Responding to a processor information request

Sooner or later your payment processor will ask you for information. It might be a document to verify your business, a question about what you sell, a request for financial statements or a request to explain a change in your transactions. The way to handle it is the same every time: read the request closely, answer exactly what was asked, send honest and complete documents before the deadline, and keep a copy of everything.

This guide uses Stripe's published support pages as the reference point. Other processors work in similar ways, but always follow the instructions in the request you receive.

Why processors ask for information

A request is not in itself a sign that something is wrong. Stripe states that it reviews accounts continuously, with the frequency depending on risk signals in day-to-day activity, and describes these reviews as a required step for processing. Its support pages also say that verification is not one-time: if Stripe cannot confirm at any point that a business meets its requirements, it may ask for more information or ask the business to fix the problem.

Stripe lists signals that can prompt a closer credit review, including elevated dispute activity, elevated refund rates, longer delivery windows, long billing periods and sharp increases in volume. A request may also follow a change you made, such as new products, a new website or a jump in sales.

Step 1: Read the request carefully

Before you gather anything, work out exactly what is being asked.

• What specific information or documents are requested?
• Is there a deadline, and what does the notice say happens if you miss it?
• Where must you respond: a Dashboard task, an upload form or an email reply?
• Is the request about your identity, your products, your finances or a specific set of transactions?

If anything is unclear, ask the processor to clarify rather than guessing. A precise question back is better than a long answer to the wrong question.

Step 2: Answer exactly what was asked

Reviewers handle many accounts. Clear, direct answers are easier to assess.

• Answer each question in order, under its own heading if the format allows.
• Use plain, factual language. Describe your products, buyers and sales channels as they are.
• Give specifics where they are asked for: numbers, dates, names of carriers, how a control works.
• Do not pad answers with marketing language, and do not volunteer opinions about other businesses.
• If the answer is "we do not do that", say so.

For a research-use-only supplier, a common question is who your buyers are and how you make sure you sell only to them. Describe the controls you actually run, how often they stop orders, and what happens when they do. Do not describe a control you plan to add as if it were already live.

Step 3: Make your documents complete and honest

Stripe's guidance on business verification documents says they must show your business name, business address and a company registration or VAT number, and that these details must match your Stripe account. Documents should be valid and representative of your up-to-date registration, clear and large enough to read, and, if the details span several pages, combined into a single PDF. Stripe also states that it can only accept these documents through the Dashboard, not by email.

Some general rules apply to every document you send:

• Send originals or true copies. Never edit, retouch or recreate a document.
• Make sure names and addresses match across documents and your account. If they do not, explain why before the reviewer has to ask.
• Send the whole document, not selected pages, unless the request asks for something narrower.
• If you send financial information, make sure it covers the period requested.

Stripe's credit review guidance lists the kinds of information it may ask for, including financial statements and management accounts, details of your business model, funds flow and vendors, and evidence of clear customer information such as contact details and refund, cancellation and delivery policies.

Step 4: Fix mismatches at the source

Sometimes preparing a response shows that your website says something different from what you are telling the processor. A product page uses consumer language, an old blog post is still live, or a policy promises something checkout does not do. Fix the website. Do not adjust the answer to match the page, and do not adjust the page only until the review is over.

The checklist for preparing your storefront for a processor review is a good place to start, along with auditing old blog posts.

Step 5: Respond on time

Respond within the deadline in the notice, and sooner if you can. The Stripe Services Agreement lists, among the grounds on which Stripe may suspend services, a user not promptly responding to Stripe's request for, or failing to provide, user information. Stripe's credit review guidance also says that if you cannot provide what was asked, you should contact Stripe as soon as possible, and that it will work with you on alternatives whenever possible.

Stripe's guidance adds that incomplete information can leave it with an incomplete profile of your business, which adds friction to the review.

Step 6: Keep a copy of everything

Keep a dated record of each request and response:

• The request itself, with the date received.
• Your answers, exactly as sent.
• Every document and file you uploaded.
• Any follow-up questions and replies.
• The outcome and any changes in terms.

This record helps if the processor asks a related question later, if a different team member handles the next request, or if you need to show that you answered fully. If you keep compliance records in a system that can export them for a date range, an export of the relevant period can support your answers. See exporting compliance evidence for a review. Claddr's export, for example, produces a PDF summary of the controls in force and a CSV of every audit entry with its hash.

After you respond

A review can end with no change. It can also end with new terms, such as a reserve on part of your balance, or in rare cases with the processor deciding it can no longer support the business. Stripe's credit review guidance describes both possibilities. See reserves and payout holds, explained.

Whatever the result, the decision belongs to the processor. If it is not the outcome you hoped for, ask what information would help, correct anything that was wrong, and accept the decision if it stands. Do not try to continue the same business through another account, another entity or another person's name. If you are preparing for a conversation with your processor, the call preparation checklist may help.

If the request raises legal questions about your business, speak to a qualified lawyer about your business before you respond.