Skip to main content

​
Payments & Payouts

Money questions need clear answers. This page covers the most common payment snags: getting Stripe connected, a buyer payment that failed, when your payout arrives, logging payments made outside the app, and handling refunds. For the full setup guide, see Payments Setup.

​
How Money Flows

Buyers pay online through Stripe, the payment company behind BreederBuddy’s invoices and deposits. The money goes into your own Stripe account, and Stripe sends it to your bank. BreederBuddy never holds your funds. Payouts, refunds, and disputes all happen in your Stripe account. You don’t have to use Stripe at all. If buyers pay you in cash, by check, Zelle, or Venmo, just log those payments on the invoice.

​
I Can’t Get Stripe Connected

  1. Click your kennel name in the top right corner, then Settings.
  2. Under Payment Processing, open the Stripe tab (direct link).
  3. Click Connect Stripe Account.
  4. Stripe opens. Sign in to an existing Stripe account or create a new one, and fill in everything Stripe asks for (name, address, bank details).
  5. When you finish, Stripe sends you back to BreederBuddy. You’ll see “Stripe account connected successfully!” and the message “Your Stripe account is linked.”
What to check if it didn’t work:
  • You closed Stripe partway through. Go back to the Stripe tab and click Connect Stripe Account again.
  • You see neither the Connect button nor Go To Your Stripe Dashboard. Your Stripe account is connected but Stripe still needs more information before it lets you take payments or send payouts. Sign in to your Stripe account at stripe.com and finish any items Stripe lists as needed. If you’re stuck, message us in the chat.
  • “Only the account owner can open the Stripe dashboard.” Team members (secondary users) can’t open Stripe. Ask the account owner to do it.
  • “Something went wrong!” Refresh the page and try again. If it keeps happening, message us in the chat.

​
A Buyer’s Payment Failed

When an online payment fails, the buyer gets a Payment failed notice email with a View & Retry Payment button, and you get a Payment failed alert. Nothing was charged.
  1. Ask the buyer to open that email and click View & Retry Payment, or to open their buyer portal and pay again.
  2. They can try the same card or choose a different payment method.
  3. If they keep having trouble, it’s usually their bank declining the charge. Ask them to call their bank, or try another card.
Need to take the card yourself? Open the invoice and click Take card payment to run it in person.

​
A Payment Says “Processing”

Bank transfers (ACH) and some other methods take a few business days to clear. While that happens, the invoice shows Processing, and the buyer gets a Payment processing notice telling them there’s nothing more to do.
  • Don’t charge them again. Take card payment is turned off while a payment is processing.
  • When it clears, the invoice switches to Paid and the buyer gets their receipt automatically.
  • If it fails instead, you’ll both get the failed-payment emails above.

​
When Will My Payout Arrive?

Stripe sends payouts to your bank on its own schedule, not BreederBuddy’s. To see when a payout is coming:
  1. Go to Settings → Stripe (direct link).
  2. Click Go To Your Stripe Dashboard.
  3. Look at your balance and payouts in Stripe. It shows each payout’s expected arrival date and lets you change your payout schedule or bank account.
Bank payments (ACH) have to clear before their money can go out, so they take longer than card payments. Why is my payout less than the invoice? Stripe’s processing fees come out of each payment. Cards cost 2.9% + 30¢, plus BreederBuddy’s 0.1% platform fee. If you’d rather the buyer cover it, turn on Pass Processing Fees to Customer on the Stripe tab. A buyer paid by Zelle (or Venmo, cash, check) and the invoice still shows the processing fee owing. It doesn’t any more: the fee is charged only on an online payment, so a payment you log with Log Manual Payment settles the invoice once it covers everything but the fee, and the fee drops off the receipt and the printed invoice. If an older invoice still shows a few dollars owing, open the manual payment, click Save, and it settles.

​
Recording a Cash, Check, Zelle, or Venmo Payment

  1. Go to Invoices in the left menu and open the invoice.
  2. Click Log Manual Payment at the top.
  3. Fill in Amount Paid, Payment Method, and Payment Date.
  4. Leave Email a receipt to the customer checked if you want the buyer to get a receipt.
  5. Click Save. The invoice balance goes down, and once it’s fully covered the invoice shows Paid.
Logged the wrong amount? On the invoice, scroll to Manual Payments & Receipts and click the pencil icon (Edit this payment) to fix it, or the trash icon (Remove manual payment) to delete it. Want buyers to see your Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, or Zelle details? Add them in Settings → Other Payment Methods (direct link).

​
Deposits

  • Waitlist deposits are requested and tracked from the waitlist. See Waitlists.
  • Other deposits are invoices for part of the price. See Invoices.
If a deposit was paid outside the app, log it on the invoice with Log Manual Payment (above).

​
Refunds

Card or bank payments made through Stripe: refund them in Stripe.
  1. Go to Settings → Stripe and click Go To Your Stripe Dashboard.
  2. Find the payment in Stripe and refund it there.
BreederBuddy doesn’t update the invoice on its own when you refund in Stripe, so record the refund in BreederBuddy too (next steps) to keep your reports right. Recording a refund in BreederBuddy (works for any refund, including cash or check):
  1. Open the invoice. The invoice has to be Paid first.
  2. Click Log Manual Payment.
  3. In the Refunds section, click Manage refunds.
  4. Fill in Refund Amount (Total), Refund Method, and Refund Date, then click Save. You’ll see “Refund recorded” and the invoice shows a Refunded badge.
  5. If a puppy is linked to the invoice and is coming back to you, check Unlink dog from this invoice so it no longer counts as sold.
Deleting an invoice does not refund the buyer. If money was collected through Stripe, refund it in Stripe first.

​
Common Questions

Check these: your Stripe account is connected (Settings → Stripe says “Your Stripe account is linked”), and the invoice isn’t already paid or processing. Also check Default Online Payments for Invoices on the Stripe tab. If it’s off, new invoices don’t offer online payment unless you turn it on for that invoice. If all three look right, message us in the chat.
You get a payment received email (or a deposit received email for a waitlist deposit), and the invoice switches to Paid on its own. Bank transfers show Processing first. To see the money itself, open Settings → Stripe and click Go To Your Stripe Dashboard.
Open Stripe from Settings → Stripe → Go To Your Stripe Dashboard rather than signing in at stripe.com. That button always opens the Stripe account that’s linked to BreederBuddy, which matters if you have more than one Stripe account. Bank transfers (ACH) take a few business days to clear before they’re paid out, so they won’t be in your bank yet.
Yes. If it was paid online, refund it in your Stripe dashboard. Then record it in BreederBuddy: open the deposit invoice, click Log Manual Payment, and use Manage refunds. For a cash or Zelle deposit, just record the refund. See Refunds above.
Turn it on under Accepted Payment Methods on the Stripe tab. If it says Not available yet, activate it in your Stripe dashboard first. Pay-later options are also hidden on very large invoices because of their purchase limits.
Open the invoice and click Email Receipt. You can send it as many times as needed.
Disputes are handled in your Stripe dashboard. Open it from Settings → Stripe → Go To Your Stripe Dashboard and respond there.

​
Still Have Questions?

We’re here to help. If something isn’t working the way you expect, or you’d like to have a discussion around a certain topic, please reach out to us anytime through the chat in the bottom right corner of your screen. Thank you.