Deployed Works Guide
What Stripe Identity Does And Does Not Mean
Stripe Identity can support trust by checking identity, but it is optional and does not prove skill, suitability or performance.
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Audience
Providers, buyers and operators using Deployed Works
Time
7 minutes
Outcome
Clear boundaries around optional identity verification
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Shape
Deployment brief
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Guide summary
What this guide helps you do
Who it is for
Best fit readers
- Providers deciding whether to complete optional verification.
- Buyers interpreting trust signals on a capability profile.
- Support or operations teammates explaining verification boundaries.
- Anyone who wants to avoid treating verification as skill proof.
The problem
CV language hides deployable value.
Identity verification is useful trust context, but it can be overclaimed. On Deployed Works, optional Stripe Identity verification should not be treated as proof of capability, skill, suitability, ranking or performance.
Step by step
Build the profile around capability.
What Stripe Identity checks
Stripe Identity is used to support identity verification where offered. The details of the check are handled by Stripe, and Deployed Works should describe it as identity verification rather than capability assessment.
The £1.25 one-off cost
Where offered, provider identity verification is optional and charged at a one-off £1.25 at cost. It should not be framed as a performance badge.
Why it is optional
Providers can offer capability without completing optional verification. Buyers should review capability profile content, proof, fit and first-call answers regardless.
What it helps with
It can give useful trust context that a provider has completed an identity check. That may help buyers inspect profile trust signals alongside proof and communication.
What it does not prove
It does not prove skills, delivery quality, commercial suitability, availability, sector expertise or whether the provider is right for a specific brief.
Not skill verification
Skill and capability are shown through proof, examples, references, case notes, outcomes, first-call answers and the quality of the provider's proposal.
Not performance verification
Past or future performance cannot be guaranteed by identity verification. Buyers still need to inspect proof, scope, risk, handover and commercial fit.
When providers may choose it
Providers may choose verification when they want an additional trust signal on their profile, especially if they work with buyers who value identity confidence before first calls.
Example
Use this on Deployed Works
A provider completes optional Stripe Identity verification. A buyer sees it as one trust signal, then still reviews the capability profile, proof gaps, commercial model, availability and first-call answers before deciding whether to proceed.
Template
Verification wording guide
Accurate wording: - Optional Stripe Identity verification completed. - Identity trust signal only. - Not proof of skill, suitability or performance. - Buyers should still review proof, fit, scope, risk and first-call answers. Avoid: - Verified expert - Skill verified - Ranked higher because verified - Guaranteed safe choice - Performance approved
Common mistakes
Avoid these traps
- Calling verification a skill badge.
- Implying verified providers are automatically better.
- Treating verification as a replacement for proof.
- Suggesting verification guarantees buyer safety or delivery success.
- Hiding that verification is optional.
Checklist
Ready to publish when
- Verification is described as optional.
- The £1.25 one-off cost is stated where relevant.
- Verification is separated from proof.
- No skill, ranking or performance claim is made.
- Buyers are reminded to inspect capability and evidence.
FAQ
Questions this guide usually raises
Does Stripe Identity prove a provider is good?
No. It is an identity trust signal only. Capability and performance must be assessed through proof, first calls, proposals and buyer judgement.
Do providers have to complete it?
No. It is optional where offered. Providers can still create capability profiles and offer capability without it.
Does verification affect ranking?
This guide does not make any ranking claim. Verification should be understood as trust context, not automated ranking or guaranteed fit.
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Use the guide
Turn your work into a capability profile.
A guide explaining optional Stripe Identity verification as a trust signal only, including the one-off £1.25 cost and its limits.