Accept online donations and event payments with Planning Center Payments
Important
This article is for customers who are collecting online donations and event payments using Planning Center Payments. If you are using a Stripe account to collect online donations and event payments, check out the Accept payments with Stripe article instead. Unsure which one you are using? If you see a Stripe logo on this page in Account settings, you'll want to jump over to the other article.
If you'd like to receive online donations and accept online payments for events, use Planning Center Payments.
Once set up, Planning Center Payments, powered by Stripe, allows you to collect donations and event payments online and manage all the details directly in your account settings.
Set up Payments
Before you can accept online donations and event payments, you need to set up Payments in your account settings. During the setup process, you'll create a Stripe account that's managed by Planning Center. It isn't possible to use an existing Stripe account.
The person who completes the setup process becomes the Payments account owner.
Important
Only an organization administrator can become the Payments account owner. After setup is complete, the Payments account owner is the only person who can:
Update settings in Payments.
Update bank account information for payouts.
Complete verification and compliance actions.
This cannot be changed in Planning Center, so it is important to identify who should have this role before getting started.
Make sure you have the following items prepared ahead of time to help the setup process go quickly:
Your organization's legal name and official address.
Your tax information (EIN).
A bank account for payouts.
Basic information about a representative (name, date of birth, etc.).
Once you've gathered those items, here's how to set up Payments.
Select the product name in the top left and choose Account settings from the dropdown.
Select the Payments page in the top navigation.
Select Set up Payments.
Review the information in the popup and check the box to verify you understand you will become the Payments account owner.
Warning
The Payments account owner cannot be changed in Planning Center. If you are not the person who should act as the Payments account owner, select Cancel.
Select Continue to setup.
Enter your email and phone number in the new window.
Select Submit.
Enter the code you received.
Select your business type from the dropdown. Most customers who use Planning Center will choose Nonprofit organization.
Enter the following information:
Legal business name
(Optional) Business name (Doing business as (dba) name)
Employment Identification Number (EIN)
Business address
Business phone number
Industry: Most Planning Center customers will choose Membership Organizations, followed by Religious organizations.
Business website: If you do not have a website, a link to a social media profile is also acceptable.
Product description: A short summary of the ministry or work your organization does, along with noting that you collect online donations and event payments, is sufficient.
Select Continue.
Enter your personal details, including your name, email address, job title, date of birth, home address, phone number, and the last 4 digits of your social security number (or a government-issued ID number).
Select Continue.
Search for your bank in the search box to use it for payouts.
Select Enter bank account credentials instead to enter your bank information manually.
Select Continue.
Enter a statement descriptor in the Statement descriptor box. This is the name people will see on their bank statements. Choose something they will recognize!
Enter customer support details, including a phone number and address. These should match what is listed on your website or social media.
Select Continue.
Review the information you entered for each section and select Agree and submit.
If the information you provided was verified successfully, you'll return to the Payments page in Account settings.
If the information you entered has not yet been verified, select Submit in the popup to return to the Payments page in Account settings while you wait.
Tip
Did you start the setup process, but not complete it? When you're ready to jump back in, select Continue setup.
After you've finished setting up Payments, you're ready to accept online donations and event payments! Check out the Getting started with Giving and Collect payments in Registrations guides for next steps in Giving and Registrations.
There may be instances where you need to change your Payments account owner. Maybe that person moved or is no longer on staff at your church. When this happens, contact the Planning Center support team by selecting the ? question mark icon to start the transfer process.
How online donations and event payments are processed
Any time an online donation or an event payment is received on Church Center, the following process takes place:
When the online donation or event payment is initiated, a processing fee is deducted from the total.
The net total is added to your Payments account balance.
You can check your balance on the Payouts tab on the Payments page in account settings.
As transactions clear, they are bundled into payouts and scheduled for deposit on a rolling two-day basis.
Important
All new Payments accounts have a 7-day waiting period before your first payout is received.
See scheduled payouts on the Payouts tab on the Payments page in account settings.
Money is deposited into the bank account listed in your Payment settings.
View and download payouts
As money is collected in your Payments account, transactions that have cleared are deposited into your linked bank account. These deposits are called payouts. Payouts are received on a rolling two-day basis, meaning any money that's cleared in the last two days is deposited.
View payouts
You can view a report of each payout you receive on the Payouts tab on the Payments page in account settings. These reports will show you how much of each deposit came from each Giving fund and Registrations signup.
Select the Payments page in the top navigation in account settings.
Select the Payouts tab on the left.
View the balance in your Payments account, the total available to pay out to your saved bank account, and the date of the next scheduled payout at the top of the page.
Select See details in the top right to view more information about your account balances.
Select an individual payout in the Payouts table to see the deposit broken down by Giving fund and Registrations signup.
Select the Payments page in the top navigation in account settings.
Select the Payouts tab on the left.
Select Export CSV in the Payouts table to download a CSV of all payout totals.
This report lists all transactions included in a payout. Because the report contains Giving information, only the Payments account owner, Giving administrators, and Giving bookkeepers can download it.
Select the Payments page in the top navigation in account settings.
Select the Payouts tab on the left.
Choose an individual payout in the Payouts table.
Select Download a detailed report in the top right of the payout to download a CSV that lists all transactions included in the payout.
Select Close in the Exporting... popup.
Select the 🔔 bell icon in the toolbar to view the notification after the file has generated.
Select the notification to download the CSV file.
A note about reconciling payouts
It is recommended to use the payout reports to enter journal entries into your general ledger rather than individual transactions. The CSV export from the Payouts tab will provide this level of information.
While the Transactions tab, explained below, provides a list of all transactions received, itemized lists of transactions by payout are found inside a specific payout report.
View transactions
The Transactions tab includes a summary of all payments, both successful and attempted, across both Giving and Registrations.
Important
Only the Payments account owner, Giving administrators, or Giving bookkeepers can view the transactions table.
Select the Payments page in the top navigation in account settings.
Select the Transactions tab on the left.
Use the filters at the top of the table to sort transactions by amount, email, date, status, and payment method.
Select an individual transaction to view more details about the payment, including whether it was received from Giving or Registrations.
Select Export in the top right to export a CSV of your transactions.
Choose the date range and columns you'd like the CSV to include, then select Export in the popup.
Manage Payment settings
From the Settings tab, the Payments account owner can update your Payment account settings, including your business name, statement descriptor, and support contact information, as well as choose an account representative and update payout bank details.
Important
Only the Payments account owner can view and update Payment settings.
Select the Payments page in the top navigation in account settings.
Select the Settings tab on the left.
Select Edit or Choose to the right of a section to update the included information.
Understanding Stripe's restrictions
Planning Center Payments is powered by Stripe and, as a global payment processor, Stripe operates within a broader payments ecosystem that includes banks, card networks, and government-mandated financial compliance programs. While US law may permit some organizations to support humanitarian or mission work in sanctioned countries under specific exemptions or licenses, Stripe’s banking partners have determined they are not willing or able to take on the financial and regulatory risk associated with processing payments to these countries. Compliance, as outlined in Stripe’s documentation, is not subject to negotiation.
Because of those requirements, Stripe will restrict or decline transactions connected to sanctioned or high-risk countries or individuals, and following a risk assessment review, a church’s Payments account may be frozen. This applies even when your organization's intent is humanitarian, religious, or mission-driven.
Important
As of December 2025, this includes Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk Regions of Ukraine, but other jurisdictions may also be subject to restrictions. The list of sanctioned countries can change at any time based on government policy and financial regulations. See Stripe’s Prohibited and Restricted Business document for more information.
Payments connected to sanctioned or high-risk countries or individuals cannot be processed through Planning Center. This includes online card and bank debit transfers, but not checks, cash, or monies processed outside of Planning Center.
This does not mean that your organization is prohibited from supporting causes or partners in these areas; it means that Stripe cannot facilitate transactions explicitly for these restricted jurisdictions. These restrictions are not targeted at churches or religious activity, and they are not based on Planning Center making a judgment about your organization's mission or the purpose of your giving.
Stripe's risk assessment review process is not fully disclosed for security purposes, but certain factors can trigger a review:
Fund names
Fund or signup descriptions
Website content
Transaction patterns
When Stripe detects activity that may fall into these categories, Stripe's risk team will contact your Payments account owner to notify you of this review and guide you through what is needed to avoid any account restrictions. During a review:
Your payment and donation forms will continue to receive online donations and payments.
Payouts to your bank account may be temporarily unavailable.
Planning Center cannot override Stripe's review or payout decisions.
If you have content on your website or donation form about mission work or philanthropy in these areas, Stripe may ask you for evidence that the payments for or in these areas are not being processed through Planning Center Payments, which is powered by Stripe.
If you process online payments connected to restricted jurisdictions through another platform, where it’s both legal and supported by your bank and payment processor, you can maintain those records in Planning Center.
For donations in Giving: Use payment sources and batches.
For event payments in Registrations: Apply payments manually.
This approach keeps payment records, contribution history, and reporting accurate in Planning Center, even when the payment itself is processed outside of Payments.
Troubleshoot Payments
Refer to the table below for guidance if you get stuck. Don't see the issue you're facing? Get in touch with the Planning Center support team by selecting the ? question mark icon in the toolbar so they can help.
Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
Transactions tab or Settings tab not loading | Select Sign in and enter the verification code you received to reload the information. |
Need to make changes to Payments settings | Your Payments account owner can update settings from the Settings tab on the Payments page in account settings. |
Payouts no longer deposited to saved bank account | Payments account information needs to be updated or verified. See balances, holds, and payout dates on the Settings tab in account settings. |
Declined card | The Payments account owner and Giving administrators can look at the Transactions tab in account settings for decline details. You can also ask the donor to contact their bank. |