You have two problems running in parallel: held funds (a 90–180 day CFPB issue) and no processing (a 3–10 day specialist-placement issue). The mistake is to wait on one before solving the other. Run them at the same time.
Run steps 1–2 in the first 24 hours. Start step 3 immediately — it runs in parallel with the rest. Step 6 is what keeps this from happening to you again.
Screenshot the closure email, the date received, and the cited reason. Pull the full PDF of your last 90 days of processing reports from the Stripe dashboard before access is revoked (often within 24–48 hours of closure).
Submit a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Stripe is required to respond within 15 days. This is the single most effective way to put pressure on fund holds.
Specialist processors who actually underwrite your category typically approve in 3–10 business days. Every day without processing is lost revenue. Apply now; the held funds situation runs in parallel.
The new processor needs to see your real numbers — volume, average ticket, chargeback ratio, refund rate. The Stripe statements you already have are exactly what's needed.
Most merchants stay on the same gateway (Shopify, WooCommerce, custom) and just swap the underlying processor credentials. A few hours of work; transactions resume same day.
Once you're back online, set up a second MID on a different processor. This is the only structural defense against another termination. Single-processor merchants are one news cycle from zero revenue.
The faster you send these, the faster a specialist processor can underwrite you. Most merchants are processing again within a week.
Screenshot the email or the dashboard notification. The cited reason matters for the new underwriter.
Volume, transaction count, chargeback ratio, refund rate. Available in your Stripe dashboard reports section.
Articles of incorporation or LLC formation, EIN letter, current business license. Standard for any new MID.
Driver's license or passport for anyone with 25%+ ownership. KYC requirement on every processor.
Document the termination. File CFPB. Pull your statements before Stripe revokes dashboard access.
Free consultation with us. We review your statements and tell you the realistic rate range a specialist will quote. No commitment.
Application submitted to the right specialist processor. Standard high-risk underwriting completes. Approval comes back.
New MID provisioned. Gateway credentials swapped. Processing resumes.
CFPB pressure on Stripe's fund hold runs in the background. You're already back to full revenue.
The held-funds situation will take 90–180 days regardless of what you do today. Getting on a new processor is the only thing that puts revenue back tomorrow.
