Billing history and agreement evidence answer different questions
A billing record helps answer which subscription exists, its reported status and its billing details. An agreement review asks which offer the customer received, how they agreed and which source supports that connection. A successful charge alone does not answer all of those questions.
Stripe can hold relevant checkout information too. Its Checkout Session object has fields for consent collection and its results when configured. Check your actual implementation before deciding that a source is absent. Do not assume that every Stripe subscription has those checkout records or that TermWitness imports them.
What does TermWitness sync from Stripe?
TermWitness’s Stripe connection reads subscriptions and linked customer information using a restricted key. A sync runs when a workspace writer presses Sync now. It stores the provider-reported facts with a Stripe source label; it does not provide continuous or automatic updates.
- Stripe subscription and customer references, with customer name or email when supplied.
- Reported subscription status and available start, period-end and actual end dates.
- Provider-reported cancellation timestamps, kept separate from the subscription end event.
- A provider record summary and history of supported changes observed on later syncs.
Which records do you still need to review?
The connector does not fetch Checkout Sessions, agreement checkbox results or copies of the checkout terms. It does not automatically link an offer version or add a consent event. This describes the current connector’s scope, rather than a claim that Stripe cannot retain relevant records.
- Find the checkout, contract or agreement event and keep its source reference and time.
- Retrieve the dated offer wording available to that customer, including the price and renewal terms.
- Link an offer version only when the source supports that connection; a matching plan name is insufficient.
- Keep notices and their reported sending or delivery results from the tool that handled them.
- Keep the original cancellation request separately when it arrived through support or another channel.
A practical review for one subscription
Choose a subscription you are authorized to review. First match its provider reference to your customer record. Then compare the Stripe-reported status with the source and time of the last sync. A change made after that sync will not appear until your team syncs again.
Next, find the agreement source and the offer version it identifies. Save or reference the available records, keeping their original source labels. If you only have today’s terms, record that limitation rather than presenting them as the terms displayed at signup.
Finally, review the customer’s notices and cancellation history. Leave unsupported links unknown and use the record gaps to decide what to retrieve next. A gap describes the available records; it does not establish that a legal duty was missed.
Be careful with Stripe cancellation timestamps
Stripe distinguishes scheduled cancellation from an actual end. Its documentation says that, for a period-end cancellation, canceled_at reflects the most recent update request rather than the period end. That value may also differ from a customer’s earlier support request.
TermWitness records the timestamp Stripe supplies as provider-reported cancellation information. Review the original support, portal or application record before treating it as the first customer request. Keep the source and meaning of each timestamp visible.
Use billing and recordkeeping tools for their supported jobs
Keep charging, refunds and subscription changes in your billing workflow. TermWitness’s connector only reads Stripe; it does not charge a customer, change a subscription or send a renewal notice. Use it when your team needs provider facts alongside separately supplied offer, agreement and notice records.
If your existing systems already let your team retrieve the complete history reliably, start there. When you need a shared review workspace, begin with one customer, check the sources and export that record before moving a wider set of subscriptions.
Sources and further reading
- Stripe: Subscription object
Subscription status, customer references, billing items and cancellation timestamps.
- Stripe: Checkout Session object
Checkout sessions can contain consent-collection settings and results; available data depends on the checkout setup.
- Stripe: cancel subscriptions
Cancellation settings and billing outcomes remain in Stripe.