Setting Up Stripe for Permit Invoice Payments

When your department issues permits, you can require applicants to pay associated fees online. Command Established uses Stripe to process payments securely — your department connects its own Stripe account, and funds go directly to you after processing.

Note: Only department owners can connect or manage Stripe settings. If you don't see the options described below, ask a department owner for help. See Understanding Permissions & Groups for more on how roles work.

What You'll Need

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Owner access to your department in Command Established
• A Stripe account — if you don't have one yet, you'll create one during the setup process
• Your department's EIN (Employer Identification Number) or equivalent tax ID
• A bank account where you want to receive payouts

Step 1: Open Stripe Connect Settings

1. Navigate to your department's Settings page from the sidebar
2. Select the Stripe Connect section
3. You'll see a description of online permit payments with a "Connect Stripe Account" button

Step 2: Connect Your Stripe Account

Click Connect Stripe Account. You'll be redirected to Stripe's onboarding flow. Stripe will ask for information about your organization:

• Organization type — Select "Government entity" or "Non-profit" depending on your department structure
• Organization details — Your department's legal name, address, EIN, and phone number
• Representative information — The name and contact details of the person authorized to manage the account (typically the fire chief or treasurer)
• Bank account — The account where Stripe will deposit funds after processing

Tip: Have your department's EIN and banking information ready before starting. The Stripe onboarding process can be completed in one sitting, but if you need to stop partway through, Stripe saves your progress and you can resume from Command Established.

Step 3: Verify Your Account

After completing the onboarding form, Stripe may need to verify your organization. This typically involves:

• Identity verification — Stripe may ask the account representative to upload a government-issued ID
• Organization verification — Stripe may request a document confirming your EIN (such as an IRS determination letter)

Verification usually completes within one to two business days. You'll receive an email from Stripe when your account is fully verified.

Step 4: Confirm the Connection

Once Stripe verifies your account, return to Settings > Stripe Connect in Command Established. You should see:

• A green Connected & active status indicator
• Charges and Payouts both showing as enabled

At this point, your department is ready to accept online payments for permit invoices.

How Payments Work

Once Stripe is connected, the payment flow works like this:

1. You create a permit type with an associated fee schedule (see the Permits > Fee Schedules tab)
2. An applicant submits a permit application through your department's public portal
3. You review and approve the permit — an invoice is automatically generated based on the fee schedule
4. The applicant receives an email with a link to pay the invoice online
5. The applicant pays via Stripe — they can use a credit card, debit card, or ACH bank transfer
6. Funds are deposited into your department's bank account on Stripe's standard payout schedule (typically two business days)

All invoices and payment statuses are tracked on the Invoices tab of the Permits page, and revenue totals are summarized on the Revenue tab.

Stripe Fees & Convenience Fees

Stripe charges standard processing fees on each transaction:

• Card payments — 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
• ACH bank transfers — 0.8% per transaction (capped at $5.00)

By default, Command Established adds a transparent "Online Processing Fee" line item to each Stripe Checkout session so the applicant covers the processing cost — not your department. This is the same convenience-fee model used by DMVs, municipal utilities, and property tax portals across the country. The fee is calculated on the amount being paid and is shown as a separate line item on the Stripe checkout page before the applicant confirms payment.

For example, if a permit fee is $250.00, the applicant sees:

Your department receives the full $250.00 — Stripe's processing fee is covered by the convenience fee so your revenue nets out to the exact permit fee you set.

For partial payments (e.g., the applicant already paid half), the convenience fee is calculated on the remaining balance, not the original invoice total.

Absorbing Fees Instead

Some states restrict or prohibit convenience fees on government payments. If your jurisdiction doesn't allow them, a department owner can toggle Absorb payment processing fees under Settings > Stripe Connect. When enabled:

• The "Online Processing Fee" line item is removed — applicants pay only the invoice amount
• Stripe's processing fee is deducted from your department's settlement before payout
• On a $250.00 permit fee, your department would receive approximately $242.45 after Stripe's cut

Command Established does not charge any platform fee on top of Stripe's rates regardless of which option you choose.

Tip: If your department processes a high volume of permit payments, contact Stripe directly about custom pricing. Many government and non-profit organizations qualify for reduced rates.

Managing Your Stripe Account

After connecting, you can manage your Stripe account in two places:

• Command Established Settings > Stripe Connect — View connection status and verify that charges and payouts are enabled
• Stripe Dashboard (dashboard.stripe.com) — View detailed transaction history, manage payouts, update bank account information, download tax documents, and configure notification preferences

Troubleshooting