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Sign Up for Square Point of Sale

Learn how to sign up for Square Point of Sale online or in app, and review the information required to activate a Square account. If you have multiple businesses, learn how to set up multiple accounts with Square.

Sign Up Online

  1. Go to squareup.com > click Get Started.

  2. Enter and confirm your email address, create a password > click Create Account.

  3. Select your business type from the drop-down. Enter your business and personal information. Click Continue.

  4. You’ll be asked to input your personal and business information and to answer a few questions to verify your identity. When complete, click Continue.

  5. Enter your phone number or email address. We’ll send a link to your mobile device to download the Square Point of Sale app.  Keep in mind that you can sign in to multiple devices using the same email address and password. 

  6. Tap the email or text message link to download the app to your mobile device. 

Sign Up In App

  1. Download Square Point of Sale to your mobile device.

  2. Tap Create Account to start the activation process.

  3. You’ll be asked to input your personal and business information and to answer a few questions to verify your identity.

Note: If you have trouble downloading the app, make sure you’re using a supported device.

You can also access the Square Point of Sale Setup Guide in the Square app. The setup guide will walk you through setting up a bank account for transfers, creating items, ordering hardware, and more.

To access the Square Point of Sale Setup Guide in the app:

  1. Open the Square app and select ≡ More.

  2. Select Support > Setup Guide.

For a more comprehensive look at primary and advanced setup tasks for your Square Point of Sale, view the full Square Point of Sale Guide in our Support Center.

Once you finish, you can immediately start accepting payments via manual entry or Tap to Pay on iPhone.  Order a Square Reader for magstripe or pick one up at a participating retail store and use the redemption code included. Visit Square Shop to order additional hardware.

Information Required to Sign Up

Federal law requires that all financial institutions verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account.

The following information is required to activate a Square account:

  • Full legal name

  • Social Security number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)

  • Date of birth: Current credit card regulations require our customers to be 18 years of age or older to create a Square account.

  • US home mailing address

If you skip or leave the identity verification flow, and we still need some additional information to activate your account you'll receive an email notification and a prompt in your online Dashboard.  This may include:

  • Physical government-issued photo identification document (copies won’t work)

    • ID Card, Passport, Residence Permit, Driver’s License

  • Photo of your face (selfie)

When you receive the request for additional information from Square, you will be prompted to take a photo of your government-issued ID, and a selfie. Follow the prompts to complete and send the images to us for further review.

If you’re unable to provide the information above, you won’t be able to accept card payments, but you can still use Square to track cash payments and provide your customers with email and text receipts.

Square’s card processing system meets Level 1 PCI Data Security Standards, so Square’s got you covered.

Social Security Number Requirement

We are required by banking industry regulations and federal law to ask for the Social Security number, date of birth, and full name for each of our primary account holders. The only alternative to providing a SSN is a valid ITIN. There is no way to create a Square account without this information.

Even if you plan on using Square as a business or organization, in order to create a Square account you must provide your individual name, mailing address, date of birth, and a valid SSN or ITIN.

Note: If you’ve been added as an employee, you will not need to provide this information.

Choose a Business Type

During the signup process you’ll need to classify how you’ll use Square by selecting your business type or Merchant Category Code. Square will use this information to provide you with the best features to help you grow your business.

If you’ve already set your business type and would like to change it, contact us