Stripe is the chosen payment provider for Serve Tennis. If you would like your facility to take payments online for court bookings, programming courses, or memberships, you will need to link your account with Stripe Express. Only users with the Super Administrator or Administrator roles in Serve Tennis can set up the account.
You can now connect more than one Stripe account and select which stripe account is used for specific modules using one-time payments from the new Payments module.
To register or link a Stripe Express account, please log into your account as an administrator. In the Programming, Membership, or Court Booking modules, you will see the blue box below to set up your account if one is not already connected.
If you do not see the blue box when you log in, it means a Stripe account has already been set up.
You can also link a Stripe account in the Payments Module. You will also choose which module to link to your Stripe account in the Payments Module. See How to Set up Multiple Stripe Accounts For Programming/Membership/Courtbooking/Events
This guide will provide you the steps to create a Stripe Express account. It covers the differences between setting up as an individual or a Company.
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From your Serve Tennis account, click on the Programming or Tournaments module of the lefts side.
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Click on set up a payment account as shown below.
This is the link in tournaments
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Click on set up a payment account as shown below.
or for programming, go to the Payments tab and click Add a Payment Account
- First enter in your email address and mobile number (you need access to this number as it will ask for verification)
- You will be sent a verification code to your mobile. Enter this here.
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Choose Country and Type of Business
Choose Personal or Company- Individual : Is connected to your own bank account. Your name will automatically be entered and you will not be able to change it.
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Company: Is connected to your company bank account, you will be able to enter the company name.
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Not for Profit Organization : If you choose this option, you will need to provide the charity
If you are still not sure you can read this document: selecting-a-business-type-and-business-structure
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If you have joined as a company- You will need to choose from one of the below options:
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Business name / EIN / Registered business address (this is where the business bank account is associated) and phone number. It is very important that the Legal Business Name matches what is on your tax return.. i.e. If the club is called Becky's Tennis Club LLC - you need to add the LLC in this section.
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Business name / EIN / Registered business address (this is where the business bank account is associated) and phone number. It is very important that the Legal Business Name matches what is on your tax return.. i.e. If the club is called Becky's Tennis Club LLC - you need to add the LLC in this section.
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If you have joined as a company- You will need to choose from one of the below options:
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For Industry, we recommend you choose the one that is the closest fit - so
Country Club or Colleges or Universities or - Other entertainment and recreation, and in the product description you write Tennis Tournaments and your website URL.
In the product description you can add your website URL or add tennis club.
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For Industry, we recommend you choose the one that is the closest fit - so
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Next you will add information about yourself. This is to verify you are real person and not a fraudster. Since May 2024, we have increased protection on the Stripe accounts, which now involves Verification Steps.
Enter your full name, as is shown on your photo ID. Job title, Home Address and Phone number. You will also add the last 4 digits of your SSN.
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ID Verification:
- Upload ID for verification- This is needed for business accounts as well, this is for security purposes to verify your identity.
- If you're encountering issues with uploading your ID, please refer to these troubleshooting steps.
This will then pass you to Verification of your Identity - if you are on a PC you will see the below.
NOTE: This is easier on the mobile device. If you select continue on mobile device, you get a QR code to scan, jump to Complete on a mobile device
Continue on PC
- Click Get Started
- Choose between
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- Automated Verification - this is going to happen today will use biometric fingerprint technology - checking that the 'selfie' matches the 'ID photo'.
- Manual Verification - you follow the same steps but will be verified by a real person.
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- Then you can take a picture of your ID with your phone or on the webcam. As you have chosen not to use your phone, in the webcam, you need to hold your ID upto the screen.
The ID needs to fit in the box. For best results:
- Move to a well lit area.
- Face the light source.
- Avoid glare on the glossy ID surface.
- Avoid backlighting. This could be caused by windows or other light sources behind you.
- Make sure entire document is visible and contained in the grey outline.
You can also verify by using your phone to capture an image. This is much easier, as the web cam is not very good.
Once you have taken an image of the front and back of your photo ID. You will then be asked to complete a selfie. It will take three images.
Once complete - you will then get passed onto the next stage.
Complete on a mobile device
If you select - upload with your phone, you will see number of options. The easiest is the QR code.
DO NOT USE THE BELOW QR CODE - it won't work.
Also SMS - you can text the link to your phone.
Email the link to your phone or see the link.
Once you are on your phone, it will ask to allow camera access.
Business Owners :
You can choose to add information here or continue without adding.
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Next Choose between a Bank Account or Debit Card to receive payments -
We recommend entering the bank details in manually. Rather than linking to your online bank account, although this is possible. We also recommend entering the routing number and account number, because if you add a Debit Card - many of the cards limit the single payout transactions to $3000 and this can cause issues down the line.
If you are not the bank account holder - you can just enter the routing number manually.
- Verification summary- edit details if necessary.
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Once setup correctly you will be returned to the Serve Tennis account and be able to create your first tournament or program.
Type of entity: Depending on what you choose, you will be required to provide information on this.
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individual—You are the person who is receives the money directly. You will provide your own information here, including your SSN. -
company—Collect information about the company. You will need to provide the Official company name, address, EIN number and the representative's last 4 digits of SSN. If Stripe is unable to verify the company tax ID - further documents will need to be provided.
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non_profitCollect information about the non-profit organization. You will be asked for official information that your organization is listed as a non-profit organization.
This account will now show in your Tournament or Payments Module.
Some frequently asked questions on the STRIPE account creation and management:
Q. Why do individuals have to enter the last four of their SSNs when setting up Stripe – will this have any impact on credit // taxes?
A: Social security being added will not affect credit/taxes as part of the KYC. If it is a business account, make sure you enter the company EIN details for tax purposes. Stripe is required to verify your identity and confirm the legitimacy of your business, as it is part of their responsibilities to their financial partners. This is also typically known as "Know Your Customers" (KYC) regulations. To do this, Stripe needs your Social Security Number and date of birth.
Q: If I am connecting to STRIPE as a business why do I need to put in my personal information and last 4 digits of my social security number?
A: Stripe allows users to connect as a company/business but there has to be the main individual that gets verified as a real person as the contact for the account. This is pretty standard for any online transactions. This ensures that chatbots can't set up fake stripe accounts or any bad actors that might scam consumers with fake programs. They verify Business EINs and individual social numbers for security purposes. Essentially, they are acting as a bank for collecting the business's fees. When you go set up a bank account for a business there has to be a main account contact who is an individual attached to the account.
It is important to note that if you are setting up as an individual you are liable for the tax collected. So if it not your responsibility then please ensure that you are set up as a company, using the company EIN number.
Q: How do I contact STRIPE?
A: As Stripe Express is set up with the USTA as the lead company, in the first instance reach out to customer care and we can assist you. Note: STRIPE will only communicate with the person named on the STRIPE account and will ask you to verify this. https://support.stripe.com/ if required, Customer Care will be able to escalate your issue to Stripe faster if you reach out to us first.
Q: How do I disconnect the STRIPE account from my Serve Tennis account?
A: If you wish to disconnect a STRIPE account, this may be because you no longer have access to the account, or it was added in error, please submit a ticket to the customer care team who can request the account is deactivated for you. We may need to seek further validation that you have the authority to do this. Once deactivated, the Serve Tennis administrators will then be able to set up another account linked to the Serve Tennis account. Please note, this process may take a few days.
Q. I already have a STRIPE express account for tournaments, can I not use this for my programming, social leagues, court booking and/or membership modules?
A: The Serve Tennis architecture specifically requires separate Stripe Express sub-accounts for Tournaments and Programming (which includes Social Play, Coaching, and Court Booking). T
Q. Can I have more than one Stripe standard account? i.e. one for programs and one for memberships.
A: Yes, you can have multiple stripe accounts for the different modules. However, to create multiple stripe accounts within a Serve Tennis account, each one needs to be created by a different USTA ID.
*Please note that the fees above are subject to change. Further details on the costs of Serve Tennis can be found here: What Are the Costs of Serve Tennis