❓Why is Stripe Asking For My Social Security Number?

Updated by Tiffany Quezada

Why do I need to provide my Social Security Number?

Stripe, our credit card payment processor, also helps us disburse funds to you. Any organization that sends funds to individuals, businesses, etc., is required by banking and federal regulation to collect and verify information about people, known as “Know Your Customer” (or KYC) checks. To perform these checks, Stripe needs to gather certain information so they can verify your identity. Stripe first attempts to verify you off of the minimum requested information (legal name, date of birth (DOB), and last 4 of your Social Security Number (SSN)).

Why is Stripe asking for my full SSN?

Sometimes Stripe needs to collect a little more information about a customer to fulfill these KYC checks, which is why they ask for your full SSN and government issued ID. We unfortunately don't know why verification might not have happened right away for you. One quick thing you can do is double check that all the information you've provided is entered exactly as it is with the IRS and Social Security Administration. Please also note that according to our Terms of Use, users under 13 can only use Hobnob with permission from a parent or legal guardian. 

I'm raising funds for a business/nonprofit organization. Do I still need to provide my SSN?

If you're selling tickets for a nonprofit, business, or other organization, Stripe will still need to verify the representative of the funds. When setting up your campaign, please enter someone connected with the organization in the legal name and DOB fields. Preferably this is the director, owner, etc., but could also be a treasurer or other member. Once you have started selling tickets and are at the point you need to add additional information, please have the representative enter their SSN.


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