# Get your merchant account approved

> How to apply for your BillingMart Merchant Account, what you need, what the statuses mean, and how it goes live once approved.

Source: https://support.billingmart.com/payments/merchant-account
Updated: 2026-10-17 · Applies to: Web · Section: Payments & payment links

To take real card payments, you need your own BillingMart Merchant Account. An owner or an admin applies under **Merchant accounts**. After BillingMart approves the application, the account is connected to your workspace, and an owner or an admin turns it on in **Settings**, then **Payments**. Until then, the pay page only practises card payments.

## What works before approval

- Every new workspace gets BillingMart's test merchant account. Card payments then run in test mode. No card is charged and no money moves. The pay page shows a "TEST MODE" banner and a test card to try.
- With no test account, the pay page says "Card payment is not set up yet". The customer can still read the invoice.
- You can record cash, check and bank transfer payments at any time. See [Record a cash or check payment](https://support.billingmart.com/payments/record-an-offline-payment.md).
- A sandbox workspace is always in test mode.

If the test account was not added, open **Merchant accounts** and select **Add test merchant account**. If its connection test did not pass, set the settings password and run the self-test again under **Settings**, then **Payments**.

## Apply

The page says the application takes about 15 minutes. Have your business tax ID (EIN), a voided check and each owner's photo ID ready.

1. Open **Merchant accounts** and select **Apply for a merchant account**.
2. Work through seven steps: **Contact**, **Business**, **Processing**, **Owners**, **Banking**, **Documents** and **Review and sign**. Each step is checked before the next.
3. On **Owners**, list everyone who owns a quarter or more, and at least one person who controls the business.
4. On **Documents**, upload PDF, PNG, JPEG or WebP files, up to 15 MB each. Every application needs a voided check or bank letter, and a photo ID for the first owner and each owner of a quarter or more. A business that takes cards today adds recent processing statements. A new business adds an EIN letter or bank statements. **From phone** sends a file from your phone.
5. On **Review and sign**, check every answer, agree to the three statements, enter the signer's name and title, and draw your signature. Select **Submit application**.

Select **Save and finish later** at any step, and continue from **Merchant accounts** on any computer. Social Security numbers, licence numbers and account numbers are never saved, so you enter them again before you sign. After you submit, the details are not shown again.

On **Processing**, a box reads "Request to pass the processing fees to my customers". Read the terms beside it before you tick it.

## What the statuses mean

| Status                | Meaning                                         |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Received, Processing  | We have it and are reviewing it.                |
| Information requested | We need more. We contact you by email or phone. |
| Approved              | Your Producer ID is shown on the page.          |
| Denied, Cancelled     | Not approved, or you cancelled it.              |

You can select **Cancel application** while it is Received, Processing or Information requested.

## After approval

Approval does not turn card payments on by itself. BillingMart connects your live credentials to the workspace, and connecting them never switches them on.

An owner or an admin then opens **Settings**, then **Payments**. Each step shows as done or not yet.

1. **Settings password.** Set a second password for payment settings. Every change to gateway credentials asks for it. Five wrong tries in a short time lock that person out for a short while.
2. **Credentials.** An owner or an admin enters them, with the settings password. Live credentials are stored encrypted and never shown again.
3. **Self-test.** Run the test self-test first. It must pass before live can be switched on.
4. **Activate live.** Enter the settings password again. It is refused until the test self-test has passed, live credentials and a confirmed live host exist, and a fresh live self-test passes. The message names what is missing. Activating also asks for a second sign-in step once BillingMart requires one for sensitive changes, and always if your workspace requires two-step verification for admins. See [Turn on two-step verification](https://support.billingmart.com/account-and-security/two-step-verification.md).

Once live, the pay page drops the test banner and takes real cards.