Frequently Asked Questions

SplitSum is a Card Payment Platform which extends the functionality of Stripe by automating splitting payments between businesses and their independent contractors/self-employed workers. It ensures accurate, timely payouts and reduces administrative burdens. Using the powerful Stripe API and existing Stripe products (Connect Accounts), SplitSum acts as liasion between your customer and Stripe which automatically divides each payment and sends to the appropriate parties.

SplitSum is ideal for any customer facing business that work with independent contractors, for example Tattoo Shops, Nail Salons, Hair Salons, Barber Shops, Beauty Studios and Med Spas/Clinics.

Visit the sign up page and fill out our questionaire to recieve a recommended set up. You'll be emailed instructions on how to set up and register. Once you have created an account you can connect your Stripe account and begin splitting payments!

Yes! You cannnot use SplitSum without a Stripe account. Once registered you will need to connect your Stripe account in SplitSum to begin accepting payments. Don't worry Stripe accounts are free and easy to set up!

Yes! Once you are signed up and connected to your Stripe account you can import existing active Connect Accounts in to SplitSum's Contractor accounts.

No, we are not owned by Stripe. SplitSum was created by a tattoo shop owner to fill a need unique to its business model. We integrated with the Stripe API to allow similar businesses to connect to the platform and utilise the benefits.

Most credit card processors will only deposit funds into one account. This causes problems to businesses that utilise independent contractors because contractors money has to enter their bank account before they can send them their portion. To avoid the obvious issues this entails businesses will often work around this by either accepting only cash, having different card readers for each contractor or simply giving in and eating the costs associated.
SplitSum is an affordable solution that can split payments between multiple accounts.

Yes, as the Stripe API is available for use you could build your own custom platform that does the same thing. However, this will cost you thousands and you will need a developer to design, build and maintain this custom platform. Or you can just use our platform for a reasonable monthly fee.

SplitSum offers two payment setups, each with different payment routing and reader capabilities:

Standard Payments: Payments are processed on your platform Stripe account, then instantly transferred to contractors. Supports WiFi readers, Bluetooth readers, and Tap to Pay. Ideal for businesses that want centralised payment control and the ability to split one payment between multiple contractors. You can switch to Direct payments if your business needs change.

Direct Payments: Payments go directly to contractor accounts and then businesses are transfered their fee instantly. Supports WiFi readers, Bluetooth readers, and Tap to Pay (for contractors only). Ideal for businesses where contractors handle their own payments, earn a really high percentage or already have a card reader for each artists. You can switch to Standard payments if your business needs change.

No, you can use SplitSum without a card reader. You can send a payment link, accept contactless payments with Tap to Pay on the mobile app, or log a cash payment when that's how the customer is paying.

If you need to accept tips for your contractors, we recommend purchasing a card reader. You can see our readers page for more information about what is compatible and the costs involved.

Bluetooth Readers: Portable card readers that connect to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth. They are a great more affordable option that still allows you to accept tips for your Contractors. Works with all payment types.

WiFi Readers: Stationary card readers that connect to your WiFi network. These are more professional looking but come at a slightly higer cost. Available for Standard Payments and Direct Payments setups.

Tap to Pay: Accept contactless payments directly on your iPhone or Android device - no additional hardware needed. iPhone requires an iPhone XS or later, a device passcode, and iCloud sign-in, running a supported iOS version (PIN collection requires iOS 16.4 or later). Android requires Android 13 or later with NFC, Google Play Services, a hardware-backed keystore, a security update from the past 12 months, and an unmodified (non-rooted) manufacturer OS. Available for Standard Payments (all users) and for contractors on Direct Payments setups. Note: Due to device limitations, Tap to Pay for Direct payments is only available when contractors use their own devices.

No, with SplitSum's centralised interface, you can use a single phone or card reader for all transactions, making it easier and more cost-effective.

Both use the same payment page: add the sale items, then choose how the customer is paying — card reader, payment link, or cash. The web app is also where you manage contractors, permissions, settings and payment history. The mobile app (iOS and Android) is required for Bluetooth readers and Tap to Pay. WiFi readers, payment links and cash logging work from either web or mobile. Both sync in real time, so you can manage everything from either platform.

You need the mobile app if you want to accept payments via Bluetooth readers or Tap to Pay. For payment links, WiFi readers or cash logging, you can use either the web or mobile app.

Yes. Cash logging is included on every plan. When a customer pays in cash, record it in the same payment flow as a card sale: add the items, then choose cash. The payment uses the same contractor and inventory splits (including fee caps where they apply), appears in Payment Activity and reports, and can optionally be imported to Xero on Tier 3. No money is moved through Stripe — this is for your records so cash sales are tracked the same way as card sales. Cashiers need permission to record cash payments.

Apple restricts Tap to Pay to 3 unique Stripe accounts per device within a 24-hour window. For Direct Payments setups using direct charges, this would limit you to only 3 contractors per device. To avoid hitting this limit, Tap to Pay is only available for contractors using their own devices (where they only use their own account). For admin/cashier users on these payment setups, WiFi or Bluetooth readers are recommended for contractor payments.

No, when you create a payment or inventory item the default option is 'No Split' where 100% goes to your business. A payment only splits when a Contractor (or Inventory item with assigned Contractor) is set on the payment. This gives you ultimate flexiblity to be able to process any customer payment needed.

Before adding a contractor to SplitSum, you'll want to agree the commission split between you and your contractor. Once agreed, you can set it in your Admin account and SplitSum will automatically apply it to every sale. If you need to make changes later, only you as the Admin can update the split. This keeps everything clear, consistent, and easy to manage.

Yes, you can set and adjust the payment splits by percentage for each contractor, and even customise splits for different items if needed via Inventory. These should always be agreed upon by all parties involved but are controled by the Admin account.

Yes, if you are using Standard payments you can split one payment between multiple contractors by adding each split as a separate line item in the payment. This is particularly useful if you are not wanting to have to charge the customer twice. NOTE: Tips will be split evenly between all contractors involved in the payment.

Yes, you can split a payment between the business and contractors. Payments can have multiple line items within them, you can customise each payment to have the particular line items and splits you need. NOTE: Tips will be split evenly between all contractors involved in the payment. No tips go to the business as long as 1 contractor is involved in the payment.

Currently all splits are percentage based. Though if the demand is there we can develop this functionality down the line. Get in touch if this would benefit your business.

Fee Caps (available on Tier 2 and 3 plans) allow you to set a maximum amount of fees a contractor pays over a specific period. Once a contractor reaches this cap, they receive 100% of subsequent payments (minus Stripe's processing fees). This is ideal for "booth rent" arrangements where contractors pay a fixed amount rather than a percentage. Fee caps apply to in-person payments (card readers, Tap to Pay and cash) and do not apply to payment links or Appointments.

Refunds can be processed by Admins or Cashiers (if given permission). When you refund a card payment, SplitSum automatically reverses the split proportionally — each party receives their portion of the refund back to their original account. The refund appears in your payment history and is processed through Stripe. Cash refunds are recorded in SplitSum only; no money is moved in Stripe, so you settle any cash returned to the customer separately. Note: Only users with refund permissions can process refunds, and card refunds must be done within Stripe's refund time limits.

Cashier accounts are sub-accounts you can create for front-of-house staff or anyone handling payments. Cashiers can accept payments on behalf of your business and contractors, but cannot access or change business settings like commission splits, card reader configurations, or account settings. You control what permissions each Cashier has. Cashier accounts are available on Tier 1, 2 and 3 — not on the Links Only plan.

You can control permissions for Cashiers, including:
• Card readers: Allow cashiers to send payments to a card reader (default: Yes)
• Payment links: Allow cashiers to generate payment links (default: Yes)
• Cash payments: Allow cashiers to log cash payments (default: Yes)
• Tap to Pay: Allow cashiers to use Tap to Pay (default: Yes, Standard Payments setup only)
• Refunds: Allow cashiers to process refunds (default: No — use with caution)
• Inventory: Allow cashiers to add/edit inventory items (Tier 3 only, default: No)
If you have the Appointments add-on, you can also control whether cashiers can take appointment payments, edit services and availability, and view customers.

Yes! Contractors can use Tap to Pay on their own iPhone or Android device to accept payments. As the business owner you need to turn on this permission for your Contractors in User settings. This is especially useful for Direct Payments setups where contractors process payments directly to their own Stripe accounts. Contractors simply download the SplitSum app, log in with their contractor account, and can start accepting Tap to Pay payments immediately.

Technically, yes you can still use SplitSum. Though we cannot say for sure we are the best Card Payment Platform for this use case.

The Inventory feature (available on Tier 3 plans) lets you create product or service items with custom payment splits. You can set different splits for different items, track quantities, and even set items to "No Split" where 100% goes to the business. This gives you flexibility to handle any arrangement - from shared items to solo sales - while everything is calculated automatically. Inventory items can be selected during payment creation, making it quick and easy to process sales.

Easy! With our Inventory feature you can create product or service items, keep track of quantities and specify a custom split or no split per item. So you could split these payments based on what is being sold versus who it is being split with.

Yes! Each inventory item can have its own custom split percentage assigned to a specific contractor, or be set to "No Split" where 100% goes to your business. This allows you to have different commission structures for different products or services, giving you complete flexibility in how payments are divided.

Yes. Tier 3 (Premium) includes Xero sync. Once you connect it, each Stripe payout appears in Xero as one receive-money entry that matches the amount landing in your bank, so reconciling is straightforward. You can also choose to import logged cash payments. Individual SplitSum payments stay linked for your own history rather than creating a separate Xero entry for every sale. You only map your revenue and bank accounts once in Integrations.

SplitSum offers Links Only plus three subscription tiers. Cash logging is included on every plan.

Links Only: Up to 5 contractor accounts, payment links, choose who pays card fees. No card readers, Tap to Pay or cashier accounts.

Tier 1: Up to 5 contractor accounts, 1 cashier account, Tap to Pay, card readers, payment links

Tier 2: Up to 10 contractor accounts, 1 cashier account, Tap to Pay, card readers, payment links, Fee Caps (booth rent arrangements), choose who pays card fees

Tier 3: Up to 20 contractor accounts, up to 3 cashier accounts, Tap to Pay, unlimited card readers, payment links, inventory tracking & custom splits, Fee Caps (booth rent arrangements), Xero accounting sync

SplitSum offers a free 14-day trial with full access to all features of your chosen plan. No charges until the trial ends. You can set up your account, connect Stripe, add contractors, and start accepting payments - all without any commitment. After the trial period, your subscription will begin automatically unless you cancel.

You won't be charged during the 14-day free trial. After the trial ends, your subscription will begin and you'll be charged monthly based on your selected plan. You can cancel anytime during the trial or after - there are no long-term contracts.

No, SplitSum does not charge transaction fees. You are only liable for Stripe's standard fees which are competitive and comparable to other card payment systems. These fees are handled in Stripe and have nothing to do with SplitSum.

Links Only, Tier 2 and Tier 3 users can choose who pays the card processing fees. If in your current setup contractors pay their own card fees, you can set SplitSum to work the same way. Alternatively, you can set it up so your business pays the card fees.

Yes — card payments go through Stripe, so they are secure and compliant with industry standards. Cash logging is a record only and does not move money through Stripe.

SplitSum stores the account and business data needed to run the platform — for example contractors, cashiers, payments (including logged cash), inventory and bookings — plus your Stripe API keys. Card details and card-payment data are handled by Stripe, not stored on SplitSum. 10 days after your account officially closes, all your data is wiped from our system.

No. Using SplitSum does not make you VAT or tax compliant. Payment handling is only one aspect of what makes a business VAT compliant. Compliance depends on many elements of your specific business setup. Using SplitSum alone cannot give you that compliance and we do not offer tax advice. You should speak to a qualified accountant or tax adviser about what applies to you.

If there is a problem with your Stripe account, you can email Stripe using this form. If there is a problem with the app (crashing, unexpected behavior, feature requests, etc), you can email the us at: info@splitsum.co

No. SplitSum has its own public booking system, available as a paid monthly add-on on Tier 1, 2 and 3 (not on Links Only). You can define services and availability for your customers to book online. Bookings can save the customer's card on file in Stripe, giving you no-show protection and the ability to collect the balance without a card reader. You can set specific splits per service and deposit requirements. Bookings can sync to Google Calendar, and you can send appointment reminder emails to decrease no-shows.

There are no plans to integrate with other booking platforms. This is because none of them would allow us to control the payment, which is what would be required for the payments to split correctly.

SplitSum offers different plans to match your needs. If you require more customisation, you can contact us for tailored solutions.
However if there is something we don't do that can benefit you, let us know! We're planning for the future.