Short answer
Read the capabilities array in the error response to see which capability is missing. Retrieve that capability for the account and check its status and requirements. Request it if it is unrequested, collect everything listed in currently_due and past_due from the connected account, and retry once the status is active.
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Why the capability isn’t active, and the fix
01
The capability was never requested
“For connected accounts without access to a Stripe-hosted Dashboard, including Custom accounts, you must request their capabilities.” Stripe, Account capabilities
Accounts without a Stripe-hosted Dashboard, including Custom accounts, only get the capabilities the platform requests. Request it by updating the account or the capability with requested set to true. Accounts with the full Stripe Dashboard, including Standard accounts, get some capabilities requested automatically based on their country.
await stripe.accounts.update('acct_…', { capabilities: { card_payments: { requested: true }, transfers: { requested: true }, }, });02
Requirements are still due
“The requirements listed in that hash indicate what information is needed from your connected account to prevent that capability from being disabled.” Stripe, Account capabilities
A requested capability stays inactive until the account supplies the information Stripe asks for. Check the requirements hash on the capability to see what is needed, and collect it from the connected account.
03
An inactive card_payments or transfers disables both
“If a connected account has both card_payments and transfers, and the status of either one is inactive, then both capabilities are disabled.” Stripe, Account capabilities
When an account has both, one inactive capability disables the other too, so a transfer can fail because card_payments is the inactive one.
04
It worked in a sandbox
“Sandboxes might not enforce some capabilities.” Stripe, Account capabilities
Also check: sandboxes may let an account act without the capability, so the error can first appear in live mode. Test with the capability status, not just a successful sandbox call.
Checked against the vendor’s docs on : Stripe docs: Error codes; Stripe docs: Account capabilities and configurations.
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