Connect Stripe
In Settings → Payments, click Connect Stripe. If you already have a Stripe account, log in and authorize. If you don't, Stripe will walk you through creating one — bank account, business name, EIN or SSN, and a couple of identity verification steps. It takes ten to fifteen minutes the first time.
Your Stripe account is yours, not ours. Payouts, your bank account, your tax forms — all of that lives in Stripe. Timebase just moves the money through.
Pick how you collect
On each service, you can require full payment at booking, a partial deposit, or nothing until the appointment. You can mix modes across services. A common setup: deposits on services over $75, full payment on classes and consults, nothing on regulars who you know will show.
If you're not sure, start with deposits on your higher-priced services. You can change it any time and it only affects new bookings.
Turn on cancellation fees
Cancellation fees charge automatically when a customer cancels inside a window you set — usually 24 hours. Set the fee equal to the deposit and you've closed the loop: if they cancel late, the deposit becomes the fee. If they show up, the deposit reduces what they owe.
Write the policy in plain English on your booking page. "Cancellations within 24 hours forfeit the deposit." One sentence is enough.
What's in the Payments tab
Every charge, refund, deposit, and dispute lives there with a link to the booking it came from. If a customer asks about a charge, you can pull it up by their name in a few seconds.
For taxes and reconciliation, go to Stripe directly — it has the official reports. Timebase is the place to answer the question "who paid for what."