for your jursdictions. 

Option 1: Select an existing account’s login information to automatically pull your banking details

Option 2: Manually add your account details: 

Secure Your Account: 

Two-step Authentication: Here you will set up a two-step verification to ensure maximum security. 

Add Extras: This section should not be applicable. You can bypass by selecting ‘Skip for now’: 

Review and finish: 

Summary: Here you will review your inputs to ensure everything looks correct. If so, you can go ahead and submit! Your account will be activated within 1-2 business days, which is when you will receive your live API keys. Your live API keys can be found on the account dashboard under the “Get your live API keys” dropdown. Your API keys will be uploaded directly into your SolarAPP+ account configuration under Standalone Settings > Create Stripe Account > Start. There you will upload your "Publishable" and "Secret" keys respectively.

Important: Stripe keys should not be shared externally, including to the SolarAPP team.