Live Q&A: Ask us anything about verifying your identity for your Square account!

[Tom]

Hello Seller Community!

To allow your business to accept card payments, Square is required to perform a series of checks to verify your identity and your business. As your business evolves, we also need to stay up to date to provide you the best financial services. We strive to make it fast and easy while fulfilling our regulatory and payment network obligations.

With that, we want to hear from you:

• What do you think of our payment onboarding experience?
• What suggestions would you give to improve the experience?

On Monday, April 24 we welcomed @laylaliang and @lanj from the Trusted Identity team for a question & answer session! Their team is eager to learn about how they can help you get started quickly as well as answer any questions you may have. Check out the "Best Answer" below for a summary post that covers the main takeaways from this discussion.

We're unable to share account-specific details within our online forums, though information on your experience will be helpful as we continue to make improvements. For account questions, please contact the Customer Success team directly.

[#2]

Hello everyone! We're at the top of the hour and the time for asking new questions is closed. Here are a few quick updates:

• Due to the volume of participation on this thread, it may take a couple more days for the Trusted Identity team to follow up on your questions.
• Square is required to verify your identity for processing card payments. Your participation in this thread does not impact your status with Square. Learn more in this guide.
• We're not able to comment on account specifics in our public forums, but you can get in touch with an account specialist on the Customer Success team here.

Thank you for your patience and keep watch for a summary post after we've addressed all of the feedback that came in during this discussion.

[jael03faulcon]

There are a lot of moving parts. It took quite a bit of trial and error. Think I've got it.

[eztyr]

it’s not letting me reply in general, just to people-hoping square will see this and respond. am just starting out with square and so far, i do not understand it. someone paid me, but although my account is linked, nothing went into my account… where did the payment go?? 

[laylaliang]

It’s showing on our end that your account has been verified to take payments but a bank account has not been linked. You can link your bank account by following the steps on this page: Link and Edit Your Bank Account.

[laylaliang]

Thank you @jael03faulcon! I'm glad to hear that you got it. If you're willing, I'd love to hear more about your experience.

[Cc881]

I utterly hate the constant verification. It’s a true hinderance to my business to have this done periodically especially when I’m not told it’s happening and at times the reason given is “oh we are protecting you from yourself as we think you’re an idiot who can fall prey to scams”… an initial verification should be done ONLY. Doing it periodically makes me lose money and honestly I’m still looking into changing. Square has left a bitter taste in my mouth and I never recommend y’all to fellow entrepreneurs 

[AAC1]

I totally agree. Of course it needs to be done initially but after that, there is no good reason require verification again after that. Especially for a business that's existed for years. A business tax ID number should be sufficient for verification, especially for a business that has a physical address. 

[Tallulah]

I would assume that backend checks would always be in place to verify our accounts with the info but is the random re-verification process necessary because they don't store this information to do this type of automated check OR is it in addition to as an added layer? I am asking, as a brand new user of Square who has jumped into these discussions.

So, as a user, do you know how or why checks of your business and Identity are going on and why they're taking place? 

I assumed that the random one was like a double-layer re-check. I appreciate the added layer, especially with the way I know some companies handle customers or even their OWN data and verifications of people or organizations. 

[laylaliang]

Hi @Tallulah,

Square periodically sends information requests when we need more information on your account. This is industry practice subject to regulatory and payment partner requirements. To keep buyers and sellers safe, this sometimes results in transactions being temporarily suspended until the review process is complete.

You can continue accepting payments during the review process, but depending on the type of review, you may not be able to initiate or receive transfers to your linked account until the review is complete. Once we have the information we need, the review process will take 1 to 2 business days. You’ll receive an email and a text message when it’s complete.

If your transfers are suspended, we may have noticed some unusual activity on your Square account. Our system periodically reviews your transactions to keep your account safe from scams and fraud. We’ve found that some businesses sell products or services that are more prone to fraud or to receiving payment disputes from their customers. This may not necessarily be the reason your transfers are suspended, but our policy is to make sure your business is protected when our system notices something out of the ordinary.

You can read more about our information requests here: Information Requests FAQ.

[Princessdidif]

This you took the words out my mouth !! SQUARE PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS COMMENT constant verification is not okay it’s becoming more of a hassle not all people are working behind your verification system they are bots correct what if something goes wrong mistake is making and cost me my business site

[Alaska907]

Same here. I just started using square and quite honestly I’m more annoyed than happy. Not to mention now I have to partake in this thread to “verify my identity”.. seems more like blackmail than protection to me. I’ll be looking for a different platform soon I think. 

[laylaliang]

Hey @Alaska907, sorry for the confusion on this. Square is required to verify your identity for processing card payments. Your participation in this thread does not impact your status with Square. For more details, see this guide.

[laylaliang]

Hi @Cc881,

Square periodically asks sellers for additional information to ensure that your account remains in good standing. This is industry practice subject to regulatory and payment partner requirements.

It’s important to our buyers and our sellers alike that Square is a safe platform for processing payments. One of our best tools in keeping Square secure is to learn about your business, so we may request additional information to help us spot unusual activity, keep you safe from fraudsters, reduce the risk of a chargeback and make sure that your business runs smoothly. The information you provide gives us a sense of how to help you adopt best practices.

We need documentation to confirm some details about your account and better understand how your business tends to process payments. This includes details about the goods or services you provide through Square and documentation of your transactions. Fill out each answer with as much detail are you can provide.

You can read more about our information requests here: Information Requests FAQ

[Cc881]

This sounded like a bot. No one has reached out to request any information because square is very secretive as to how they handle “verifications”. 

my account, to my knowledge, is currently in good standing. Are you saying it is not? 

why am I finding out ON A PUBLIC THREAD?!? 

square, I’m a grown woman, I can protect myself against fraudsters. To say you pause people’s accounts who haven’t sought your help is to overstep your boundaries. I’m not 79 with dementia needing the bank to protect me. This is ridiculous 

[Cc881]

Also you claim part of keeping Square secure is asking to learn more about the business… shouldn’t this be done AT SIGN UP? 

if you cared about your clients, the businesses, that process transactions with square then you’d ensure the service is seamless and smooth. ALL documentation should be requested AND verified at sign up. Doing this periodically and halting operations and access to funds under the guise of safety is masked negligence. 

you shouldn’t need to harm your businesses that are your clients simply because you want to approve everyone and then fear some may be scammers. Do your work from the start and don’t inconvenience us business owners 

[ManMadeLLC]

How do I verify my identity? I don't want to be part of a chat community, I dont want to make a profile, I dont want to click "Like" buttons. I want to manage my business and go on with my day. How do I verify? 

[laylaliang]

Thanks @ManMadeLLC ! You can verify your identity when you sign up for Square. Depending which type of business you sign up for, individual or business, you will be asked to provide different information or documents: Square Get Started Guide. Once you’re verified, you will be able to take payments.

[Jjpainting]

I am totally fine with the initial verification, but what I’m seeing is that there are periodic verifications which pretty much freezes your account from preforming certain types of banking. I’m not sure how often this happens, but what I want to know is why you can’t do a periodic verification without disrupting our business. I have only been with square for about 8 months, so this hasn’t happened to me yet, but I will not be happy when it does cause it makes zero sense

[ManMadeLLC]

How do I verify?  Do they call or send an email? I have been with square for only 3 months. and so far so good, but if these rumors are true and they stop taking credit card for a day or stop bank transactions That will be the last day I use them. 

[Cc881]

They sure do. I’ve had them 4 years and they’ve held my account with hundreds of dollars for weeks with no way to reach the “verification” dept. it’s hell

[AAC1]

Do they give you any sort of advance notice? Surely they must. To hold funds with no warning can be crippling to a small business, even more so if no advance notice is given to allow for planning. I am new to Square and this has me now thinking about looking for another option.