Tax compliance
Partner payouts go through each partner's Stripe Express account, and Stripe takes care of the tax paperwork that comes with them. Stripe collects each partner's tax details at payout setup and handles their year-end tax forms, so you never chase paperwork.
How it works
- Payout setup: when a partner sets up their Stripe Express account, Stripe collects their identity and tax information. This happens before the first payout.
- Through the year: payouts go from your Stripe balance to the partner's Stripe Express account.
- Year-end forms: any year-end tax forms that apply to a partner are sent through Stripe. Partners find and download them in their Stripe Express dashboard.
Stripe stores tax details securely. Apex never sees or stores raw tax documents, only the taxFormStatus field on the partner's profile (pending, submitted, verified).
What merchants need to know
- No tax forms to collect: you don't collect tax forms from partners paid through Apex. Stripe handles that as part of payout setup.
- Payments outside Apex: if you pay partners outside of Apex (free products, cash bonuses paid directly, and so on), reporting those is up to you.
- Record retention: Apex keeps payout records for 7 years. You can export your full payout history from the dashboard or SDK at any time.
What partners need to know
- Give accurate tax details: the tax details you give Stripe must match your legal name and taxpayer ID. If they don't match, your payouts can be delayed.
- One tax profile: your Stripe Express account covers every Apex merchant you partner with.
- Finding your forms: any year-end tax forms that apply to you are in your Stripe Express dashboard.
Partners outside the US
Partners outside the US give Stripe their tax details during payout setup too. They may have reporting obligations where they live.
Related
- Facilitated payouts: the payout pipeline
- Stripe Connect setup: merchant-side Stripe integration
- Programs + memberships: program configuration