Why does my account need to be "payouts enabled"?

"Payouts enabled" means Stripe has verified your identity and your bank account, and money can be sent to you.

Your campaign can be live and accepting Contributions before payouts are enabled — the funds are held safely for you in the meantime. Once Stripe finishes verifying your details, everything collected so far transfers to your account automatically, and new Contributions follow on their own.

Verification usually completes within minutes of finishing setup on the Payouts page. Occasionally Stripe requests additional documentation (a photo ID, a utility bill) — you'll see a "Stripe needs a bit more information" notice on your Payouts page if so, with a button to pick up where you left off.