GuidesAssessment
Preparing for a processing assessment
What to gather before you ask whether a payment partnership can even be considered.
Start with the business, not the workaround
An assessment is a description of a real business: who sells, what is sold, where, and how customers pay and receive the goods or service. If the aim is to hide any of that, the assessment should stop.
Write the legal name, the country of registration and the website you actually trade on. If there is no website, say so. A stand-in site created for the application is a reason to refuse, not a shortcut.
Bring the processing history you have
Name the processor. Summarise the period you processed, the rough size of the book and the typical transaction. Exact statements can follow. A range is more useful than a blank.
If processing was suspended, restricted or delayed, include the date and the reason you were given. You do not have to agree with the reason. You do have to disclose it.
Know the operating facts
Be ready to explain fulfilment, delivery times, refunds and who the customer thinks they are buying from. Those facts decide whether a partnership is even discussable. They are not paperwork for later.
If Stripe, or any other processor, has paused payouts, disabled charges, or asked for documents, bring the notice. A summary you wrote from memory is weaker than the email. The date, the capabilities affected, and the deadline are the parts a reviewer will ask you to repeat.
A file, not a pitch
One folder is enough: legal name, owners, website, what is sold, how long until the customer receives it, the processor, the notice, and a rough picture of disputes and refunds. Label each file with what it is. Do not include passwords, full card numbers, or a letter from a company that is not the seller.
If a fact makes the business look riskier, it still belongs in the file. Long delivery, a prior closure, a negative balance, a marketplace that was restricted: these are the facts an assessment is for. A pack that only contains the flattering pages is not ready.
For Stripe freezes, pauses, closures and disputes, use the accounts briefing. It is explanatory. It does not lift a restriction.
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