SaaS platform payments with subscription billing using Accounts v2Private preview

SaaS (Software as a Service) platforms using Connect often charge subscription fees for providing their platform services. Accounts v1 requires platforms to maintain separate Stripe objects to enable a single business to both pay for a subscription (as a Customer) and operate on the platform (as an Account). Accounts v2 allows you to manage all your interactions with your connected accounts through a single, multi-configuration object.

Using Connect and Billing in API v1 with Accounts and Customers

In API v1, Account objects support only Connect features. To charge a connected account using a subscription, a platform must create a Customer object representing the same connected account. Accounts v1 and Customers v1 have no explicit relationship, so the platform must manage those objects separately and maintain a map of Account IDs to Customer IDs.

SaaS platform relationships with Accounts and Customers in API v1

Using Connect and Billing in API v2 with Accounts

With Accounts v2, a connected account that collects payments and pays you a subscription fee doesn’t require both an Account object and a Customer object. Instead, you represent it by assigning the applicable configurations to the Account.

To enable a connected account to collect payments from customers, assign the Merchant configuration to the corresponding Account.

Platform and Account with Merchant configuration

To enable the platform to collect payments, including subscription payments, from the connected account, add the Customer configuration to the Account.

Platform and Account with Merchant and Customer configurations

The Accounts API v2

In API v2, Account objects can have multiple configurations. Each configuration represents a different type of business relationship and enables different Stripe products. By assigning multiple configurations to an Account, a SaaS platform can enable both Connect and Billing for it without also having to create a Customer.

The Accounts API v2 provides:

• Unified representation: A single Account object can represent multiple relationships between connected accounts and your platform.
• Flexible configurations: Enable or change Stripe products and features by changing the configurations assigned to an Account.
• Centralised identity data: The Account object stores all of a connected account’s identity data. When you add a configuration to an existing Account, you don’t have to collect requirements that they already provided.

Private preview considerations

The private preview release of Accounts v2 has some limitations. Consider the following:

• Stripe products: The preview integration uses Billing to collect subscription fees and Connect to enable embedded payments.
• Dashboard access and account types: Your connected accounts can’t use the full or Express Stripe Dashboard. Build a custom interface or use Connect embedded components.
• Payment methods: Accounts with the Merchant configuration can only accept card payments. They can’t accept wallet payments or Link payments, regardless of the Link integration.
• Charge types: The preview integration supports only direct charges and destination charges with the on_behalf_of parameter. You can’t use destination charges without on_behalf_of or separate charges and transfers.