Under Store Contact Details 

Now click on Store Address and enter your Company (Business) Name and Business Address. Save.

You shouldn't have to make any changes in these sections

Store defaults

• Order ID format
• Store assets
• Resources
• Transfer store

Order processing (leave these 2 selected)

• Don’t fulfill any of the order’s line items automaticall
• Automatically archive the order

You have just completed the General section

💳 SET UP SHOPIFY PAYMENTS

Now we're going to set up Shopify Payments so that you can accept payments from customers on your website.

This is one of the most important parts of setting up your Shopify store, so take your time and make sure all information is entered correctly.

Your information should match your official identification, IRS records and business records.

1️⃣ GO TO PAYMENTS

From your Shopify Admin:

Settings → Payments

Find Shopify Payments and click the button to Activate Shopify Payments, Complete Setup, or Submit Details, depending on what Shopify displays on your account.

Shopify may change the wording of these buttons from time to time.

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2️⃣ SELECT YOUR BUSINESS TYPE

Shopify will ask how your business is structured.

⚠️ Select the option that actually applies to your business.

For the beginners using this DIY, two common situations will be:

INDIVIDUAL — Select this if you are operating the business as an individual and do not have an EIN. You are operating using your SSN or ITIN.

SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP — This applies to a sole proprietor who has an EIN.

PRIVATE SINGLE MEMBER LLC — Select this if you've formed a single-member LLC.

Shopify has additional business types for corporations, partnerships, multi-member LLCs, nonprofits and other organizations. Choose the option that matches how your business is legally structured.

💡 MRS GWEN TIP

Don't choose Individual simply because you're the only person running your business.

Shopify's current U.S. instructions say that if you don't have an EIN and only have an SSN or ITIN, select Individual. If you have an EIN, select the appropriate registered business type.

If you're unsure how your business is legally classified, verify it before continuing.

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3️⃣ VERIFY YOUR BUSINESS DETAILS

The next section will ask for your Business Details.

Because we entered much of this information earlier, some of it may already be filled in.

Don't just click through it.

Stop and verify that everything is correct.

Pay particular attention to your:

Legal business name • EIN • Business address • Business phone number • Personal information

Your legal business name and EIN should match your IRS records exactly.

That includes spelling, punctuation and capitalization when Shopify needs to verify the information against your IRS documentation.

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4️⃣ INDUSTRY & WHAT YOU SELL

Shopify will ask about your industry and the products or services you sell.

Select the category that most closely describes your business.

When Shopify asks for a description of your products or services, clearly describe what you actually sell.

For example:

Hair Business:
Human hair wigs, hair bundles and hair accessories.

Clothing Boutique:
Women's clothing, shoes and fashion accessories.

Service Business:
Beauty services and related products.

Keep the description simple, clear and accurate.

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5️⃣ CUSTOMER BILLING STATEMENT INFORMATION

You may also be asked for information that can appear on your customer's credit or debit card statement.

This is important because customers should be able to recognize the charge.

Shopify requires a customer statement name that meets its formatting requirements, and Shopify Payments also requires a contact phone number for the customer billing statement.

💡 MRS GWEN TIP

Use a business name your customers will recognize.

You don't want a customer looking at their bank statement, not recognizing your charge and immediately disputing it.

Important correction: The phone number entered here does not have to be “the phone number on your bank statement.” It is the contact phone number associated with the customer's billing statement information so customers have a number to call if there is a problem.

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6️⃣ ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE

Every Shopify Payments account must have a real person listed as the Account Representative—even when the store belongs to an LLC or another registered company.

For an individual or sole proprietorship, this will generally be the person who owns and operates the business. For a single-member LLC, the owner is designated as the account representative.

Some of your information may already be filled in because we entered it earlier.

Review everything carefully.

Shopify may request information such as your:

Legal name • Date of birth • Residential address • Phone number • Email address • SSN or ITIN

If you didn't enter your SSN or ITIN earlier, you'll need to provide the required identification information before Shopify Payments can complete verification.

⚠️ WHY DOES SHOPIFY NEED MY SSN IF I HAVE AN EIN?

An EIN identifies your business.

Your SSN or ITIN helps Shopify and its banking partners verify the identity of the person connected to the business.

So having an EIN does not automatically eliminate the personal identity-verification requirement.

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7️⃣ CONNECT YOUR BANK ACCOUNT 🏦

You'll need to connect an eligible bank account so Shopify can send you the money from your sales.

Shopify currently allows eligible U.S. merchants to connect a bank account through Plaid, and if that isn't available for your bank, Shopify can provide an option to enter the banking information manually.

💡 MRS GWEN TIP

If you have established a business, I recommend keeping your business money separate from your personal money and using a business checking account for your business.

This makes your bookkeeping much easier and helps you keep cleaner business records.

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🪪 IDENTITY & BUSINESS VERIFICATION

Shopify will attempt to verify the information you've provided.

You may not necessarily be required to upload all of these documents during your initial setup.

If Shopify or its banking partners cannot automatically verify certain information, Shopify may ask you to provide supporting documents.

🏢 IF SHOPIFY ASKS YOU TO VERIFY YOUR BUSINESS

Shopify currently accepts documents including:

IRS SS-4 Confirmation Letter

IRS Notice CP575

IRS Letter 147c

Your registered business name and EIN entered into Shopify should match the information shown on your IRS document.

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📍 IF SHOPIFY ASKS YOU TO VERIFY YOUR BUSINESS ADDRESS

Accepted documents can include:

Utility bill

Credit card statement

Bank account statement

Insurance statement

Tax assessment notice

Proof of business registration

Shopify says the document used for business-address verification must show the applicable address and generally be issued within the past six months.

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🪪 IF SHOPIFY ASKS YOU TO VERIFY YOUR IDENTITY

Accepted U.S. identity documents include:

Driver's license

Passport

State-issued ID card

Your name and date of birth in Shopify should match your identification, and the ID must be valid and not expired.

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📸 IMPORTANT WHEN UPLOADING DOCUMENTS

Don't just upload any picture or screenshot.

Shopify currently instructs merchants to provide clear documentation with the entire document visible. For documents that weren't originally issued digitally, Shopify says to provide an original color photograph rather than a scan, photocopy or screenshot.

If the document was issued digitally, upload the original unaltered PDF with all pages included.

🔐 PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION

Only submit sensitive verification documents through the secure verification area inside your Shopify Admin.

Shopify says verification documents should not be emailed or sent through support chat.

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✅ SUBMIT FOR VERIFICATION

After you've entered all required information and uploaded any documents Shopify specifically requests, review everything one more time.

Then click the button Shopify provides to submit or complete your verification.

Shopify and its banking partners will review the information.

If Shopify needs additional information or can't verify something, don't panic and don't start changing information randomly.

Read the message Shopify gives you.

It may simply mean that information doesn't match your official records, a document isn't acceptable, or Shopify needs additional documentation.

Correct the specific issue Shopify identifies and resubmit the information requested.

💡 MRS GWEN TIP

This is exactly why I had you properly enter your business information earlier in this DIY.

Setting up the website itself is the fun part—but the information behind the website is just as important.

Take your time.

Make sure your information matches your official records.

Keep your EIN documents and business records somewhere safe where you can easily find them.

And once your business is established, keeping a separate business checking account can make managing your business finances much easier.

Don't rush through the payment setup just because you want to get to designing your website. You want your store set up correctly from the beginning.

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