# Add funds to your platform balance

Platforms can add funds to their balance from a bank account.

Platforms can add funds to their Stripe balance to pay connected accounts for goods or services. There are a number of different use cases for adding funds to pay connected accounts for goods or services, including:

- Paying bonuses or other one-off *payouts* (A payout is the transfer of funds to an external account, usually a bank account, in the form of a deposit), independent of specific charges
- Providing customer discounts while still paying full price for goods or services to sellers
- Adding funds from non-Stripe income
- Enabling faster payouts (for example, pay a vendor before incoming funds become available)

Where permitted, platforms can also add funds to their Stripe balance to send funds to recipients off of Stripe (for example, through [cross-border payouts](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/cross-border-payouts.md)). They can also pay out added funds to other accounts they own.

> If a transfer or payout fails due to insufficient funds in your platform balance, adding funds doesn’t automatically retry the failed action. After adding funds, you must repeat any failed transfers or payouts.

## Availability

This table outlines the regions where your Stripe platform can operate, and can help you understand the approval requirements and the status verification process.

| Availability         | Description                                                                                                                                                        |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| General availability | USA, UK, Japan                                                                                                                                                     |
| Private preview      | EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Contact your sales representative for the latest information on availability in these markets.                                 |
| Approval required    | In all markets, you must complete KYC to get your platform profile approved. You can do so using the Stripe Dashboard, or by contacting your sales representative. |
| Status verification  | You can verify the status in your settings after you create the platform profile.                                                                                  |

## Requirements

All of these requirements must be met to add funds to your Stripe balance:

- Your platform and the connected account receiving the funds are either in the same market or the connected account has a [recipient](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/service-agreement-types.md#recipient) service agreement.
- Your platform profile is approved. You can check the status in your [settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/connect/settings/profile) after completing the platform profile.

For businesses using automatic payouts, funds added to the payments balance in excess of the [minimum balance](https://docs.stripe.com/payouts/minimum-balances-for-automatic-payouts.md) are paid out in the next payout. You can configure your payout schedule and minimum balance settings in your [Payout settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/payouts).

> Only [team members](https://docs.stripe.com/get-started/account/teams.md) with administrator access to the platform Stripe account and who’ve enabled [two factor authentication](https://support.stripe.com/questions/how-do-i-enable-two-step-verification) can add funds.

If you’re new to *Connect* (Connect is Stripe's solution for multi-party businesses, such as marketplace or software platforms, to route payments between sellers, customers, and other recipients), start with a guide to add funds to your platform balance and [pay out money](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/payouts-connected-accounts.md).

## Confirm funding purpose

To add funds, go to the [Balance](https://dashboard.stripe.com/balance/overview) section in the Dashboard. Click **Add to balance**.

Select **Payments balance** to add funds that are paid out to your connected accounts. You can also use funds added to the payments balance to cover future refunds and disputes or to repay your platform’s negative balance. To learn more about **Refunds and disputes balance**, see [adding funds to your Stripe balance](https://docs.stripe.com/get-started/account/add-funds.md).

## Verify your bank account

You must use a verified bank account to add funds. You’ll go through the verification process in the Dashboard when you first attempt to add funds from an unverified bank account.

If your bank account is unverified, you must confirm two microdeposits from Stripe. These deposits appear on your online banking statement within 1-2 business days, with `ACCTVERIFY` for the statement description.

Stripe notifies you in the Dashboard and through email when the microdeposits have arrived in your account. To complete the verification process, click the Dashboard notification in the [Balance](https://dashboard.stripe.com/balance/overview) section, enter the two microdeposit amounts, and click **Verify account**.

## Add funds

After verification, you can use the [Dashboard](https://dashboard.stripe.com/balance/overview) or the [API](https://docs.stripe.com/api.md#topups) to add funds to your account balance.

#### Dashboard

1. In the Dashboard, go to the [Balance](https://dashboard.stripe.com/balance/overview) section.
1. Click **Add to balance**, and then select **Payments balance**.
1. Enter the amount to top-up.
1. Select a payment method.
1. For bank debits, verify the amount and click **Add funds.** For bank transfers, use the Stripe banking information to initiate a bank transfer or wire transfer from your bank.
1. The resulting object is called a [Top-up](https://docs.stripe.com/api/topups/object.md), which you can view in the [Top-ups](https://dashboard.stripe.com/topups) section of the Dashboard. For bank transfers, the top-up isn’t created until the funds are received.
1. After the funds are available in your platform’s Stripe balance, you can transfer funds to a connected account through the [API](https://docs.stripe.com/api.md#transfers) or the [Dashboard](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/dashboard/managing-individual-accounts.md#sending-funds). In the Dashboard, transfer funds to a connected account by clicking **Add funds** in the **Balance** section of the connected account’s details page.

#### API

When you add funds through the API, it creates a [Top-up object](https://docs.stripe.com/api/topups/object.md).

```curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/topups \
  -u "<<YOUR_SECRET_KEY>>:" \
  -d amount=2000 \
  -d currency=usd \
  -d description="Top-up for week of May 31" \
  -d statement_descriptor="Weekly top-up"
```

When you transfer funds, a statement descriptor appears on your banking statement for the transaction. The default statement descriptor is “Top-up.” You can customize the statement descriptor and internal description for the top-up.

## View your funds 

View your added funds in the Dashboard on the [Top-ups](https://dashboard.stripe.com/topups) tab under the [Balance](https://dashboard.stripe.com/balance/overview) page. Each time you add funds, it creates a `Top-up` object that has a unique ID with the format `tu_XXXXXX`, which you can see on the detailed view for the top-up.

## Settlement timing 

This table provides the expected timing for fund settlement based on the region and payment transfer method, and can help you understand how long it typically takes for payments to process.

| Region and currency | Payment transfer method | Estimated speed                                                  |
| ------------------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| USA (USD)           | Wire transfer           | 1-5 days                                                         |
| USA (USD)           | ACH Credit Transfer     | 1-3 days                                                         |
| USA (USD)           | ACH Debit Transfer      | 5 days                                                           |
| EU (EUR)            | SEPA Credit Transfer    | 1-2 days                                                         |
| UK (GBP)            | FPS                     | 2 hours - 1 day                                                  |
| UK (GBP)            | BACS                    | 2-3 days                                                         |
| Other currencies    | Wire transfer           | 1-7 days (if you provide the correct wire information to Stripe) |

Depending on your account configuration, you might not have access to all the methods mentioned above immediately after launching.

If you’re a new user and haven’t completed a substantial amount of top-ups to Stripe, the timing for fund availability might initially be delayed longer than indicated; however, your initial speed will eventually align with the outlined speeds.

## Testing

You can use the Dashboard or the API to [test adding funds to your balance](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/testing.md#testing-top-ups).