When your clients pay you, the money doesn't go straight to your bank account or debit card: it lands first in your Stripe balance. This article explains that balance and how it differs from the Agency Balance you top up, since the two are easy to mix up.
Two Different Balances
Your Stripe Balance: Money Coming In
This is money your clients paid you. It sits in the Stripe account you connected during onboarding, and Stripe pays it out from there into your bank account or debit card. You never top it up — it fills up on its own as clients are charged.
Your Agency Balance: Money Going Out
Your Agency Balance, in Settings > Balance (General group), is something else entirely: the prepaid Available Balance you keep with Climbo to cover your clients' SMS, WhatsApp and AI usage. You top that one up yourself, and it is never paid out to your bank. The Agency Balance article covers it.
A Name That Repeats
Be aware that the word "Balance" appears in both places: the block at the top of the Sales page is your Stripe balance, while Balance in the settings sidebar is your prepaid Agency Balance.
Where to See Your Stripe Balance
On the Sales Page
The Balance block at the top left of Sales is Stripe's own balance widget. It shows how much is currently held in your Stripe account, how much of it is already available to be paid out as opposed to still pending, and when your next payout is due. Like the rest of that page, it needs a completed Stripe connection and the Owner role.
In Your Accounting Reports
For a month-by-month view of the same money rather than a live snapshot, go to Settings > Accounting and open the Balance report or Payout reconciliation tab. The Accounting Reports article explains both.
Directly in Stripe
You can also check the balance in Stripe itself: in Settings > Account, open the Stripe tab and click Stripe Express to open your Stripe Express account in a new tab.
What Moves the Balance
Money In
Each successful client payment increases your Stripe balance, already net of Stripe's fee and of the Climbo fee if your plan carries one. Payments typically sit as pending for a short period before becoming available.
Money Out
Two things reduce it: payouts to your bank account or debit card, which happen automatically, and refunds you issue.
Refunds and a Negative Balance
How a Negative Balance Clears Itself
When you refund a client, the refunded amount is deducted from your Stripe balance. If the balance is at zero when you issue it, the balance goes negative.
A negative balance isn't a problem on its own — it simply gets offset against your incoming payments. The next time a client payment comes in, Stripe first covers the negative amount before adding anything to your available balance. For example, if your balance is -$20 and a $50 client payment comes in, $20 goes toward clearing the negative balance and the remaining $30 becomes available.
Currency
One Currency, Set by Your Bank Account
Your balance and everything on the Sales page are shown in your default currency, which follows the bank account connected for payouts rather than being a separate setting. The Stripe Profile article covers how to change it.