Aplauso uses Stripe Express Connect to give every employee their own individual payout wallet. Tips go directly from the guest's card to the employee's personal Stripe account - Aplauso never pools or holds employee tip money.
Why Stripe Connect?
Traditional payment platforms collect all money into one merchant account and then transfer to employees on a schedule. Aplauso takes a different approach: each employee has their own Stripe account connected to Aplauso. This means:
- Tips are attributed to the individual immediately
- Employees can see their own Stripe dashboard
- Payouts go directly to each employee's bank account
- Aplauso never comingles employee funds
Setting Up Your Wallet
Every employee must complete Stripe's identity and banking onboarding before receiving payouts.
- Sign in to my.aplauso.io and go to Wallet or Settings > Payment.
- Click Connect with Stripe.
- You are redirected to a Stripe-hosted onboarding page. You will need:
- Full legal name (must match government ID)
- Date of birth
- Last 4 digits of Social Security Number (US) or equivalent national ID
- Bank account number and routing number for payouts
- Complete the Stripe form and submit.
- Stripe redirects back to Aplauso. Your wallet status updates to Connected.
The onboarding is handled entirely by Stripe - Aplauso never sees or stores your bank account details or SSN.
Wallet Status
Your wallet card in the dashboard shows one of these statuses:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Not Connected | Stripe account not yet created; tips cannot be paid out |
| Onboarding Incomplete | Account created but identity/banking info not finished |
| Pending Verification | Stripe is reviewing submitted documents |
| Connected | Fully active; tips and payouts are enabled |
If your status shows Pending Verification with listed requirements, click Complete Setup to see what Stripe still needs.
How Tips Flow
- Guest pays at the kiosk (card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay)
- Stripe processes the payment and confirms success
- Aplauso webhook receives confirmation and marks the tip as finalized
- A dividend record is created in your Aplauso wallet (available balance increases)
- You initiate a withdrawal from the Aplauso wallet to your Stripe account
- Stripe deposits into your linked bank account (typically 1-2 business days)
Auto-Withdraw
In Settings > Payment, you can enable Auto-Withdraw to automatically transfer your available balance to Stripe when it reaches a set threshold. For example, auto-withdraw when balance exceeds $50.
Stripe Dashboard Access
Once connected, you can access your personal Stripe dashboard from my.aplauso.io > Wallet > Open Stripe Dashboard. There you can:
- See full transaction history
- Update bank account details
- View payout schedules
- Download tax documents (1099-K in the US)
Separate Environments
Your Stripe wallet is separate for each Aplauso environment:
- Live: your real wallet with real payouts
- Sandbox: a test wallet using Stripe test mode (no real money)
Ensure you are in the live environment before initiating real withdrawals.