# SaaS platform essential integration tasks

Review the integration steps you must complete to build a SaaS platform.

See our [Quickstart](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/saas/quickstart.md) for a complete, annotated code sample of this integration.

Connect supports many methods of integration to define the interactions between you, your connected accounts and Stripe. You get to decide:

- How funds from purchases move through your platform account and Stripe.
- Which accounts Stripe uses to cover losses from refunds and disputes.
- Whether connected accounts interact with Stripe directly or through your own site.
- How to charge connected accounts for using your platform.

If you’re building a [SaaS platform](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/saas.md) to charge a per-transaction fee and a monthly service fee to allow connected accounts to directly accept Stripe-processed payments through your platform, this guide might help simplify some of your decisions by providing a best practice set of integration steps.

## Before you begin

1. [Register your platform](https://dashboard.stripe.com/connect).
1. Add business details to [activate your account](https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/onboarding).
1. [Complete your platform profile](https://dashboard.stripe.com/connect/settings/profile).
1. [Customise your brand settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/connect/stripe-dashboard/branding). Add a business name, icon, and brand colour.

## Essential task summary

Each essential task represents a discrete step in the process of building your SaaS platform.

1. [Create a connected account](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/saas/tasks/create.md)

   Create a Stripe account that uses your platform’s Stripe integration to accept payments from their customers.

1. [Set up Dashboard access](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/saas/tasks/dashboard.md)

   Specify whether your connected account can access the Stripe Dashboard directly or through your own site.

1. [Onboard your connected account](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/saas/tasks/onboard.md)

   Notify your connected account of required actions they must take to activate their account with Stripe.

1. [Accept a payment](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/saas/tasks/accept-payment.md)

   Configure your payment integration to correctly reference your connected account and apply branding to the UI their customers see.

1. [Collect platform fees](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/saas/tasks/app-fees.md)

   Decide whether your platform collects a fee for each processed payment.

1. [Charge service fees](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/saas/tasks/service-fee.md)

   Decide whether your connected account must subscribe to use your platform.

1. [Payout users](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/saas/tasks/payout.md)

   Define how and when your connected account withdraws funds from their Stripe balance.

1. [Handle refunds and disputes](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/saas/tasks/refunds-disputes.md)

   Manage the funds flow of activity that reverses completed payments.