Connect your Stripe account

Why this matters

Publishing a competition is gated on your Stripe account being verified. Until then you can build out divisions, workouts, and pricing in draft, but the dashboard's Publish button stays disabled. The verification step is mostly out of WOD Lane's hands — it lives on Stripe's side and depends on the documents you submit.

Where to start

From your organizer profile, open the "Payments" tab. You'll see a "Connect Stripe" button if no account is linked yet. The setup checklist on each competition's overview page also shows a "Connect your Stripe account" item with a direct link to the same screen.

The flow, step by step

1. Click "Connect Stripe". You'll be redirected to Stripe's own onboarding page — this is hosted by Stripe, not embedded in WOD Lane.
2. On Stripe's page, choose between creating a brand-new Stripe account or signing into one you already have. WOD Lane pre-fills your organization's contact email, organization name, and country (France) — you can edit any of that on Stripe.
3. Complete Stripe's onboarding form: legal entity type, business details, identity documents, bank account for payouts. The list of fields depends on your country and entity type — Stripe walks you through it.
4. Stripe redirects you back to WOD Lane. Your account is now linked, but verification may still be in progress on Stripe's side — that's the "Verification in progress" state below.
5. Enable Stripe Tax on your connected account. This is a manual step on Stripe's side that's easy to overlook — see the dedicated section below.
6. Once Stripe finishes verifying you (sometimes instant, sometimes a day or two depending on documents) and Tax is active, the status flips to "Payments Enabled" and the Publish button on your competitions unlocks.

Required: enable Stripe Tax

How to enable it on Stripe's side:

1. Open your Stripe dashboard (the "Open Stripe Dashboard" link from the Payments tab takes you there).
2. Go to More → Tax (or search "Tax" in the dashboard search). The Stripe Tax product needs to be activated for your account.
3. Confirm your origin address (the country/region you sell from), then enable automatic tax calculation. Stripe will set the status to "active".
4. Back on WOD Lane's Payments tab, click "Refresh Status". The status should flip to "Payments Enabled" within a few seconds.

The three states

The Payments tab shows one of three states. Knowing which one you're in tells you what action to take:

• Not Connected — no Stripe account linked. Click "Connect Stripe" to start.
• Verification Pending — we have your account id, but Stripe hasn't fully verified you yet. Either you bailed on Stripe's onboarding form before submitting, or Stripe is reviewing what you sent. Open your Stripe dashboard, finish any outstanding requirements, then click "Refresh Status" on the Payments tab.
• Payments Enabled — verified and ready. You can publish competitions, athletes can pay, and Stripe schedules payouts to your bank.

What to expect during verification

• Stripe asks for legal entity info (company / sole trader / individual), tax ID, business address, and a bank account.
• Identity verification typically requires a photo of an ID document and sometimes a selfie. This is Stripe's KYC, not ours — we never see the documents.
• Most accounts verify within minutes. Edge cases (mismatched names, unusual entity types, complex tax setups) can take a day or two while Stripe reviews manually.
• If Stripe needs more from you, they'll email you and surface a banner in your Stripe dashboard. Your WOD Lane status will stay in pending until you respond.

After you're connected

• Athletes pay you directly through Stripe Checkout. The funds land on your Stripe balance, not on WOD Lane.
• Stripe handles payouts to your bank on its default schedule (typically weekly or daily depending on your country). You manage payout cadence in your Stripe dashboard.
• WOD Lane takes a small platform fee per registration (€1 + 5%) as an application fee at the time of payment. The rest is yours.
• Refunds, fee receipts, and detailed transaction history live in your Stripe dashboard — the "Open Stripe Dashboard" link in the Payments tab takes you straight there.

Common questions

Can I use the same Stripe account for multiple competitions?

Yes. You connect Stripe once at the organizer level, and every competition you create uses that same account.

Can I switch Stripe accounts later?

Not from the UI yet. If you need to change the connected account, contact support — we'd rather walk you through it than risk orphaning in-flight payments. Switching after registrations have run is especially delicate because refunds need to come from the original account.

What if I'm stuck in "Verification Pending" forever?

Open your Stripe dashboard — Stripe always tells you exactly what's missing (a document, a tax setting, a bank confirmation). Fix it on Stripe's side, then click "Refresh Status" on the Payments tab. WOD Lane also receives webhooks from Stripe that update the status automatically, so the next page reload usually shows the new state too.

Do I need a registered company?

Depends on your country and the volumes you're handling. Stripe lets individuals and sole traders onboard in most cases. Check Stripe's documentation for your jurisdiction if unsure — this isn't WOD Lane's call to make.