Laravel Cashier (Stripe) Skill

Comprehensive assistance with Laravel Cashier (Stripe) development for subscription billing, payment processing, and Stripe integration in Laravel applications.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be triggered when:

• Implementing subscription billing in Laravel applications
• Setting up recurring payments with Stripe
• Managing customer subscriptions, trials, and plan changes
• Processing one-time charges or invoices
• Handling Stripe webhooks and events
• Implementing checkout flows with Stripe Checkout
• Managing customer payment methods and cards
• Working with Stripe invoices and billing portals
• Setting up trial periods and proration logic
• Debugging Stripe integration issues in Laravel

Quick Reference

Installation and Setup

bash
# Install Cashier
composer require laravel/cashier

# Publish migrations and migrate
php artisan vendor:publish --tag="cashier-migrations"
php artisan migrate

# Publish config (optional)
php artisan vendor:publish --tag="cashier-config"

Configure Billable Model

php
use Laravel\Cashier\Billable;

class User extends Authenticatable
{
    use Billable;
}

Creating a Subscription

php
// Basic subscription with trial and checkout
$user->newSubscription('default', 'price_monthly')
    ->trialDays(5)
    ->allowPromotionCodes()
    ->checkout([
        'success_url' => route('checkout.success'),
        'cancel_url' => route('checkout.cancel'),
    ]);

Checking Subscription Status

php
// Check if user has active subscription
if ($user->subscribed('default')) {
    // User is subscribed to "default" plan
}

// Check specific product subscription
if ($user->subscribedToProduct('prod_premium', 'default')) {
    // User is subscribed to premium product
}

// Check trial status
if ($user->subscription('default')->onTrial()) {
    // User is still in trial period
}

Managing Payment Methods

php
// Store payment method (in view with Stripe.js)
$intent = $user->createSetupIntent();

// Retrieve payment methods
$paymentMethods = $user->paymentMethods();
$defaultMethod = $user->defaultPaymentMethod();

// Add and update payment methods
$user->addPaymentMethod($paymentMethodId);
$user->updateDefaultPaymentMethod($paymentMethodId);

Swapping Subscription Plans

php
// Swap to different price/plan
$user->subscription('default')->swap('price_yearly');

// Swap and skip trial
$user->subscription('default')->skipTrial()->swap('price_yearly');

Single Charges and Invoices

php
// One-time charge
$user->charge(1000, $paymentMethodId, [
    'description' => 'One-time charge',
]);

// Create invoice for service
$user->invoiceFor('Premium Support', 5000, [
    'description' => '3 months of premium support',
]);

// Refund a charge
$user->refund($chargeId);

Canceling Subscriptions

php
// Cancel immediately
$user->subscription('default')->cancel();

// Cancel at end of billing period
$user->subscription('default')->cancelAtEndOfBillingPeriod();

// Resume canceled subscription
if ($user->subscription('default')->onGracePeriod()) {
    $user->subscription('default')->resume();
}

Working with Invoices

php
// Get all invoices
$invoices = $user->invoices();

// Get upcoming invoice
$upcomingInvoice = $user->upcomingInvoice('default');

// Download invoice PDF
return $user->invoices()->first()->download();

Billing Portal Integration

php
// Redirect to Stripe billing portal
Route::get('/billing', function (Request $request) {
    return $request->user()
        ->redirectToBillingPortal(route('dashboard'));
})->middleware(['auth']);

Customer Management

php
// Create/get Stripe customer
$stripeCustomer = $user->createOrGetStripeCustomer();

// Update customer details
$user->updateStripeCustomer([
    'name' => 'Updated Name',
    'email' => 'updated@example.com',
]);

// Manage tax IDs
$taxId = $user->createTaxId('eu_vat', 'BE0123456789');
$user->deleteTaxId('txi_belgium');

Key Concepts

Billable Model

The Billable trait adds subscription and payment functionality to your Eloquent models (typically User). It provides methods for creating subscriptions, processing charges, managing payment methods, and accessing invoices.

Subscriptions

Cashier manages recurring billing through subscriptions. Each subscription has:

• Name: Identifier like "default" or "premium"
• Price ID: Stripe price identifier (e.g., "price_monthly")
• Status: Active, trialing, canceled, incomplete, etc.
• Trial period: Optional trial days before charging
• Metered billing: Support for usage-based pricing

Payment Methods

Stripe payment methods represent stored payment credentials (cards, bank accounts). Cashier provides helpers to:

• Store payment methods securely via Setup Intents
• Set default payment methods for subscriptions
• Update and delete payment methods
• Handle payment method verification

Webhooks

Stripe sends webhook events for subscription changes, payment failures, invoice updates, etc. Cashier automatically handles common webhooks, but you can extend functionality by listening to specific events.

Checkout Sessions

Stripe Checkout provides a pre-built payment page. Cashier simplifies creating checkout sessions for subscriptions and one-time products, handling the complete payment flow with minimal code.

Invoices

Cashier provides access to Stripe invoices for both subscriptions and one-time charges. You can retrieve, preview, and download invoices as PDFs.

Reference Files

This skill includes comprehensive documentation in references/:

• other.md - Complete Laravel Cashier documentation covering:
• Installation and configuration
• Subscription management (create, swap, cancel, resume)
• Payment method handling and Setup Intents
• Single charges and invoicing
• Stripe Checkout integration
• Webhook handling and event processing
• Customer portal integration
• Tax ID management
• Testing strategies

Use view to read the reference file when you need detailed information about specific features.

Working with This Skill

For Beginners

Start by:

1. Installing Cashier and running migrations
2. Adding the Billable trait to your User model
3. Setting up environment variables (STRIPE_KEY, STRIPE_SECRET)
4. Creating your first subscription with newSubscription()
5. Testing with Stripe test mode API keys

Basic workflow:

php
// 1. Configure model
use Laravel\Cashier\Billable;
class User extends Authenticatable { use Billable; }

// 2. Create subscription
$user->newSubscription('default', 'price_monthly')->create();

// 3. Check status
if ($user->subscribed('default')) {
    // Grant access
}

For Intermediate Users

Focus on:

• Implementing complete checkout flows with Stripe Checkout
• Managing payment method changes and updates
• Handling subscription plan swaps and prorations
• Working with trial periods and grace periods
• Processing one-time charges alongside subscriptions
• Customizing invoice details and tax information

For Advanced Users

Explore:

• Webhook event customization and extended handling
• Metered billing and usage-based pricing
• Multi-plan subscriptions (multiple subscriptions per user)
• Customer balance and credit management
• Tax ID validation and compliance
• Advanced invoice customization
• Stripe Connect integration for marketplaces
• Testing strategies for subscription flows

Navigation Tips

• Start with the Quick Reference section for common tasks
• Check Key Concepts to understand core Cashier terminology
• Use references/other.md for complete implementation details
• Reference the official Laravel Cashier docs at https://laravel.com/docs/12.x/billing for the latest updates

Environment Configuration

Required environment variables in .env:

env
STRIPE_KEY=pk_test_your_stripe_publishable_key
STRIPE_SECRET=sk_test_your_stripe_secret_key
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_your_webhook_signing_secret
CASHIER_CURRENCY=usd

Important: Use test mode keys (pk_test_, sk_test_) during development and switch to live keys (pk_live_, sk_live_) for production.

Common Patterns

Complete Subscription Checkout Flow

php
// 1. Create checkout session
public function subscribe(Request $request)
{
    return $request->user()
        ->newSubscription('default', 'price_monthly')
        ->trialDays(14)
        ->allowPromotionCodes()
        ->checkout([
            'success_url' => route('checkout.success') . '?session_id={CHECKOUT_SESSION_ID}',
            'cancel_url' => route('checkout.cancel'),
        ]);
}

// 2. Handle success
public function success(Request $request)
{
    $sessionId = $request->get('session_id');

    if ($request->user()->subscribed('default')) {
        return redirect()->route('dashboard')
            ->with('success', 'Subscription activated!');
    }
}

Upgrade/Downgrade Pattern

php
// Upgrade to annual plan with prorated credit
public function upgrade(Request $request)
{
    $subscription = $request->user()->subscription('default');

    if ($subscription->active()) {
        $subscription->swap('price_yearly');
        return back()->with('success', 'Upgraded to annual plan!');
    }
}

Payment Method Update Flow

php
// Controller: Generate setup intent
public function paymentMethods(Request $request)
{
    return view('billing.payment-methods', [
        'intent' => $request->user()->createSetupIntent(),
        'paymentMethods' => $request->user()->paymentMethods(),
    ]);
}

// View: Stripe.js integration (Blade)
<form id="payment-form" method="POST" action="{{ route('payment-method.add') }}">
    @csrf
    <div id="card-element"></div>
    <button type="submit">Add Payment Method</button>
</form>

// Controller: Store payment method
public function addPaymentMethod(Request $request)
{
    $request->user()->addPaymentMethod($request->payment_method);
    return back()->with('success', 'Payment method added!');
}

Resources

Official Documentation

• Laravel Cashier (Stripe): https://laravel.com/docs/12.x/billing
• Stripe API Documentation: https://stripe.com/docs/api
• Stripe Testing Guide: https://stripe.com/docs/testing

Testing

Use Stripe test card numbers for development:

• Success: 4242 4242 4242 4242
• Decline: 4000 0000 0000 0002
• Requires authentication: 4000 0025 0000 3155

Always use test mode API keys during development and testing.

Notes

• Cashier requires PHP 8.1+ and Laravel 10.0+
• Always configure webhooks in production for reliable subscription management
• Use Stripe test mode during development
• The Billable trait can be added to any Eloquent model, not just User
• Cashier handles most webhook events automatically
• Consider using Stripe's billing portal for customer self-service
• Reference files preserve structure and examples from official Laravel docs
• Test subscription flows thoroughly before going to production

Updating

This skill is based on Laravel Cashier for Laravel 12.x. For the latest information, refer to the official documentation at https://laravel.com/docs/billing.