How to Set Up Payouts on RoomMooch: Get Paid for Your Spare Bed

If you are listing a paid room on RoomMooch, you need to connect a bank account so we can send you your share of the booking payment. RoomMooch uses Stripe Connect, the same secure payment infrastructure used by platforms like Lyft, Shopify, and Kickstarter, to handle payouts to hosts.

Setting up payouts is a one-time process that takes about two minutes. Once complete, payments from moochers are automatically deposited into your bank account after each paid booking. You can track all your earnings, fees, and payout history from the Earnings page on RoomMooch.

Note that payout setup is only required for paid listings. If you are offering your spare bed for free, you do not need to set up payouts at all.

Log into your RoomMooch account and navigate to the Earnings page. You will find this in your user menu under "Earnings". If you have not set up payouts yet, you will see a blue information banner explaining the process and a rose-coloured "Set Up Payouts" button in the top right corner.

Click "Set Up Payouts" to begin. You will be redirected to Stripe's secure onboarding page, which is hosted by Stripe and branded with the RoomMooch logo and colours. Your sensitive financial details are handled entirely by Stripe and never stored on RoomMooch servers.

The first thing Stripe will ask you is to select your country and choose between two account types:

**Individual** — This is the right choice for most hosts. You are sharing a spare bed as a personal activity, not operating a registered business. Stripe will ask for your name, date of birth, home address, and bank account details. That is all you need.

**Business** — Only select this if you are operating as a registered company, partnership, or sole trader with a business number (like an ABN in Australia, EIN in the US, or equivalent in your country). You will need to provide your legal business name, registration number, and business address.

If you are unsure, choose Individual. You can always contact support later if your situation changes.

After choosing your account type, Stripe will ask you to fill in a few details. For Individual accounts, this typically includes:

Your legal first and last name, exactly as it appears on your government-issued ID. Your date of birth. Your home address. In some countries, your tax identification number (like a Tax File Number in Australia or Social Security Number in the US).

Stripe may also ask about your business activity. Since you are sharing a hotel room, you should click "Don't have a website? Add product description instead" and enter something simple like "Sharing spare hotel bed with travelers through RoomMooch." This tells Stripe what you are using the platform for without requiring you to have a separate website.

All of this information is collected by Stripe to comply with financial regulations and anti-money laundering laws. RoomMooch does not see or store these details.

The final step is entering your bank account details so Stripe knows where to send your payouts. You will need your account number and routing number (or BSB in Australia, sort code in the UK, etc.). Make sure the account is in your name, as Stripe verifies this matches the identity information you provided.

Double-check your bank details before submitting. Incorrect details will delay your payouts and you will need to update them through your Stripe Express Dashboard later.

Once you have entered everything, click the submit or finish button. Stripe will verify your details, which usually takes just a few seconds. In rare cases, manual review may take up to 24 hours.

After completing Stripe onboarding, you will be redirected back to RoomMooch. If everything went smoothly, you will see a success message confirming that payouts are enabled. Your Earnings page will now show a "Stripe Dashboard" button where you can manage your bank details, view individual payouts, and download tax documents.

If you left the Stripe onboarding before finishing — for example, you clicked "Return to RoomMooch" by accident — do not worry. Just go back to the Earnings page and click "Set Up Payouts" again. Stripe remembers your progress and will pick up where you left off.

When a moocher books your paid listing, here is what happens:

The moocher pays the full amount through Stripe Checkout on RoomMooch. RoomMooch retains a 10% platform service fee to keep the platform running. The remaining 90% is your payout as the host.

For example, if you list your spare bed for $50 per night and a moocher books a 2-night stay ($100 total), RoomMooch keeps $10 (10%) and you receive $90. Payouts are processed automatically after payment is confirmed. Depending on your country and bank, funds typically arrive in your account within 2 to 7 business days.

You can track every payment, fee breakdown, and payout date on your Earnings page. The Stripe Express Dashboard also provides detailed transaction history and annual tax summaries.

If you encounter problems during payout setup, here are the most common solutions:

"Set Up Payouts button does nothing" — Make sure you are logged in and verified. If the issue persists, try clearing your browser cache or using a different browser.

"Stripe says my identity could not be verified" — Double-check that your name and date of birth match your government-issued ID exactly. Avoid nicknames or shortened names. If you recently changed your name, you may need to use the name on your current ID.

"I completed setup but my earnings page still says payouts not enabled" — Stripe occasionally needs a few minutes to process. Refresh the page after a minute or two. If it still shows as incomplete, click "Set Up Payouts" to continue any remaining steps.

"I need to change my bank account" — Click the "Stripe Dashboard" button on your Earnings page to access your Express Dashboard, where you can update your bank details at any time.

For any other issues, contact us at [email protected] and we will help you get set up.