> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://guides.paynow.gg/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://guides.paynow.gg/payments-and-payouts/account-vs-store-payouts.md).

# Account vs Store Payouts

Two places in the dashboard have "Payouts" in the name, and confusing them causes a lot of "where is my money?" tickets. The rule: payout accounts belong to **accounts**, not stores. If you own the store, its funds go to **your** payout account.

## The two pages

| Page                  | Where              | What it is                                                                                    |
| --------------------- | ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Account → Payouts** | `/account/payouts` | Your personal payout account: the identity, method and tax details PayNow pays *you* through. |
| **Billing → Payouts** | `/payouts`         | The [payouts view](/payments-and-payouts/payouts.md) in the context of a store. Owner-only.   |

Two views onto the same money. The payout account is the destination; the store is one of possibly several sources feeding it.

## If you own several stores

All of them settle into one payout account, yours. You don't set payouts up per store, and you don't receive separate payments per store. That's why [Transactions](/payments-and-payouts/transactions.md) has a **Store** column: it's an account-level ledger.

For separate payouts per store, with different bank accounts, legal entities or bookkeeping, the stores have to be owned by different accounts. One account can't split its payouts across destinations.

## If you are a team member, not the owner

You won't see Payouts at all. It's owner-only and not permission-gated, so no role grants it, including a fully-privileged Administrator role. Store revenue settles to the owner's payout account. If your [team](/store-settings/team-members.md) needs revenue visibility without payout access, give them `stats_revenue_read` for [Analytics](/analytics/analytics.md) instead.

## If you are an affiliate with no store

You still have a payout account. That's the point of the payouts-only signup path: you can receive settlements without ever creating a store. See [Setting Up Your Payout Account](/getting-started/payout-account.md).

## Consequences to plan for

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Transferring store ownership transfers where the money goes.** Move ownership to another account and subsequent revenue settles to *their* payout account. Don't transfer ownership casually.
{% endhint %}

A store named after your community doesn't change whose legal identity receives the funds. The identity, method and tax details on the payout account are what PayNow pays out against.

**The name on your verified ID and the name on your payout details have to match.** If they don't, you'll be asked to correct one of them. Paying into a company account is fine, but you have to be the owner of that company. Paying into a friend's account, a parent's account, or a business you don't own is not.

Tax documents follow the account. US recipients get a 1099-K against the payout account, covering all stores that settled into it, not one per store.