If you’re creating products on the fly (also called ad hoc products) with our Stripe integration, it’s important to follow specific guidelines to avoid operational issues and ensure smooth tax compliance.
This guide explains how ad hoc (inline) prices work in Stripe, why they need special handling, and how we recommend configuring them.
What Are Ad Hoc Products?
Ad hoc products in Stripe are one-time charges added directly to invoices. These are also called Inline Prices. They are:
Not linked to your product catalog.
Created per invoice dynamically.
Useful for custom or one-off charges.
Why This Matters
Using ad hoc products without classification causes problems such as:
Race conditions in checkout flows (e.g., delays in tax classification).
Inconsistent tax application due to missing product categorization.
Frustration for your customers who need to manually approve each new product in our portal.
Best Practices: How to Use Ad Hoc Products Properly
To ensure correct behavior and tax compliance, follow these best practices:
1. Use Predefined Ad Hoc Product Mapping
Instead of creating a new product every time, we recommend mapping all ad hoc charges to one predefined product (e.g., adhoc_charge). This simplifies classification and avoids repetitive approvals.
All inline prices are grouped under a single external product ID.
This product can be created:
During your first product sync.
On first encounter with an ad hoc product.
Applies to both:
Read-only Integration
Bi-Directional Integration
2. Product Identification Rules
Stripe ad hoc line items can be identified with:
{
price.active: false,
price.type: "one_time"
}
These are the products that will not be added to your product catalog and require mapping to the predefined adhoc charge.
3. Use Product Catalog for Categorized Items
If you sell multiple types of items that fall under different tax categories or subcategories:
Avoid inline prices.
Use the product catalog to ensure accurate tax classification and compliance.
Limitations to Keep in Mind
Ad hoc products are expected to always fall under the same category and subcategory.
If not, they won’t be classified correctly.
For anything other than uniform ad hoc services (e.g., B2B SaaS), use individual product entries in the catalog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I still use Stripe's one-time charges?
Yes, but only if they represent the same type of product every time. Otherwise, use the product catalog.
Q: What if my ad hoc products vary in tax treatment?
They should be added to the product catalog individually to avoid tax errors.
Q: Is this behavior automatic?
Only if the integration is configured to detect and map ad hoc charges to a predefined product.
Need Help?
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