Onboard your individual or sole trader business to Square
About onboarding your business
When you sign up for a Square account, we’ll ask you to answer a few questions and, in some cases, upload supporting documents so we can learn more about you and your business. These questions help us understand what you do, confirm your identity, and meet our obligations as a regulated financial services company in Australia.
As part of Australia’s Anti‑Money Laundering and Counter‑Terrorism Financing laws, Square is required to verify the identity of everyone who wishes to use our payment services, particularly for card processing.
This guidance is general in nature and does not constitute legal, tax, or any other type of professional advice. If you are unsure about your entity type or where to find the required information, consider consulting a professional adviser.
Before you begin
This onboarding guide is for individuals and sole traders only.
Use a supported browser such as Google Chrome, Safari, or Firefox on a desktop or laptop.
If we ask you to upload documents, they must be clear, well‑lit images that show the full document, in PDF, JPEG, JPG, PNG, or TIFF format, and no larger than 25 MB.
If you have an Australian Business Number (ABN), have it handy along with your registered business name (if trading under a name other than your own). Individual and sole trader accounts can be created with or without an ABN.
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Have one of these identity documents ready:
Australian driver’s licence (both the licence number and the card number are required)
Valid passport
Medicare card
Step 1: Provide your business information
Go to squareup.com or download the Square Point of Sale app to sign up for an account.
Enter and confirm your email address, then create a password.
Choose Australia as your country and follow the prompts to create your Square account.
When prompted to choose a business type, select Individual/Sole Trader. Individual or sole traders can sign up with or without an ABN.
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Enter the information unique to your business:
Business name as you’d like it to show on your receipts
Preferred phone number
Estimated annual revenue (you can use previous years’ revenue or an estimate if you’re just starting out)
Physical business address, including suburb and postcode
If you have an ABN, add it along with your registered business name (if you trade under a name other than your own).
Click Continue to move on to identity verification.
You can still create a Square account without linking a bank account immediately, but we recommend that you link an Australian‑based transactional bank account (in your name or the name of the business) as soon as you can to enable automatic funds transfers.
Step 2: Verify your identity
To approve your account for card processing, we must verify your identity under Australian financial regulations and AUSTRAC’s Customer Identification and Verification requirements.
Information required
When you sign up as an individual or sole trader, you’ll be asked to provide:
Full legal first name and surname
Date of birth
Current residential Australian street address (no PO Box)
Contact phone number
Business role (for example, business owner or sole trader)
If we can’t verify your identity automatically based on this information, we may need additional identity verification, which can include:
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Uploading a clear image of a government‑issued photo ID, such as:
Australian driver’s licence (both the licence number and card number are required)
Valid Passport
A Photo ID card or residence permit
Taking a selfie to match against your ID.
If you’re prompted into our photo ID verification flow (powered by our partner Veriff), you’ll see instructions to:
Scan a QR code or receive a secure SMS link to open the verification flow on your phone.
Take a photo of the front and back of your ID document.
Take a clear, front‑facing selfie in a well‑lit area.
Follow the prompts until the verification step is complete.
For best results:
Make sure the entire ID is visible and in focus, with no glare or cropped edges.
You’ll need your physical government issued photo identification document (copies won’t work) Take your selfie straight‑on, in good lighting, with your face fully visible.
If we still can’t verify your identity after multiple attempts, your account can’t be activated for card payments. You can continue to use Square Point of Sale to track cash and other tender types, but you won’t be able to accept cards.
Check your verification status
Once you’ve completed the sign-up steps:
Sign in to Square Dashboard.
Click the clipboard icon to open your Setup Guide.
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Review your verification status:
Verify your identity – you still need to complete identity verification before you can accept card payments.
Verification declined – resubmission requested – you’ll be asked to upload clearer photos of your ID or selfie.
Verification declined – your account can’t be activated for card payments.
Most automatic checks complete within a few business days; more complex cases or manual reviews may take up to 20 business days.