Before you start
Four things must be true before a payout leaves. Check them before you launch, not after your first approval.
| Requirement | Who does it | What happens if it is missing |
|---|---|---|
Payer identity saved (EIN, legal name, address) under Settings → Payout Identity |
Owner or Admin | New earnings are recorded as held and the run skips them |
| A payment method on file for your workspace | Any team member, from Settings → Billing |
The run skips every payout for your workspace |
| Advocate W-9 verified | The advocate, from Tax Info (W-9) in their account | The run skips that advocate |
| Advocate Stripe Connect account active | The advocate, from their account | The run skips that advocate; they show as Not connected |
- Role. Any active team member can view the payouts screen and use Process payment on a single payout. Saving payout identity is Owner or Admin.
- Bank details. Advocates connect their own Stripe account. Kindling never stores their bank details, and you never handle them.
Approving a submission is final. There is no undo in the dashboard, and the payout is created the moment you approve. Check the impressions figure before you click.
How a payout is calculated
Kindling pays on reported impressions at your program's CPM rate, limited by your post cap.
payout = (impressions ÷ 1,000) × CPM rate
If that result is higher than the program's post cap, the advocate is paid the cap instead. The cap is the ceiling on any single post, no matter how far it travels.
Worked example. A program pays $5.00 CPM with a $500.00 post cap.
| Reported impressions | Calculation | Advocate is paid |
|---|---|---|
| 18,800 | 18.8 × $5.00 | $94.00 |
| 92,556 | 92.556 × $5.00 | $462.78 |
| 400,000 | 2,000.00, above the cap | $500.00 |
Both values are set per program. You can change them at any time; the change applies to submissions approved afterward. Posts already approved keep the amount they were approved at.
A pending submission shows an estimate recorded when the advocate submitted. Approval recalculates against the rate and cap in effect at that moment, so the approved amount can differ from the estimate.
When payouts run
Payout runs happen on the 1st and the 15th of each month at 09:00 UTC. The run picks up every payout in Pending or Failed, groups them by workspace, and for each workspace:
- Skips the whole workspace if there is no payment method on file.
- Skips any payout that is held for missing payer identity, whose advocate's W-9 is not verified, or whose advocate's Stripe Connect account is not active.
- Creates one Stripe invoice for what is left and charges your payment method. Each line is one payout at the gross amount: the advocate's payout plus the 15% platform fee.
- Transfers each advocate's share to their Stripe Connect account and marks the payout Completed. The advocate is notified.
An approval on the 2nd waits until the 15th unless you pay it by hand. Telling advocates the two dates up front prevents most "where is my payment" questions.
Reminders to advocates. An advocate who has an approved enrollment for more than 24 hours and no active Stripe Connect account gets one reminder email. It is sent once, not repeated.
Pay one advocate now
You do not have to wait for the run. On the program's Submissions tab, under Approved → Payment pending, each approved submission has a Process payment button showing the total charge. Confirming it:
- creates and charges a Stripe invoice to your payment method for that one payout (advocate's share plus the 15% platform fee), and
- transfers the advocate's share to their Stripe Connect account immediately.
It requires the advocate's Stripe Connect account to be active and a payment method on file for your workspace. If either is missing, the button returns an error and nothing is charged. A payout that is already processing or completed cannot be processed again.
What an advocate has to do
- Connect Stripe. They do this from their Kindling account. Until they do, their approved earnings accumulate and show as Not connected on the payouts screen. Nothing expires.
- Complete a W-9. From Tax Info (W-9) in their account. The run pays an advocate only once their W-9 is verified.
Kindling files 1099-NEC forms for your advocates against your EIN. That is why payer identity is required before money moves.
Holds and blocks
Three different things stop a payment, and they have different fixes.
Held: your workspace has not finished payout identity
If your EIN, legal name, or address is missing, every new earning is recorded as held. Nothing can be disbursed against an incomplete payer of record.
Fix: an Owner or Admin saves the details under Settings → Payout Identity. Everything held for that reason is released automatically and goes out on the next run. You do not need to re-approve anything.
The EIN locks once saved. Legal name and address stay editable but require a reason, and the change is logged with who made it. If the EIN itself is wrong, contact support@kindlinghq.com.
Skipped: the advocate's W-9 is not verified
The run skips an advocate whose W-9 is not on file, is still being verified, or was rejected. The payout stays Pending and is picked up on a later run once the W-9 is verified. The advocate resolves it from Tax Info (W-9) in their account.
Blocked: the advocate has not finished Stripe onboarding
An advocate is blocked when they have money waiting, that money is paid by bank transfer, and their Stripe Connect account is not active. The payouts screen shows a Blocked banner with the advocates affected, longest-waiting first, and a link to view them.
| Cause | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Not onboarded | They have not started or finished Stripe onboarding | They complete onboarding from their Kindling account |
| Restricted | Stripe has restricted their account | They resolve it with Stripe directly. Kindling cannot lift it |
A blocked advocate at your workspace is not blocked elsewhere. The state is specific to the money you owe them.
Blocked is not the same as failed. A failed payout is a Stripe problem, not an onboarding problem, and is retried on the next run.
Reading the payouts screen
Three counters across the top: Pending with a running total, Processing, and Completed all time.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Approved and waiting for the next run |
| Processing | In flight with Stripe during a run |
| Completed | Paid |
| Failed | Stripe could not complete it. It is retried on the next run. Failed payouts do not appear on this screen |
Pending payouts lists each advocate, their program, the impressions the payment is based on, the amount, their Stripe status, and when it was created. The Amount column is what you are billed: the advocate's payout plus the 15% platform fee. Expand a row to see the advocate's share, a link back to the submission, and a link to the post. Not connected in the Stripe column is the flag to act on; that person will not be paid on the next run.
Recently completed shows the ten most recent completed payouts.
Export CSV downloads every payout with program, advocate, submission, platform, impressions, status, advocate payout, platform fee, total charge, and dates.
What your company is billed
Two separate charges. Detail is on Billing and pricing.
Platform subscription. $299 per month, or $2,990 per year. Monthly plans add $1.49 per month for each approved advocate enrollment. Annual plans have no per-advocate charge.
Advocate payouts. Billed at each run, and immediately when you use Process payment. You are charged the payout amount plus a 15% platform fee, so a $462.78 payout bills at $532.20.
Other reward types. Programs can pay in gift cards, charitable donations, or a company-defined reward instead of cash. Those carry their own fees: 15% on gift cards, $5.00 flat on charity, $25.00 flat on company-defined rewards.
Troubleshooting
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| An advocate says they have not been paid | Check the payouts screen. If they are pending, tell them the next run date, the 1st or the 15th, or pay them now with Process payment. If their Stripe column says Not connected, they need to finish onboarding. If Stripe is active and they are still skipped, ask whether their W-9 is verified |
| Everything is sitting unpaid, not just one person | Either payout identity is incomplete (Settings → Payout Identity) or there is no payment method on file (Settings → Billing) |
| An advocate reports a failed payment | Failed payouts are retried on the next run and are not shown on the payouts screen. Send the advocate name, program, and amount to support@kindlinghq.com |
| Process payment says the advocate has not connected Stripe | They must finish Stripe onboarding first. The run will pick the payout up once they are active |
| Process payment says there is no payment method on file | Add one under Settings → Billing |
| The amount looks wrong | Recalculate as impressions ÷ 1,000 × CPM, then check it against the post cap. Remember the payouts screen shows the gross amount including the 15% fee. Also check whether the rate changed after approval; payouts hold the rate they were approved at |
| I approved a submission by mistake | Review cannot be undone in the dashboard. Contact support@kindlinghq.com before the next run |
| An advocate's Stripe says restricted | Stripe has restricted their account. They resolve it with Stripe. Kindling cannot lift it |
FAQ
Do I have to trigger payouts?
No. Approved submissions pay out on the next run if the four requirements are met.
Can I pay someone early?
Yes. Use Process payment on the approved submission. It charges you and transfers to the advocate immediately.
What if I change a program's CPM?
New approvals use the new rate. Payouts already created keep the amount they were approved at.
Does the post cap apply per post or per month?
Per post. It is the maximum any single submission can earn.
Who is the payer of record for taxes?
Your company, under the EIN you save in payout identity. Kindling files the 1099-NEC forms against it.
Can advocates be paid in something other than cash?
Gift cards, charitable donations, and company-defined rewards are supported. They are configured per program and carry their own fees.
Where do I report a problem?
support@kindlinghq.com. Include the advocate name, the program, and the amount.