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Plaid Dashboard, keys and Production access

Create a Plaid Dashboard team, get the client_id and Sandbox secret, then move to real data with a free Trial plan (10 Production Items, US/Canada) or a paid plan after Plaid's use-case review, and complete the compliance-center registration that OAuth banks such as Chase, PNC and Schwab require.

Researched · not yet run liveLast researched 25 October 2026 · Plaid · provider site

Researched, not yet run live. Built from the provider’s official pages (linked below). A person hasn’t walked this flow end to end yet, so check each step against the source.
Do this with verapliJSON for agents

Who owns what

A Plaid Dashboard team owns one client_id and one secret per environment. Plans (Trial, Pay-as-you-go, Growth, Custom) and approved products are set at team level; OAuth institution access depends on the team's compliance center registration.

  • Plaid Dashboard user personal owned by the person
  • Plaid team organisation owned by the company · under Plaid Dashboard userHolds the client_id, secrets, plan, products and compliance profile; other people join as Authorized Users.

Sandbox is free and uses test credentials; Production needs a Trial or paid plan.

Trial plans are only for new US/Canada teams created on or after 15 April 2026 and cap at 10 Production Items for good.

EU/UK businesses, or anyone serving EU/UK end users, can only use Custom plans via Plaid sales.

Have ready

  • A work email address to create and verify the Dashboard account [2]Needed for: Create a Plaid Dashboard account and verify email
  • Company legal name, address, website and a clear description of how you will use bank data (use case) · Plaid asks for company and API-use information before approving Production, and registration information must be true and accurate. [6]Needed for: Request Production access on a paid plan, Complete the compliance center (display profile, company info, MSA, security questionnaire)
  • Public website and app name, logo and description for the application display profile end users see in OAuth flows · Some US banks will not allow apps with an empty display profile. [3]Needed for: Complete the compliance center (display profile, company info, MSA, security questionnaire)
  • A privacy policy covering how you use end users' financial data · Plaid requires use of End User Data in compliance with privacy laws and end-user agreements. [to verify whether a URL is asked for in the profile] [6]Needed for: Complete the compliance center (display profile, company info, MSA, security questionnaire)
  • Answers on your company's risk and security practices (security questionnaire, US/CA) · Required before accessing certain bank APIs, including Chase on paid plans; Plaid advises submitting early. [3]Needed for: Complete the compliance center (display profile, company info, MSA, security questionnaire)
  • Payment method for Pay-as-you-go billing (not needed on Trial) [2]Needed for: Request Production access on a paid plan

Steps

Steps marked “human step” are ones only you can do: verapli never signs in, submits, pays or accepts terms for you.

  1. Create a Plaid Dashboard account and verify email

    Sign up at dashboard.plaid.com yourself and verify your email. This creates your team.

    • Guided by hand
    • Human step: You accept the terms

    Where: https://dashboard.plaid.com/signup

  2. Copy the client_id and Sandbox secret

    Open the Keys section of the Dashboard and copy the client_id and the Sandbox secret. verapli captures them by selector.

    • verapli co-pilot
    • After: Create a Plaid Dashboard account and verify email

    verapli captures PLAID_SECRET here by plain code: encrypted in your browser, never shown to AI.

    Where: https://dashboard.plaid.com/developers/keys

  3. Apply for the free Trial plan (US/Canada, optional)optional

    New US/Canada teams can apply for a Trial plan from the Dashboard homepage to use real data with up to 10 Production Items. Removing Items does not free slots, so keep access tokens.

    • Guided by hand
    • Human step: You press submit
    • After: Create a Plaid Dashboard account and verify email

    Where: https://dashboard.plaid.com/trial-plan

  4. Request Production access on a paid plan

    Fill in the Production access request (company details, use case, products) and review the Pay-as-you-go or Growth pricing shown on the last page before you submit. Plaid reviews the request.

    • Guided by hand
    • Human step: The provider reviews it
    • After: Create a Plaid Dashboard account and verify email
    The provider says
    Plaid support says Production approval takes a couple of business days. [to verify - seen via search snippet only] [7]
    If something goes wrong (2)
    • You are based in, or serve end users in, the EU or UK and the self-serve plans are not offered.: Only Custom plans are offered there; contact Plaid sales. [2]
    • A product you need (e.g. Transfer, Payment Initiation, most Plaid Check products) is not available on your plan.: These are Custom-plan only; contact sales. [2]

    Where: https://dashboard.plaid.com/overview

  5. Complete the compliance center (display profile, company info, MSA, security questionnaire)

    Fill in the application display information (public), company information (seen by Plaid and banks), confirm the MSA (US/CA) and submit the security questionnaire (US/CA). Trial plans may skip these until upgrading.

    • Guided by hand
    • Human step: You press submit
    • After: Request Production access on a paid plan
    The provider says
    Access to most OAuth institutions arrives within hours of completing registration; Fidelity and Charles Schwab may take longer, Schwab up to 5 business days from Production approval; some institutions may take up to 1-2 days after Production is enabled. [3]
    If something goes wrong (3)
    • INSTITUTION_REGISTRATION_REQUIRED when linking a bank. (INSTITUTION_REGISTRATION_REQUIRED): Wait up to 1-2 days after Production is enabled, and make sure the security questionnaire and display profile are complete. [4]
    • Chase is not available in Production.: Complete the security questionnaire (required unless on a Trial plan). [3]
    • PNC is not available in Production.: Make sure the latest Plaid MSA is in place; contact your account manager or support if marked incomplete. [3]

    Where: https://dashboard.plaid.com/settings/compliance/us-oauth-institutions

  6. Copy the Production secret

    After Production is enabled, copy the Production secret from the Keys page. Same client_id, different secret.

    • verapli co-pilot
    • After: Request Production access on a paid plan

    verapli captures PLAID_PRODUCTION_SECRET here by plain code: encrypted in your browser, never shown to AI.

    Where: https://dashboard.plaid.com/developers/keys

Terms and gotchas

Plain-English summary, not legal advice. Each card links its source.

Can get you bannedThe rules say

Data misuse ends access

Breaking the Developer Policy can get your access to Plaid and to end-user data suspended or terminated. Selling or renting end-user data, or storing bank credentials beyond what is needed, is prohibited. [6]

Can cost moneyThe rules say

Accurate registration

You must give true, accurate and complete information about yourself and your use case, and keep it up to date. [6]

Can cost moneyThe rules say

Trial Items are a hard cap

The Trial plan allows 10 Production Items in total; removing Items does not give slots back, and subscription products added on Trial start billing when you upgrade. [2]

Worth knowingThe rules say

Plaid may deactivate an account that has not used the Services for three months. [6]

What you end up with

Env varSecretFormatWhat it is
PLAID_CLIENT_IDsecretPlaid team client_id (private identifier, same for all environments)
PLAID_SECRETsecretSandbox secret
PLAID_PRODUCTION_SECRETsecretProduction secret
PLAID_ENVnot secretsandboxEnvironment name to call (sandbox or production)

Pricing

  • Free tier: Sandbox is always free; Trial plan gives free real-data access for 10 Production Items (new US/Canada teams).
  • Costs: Pay-as-you-go has no minimum; Growth and Custom have minimum spend and annual commitments. Per-product prices are shown in the Production request flow or by sales, not published.

Source [2]

For agents

The same entry as JSON: /api/v1/entries/plaid/production-access · requirements /api/v1/requirements/plaid/production-access · terms /api/v1/terms/plaid/production-access.

Remote MCP (read-only, no auth)
claude mcp add --transport http verapli https://verapli.com/mcp

> "What do I need for Plaid Dashboard, keys and Production access, and how long will it take?"
  → tools/call requirements { "provider_id": "plaid/production-access" }

Sources

  1. Plaid Quickstart API keys live in the Dashboard's Keys section - client_id is a private identifier for your team, and there is one secret per environment (Sandbox and Production). · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
  2. Plaid account - Billing and pricing plans Four plans - Trial (free, 10 Production Items, new US/Canada teams created on or after 15 April 2026, apply at dashboard.plaid.com/trial-plan after verifying email), Pay-as-you-go (no minimum), Growth (minimum spend and annual commitment), Custom (higher minimums); EU/UK customers or end users get Custom plans only; removing Trial Items does not free slots; Sandbox is always free; pricing appears in the Production access request flow. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
  3. Plaid Link - OAuth guide Production access (paid or trial) is a prerequisite for OAuth; compliance-center requirements - application display information, company information, MSA (US/CA) and security questionnaire (US/CA); access to most institutions within hours of completing requirements; Fidelity and Charles Schwab may take longer, Schwab up to 5 business days; Chase needs the security questionnaire and PNC the latest MSA unless on a Trial plan. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
  4. Plaid errors - Institution errors INSTITUTION_REGISTRATION_REQUIRED - after Production or Trial is enabled it may take up to 1-2 days to get access to certain institutions; incomplete security questionnaire is a common cause. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
  5. Plaid Launch in Production checklist The Launch Checklist has been replaced by the Dashboard Launch Center; recommended pre-launch work (webhooks, update mode, logging identifiers). · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
  6. Plaid Developer Policy (effective 19 April 2026) True and accurate registration information; violations may lead to suspension or termination of access to the Services and End User Data; prohibited conduct includes selling End User Data and storing bank credentials beyond what is needed; Plaid may deactivate accounts unused for three months. · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
  7. Plaid Support - production access approval (article 16110110883479) Production approval said to take a couple of business days and to need company and API-use information (seen only via search snippet; the page blocks automated fetches). [to verify] · accessed 25 October 2026 · official
  8. Plaid Support - How do I add new Plaid products? New products are requested from the Dashboard with a use-case description reviewed by Plaid's Risk team (seen only via search snippet). [to verify] · accessed 25 October 2026 · official

Provider rules change. This page is generated from verapli registry version 2026.1025.387; spotted something out of date? Tell us. Plaid is not affiliated with verapli.