How to accept payments as a new LLC (2026)

The order

A new US LLC gets paid in this order: (1) EIN if you need one for the bank and the processor, (2) a business-named checking account, (3) one invoicing or POS product, (4) a card/ACH processor attached to that account, (5) a ledger that can rec the deposits. Do not start at step 4 with a personal PayPal. How to choose a registered agent and LLC formation cost by state are the filing siblings. How to separate personal and business finances is the habit. We are not your bank and not your accountant.

The account

Processors and payroll will debit and credit a named account. Mercury, Relay, Novo, and Found advertise $0 checking stories — eligibility and partner banks apply. Chase if you deposit cash or a lender wants a branch. See Best business bank accounts for LLCs, Best business banking for freelancers, and Found vs Novo. Open it in the LLC name. A DBA on a personal account is how you fail the separation test.

You need the articles, EIN letter, and owner ID the bank asks for. LegalZoom vs Northwest is the filing fork if you do not have articles yet. Stripe Atlas is the Delaware startup kit — different entity, different reason. Do not apply to four fintechs in one afternoon. Finish one.

The rails

• Invoices: Wave $0 if you will rec. FreshBooks $23 if invoices are the product. Stripe Invoicing if you already live in Stripe. QBO if the CPA already owns you. See How to set up invoicing as a freelancer.
• Cards online: Stripe or the invoice product’s payments. Square invoices 3.3% + 30¢ on Free as of September 21, 2026. Confirm squareup.com and stripe.com/pricing.
• In person: Square Free 2.6% + 15¢ for a reader. A café is Square vs Toast. Retail is How to compare POS systems.
• ACH / bank transfer: cheaper on large invoices. Melio is for bills you pay, not invoices you send — do not confuse AP with AR. Stripe and some banks offer ACH in.
• Retainers: a schedule, not a single PDF. See Best invoicing for consultants on retainers.
• Marketplaces: Shopify, Etsy, Airbnb pay out lumps. The dashboard is not a ledger. Map fees.

Napkins as of September 21, 2026

Wave $0 / Pro $19. FreshBooks $23 / $43 / $70. QBO $38 / $85 / $140. Square Free $0 software, in-person 2.6% + 15¢, online/invoices 3.3% + 30¢. Stripe’s public processing card is on stripe.com/pricing — confirm it; we will not freeze a stale blended rate. Mercury $0 checking; paid software from $35. Relay Starter $0; Grow around $30. Found and Novo advertise $0. Confirm official pages.

A $5,000 invoice on a 2.9% + 30¢-class card rail is about $145. ACH or a wire can be a few dollars. Offer both. Do not take a construction deposit on personal Venmo “for speed.” How to set up invoicing walks the PDF and the due date. Ecommerce banking is the payout sibling if the shop is the processor.

Skip-ifs

• Personal Venmo or Cash App as the operating rail after you have an EIN.
• Opening four processor accounts because a thread listed a stack.
• Buying Toast to invoice a consultancy.
• AI invoice writers as a reason to skip a named account. Aiacent.
• Mixing owner grocery charges on the Stripe debit and calling it bookkeeping.
• Skipping the ledger because “payouts are in the app.”