This guide is for course providers checking money collected from customers through Stripe or PayPal: where it goes, when it reaches your bank and why the amount can be lower than the order total. It does not describe payments for your own Cademy subscription.
A payment is money collected from a customer. Your balance is the money recorded in your Stripe or PayPal account. A payout (called a withdrawal in PayPal) moves available money from that account to your bank. These are separate stages.
An order is not proof of money received. An order can be unpaid or only partly paid. Even a successful customer payment does not mean the money is already available in your bank.
Which Stripe or PayPal Account Your Course Payments and Payouts Go To
Cademy does not hold customer payments. A payment taken through Stripe goes straight into the Stripe account you connected in Apps > Stripe. If you have connected more than one Stripe account, a course uses the account chosen in its payment settings, or your default account. A PayPal payment goes into the PayPal business account you connected. Stripe or PayPal then pays the money out to the bank account saved in that account. See Connect Stripe to Take Card Payments and Connect PayPal for Customer Payments.
To check which account received a specific payment:
In the Admin Dashboard, open Orders, select the order and review Invoices & Payments.
Find the successful payment, its amount and provider. Do not use only the order total if it includes an unpaid balance.
Sign in to the Stripe or PayPal account used for that payment. Match the payment reference, amount and currency.
Check the provider’s available balance and payout or withdrawal record separately from the customer payment.
A manually recorded payment is a record of money handled outside Cademy; it does not create a Stripe or PayPal payout. A gift card payment uses the value of the gift card rather than creating a new bank payout for that redemption.
Change the Bank Account Your Payouts Are Deposited Into
Cademy does not store the bank account your payouts are paid into. Stripe pays out to the bank account saved in your Stripe account, and PayPal withdraws to the bank linked to your PayPal account. To change it, sign in to that account and update the bank details there; see Stripe’s payout guidance or PayPal’s withdrawal instructions.
Changing bank details in Stripe does not change which Stripe account Cademy uses. To take future payments into a different Stripe account, connect that account in Cademy. Bank details you show customers so they can pay you do not affect payouts. They can be in two places, both in Settings > Payments: the Notice of your manual payment method, shown at checkout after a customer chooses that method, and the Footer text of your invoices, printed on every invoice. To change the bank account customers pay into, update both there.
When Stripe Pays Out to Your Bank (Stripe Payouts)
Stripe controls when a payment becomes available and when a payout reaches your bank. The payout schedule does not make a pending balance available sooner. Country, account status, payment method and bank processing affect timing.
Sign in to your Stripe account and use its payout guidance to check the available payout schedule, bank details and expected arrival. The first payout generally takes longer; Stripe gives a typical initial period of 7 to 14 days, with exceptions.
Connecting an account does not prove that an earlier payment was taken through it.
When PayPal Money Reaches Your Bank (PayPal Withdrawals)
A payment received into PayPal and a withdrawal to your bank are separate transactions. Check whether the money is available in PayPal before expecting a bank transfer.
Sign in to your PayPal account and follow PayPal’s withdrawal instructions. Available methods, transfer estimates, holds and fees depend on the account and transfer. Do not assume PayPal uses the same payout schedule as Stripe.
Why a Payout Is Less Than the Order Total (Fees Charged on Bookings)
If payments do not add up to the amount you expected, compare the customer payment with the provider’s transaction and payout details, not just the order total. A payout can combine several payments and account adjustments.
The order can include money that has not yet been paid.
Payment processing fees, currency conversion, refunds, disputes or provider adjustments can reduce the amount available.
The Cademy platform fee, where your plan or agreement applies one, is separate from the payment provider’s processing fee. It is taken from each Stripe or PayPal payment when the customer pays, so that part never reaches your balance.
A payout’s timing can differ from the date of the order or payment.
Use your provider account’s fee breakdown and agreed pricing. The public Stripe UK pricing and PayPal UK merchant fees are starting points, not a guarantee of the rate on every account. For Cademy’s own charges, see Understand Cademy Plans, Limits and Fees.
Cademy has no screen for disputes or chargebacks. If a customer disputes a payment with their bank or with PayPal, check and answer the dispute in your Stripe or PayPal account.
Money From a Booking Has Not Arrived in Your Bank
Check whether Cademy shows a successful payment and whether any amount is still unpaid.
Find the same payment in the Stripe or PayPal account that processed it. If it is missing or differs from Cademy, contact Cademy Support with the order and payment references.
If the provider has the payment, check whether the balance is available and whether a payout or withdrawal exists. Follow any account-verification or bank-detail request inside that provider account.
For a delayed or failed payout, use the provider’s status and support process. Keep the payout reference and expected date. Do not charge the customer again to resolve a payout delay.
If the payment was made before your current connection or you cannot establish who received it, ask Cademy Support to investigate the original payment. Include the order reference, date, amount and any provider reference. Do not assume an old payment can be transferred into a newly connected account.
Refunds Are Separate From Payouts
A refund returns money to the customer; it is not a payout to your business. Processing fees are not automatically returned with a refund. To give money back, see Refund a Customer in Full or in Part. To cancel a booking, see Cancel a Booking or Part of an Order.
Frequently asked questions
Does Cademy send every order payment straight to my bank?
No. Stripe and PayPal payments go into your Stripe or PayPal account first, and that provider pays them out to your bank. The order, payment and bank receipt are different records.
Can a Stripe or PayPal payout reach my bank account?
Yes, where that provider supports bank payouts or withdrawals for your account. Cademy does not replace the provider’s payout settings. Follow the provider’s account-specific instructions.
Will connecting Stripe move payments made before I connected it?
No. Connecting or changing a Stripe account does not move payments already taken. Ask Cademy Support to identify where an earlier payment was collected and what options apply.