laravel-billing

Laravel Billing (Cashier)

Agent Workflow (MANDATORY)

Before ANY implementation, use TeamCreate to spawn 3 agents:

1. fuse-ai-pilot:explore-codebase - Check existing billing setup, User model
2. fuse-ai-pilot:research-expert - Verify latest Cashier docs via Context7
3. mcp__context7__query-docs - Query specific patterns (Stripe/Paddle)

After implementation, run fuse-ai-pilot:sniper for validation.

Overview

Laravel Cashier provides subscription billing with Stripe or Paddle. Choose based on your needs:

| Provider | Package | Best For | |----------|---------|----------| | Stripe | laravel/cashier | Full control, high volume, complex billing | | Paddle | laravel/cashier-paddle | Tax handling, compliance, global sales |

Key Difference: MoR vs Payment Processor

| Aspect | Stripe | Paddle | |--------|--------|--------| | Type | Payment Processor | Merchant of Record | | Taxes | You manage (or Stripe Tax) | Paddle manages automatically | | Invoices | Your company name | Paddle + your name | | Compliance | Your responsibility | Paddle handles | | Fees | ~2.9% + $0.30 | ~5% + $0.50 (all-inclusive) |

Critical Rules

1. Use webhooks - Never rely on client-side confirmations
2. Handle grace periods - Allow access until subscription ends
3. Never store card details - Use payment tokens/methods
4. Test with test keys - Always before production
5. Verify webhook signatures - Prevent spoofing attacks
6. Handle incomplete payments - 3D Secure requires user action

Architecture

app/
├── Http/
│   ├── Controllers/
│   │   └── Billing/              ← Billing controllers
│   │       ├── SubscriptionController.php
│   │       ├── CheckoutController.php
│   │       └── InvoiceController.php
│   └── Middleware/
│       └── EnsureSubscribed.php  ← Subscription check
├── Models/
│   └── User.php                  ← Billable trait
├── Listeners/
│   └── StripeEventListener.php   ← Webhook handling
└── Services/
    └── BillingService.php        ← Business logic

config/
├── cashier.php                   ← Stripe/Paddle config
└── services.php                  ← API keys

routes/
└── web.php                       ← Webhook routes (excluded from CSRF)

FuseCore Integration

When working in a FuseCore project, billing follows the modular structure:

FuseCore/
├── Core/                         # Infrastructure (priority 0)
│   └── App/Contracts/
│       └── BillingServiceInterface.php  ← Billing contract
│
├── User/                         # Auth module (existing)
│   └── App/Models/User.php       ← Add Billable trait here
│
├── Billing/                      # Billing module (new)
│   ├── App/
│   │   ├── Http/
│   │   │   ├── Controllers/
│   │   │   │   ├── SubscriptionController.php
│   │   │   │   ├── CheckoutController.php
│   │   │   │   └── WebhookController.php
│   │   │   └── Middleware/
│   │   │       └── EnsureSubscribed.php
│   │   ├── Listeners/
│   │   │   └── HandleWebhookEvents.php
│   │   └── Services/
│   │       └── BillingService.php
│   ├── Config/
│   │   └── cashier.php           ← Module-level config
│   ├── Database/Migrations/
│   ├── Routes/
│   │   ├── web.php               ← Webhooks (no CSRF)
│   │   └── api.php               ← Subscription management
│   └── module.json               # dependencies: ["User"]

FuseCore Billing Checklist

• [ ] Billing code in /FuseCore/Billing/ module
• [ ] Billable trait on User model in /FuseCore/User/
• [ ] Webhook routes in /FuseCore/Billing/Routes/web.php
• [ ] Exclude webhook from CSRF in VerifyCsrfToken
• [ ] Declare "User" dependency in module.json

→ See [fusecore skill](../fusecore/SKILL.md) for complete module patterns.

Decision Guide

Stripe vs Paddle

Selling to businesses (B2B)? → Stripe
├── Need OAuth for third-party apps? → Stripe Connect
└── Selling to consumers (B2C) globally?
    ├── Want to handle taxes yourself? → Stripe + Stripe Tax
    └── Want tax compliance handled? → Paddle

Subscription vs One-Time

Recurring revenue? → Subscription
├── Fixed plans? → Single-price subscription
└── Usage-based? → Metered billing (Stripe) or quantity-based
Single purchase? → One-time charge
├── Digital product? → Checkout session
└── Service fee? → Direct charge

Key Concepts

| Concept | Description | Reference | |---------|-------------|-----------| | Billable | Trait that enables billing on a model | [stripe.md](references/stripe.md) | | Subscription | Recurring billing cycle | [subscriptions.md](references/subscriptions.md) | | Price ID | Stripe/Paddle price identifier | [stripe.md](references/stripe.md) | | Grace Period | Time after cancellation with access | [subscriptions.md](references/subscriptions.md) | | Webhook | Server-to-server payment notifications | [webhooks.md](references/webhooks.md) | | Customer Portal | Self-service billing management | [checkout.md](references/checkout.md) |

Reference Guide

Concepts (WHY & Architecture)

| Topic | Reference | When to Consult | |-------|-----------|-----------------| | Stripe Cashier | [stripe.md](references/stripe.md) | Stripe setup, configuration | | Paddle Cashier | [paddle.md](references/paddle.md) | Paddle setup, differences | | Subscriptions | [subscriptions.md](references/subscriptions.md) | Create, cancel, swap, pause | | Webhooks | [webhooks.md](references/webhooks.md) | Webhook security, handling | | Invoices | [invoices.md](references/invoices.md) | PDF generation, receipts | | Payment Methods | [payment-methods.md](references/payment-methods.md) | Cards, wallets, updates | | Checkout | [checkout.md](references/checkout.md) | Hosted checkout, portal | | Testing | [testing.md](references/testing.md) | Test cards, webhook testing |

Advanced SaaS Features

| Topic | Reference | When to Consult | |-------|-----------|-----------------| | Metered Billing | [metered-billing.md](references/metered-billing.md) | Usage-based pricing (API, storage) | | Team Billing | [team-billing.md](references/team-billing.md) | Organization billing, per-seat | | Dunning | [dunning.md](references/dunning.md) | Failed payment recovery | | Feature Flags | [feature-flags.md](references/feature-flags.md) | Plan-based feature access |

Templates (Complete Code)

| Template | When to Use | |----------|-------------| | [UserBillable.php.md](references/templates/UserBillable.php.md) | User model with Billable trait | | [SubscriptionController.php.md](references/templates/SubscriptionController.php.md) | CRUD subscription operations | | [WebhookController.php.md](references/templates/WebhookController.php.md) | Custom webhook handling | | [CheckoutController.php.md](references/templates/CheckoutController.php.md) | Stripe Checkout + Portal | | [InvoiceController.php.md](references/templates/InvoiceController.php.md) | Invoice download | | [BillingRoutes.php.md](references/templates/BillingRoutes.php.md) | Complete route definitions | | [SubscriptionTest.php.md](references/templates/SubscriptionTest.php.md) | Pest tests for billing | | [MeteredBillingController.php.md](references/templates/MeteredBillingController.php.md) | Usage tracking and reporting | | [TeamBillable.php.md](references/templates/TeamBillable.php.md) | Team model with seat management | | [DunningService.php.md](references/templates/DunningService.php.md) | Payment recovery automation | | [FeatureFlags.php.md](references/templates/FeatureFlags.php.md) | Laravel Pennant per-plan features |

Quick Reference

Check Subscription Status

// Has active subscription?
$user->subscribed('default');

// Subscribed to specific price?
$user->subscribedToPrice('price_premium', 'default');

// On trial?
$user->onTrial('default');

// Cancelled but still active?
$user->subscription('default')->onGracePeriod();