Before you can sell on Teachable, you need to connect to one of Teachable's payment gateways. Your gateway determines how payments are processed, how you get paid, and which features are available to your school.
This article covers everything you need to get started — from completing setup to configuring your sales tools.
Teachable's Available Gateways
Teachable has two payment gateway options: Teachable Payments and Custom Payment Gateway (CPG). In available markets, Teachable Payments is the default payment gateway. In all other markets, Custom Payment Gateway is the default payment gateway. (See more on country availability below.)
Teachable Payments
Teachable Payments is Teachable's native gateway, built on Stripe's infrastructure. It handles payment processing, payouts, tax, fraud protection, and student subscription management — all within your Teachable admin.
Available in 41 countries
Funds settle directly to your bank account in your local currency
Automatic tax calculation, collection, and remittance in 45+ markets
35+ local payment methods including Klarna, Afterpay, iDEAL, and more
Stripe Customer Portal for student subscription management
No reserve held on transactions
Custom Payment Gateway (CPG)
CPG allows creators to connect their own existing Stripe Standard account directly to Teachable. It's available to all creators, including those in countries where Teachable Payments is the default gateway.
Available to all plans, in all countries
Payouts go directly to your connected Stripe account
Tax calculation, collection, and remittance not handled by Teachable
Affiliate and author payouts are managed manually
Payment methods limited to card, Link, and PayPal (you must sync your own PayPal account)
Gateway comparison
Feature | Teachable Payments | Custom Payment Gateway |
Availability | 41 countries | All countries, all plans |
Payout method | Directly to bank account via Stripe Express | Directly to connected Stripe account |
Payout timing | Daily, weekly, or monthly | Per Stripe Standard account settings |
Payment methods | 35+ methods: cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, BNPL, local payment methods | Cards, Stripe Link, PayPal (if configured) |
Checkout | Stripe-Powered Student Checkout with Adaptive Pricing and auto-translation | Teachable checkout with card and PayPal |
Tax handling | Automatic — calculation, collection, and remittance across 45+ markets | Not handled by Teachable |
Affiliate/author payouts | Automated (with Go Global or A&A Operator bundle) | Manual |
Reserve | None | None |
Refund handling | Managed by Teachable; available for positive account balances | Creator managed |
Chargeback fee | $15 | Per Stripe Standard terms |
Student subscription management | Stripe Customer Portal — upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, invoice history | Powered by Teachable's in-house system |
Note: Payments are processed through whichever gateway is active at the time of purchase. If you switch gateways, existing transactions will continue to pay out on your previous gateway's schedule. New transactions will go through the new gateway.
Step 1: Set up your gateway
Setting up Teachable Payments
To set up Teachable Payments, go to Sales > Payment Settings in your Teachable admin.
Select your country. Choose the country where your business is based. If your country is supported by Teachable Payments, you'll be routed to Stripe's hosted Teachable Payments onboarding. If your country is not supported, you'll be routed to CPG onboarding instead — see below.
Complete Stripe onboarding. Once you've been routed to Stripe's hosted onboarding, Stripe will collect the following information to verify your identity and set up your Express account:
Legal name and date of birth
Home address
Last 4 digits of your Social Security Number (US) or equivalent government ID
Bank account details for payouts
Business information (if applicable)
ID verification
Return to Payment Settings. Once Stripe onboarding is complete, you'll be routed back to your Payment Settings page. From here, you can:
Select your bundle (Standard, Global)
Enable payment methods
Configure checkout branding and fields
Set up sales tool settings (Adaptive Pricing, Tax-inclusive pricing behavior)
Submit tax forms
Receive account notifications from Stripe directly
Note: Stripe may request additional documentation to verify your identity during or after onboarding. This is standard practice and required to comply with financial regulations. Your Teachable Payments account will not be fully active until verification is complete.
Setting up a Custom Payment Gateway
If your country is not supported by Teachable Payments, you'll be automatically routed to CPG onboarding when you select your country in Sales > Payment Settings.
You can also choose CPG manually if you prefer to use your own Stripe Standard account.
Connect your Stripe account. You'll be prompted to connect an existing Stripe Standard account, or create a new one. This connects your Stripe account to your Teachable school.
Optionally connect PayPal. If you have a PayPal business account, you can connect it as an additional payment option for students making one-time purchases in USD.
Return to Payment Settings. Once connected, your school is ready to accept payments through your Stripe account.
Note: With CPG, Teachable does not handle tax calculation, collection, or remittance. You are responsible for managing your own tax obligations. Affiliate and author payouts are also managed manually.
Step 2: Configure your school
Once your gateway is connected, there are a few things worth setting up before you start selling.
Teachable Payments
Choose your bundle
Teachable Payments includes two bundle options that determine which features are available to your school. Your bundle is selected from Sales > Payment Settings after completing gateway setup.
Standard — Default for all Teachable Payments schools. Includes core payment processing with additional fees for tax handling and recurring transactions.
Go Global (+2.8%) — Everything in Standard, plus automated author/affiliate payouts, 35+ local payment methods, and Adaptive Pricing. Tax handling and recurring transaction fees waived.
For full pricing details, see Understand your transaction fees and bundles.
Set your payout schedule
Within Sales > Payment Settings, you can choose to receive payouts daily, weekly, or monthly — directly to your connected bank account. Daily payouts have a standard 2-day rolling delay.
For full payout details, see Get paid with Teachable Payments.
Enable payment methods
With Teachable Payments, you can enable additional payment methods for your students from Sales > Payment Settings. Available methods vary by your school's country and bundle. By default, cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay are enabled.
Configure your checkout
Customize the Stripe-Powered Student Checkout from Sales > Payment Settings. You can configure:
Branding (font and colors)
Custom fields (Tax ID, phone number, terms of use, call to action)
Enable/disable promotion codes
For full details on checkout configuration, see Customize your checkout page.
Set up your sales tools
From the Sales > Payment Settings tab, you can configure:
Local payment methods — Available on Teachable Payments Global bundle
Adaptive Pricing — Available on Teachable Payments Global bundle
Tax-Inclusive Pricing — Determine whether tax should be inclusive of the price
Dynamic Tax-Inclusive Pricing — Tax inclusive pricing set by country standards
You can configure additional sales tools outside of the payment settings:
Coupons — Create discount codes at the product or school level (Sales > Coupons)
Checkout upsells — Add up to 10 upsell offers at checkout (Product > Upsells)
In-lesson upsells — Promote products within your content (Product > Upsells)
Affiliate marketing — Revenue sharing for converted leads (Users > Affiliates)
Submit your tax forms
By law, Teachable is required to collect a tax form from all schools earning more than $100 USD through Teachable Payments. This applies to both US and non-US persons and corporations.
Note: These are general recommendations. Teachable cannot give tax or financial advice and is not liable for any losses or tax liabilities due to actions taken (or not taken) based on these recommendations. Always consult a local tax professional when planning your taxes. Teachable may also be required under tax or reporting laws to share information about your earnings with tax authorities.
Which form do I need to submit?
Who you are | Form required |
US person or entity (citizen, resident alien, or US-based corporation) | Form W-9 |
Non-US person or entity | Form W-8BEN (individuals) or W-8BEN-E (entities) |
How to submit your tax form
Go to Sales > Payment Settings > Taxes in your Teachable admin.
Click Submit Tax Form.
Complete either the W-9 or W-8 form within the tax modal, based on your location.
Submit the form.
Tax forms can be submitted before your first sale or at any point after.
Important: If your school's earnings reach $500 USD or more without a valid tax form on file, your payouts will be withheld until the required form is completed. Submit your tax form early to avoid any delays in receiving your payouts.
What Teachable does at year end
Teachable will send you a Form 1099-K by January 31st of the following year, which shows your total earnings on the platform for the prior calendar year. Keep this form for your own tax records.
Note: Teachable does not handle income tax on your earnings. The 1099-K is an informational form used for your own tax filing — you are responsible for reporting your income and paying any applicable income tax. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.
Custom Payment Gateway
On the Custom Payment Gateway, your payment and payout settings are managed directly in your Stripe account dashboard. Within Teachable, you can still configure checkout, coupons, upsells, and affiliate marketing.
For full details on sales tools available through CPG, see Checkout & selling tools.
Teachable Payments: country availability
Teachable Payments is currently available to creators based in the following 41 countries. If your country is not listed, you'll be routed to CPG onboarding automatically.
Australia | Austria | Belgium | Bulgaria |
Canada | Croatia | Cyprus | Czech Republic |
Denmark | Estonia | Finland | France |
Germany | Gibraltar | Greece | Hong Kong |
Hungary | Ireland | Italy | Japan |
Latvia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg |
Malta | Mexico | Netherlands | New Zealand |
Norway | Poland | Portugal | Romania |
Singapore | Slovakia | Slovenia | Spain |
Sweden | Switzerland | United Arab Emirates | United Kingdom |
United States |
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Note: Don't see your country? Teachable Payments eligibility may expand over time.
FAQs
Can I switch gateways after I've set up my school?
Yes. If you wish to switch from a Custom Payment Gateway to Teachable Payments, please reach out to our Support team directly — they can facilitate this transition in a smooth way. Keep in mind that any sales made before the switch will continue to pay out on your previous gateway's schedule. New transactions will go through the new gateway immediately after switching.
My country isn't on the Teachable Payments list. What are my options?
You can use the Custom Payment Gateway, which is available in all countries. Connect your existing Stripe Standard account from Sales > Payment Settings. Note that CPG does not include automated tax handling, affiliate/author payouts, or access to Teachable's full suite of payment methods.
How long does Stripe onboarding take?
Most creators complete Stripe onboarding in under 10 minutes. In some cases, Stripe may request additional documentation — this is standard and your account will be activated once verification is complete.
Can I use both Teachable Payments and a Custom Payment Gateway at the same time?
No — only one gateway can be active at a time.