Aplauso uses Stripe Express Connect as a payout rail for eligible employee beneficiaries. A guest payment first creates one canonical tip for an employee, outlet, or department. Aplauso then calculates employee allocations and wallet obligations. The later payout does not change who or what the guest tipped.
Why Stripe Connect?
Each beneficiary can connect an employee payout account. This means:
- Allocated earnings remain attributable to the employee beneficiary
- Employees can see their own Stripe dashboard
- Eligible payouts can settle to the employee's linked bank account
- Canonical Business totals remain separate from beneficiary earnings
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
- The exact destination rule creates employee allocation and dividend records
- Eligible dividends become available in the beneficiary's Aplauso wallet
- A withdrawal enters the Stripe and bank settlement pipeline
Settlement timing varies with country, account readiness, risk review, payout method, weekends, and bank processing.
Withdrawals Are Manual by Default
New Aplauso wallets keep cleared funds in the employee wallet until the employee intentionally withdraws them. There is no automatic withdrawal schedule enabled by default.
To move funds to a bank account:
- Open Wallet in the dashboard or mobile app.
- Review the Available balance.
- Start a withdrawal when you're ready.
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.