Payments

How AwardKit handles entry fee payments. Stripe Connect setup, where money flows, refunds, and tax considerations.

AwardKit uses Stripe Connect to handle entry fee payments. The architecture is intentionally minimal: entry fees flow directly from entrants to your organization's Stripe account, AwardKit never touches the money.

How it works

You connect your Stripe account to your AwardKit workspace (one-time setup, takes about 5 minutes)
You configure entry fees on a program (default fee, per-category overrides, pricing tiers, discount codes)
An entrant submits an entry and pays via Stripe Checkout
The fee lands in your Stripe balance immediately, with no commission taken by AwardKit
Refunds are handled in your Stripe Dashboard; AwardKit syncs the state automatically

What AwardKit charges

For payments processing: $0. AwardKit takes zero commission on entry fees. We charge only for the AwardKit subscription itself (see billing).

What Stripe charges

Stripe charges its standard processing fees on every transaction. For US accounts that's 2.9% + $0.30 per successful card charge. Other regions and payment methods (international cards, ACH, etc.) have different rates published on Stripe's pricing page.

These fees come out of each entry fee and are paid to Stripe directly. They don't pass through AwardKit.

Refunding an entry fee

There is no in-app refund button in AwardKit. To refund an entry fee:

Open the Stripe Dashboard for your connected account
Find the payment by entrant email or entry title (it will appear in your standard payments list)
Click Refund and confirm the amount (full or partial)
Stripe processes the refund on its standard timeline

Within seconds, AwardKit picks up the refund and:

Marks the entry's payment status as Refunded in the Entries tab
Adds the refund to the entry's payment history

The entry itself remains in the program (it's not auto-withdrawn). If you also want to remove the entry, delete it manually from the Entries tab after refunding.

Always refund first, then delete. If you delete the entry without refunding, you'll need to look up the payment in Stripe by amount and timestamp, which is harder.

Partial refunds

Stripe supports partial refunds. AwardKit tracks the refunded amount on the entry and shows it in the Entries tab and exports.

Refund timing

Refunds usually appear on the entrant's card within 5 to 10 business days, depending on the issuing bank. AwardKit doesn't control this timeline, only Stripe and the bank do.

Failed payments

If an entrant's payment fails (declined card, insufficient funds, 3D Secure timeout):

The entry is saved in Pending payment state
The entrant can resume payment from their entry page
A new Stripe Checkout session is created on resume; the original session is discarded if expired

If the entrant doesn't return, the entry stays in Pending payment state indefinitely. You can:

Wait: most entrants come back to retry
Contact them with the entry's manage link and ask if they need help
Convert to a free entry: as the organizer, edit the entry through the dashboard to clear the fee. This bypasses the payment requirement.
Delete it: if no progress after a reasonable wait, remove the abandoned entry

Disputes (chargebacks)

A dispute happens when a cardholder disputes a charge with their bank. Stripe notifies you via email and shows the dispute in the Stripe Dashboard. Handle disputes in Stripe directly: AwardKit does not surface dispute state in the dashboard today. Once the dispute resolves in Stripe, AwardKit syncs the outcome:

Won: the charge stays in Paid state
Lost: Stripe issues a refund; AwardKit marks the entry as Refunded

For award programs, disputes are usually one of:

"I didn't sign up for this" (fraud claim): typically resolved by submitting evidence of the entry submission and any communications
"I requested a refund and didn't receive it": refund the charge directly; usually closes the dispute
"Service not received": submit evidence that the entry was processed (timestamp, manage page URL, judging activity)

Reducing dispute risk

Use clear program branding on your program page so entrants recognize the charge on their statement
Set a descriptor in Stripe that includes your organization's name (Stripe Dashboard → Settings → Public details). This is what shows up on the entrant's statement.
Confirm receipts: entrants get a Stripe receipt by email after paying. Don't disable this in Stripe.
Honor refund requests promptly: most disputes are escalations from a refund request that didn't get a response in time.

Payment statuses in AwardKit

The Entries tab shows the current payment status for each entry. AwardKit keeps this in sync with Stripe automatically:

Status	Meaning
(blank)	Free entry (no fee on this program or category)
Pending payment	Checkout session created, payment not yet completed
Paid	Payment succeeded
Refunded	Full or partial refund processed in Stripe
Failed	Checkout session expired or payment was definitively rejected

Status updates land within seconds of any Stripe action.

Tax and compliance

Tax handling on entry fees is your responsibility (or your finance team's). AwardKit doesn't collect, calculate, or remit sales tax, VAT, or any other tax on entry fees.

Stripe Tax is available as a separate paid product if you want automated tax handling on Stripe Checkout sessions. AwardKit's checkout sessions are compatible with Stripe Tax: enable it in your Stripe Dashboard and Stripe will handle the calculation and collection automatically.

For income tax on entry fee revenue: that's between you, your accountant, and your local tax authority. AwardKit isn't involved.

Reporting

For payment reports:

AwardKit's CSV export of the Entries table includes payment status, fee paid, pricing tier, and discount code per entry
Stripe Dashboard has authoritative payment data: gross volume, processing fees, payouts, disputes, refunds

For tax filings, the Stripe Dashboard is the source of truth. AwardKit's data is an entry-level operational view.