Overview
This guide walks government entities through creating a Stripe account, submitting letterhead for verification, and connecting Stripe to your Hometown Box Office. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Determine if you are a government entity.
Step 2: Sign up as a Government Entity: Select "Government Entity" as the business type during Stripe account creation.
Step 3: Submit letterhead for verification: A letter on official letterhead, signed by an authorized employee (not the account representative), confirming the representative's authority to manage the Stripe account.
Step 4: Connect your Stripe Account with Hometown.
Step 5: Complete your Stripe account setup in your Stripe Account.
Step 1: Determine if you are a government entity
A government entity is an organization directly controlled by, or an integral part of, a federal, state, or local government. It operates with public funds, serves public interests, and is subject to governmental oversight.
A government entity might look like:
Governmental Unit: A direct branch of federal, state, or local government (e.g., school district, city department, public school).
Government Instrumentality: An organization created by government statute to perform a governmental function, but is not itself the government body (e.g., public utility authority, transit authority, housing authority).
Tax-Exempt Government Instrumentality: A government instrumentality that has obtained 501(c)(3) or equivalent federal tax-exempt status.
The key determining factor is your TIN/EIN:
If your organization files taxes under a government unit's EIN (e.g., a school athletic program under the school district's EIN), you classify as a Government Entity.
If your organization has its own separate EIN and files taxes independently (e.g., a Booster Club incorporated as its own 501(c)(3)), you are not a government entity.
Classification Examples:
Scenario | TIN Relationship | Stripe Classification |
Public school athletic department | Uses school district's EIN | Government Entity (governmental_unit) |
School district business office | Uses school district's EIN | Government Entity (governmental_unit) |
Booster Club with own 501(c)(3) | Has own EIN | Nonprofit (incorporated_non_profit) |
PTA/PTO with own tax filing | Has own EIN | Nonprofit |
Booster Club under school umbrella | Uses school district's EIN | Government Entity |
Note: If you are not a government entity, please onboard via the appropriate pathway (nonprofit, company, individual).
Step 2: Create your Stripe account as a government entity
Go to stripe.com and create a new account.
Select Government Entity as your business type.
For SSN, you have two main options. You may either:
Enter the last 4 digits of your SSN
Enter a placeholder (e.g., 1111) SSN and complete verification via the letterhead process in Step 3.
Complete all required fields.
Account Representative requirements:
Must have significant responsibility to control, manage, or direct the organization.
Must be authorized to agree to Stripe's terms.
Must be verifiable through public sources (e.g., organization website, staff directory).
Additional notes:
Your Physical business address cannot be a PO Box.
Your Product Description should read: We sell tickets to events for schools.
Your Statement Descriptor should read: [School Name] tickets.
Step 3: Submit letterhead for verification
Only follow step 3 if you used a placeholder ssn during government entity onboarding.
After submitting your account application, you must provide a letter on official letterhead signed by an authorized representative confirming the Account Representative's authority to act on behalf of the entity.
You have two submission options:
Option A: JotForm (This is what we recommend)
Complete the Stripe Government Entity Letterhead Form. This automatically generates your letterhead and submits it to a designated Hometown review queue with Stripe, meaning Hometown facilitates the submission on your behalf.
The form collects the following:
Authorizing Employee (Signatory):
Employee Name (First and Last)
Employee Job Title (e.g., Principal, CFO, Superintendent)
Employee Email
Stripe Account Information:
Stripe Account ID (format: acct_123456789XYZ)
Business Name(s)
Website URL(s)
Business Tax ID (EIN)
Stripe Account Representative Name
Stripe Account Representative Job Title
š” Tip: To find your Stripe Account ID, log into your Stripe Dashboard, click your profile in the top right corner, and scroll to the bottom of the page. Your Account ID will be listed in the format acct_XXXXXXXXX.
Option B: DIY Letterhead
Your letterhead must include:
Official organization letterhead (must match the Stripe legal entity name exactly, including capitalization)
Date
Business name and address
Body text confirming: Account Representative's name, title, and authorization to manage the Stripe account, plus: Stripe Account ID, business name, website URL, physical business address, Business Tax ID/EIN, and Account Representative's business email
Signature from someone other than the Account Representative, with their printed name and title
Below is a sample of the letterhead format accepted by Stripe. (See instructions in their support portal). You will not see the form process in Stripe's support documentation because that it a unique process we've set up to streamline letterhead submissions for Hometown customers.
To submit your DIY letterhead:
By email: Send to [email protected] and cc [email protected]. Inside the email, you should:
Include the Stripe Account ID
Attach the letterhead as a PDF
Use this Subject Line: Hometown School Onboarding for Merchant: [acct_XXXXXXXXX]
Through Your Stripe Portal: In your Stripe Dashboard, go to Settings, then Support Articles, then Contact Stripe. Select your contact method and reference your Account ID with the attached letterhead.
Important: Upload a PDF or clear photograph of the original document. It must not be cropped or missing pages, and all borders must be visible.
Review and confirmation
All verification decisions are made solely by Stripe. Hometown facilitates the JotForm submission process but does not make verification decisions. You are solely responsible for the accuracy of any information submitted.
Once submitted, Stripe will review your documentation and confirm the verification status of your account. Stripe will directly respond if there are any additional items needed for verification within five (5) to ten (10) business days.
If you've already submitted your letterhead, but have not yet received a follow-up or verification confirmation from Stripe, this is normal. If you do not hear back in 10 business days or are urgently awaiting approval, please let us know.
š” Tip: If your account has outstanding verification requirements, a red banner will appear at the top of your Stripe Dashboard. Click "Review details" to see what is needed.
Step 4: Connect Stripe to your Hometown Box Office
In your Hometown Box Office, navigate to: Settings > All Settings > Sales & Payment Processor > Add Sales Account > Connect with Stripe.
Step 5: Complete your Stripe account setup in your Stripe Account
Add a Secondary Administrator
After connecting your Stripe account, add the Hometown primary contact as a secondary user. This ensures account access if one administrator loses access.
Configure your Payout Schedule
In your Stripe Dashboard, go to Settings > External Payout Accounts and Scheduling and choose your preferred payout frequency: Daily (default), Weekly, or Monthly.
Helpful tips
To get back to your new Stripe account, click here to visit the Stripe website.
Favorite or bookmark both your Hometown Virtual Box Office and your new Stripe account in your internet browser for easy access moving forward.
If for some reason you do not see the option to onboard as a government entity, you can onboard as a non-profit and complete the conversion process to government entity by submitting a letterhead as described above.